Music – Reviews Archive

I have seen recently departed blues grandmaster BB King live in concert twice in my life. The experiences were separated by almost 40 years in time and by an unmeasurable distance in spirit. The first time was at Sydney’s ‘70s concert-box-du-jour, the …

It was the perfect image for what we were hearing. An Apple laptop, all sleek silver skin and, a few feet back on the same stage, Tommie Andersson’s theorbo, that intriguing steam-punk lute-like instrument from the Baroque. Almost 300 years separate these …

  When it comes to new music, most times I have to go looking for the good stuff. But sometimes the good stuff comes looking for me. Lunching with my wife at Hobart’s MONA on the last day of a holiday in …

To kick off its 2015 season, the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra presents an all-Handel program with its centerpiece the famous “Cantata Ode for St Cecilia’s Day”, first performed in the middle of a freezing London winter in 1749. Handel was hugely popular in …

  They say life begins at 40. Well if that’s the case, I can’t wait to see what the next 40 years will hold for the nation’s youth radio broadcaster, Triple J! Multiple generations of Australians have had the good fortune to grow up …

  Forget gliding gracefully down an elaborate staircase to make a stunning entrance at the ball. That’s old hat. To really catch everyone’s attention there’s no better way than to fly in and come careering down the wall. Audiences will have the …

The 2014 ARIA Awards lit up Sydney last Wednesday, galvanising music industry professionals, recording artists and dedicated fans in a celebration of Australian music. Sky-high heels, suits and some questionable fashion statements graced the red carpet (yes Matt Okine, I’m talking about …

Following on from the incredible debut Turn On the Bright Lights (2002), it’s older brother Antics (2004) the wise Our Love to Admire (2007) and the self-titled Interpol (2010) is El Pintor (2014) – 4 years in the making. High expectations are …

The history of boybands is littered with scandal and heartbreak. Robbie Williams famously destroyed Take That with his departure (though Gary Barlow and the rest eventually proved their worth a decade later). Justin Timberlake happily left his bandmates in the dust as …

A few weeks ago I was fortunate to experience the precise but full-blooded playing of Australia’s Slava Grigoryan in trio with US guitar magus Ralph Towner and German jazzman Wolfgang Muthspiel. At the time I was reminded of a particular beauty inherent …