Music – Reviews Archive

Jazz singer Crystal Barreca has found her groove. For a few years now I have had the pleasure of hearing Barreca singing around Sydney’s (and now Canberra’s) jazz spots, cafes and holes-in-the-wall. I most recently remember hearing her up front of the …

Listening to After All, the new release by young Melbourne altoist James Carter, I was taken back to the wonderful Ron Carter Trio gig at Sydney’s Basement in June last year. Like Ron Carter’s spry unit, the James Carter group also works without a …

It takes a lot of sass to strip on stage – and a whole lot more to make it look classy. Miss Burlesque Australia 2012 Briana Bluebell takes us beyond the sequins and suspenders to what lies beneath: a girl who never …

Jinja Safari’s music is a joyous kind of woodland pop, with sweet lyrics, an irresistible drum beat and plenty of heart. But it’s their live shows where the magic truly comes to life. Performing before a packed-out crowd at The Metro on …

In this premiere work, the eight young musicians and performers who comprise Applespiel create a one-hour music documentary in front of a live audience as part of Show On, the Performance Space two-week season now at Carriageworks. The result is an exuberant …

For me, the hallmark of a great city lies in the quality of its jazz clubs. In my eyes Melbourne is a great city and Bennett’s Lane is everything a jazz club should be. The perfect place to forget your troubles, or …

“Exit in case of Brahms.” This was plastered on the walls in the venue of the premiere of Brahms’ 1st symphony. We had no need of this exhortation on the account given by The Metropolitan Orchestra at Balmain Town Hall. Here was …

Full disclosure: I am a die-hard fan of Flight of the Conchords, New Zealand’s ‘fourth most popular folk-parody duo’, and was positively squealing with excitement at the prospect of seeing them perform live at the Sydney Opera House. The sold-out opening show …

After eight years of not recording, Sydney singer Lily Dior has come up with an album that boasts almost 20 musicians on it. Launched to a glowing reception at the Basement on Wednesday June 20, Let’s Talk About It is a punchy collection of …

Ex-boyfriends of Emma Pask beware. Her favourite party trick at shows is to publicly condemn her “doozy” exes. Whenever she performs at jazz venue 505 in Sydney’s Surry Hills, Pask stirs the sleepy club from its slumbers with her sheer effervescence and …