- Details
- Written by: Matt Ryan
- Hits: 420
1 Scott Boland’s Hat Trick
We’ll get to music in a minute, but we have to start off with the greatest moment in the history of sport. Such a legend he even opened the batting on Boxing Day. Just name the Junction Ovel after him now.
2 Phil MacDougall’s 45th Anniversary Bash
A wonderful day at the Tote to celebrate Melbourne’s greatest rock n roll soldier. Phil’s PBS program, “Sunglasses After Dark”, is still essential listening every week and I still love that after all this time ,his passion for music, new and old, has never changed.
- Details
- Written by: The Barman
- Hits: 307
The only Sydney show by Swiss garage kings The Jackets has been moved from Marrickville Bowlo to MixTape Bar & Brewing (als0 in Marrickville). Supports are The Strike-Outs and pocketwatch and tickets are on sale here.
This tour marks The Jackets’ first full run across Australia, hitting intimate rooms and iconic underground venues across Victoria and New South Wales. Expect loud amps, sweat-soaked stages and zero compromise rock’n’roll — pure garage chaos, delivered at close range.
- Details
- Written by: Ross Nelson
- Hits: 573
I hate it when I hear people bemoan the current state of Rock ‘n’ Roll – “there’s no good bands anymore”…”there’s no venues hosting bands”…. These people aren’t trying hard enough. There’s so many great bands, artists and records out there and it’s really not too difficult to find them.
In 2025 I found plenty to love and there’s way too many records that have eluded me. But of the stuff that I spent quality time with these are my picks.
- Details
- Written by: Murray Bennett
- Hits: 606
Top 12 Gigs
The Cruel Sea - City Recital Hall, Sydney. 31/05/2025.
Set list full of older songs and deep cuts.
- Details
- Written by: Deb Nankervis
- Hits: 751
Attending 80 gigs this year might seem a lot but imagine if I hadn’t cancelled a further 80 due to perpetual bronchitis and various bouts of flu. Thankfully, no Covid this time. Clearly four was enough.
I generally enjoy all music events so picking a Top Ten was quite a feat. If I’ve liked a band enough to see them more than once, I’ve included those gigs.
No. 1 - Bart Willoughby, No Fixed Address on two occasions
One at The Tote on Jan 3, and again at Yabun festival Jan 26. Their distinctive Aus/reggae rock has moved me since we came back to Melbourne from London in 1979. When my son Vyvyan’s godfather, Louis McManus, sadly passed away in 2004, NFA’s drummer and lead vocalist, Bart Willoughby, stepped up to the plate, his friend and mine being Maxine Briggs, his godmother.
I never tire of hearing Bart’s anthem “We have Survived”, beautifully delivered on a sunny Sydney afternoon at the Yabun Festival in Victoria Park, “Music to a Beat”.
- Details
- Written by: Edwin Garland
- Hits: 851
Thunk - Jim Moginie and The Family Dog (Reverberama)
Former Midnight Oil guitarist Jim Moginie’s book “The Silver River” outlines how the earliest gigs for his solo band, The Family Dog, were a humbling experience.
Not unlike early shows by his teenage band FARM in the mid-1970s, they played obscure venues outside the city so he could re-learn his craft and build confidence as frontman and singer. He was incredibly nervous,. Very few people showed up, and many only did so out of curiosity.
That’s Jim Moginie all over. Normally, when a member of an international band of some standing appears in a relative backwater (Midnight Oil sold 25 million records and ranks as the third most successful band that Australia has produced) it would be massive news. Jim exudes a sweeping humility and it shines through on this album.
- Details
- Written by: Milly Dalton & Adam Brzozowski
- Hits: 1060
1. EAST COAST LOW:
The band’s third album “BADLANDING” is LP of The Year in terms of songwriting and production. The horn section — featuring Pete Kelly, Rudi Thompson and Rob Parkes — were a mind-blowing dream team at the two gigs we saw at Link and Pin Woy Woy and the Royal Oak. Absolutely splendid.
2. GIG CITY @ THE BRIGHTSIDE, BRISBANE:
We have a long history with Brisbane bands, so took a quick trip up north in November to help celebrate 4ZZZ’s 50th anniversary. Unreal performances by The Johnnys, Gazoonga Attack, plus Wayne and Cowboy Bob doing Blowhard/Fred classics in Coral Outcrop’s Half-Star Band, and Evil Dick Industries. It was ace to see some friendly faces at this ripper venue.
3. THE SAINTS ’73-’78 @ THE GREEN ROOM, BYRON BAY:
The Enmore gig was a total trip, but this was a much smaller venue and, being the final show of the tour, it was a band in sync, in love and on fire.
- Details
- Written by: The Barman
- Hits: 545
10 More – MC50 (earMUSIC)
Well ain’t this the surprise packet, coming seven years after the run of shows it captures and more than a year after the release of the MC5-in-name-only record, “Heavy Lifting”. If you grabbed it, you might also have snavelled the live MC50 album “10 X MC5” that came as a bonus with some copies.
MC50 is the all-star band assembled by the late Wayne Kramer to mark the 50th anniversary of “Kick Out The Jams”. It comprised Kramer and Kim Thayil (Soundgarden) on guitars, Brendan Canty (Fugazi) on drums, Billy Gould (Faith No More) on bass, and Marcus Durant (Zen Guerrilla) on vocals. Matt Cameron (Soundgarden/Pearl Jam) alternated on drums.
- Details
- Written by: Chris Virtue
- Hits: 511
1. Three Gigs
In March, Barry Adamson played the Factory, in what looked like it was going to be the gig of the year, touring his “Cut to Black” LP. Hot band, great songs, great voice and a running gag that I can’t remember from a man with a larger-than-life presence.
The album’s great too. Seriously good songwriting and composition which one would expect given that he does soundtracks. The title track and the opening “The Last Words of Sam Cooke” are the standouts for me, but all tracks are excellent.
2. The Beasts – twice
Saw The Beasts back in February at the Manning Bar in Sydney and it was last time to see the great James Baker. They were touring their latest release Ultimo. Great show and it reminded me that there are two bands who generate this sort of noise. The other is Crazy Horse.
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The Living Eye
Tumbleed & The New Christs
JAN
16 - The Marlin, Ulladulla, NSW
+ Cool Jumper
17 - Avalon Beach RSL,
Avalon, NSW
"King Street Crawl
Summer Edition"
- Jan 25
Too many venues to mention
in Newtown, NSW
Mach Pelican
“A Secret Session”
Single Launch
+ Loose Lips + Elvis II
The Last Chance Bar, Melbourne
- Jan 31
Tickets
Dave Favours & The Roadside Ashes
Service Station Chcken Tour
JAN
17 – MoshPit Bar, Sydney, NSW
+ Bahne Super-Flex + Sam Shinazzi
18 – The Junkyard, Maitland, NSW
+ Tim Easton (USA)
20 – The Tamworth Hotel, Tamsworth, NSW
“The Tops Day Out” festival
30 – Link & Pin, Woy Woy, NSW
+ The Dunhill Blues
31 – The Oak Tighes Hill,Newcastle, NSW
+ Crank Williams and Patsy Decline
FEB
27 – The Main Bar, Ballarat, VIC
28 – Union Hotel, Brunswick, VIC
MAR
1 – Bendigo Hotel, Brunswick, VIC
The Gnomes
Dive! Dive! Dive!
Rock ‘n’ Roll Dive Bar Tour
JAN
16 - The Lansdowne, Sydney
+ Marilyn Maria + Aria Nova
17 - Dicey's, Wollongong
+ Kryver + Jordan Kenny + Harold & The Bishops
18 - Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
w/ Viagra Boys
23 - The Gem, Collingwood (8pm)
+ W.O.M.B.A.T. + Sargent Baker
30 - Last Chance Rock'n'roll Bar, Melbourne (8pm)
+ Winsky + Riviera
31 - Trash Cult, Bendigo (7pm)
+ Clydesdale
FEB
14 - Shotkickers, Thornbury (8pm)
+ Public House + Special Guests
20 - The Tote Front Bar, Collingwood (6pm)
+ Champ Ruby
21 - Kindred Bandroom, Footscray (8pm)
+ Stimpies + special guests
The Sugar Beats
+ Plastic Section
Golden Barley, Enmore
- Feb 20
TsuShiMaMiRe (JP)
Australian Tour
FEB
19 - Shotkickers, Melbourne, VIC
20 – Trash Cult, Bendigo, VIC
22– Young St Tavern, Frankston, VIC
27 - Shadows, Canberra, ACT
28 – Moshpit, Sydney, NSW
The Jackets (CH)
Australian Tour
FEB
25 – Shotkickers, Thornbury, VIC
+ Plastic Section + Burning Effigy + Special Secret Guest
26 - Vineyard, St Kilda, VIC
(Door sales only)
27 – Mixtape Bar & Brewing, Marrickville,
Sydney, NSW
(moved from Marrickville Bowlo)
+ The Strike-Outs + pocketwatch
28 - The Bendi, Collingwood, VIC
MAR
1 -– Trash Cult, Bendigo, VIC (arvo show)
+ Grinding Eyes, + The Damos
2 – The Last Chance, Melbourne, VIC
Tickets
Tickets
Cosmic Psychos
"I Really Like Beer Tour"
JAN
1 — Edge Hill Tavern, Cairns, QLD
2 — Dalrymple Hotel, Townsville, QLD
3 — Magnums, Airlie Beach, QLD
4 — Metropolitan Hotel, Mackay, QLD
7 — Harvey Road Tavern, Gladstone, QLD
8 — Grand Hotel, Childers, QLD
9 — Mo’s Desert Clubhouse, Gold Coast, QLD
10 — Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga, NSW
11 — Bellingen Brewery, Bellingen, NSW
14 — Moonshiners Honky Tonk Bar, Tamworth, NSW
15 — Finnian's Tavern, Port Macquarie, NSW
16 — Avalon RSL, Avalon, NSW
17 — The Marlin, Ulladulla, NSW
18 — Beer Deluxe, Albury NSW
22 — Tanswells Hotel, Beechworth, VIC
23 — Sooki Lounge, Belgrave, VIC
24 — Westonport Hotel, San Remo, VIC
25 — Social Club, Balnarring, VIC
26 — Volta, Ballarat, VIC
29 — Whalers Hotel, Warrnambool, VIC
30 — Torquay Hotel, Torquay, VIC
31 — Riverview Hotel, Tarwin Lower, VIC
FEB
12 — Royal Oak, Launceston, TAS
13 — Forth Pub, Devonport, TAS
14 — Altar, Hobart, TAS
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