The return of Perth slowburners Bluetile Lounge: ‘We just wanted to be like the bands we loved’

Perth cosmic country slowcore act Bluetile Lounge meshed their influences in a way that transcended source to become untouchable and pure.

The soft glow of Maria Somerville’s Luster

Maria Somerville returned to Connemara to make her second album, Luster, a collaborative record about home, heartbreak and memory.

‘I’m creating my own pop paradigm’: Local Woman on her uncompromising debut album 27

Kalyani talks about the roller-coaster ride that led to 27, her debut album as Local Woman, and how good it feels to just be herself.

‘We certainly weren’t showing off’: Essendon Airport on their minimalist masterpiece ‘Sonic Investigations (Of the Trivial)’

Robert and David of Essendon Airport discuss the music and circumstances that influenced their debut EP, Sonic Investigations of the Trivial.

Jeremy Dower, facilitator of aesthetic experience, on his new album of minimal techno and faux jazz

Jeremy Dower speaks about background music, good and bad taste, and the aesthetic principles that underpin his creative practice.

Maggie Tra explores displacement and belonging on Cyclo Theory: ‘It’s quite a joyful yet heavy album’

Maggie Tra tells Check Check about the feelings of displacement and belonging that informed her fourth album in as many years, Cyclo Theory.

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Lim Orion rebels against relational neglect by dancing on the furniture

Lim Orion channels Japanese folklore and 90s alt-rock on Futon, the third single released from forthcoming album Ilk. The hefty power chords in the chorus might resemble something off Silverchair’s Neon Ballroom, but Futon is no garden variety bit of grunge nostalgia....

The Drones review – menaced, dirgy rock’n’roll at Melbourne comeback show

The return of The Drones has caused a minor but genuine frenzy. What was originally intended as a "six show run for fun" has ballooned into an 18-stop tour plus festival appearances in Darwin and Wollongong. The Aus rock nostalgia circuit is a bloated field, but the...

Massive Attack review – an arena-sized version of doomscrolling

No one was moving or dancing really, and very few people even had their phones out to film – perhaps out of guilt as they watched so many images of the world ending. Massive Attack’s 2010 tour of Australia occupies a special place in the memory of anyone who attended...

Day Tripper review – performances by Kae Tempest and Chanel Beads make for an emotional winter’s afternoon

I’ve been going to Rising’s Day Tripper festival since its launch in 2024. The lineups have all featured a mix of hyped indie acts, cult favourites, genre veterans and a few sprouting locals. But what characterises the Day Tripper programming is a general disregard...

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 review – joy reigns supreme at Hamer Hall

A few months ago, my friend Penny recommended me the Fela Kuti podcast, Fear No Man, a 12-episode series that looks at how the Nigerian Afrobeat icon backed up his claim that “music is the weapon of the future.” During the 1970s and 80s, Fela made music designed to...

Cate Le Bon review – skin shedding and renewal at Melbourne Town Hall

The morning after Cate Le Bon’s gig at Melbourne Town Hall, I was flicking through the digital version of Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies card deck. There was one card that seemed to neatly sum up Le Bon’s latest album, Michelangelo Dying, songs from which accounted...

Sparks review – beloved songs from beloved strange brothers

Sparks' performance at Melbourne's Palais Theatre was like a Reader's Digest of the Mael brothers' long and discursive career, with a few unexpected picks. I recently spoke to Sparks keyboardist and songwriter, Ron Mael, who is now 80 years old. I asked him whether he...

Sparks review – more energised, more extraordinary than ever

For all their constant reinventions and subversions, the secret weapon of art pop duo Sparks has always been their sly but deep sincerity. Yes, brothers Russell and Ron Mael have songs with titles like “Dicking Around” and “Running up a Tab at the Hotel for the Fab,”...

A dance on a farm for Butter Sessions’ 15th birthday

Choose love. Sang wrote this on my left hand on Thursday afternoon. It washed off in the shower on Friday morning, but I retraced it before going to Butter Sessions' 15th birthday party later that day. It was Good Friday and Butter Sessions had curated an afternoon...

Gallery: Pitch Music & Arts, March 6-10 2026

The ninth iteration of Pitch Music & Arts took place from 6-10 March on the stolen lands of the Djab Wurrung and Eastern Maar people. The lineup included Bitter Babe, Yu Su, Sleep D b2b Jennifer Loveless, OK Williams, Eris Drew & Octo Octa, Estella Boersma,...