DRUG SWEAT
Drugsweat
Drug Sweat is exactly what I experienced after the weekend’s Meredith Music Festival. Probably because these tongue-in-eyeball, electronic post punkers put a cap on festival proceedings. But we all know one is never enough, and the Melbourne act will be doing their sardonic, pupil-inflating thing again this Thursday – just in time for the Melbourne summer to smash past 30 degrees.
Thursday December 17 – The Tote – Melbourne, VIC
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VICTORIANA GAYE
Indie Pop
Define pop music. Go on. Do it without referencing any existing purveyors. All attempts to do so would be so subjectively varied that it’d demonstrate how borderless pop music is. The output of Adelaide songwriter Victoriana Gaye also displays pop music’s vast breadth – from twee and refined to layered grandiosity.
Thursday December 17 – Grace Emily Hotel – Adelaide, SA
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GUM
Psych Glam Dance
Jay Watson’s a busy guy. He spends about 11 months a year on tour, either playing keys for Tame Impala or jumping between various instruments and vocals in his main band Pond. Therefore you can forgive his earliest offerings as Gum for seeming a bit malnourished. However, on his new album Glamorous Damage, Watson condenses the melodic perfectionism of Kevin Parker and the histrionic showmanship of Nick Allbrook to great effect.
Friday December 18 – Mojos – Perth, WA
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RICHARD IN YOUR MIND
Pop Slushy
Sydney-based, but boasting a sound that’s hard to attribute to anywhere specific, Richard In Your Mind are an inspiring bunch. They continue to explore the wider reaches of pop, rock, world and folk musics, all with a drop-the-tab-now-while-nobody’s-watching attitude. It’s bloody great.
Friday December 18 – Newtown Social Club – Sydney, NSW
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EXCESS
Electronic Pop/New Wave
Adelaide outfit Excess might’ve learned from an era of indulgence – ‘80s new wave – but musically they don’t live up to their name, and for that we’re thankful. Instead, their songs are composed of relatively slimline synthesisers and wacky (but not quite Yahoo Serious) vocals.
Friday December 18 – Format – Adelaide, SA
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FOREVR
Shoetronic
As far as the topography of shoegaze goes, Brisbane duo FOREVR inhabit queasy, deep waters. The high frequencies form an inconstant whirlpool, while shapeless creatures gather below. It’s not aggressive, but it sure ain’t soothing.
Friday December 18 – The Foundry – Brisbane, QLD
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HYLA
Shoegarage
Hyla don’t care if you can tell they’ve been raised on a diet of Ride, Spiritualized and My Bloody Valentine. If they had it their way, we’d all grow up munching on that stuff. But more than regurgitating their influences, they give them some garage-born freedom.
Saturday December 19 – The Bird – Perth, WA
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AON STALP & THE OUT OF TOWNERS
Folk Pop
Similar to the likes of Perfume Genius and Justin Townes Earle, Hobart’s Aon Stalp is a lover of classic pop music, and understands its tremendous propensity to shine light on life’s inherent dark humour and chaotic apathy.
Saturday December 19 – Brisbane Hotel – Hobart, TAS
FACEBOOK | BANDCAMP | UNEARTHED
FRONT END LOADER
Rock
I first heard Front End Loader’s ‘Pulse’ on the triple j Hottest 100 of ’97 compilation. I was a kid and it made me want to join a band. Immediately. I listened to it today, having spent roughly a decade and a half playing in bands and growing a bit weary. Nevertheless, it gave me a similar hunger to stop messing around and just make music.
Sunday December 20 – Newtown Social Club – Sydney, NSW
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DARLING JAMES
Indie Pop
Darling James was a member of The Boat People. They made some pretty sweet indie pop during the latter part of last decade. He continues to do so out on his own. Stealthy synth lines encircle his quietly circumspect vocal delivery. Not immediately ravishing, but enduringly listenable.
Sunday December 20 – The Tote – Melbourne, NSW
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