ech(((o)))es & dust

There are few venues in Australia as good as the Espy in St. Kilda for seeing live bands. Running three stages spread over three rooms at the same time, generally free or for a few bucks, it would be impossible [...]

Anticipation and expectation reign supreme in the Speakeasy this evening, the crowd restless but positive, aware that they’re in for a treat tonight. And boy, are they right. San Francisco’s Deafheaven are first to creep onto the stage, their reverb [...]

The last time I was in Whelans, it was to see We Were Promised Jetpacks; I remark, once I get settled in for the Simone Felice Group’s show, that the atmosphere couldn’t be any more different now. For one thing, [...]

Ross Breen Little xs for Eyes Gabriel & the Hounds David C. Clements Rae Morris Leaders of Men – No disrespect to the other artists who were on the bill for this show, but I had not originally come to [...]

There are a lot of things I’ve done at gigs. For instance, due to me having a naturally nervous disposition, there have been a few times when I’ve almost gotten sick from nerves before going on stage. I’ve only played [...]

Clutching an icepack to the place where my left kidney used to be, beer in the other hand, the opening grind of ‘Kill It In The Morning’ rolled out across the night’s venue. Despite the money haemorrhage, Cargo suited The [...]

Last Saturday night in Melbourne you could see four bands playing some of the best progressive experimental, instrumental rock that’s being played anywhere right now; all for the price of a couple of beers (or a ticket from a Melbourne [...]

Clock Opera @ Electrowerkz, Islington, London. December 01 2011 Clock Opera are, without any shadow of doubt, the most exciting thing happening in music at the moment. I say this not as my opinion, but as an unequivocal statement of [...]

The Antlers/Little Green Cars – The Academy, Dublin, 17/11/11 Some bands don’t put very much into their live performances. Sometimes, you go to see a band and it’s almost like you should have stayed home and listened to the CD [...]

Strange News from Another Star – Kings College London 7/11/11 If rock and roll history is to be believed, there were only 40 people at the Sex Pistols legendary first gig in Manchester in 1979, but almost all of them [...]

July 21 2011 @ Monto Water Rats, London. Whenever I go to Monto Water Rats, I feel an overwhelming sense of being way too old to be in there, followed by a second wave of nausea associated with younger people [...]