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Levitating Churches - Levitating Churches (No Squares Or Hippies)

Adelaide is known as the City of Churches but don't let the name distract you: Levitating Churches have their feet placed firmly in Melbourne, the home of Australia’s live music scene and a magnet for similarly-minded underground acts. This, their self-titled debut long-player, is enough to make the rest of Australia jealous that they can’t lob down to their local music dive and regularly soak up this stuff live.

Their name and cover art summon preconceptions of a meeting between Steve Kilbey and Co and the Thirteenth Floor Elevators (the band moniker apparently derivies from a mis-heard Roky lyric) but there’s a rough and ready undercurrent to Levitating Churches’ music that comes straight from the Aussie pub rock scene of the ‘70s.

The band dives into psychedelia on the swirling “Time Machine” but harks back to sterner stuff on “1973” and the blues-chugging “Levitating Boogie” and most of their LP rocks rather than floats. If rocking rows your boat don’t approach with trepidation.
Top Tens for 2024: Legendary 2RRR announcer Big Daddy K of the Sydney Sounds program

I prefer to refer to the list as BIG DADDY K'a 0 SIGNIFICANT EVENTS OF 2024 rather than a top 10, as it's not ranked in any particular order. 2024 was a year of milestones with several Australian bands and institutions celebrating significant anniversaries. Hewre are a few:

1. Public Broadcasting Radio Station RYDE REGIONAL RADIO (2RRRFM)
The station that I have been involved with for 37 years, celebrated its 40th anniversary. Started by a lobby group and initially only broadcasting for a few hours a day from a garage in the grounds of Meadowbank TAFE. Since 1988, the station has been located at Henley Cottage, where it currently has two studios. It now broadcasts 24/7, featuring a wide range of musical genres and talk shows of local community as well as general interest, and runs a radio training course.

The station hosts several alternative rock music programs that would be of interest to I 94 Barflies, most notably “Sonic Stew” on Monday nights, “Virtual Unreality” on Friday evenings, “Timeslides” on Saturday afternoons, and, of course, my program, Sydney Sounds, at 2pm on Saturdays. (Several of the shows are podcasted, or you can stream them live via 2rrr.org.au and all the streaming radio apps).

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The Living Eye

Right eye

The Crisps
JAN
24 - Old Manly Boat Shed
(6.30pm)
+ DISGRACELand
25 - MoshPit Bar, Sydney
+ The Research + The Sugar Beats
(2-6pm)
26 - Link and Pin, Woy Woy
+ Dunhill Blues + FNCs
(11-5pm)

John Kennedy & The New Originals
Live at the Marrickville Bowl Tour
JAN
17 – Smiths Alternative, Canberra, ACT
Tickets
18 – Marrickville Bowlo, NSW
Tickets
25 - Side B Vinyl Bar, Blackheath, NSW
SOLD OUT

Chimers Australian Tour
JAN
31 - La La La’s, Wollongong
+ special guests

“Hotter Than Donut Grease Tour”
Grand Pricks
+ Dave Favours & The Roadside Ashes
+ The Tall Stories
JAN
21 - Tamworth Hotel, Tamworth

I-94 Bar Records and Promotions presents
Grooveyard
+ Il Bruto
Smiths Alternative, Canberra
Tickets
- Feb 7
+ The On and Ons
+ Van Ruin
(city debut)
- Feb 8
Tickets

I-94 Bar Records and Promotions presents
The Mick Medew & Ursula 4
"In The Zone"
NSW Album Launches
+ East Coast Low
+ Jupiter 5
Stag & Hunter, Mayfield
- Feb 14
Tickets
+ The Dark Clouds
+ Jupiter 5
Marrickville Bowling Club
- Feb 15
Tickets

I-94 Bar Records and Promotions presents
Dr Psychedelic Poodle (JPN)
+ Jupiter 5
+ Cheetah Beat
MoshPit, St Peters (NSW)
- Feb 22
(2pm)
Tickets

The Beasts
Corner Hotel, VIC
- Feb 21
Tickets
Manning Bar, NSW
- Feb 22
Tickets

Joeys Coop
+ The Finalists (single launch)
The Union, Newtown
- March 9
(5pm, free)

Kim Salmon’s Smoked Salmon
Australian Tour
MAR
7 - Lyric Lane, Perth - Tix
8 - Gerry's Gold Neighbourhood
Laneway Music Festival, Gerry's Lane, Freo (Kim solo)
8 - Mojo's, Fremantle - Tix
9 - The River, Margaret River (Kim solo)
14 - Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine, Vic - Tix
20 - Smiths Alternative, Canberra - Tix
21 - La La La's, Wollongong - Tix
22 - Petersham Bowling Club, Sydney - Tix
30 - Barwon Club, Geelong - Tix
APR
4 - Bearded Lady, Brisbane - Tix
5 - Vinnie's Dive Bar, Gold Coast - Tix
6 - Bangalow Bowlo, Bangalow, NSW - Tix
11 - The Grace Emily, Adelaide - Tix
12 - Northcote Social Club, Melbourne - Tix

The 5.6.7.8s
Australian Tour
MAR
20 – Sydney Crowbar
+ Psychotic Turnbuckles + Cheetah Beat
Tickets
21 – Powerhouse, Brisbane
Tickets
22 – High Country Hop Festival,
Beechworth, VIC
Tickets
23 – After Bar, Hobart
Tickets
25 – The Tote, Melbourne
SOLD OUT
26 – The Last Chance, Melbourne
Tickets

The Stranglers
50 Years In Black
2025 Australasian Tour
MAR
13 - Powerstation, Auckland. NZ
15 - Meow Nui, Wellington, NZ
16 - Christchurch Town Hall, Christchurch, NZ
19 - Enmore Theatre, Sydney
20 - The Tivoli, Brisbane
22- Forum, Melbourne
23 - The Gov, Adelaide
25 - Astor Theatre, Perth
Tickets

The Stems
East Coast Australian Tour 2025
APR
23 - Northcote Social Club
24 - Sydney Crowbar
25 - Gum Ball Festival, Hunter Valley, NSW
26 - Old Museum, Brisbane
Tickets