Music – Reviews Archive

The wonderful time machine that is the modern period ensemble is one of the true delights of music today. When that ensemble has as much fun as the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, the delight is doubled. Under the direction (and buoyant spirit) of …

People seem amazed when I tell them that I saw Led Zeppelin at the Sydney Showground in 1972, when the four rock deities descended from the sky to perform for us and then returned to Asgard (or maybe London). Could it ever …

Wielding a neon tube, spitting venom and tugging coquettishly at the hem of her trademark school uniform, no-one was better at being bad than Divinyls front woman Chrissy Amphlett. The snarling pout, the eye-grazing fringe and the Lolita-esque sex appeal made for …

The story of US pop singer Karen Carpenter is well-known: the squeaky clean all-American girl-next-door who, with her brother Richard as the duo The Carpenters, had sunny hit after sunny hit during the cloudy 1970s. What is maybe not so well known …

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 …