discover new australian music

Tell us about your music. How did you develop your sound?

Well we have always loved techno, house and tech house music to some extent, just never really felt the inspiration to jump in - our sound pulls a lot of inspiration from all those genres but brings in the production approach from the heavier side of Luude, using synths and drums that maybe don't get used as much in house and techno.

What’s your greatest source of inspiration for making music?

The intial trigger is always being out on the rinse, and seeing how people react to a tune - there's nothing better than a crowd of people losing their shit - we try to take that energy and build something that's unique to us.

What can punters expect from a Choomba live show?

The longer term plan is for us to play a live show of all original music, with a really engaging production setup - but until then we want our shows to feel like insane house parties run by two idiots, even when we do build up to a bigger live show - we want to always be able to go back and DJ and just have mad fun. So yeah people can expect to see two different styles of show in the future hopefully.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who was it from?

Probably from my old footy coach Wazza, he told me "Tim you need to grow the f*ck up".

What Australian track would you play to cheer up someone who was crying?

'Smoko' by The Chats. If that doesn't lift your mood you might possibly have no soul.

What Australian track would you play to someone to make them cry?

I still call 'Australia Home' by Peter Alan.

You’re the DJ at a party. The dance floor is pumping. What Australian track do you put on next?

A hell cheeky edit of 'Home Among the Gum Trees' would get people fizzing like a bag of sherbert in a coke can. Can hear the big dusty open hi-hat on that already working a treat.

What was the last local gig you went to? How was it?

We went and saw a local band on the gold coast called Ivy, they are sick.

Tell us about the bands or people in the Gold Coast / Tas (you decide) music community that inspire you?

M-phazes is originally from the Gold Coast, which is a pretty big inspiration. Seeing someone coming from here, going all the way up the chain to producing music for some of the best in the world and being a proper professional about it all.

What are your plans for 2019?

We're writing heaps of music and just seeing where that takes us right now. Having a good time playing shows and traveling.

Tell us about your music. How did you develop your sound?

The Windwaker sound has been developing quite drastically over the past year for a number of reasons, the main reason would be the fact that during the writing period of our most recent release 'Empire' we were all heavily apart of the writing process and all had the mindset of not being bounded by any sort of genre we may have been labelled in the past. We firmly believe this made the writing process much more enjoyable and far less stressful ending with a result we think is our best material to date.

What’s your greatest source of inspiration for making music?

As a band we all vibe all kinds of music, there has never been a shortage of new music to hear between all of our personal tastes, so I think our greatest inspiration comes from the diversity we hear in each others favourite artists. It’s easy to get trapped in a particular genre when its the only you listen to so for this very reason I believe it’s a strong source of inspiration for Windwaker.

What can punters expect from a Windwaker live show?

A very high energy band to say the least! People can expect a show where the room doesn't stop moving and is full of good vibes and good times! We want to have fun with our live shows so crowd involvement is always a must.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who was it from?

The best advice we've been told is simply to have fun, I honestly couldn't tell you who has said this as we have been told this by several people in and out of the industry and its definitely something the band sticks by because we all set out playing music to have fun and that’s one of the big reasons why we all never strayed from our musical paths.

What Australian track would you play to cheer up someone who was crying?

Plini with 'Handmade Cities'. Beautiful instrumental track absolutely full of good vibes!

What Australian track would you play to someone to make them cry?

Polaris with 'In Somnus Veritas'. It's got a strong message and accompanied by music that'll strike you in the 'feels'.

You’re the DJ at a party. The dance floor is pumping. What Australian track do you put on next?

Cold Chisel with 'Khe San'. Absolute banger.

What was the last local gig you went to? How was it?

The last local show was at Stay Gold with Kids in Control, Bell Park, Stand Tall, Future Static and a Paramore cover band called Paracore. It was great! all the bands in Melbourne are evolving and really making this scene so diverse and it’s even better to be able to call a lot of these people our dearest friends.

Tell us about the bands or people in the Melbourne music community that inspire you.

The Melbourne based band 'Ocean Grove' has been a great inspiration to us all, seeing a band we've watched for years grow into this unstoppable force of nature thats touring all over the world with their new unique sound and just absolutely killing it in every avenue they can. It’s very motivating and only makes musicians like ourselves strive for greater heights in our careers.

What are your plans for 2019?

2019 will be a year of touring and writing, the grind never ends and we love it!

Tell us about your music. How did you develop your sound?

It was a long time in the incubator! Believe it or not, when RedHook first started out we were playing this weird 70's blues rock / 80's metal hybrid - you should hear our early demos! But the sound slowly evolved through lots of experimentation in the studio, not to mention the addition of Craig on guitars and programming. We just kept pushing and challenging ourselves as songwriters to create a sound that was unique to us before we shared any of it with the world. We never really wanted to fit neatly into a box.

What’s your greatest source of inspiration for making music?

Honestly Craig and I tend to be most inspired to write when we're feeling negative emotions really intensely. Grief, anxiety, depression, anger...it sounds bad, but it's actually kind of a productive way to deal with those unpleasant feelings. It helps us process them in a positive way and move forward. We joke that it's like exorcising our demons! And I guess our biggest hope is that listening to it will help other people deal with theirs.

What can punters expect from a RedHook live show?

Punk jumps, spin kicks, hair flips and furious eye contact. The energy is pretty chaotic onstage, sometimes I fall over and one time our bassist busted his knee.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who was it from?

If people are dicks to you, don't be dicks back. They're the ones who'll end up looking like dicks. Our manager Rob actually said that to us pretty recently and it's worked out well so far! Also, just don't be dicks at all. Stay humble, appreciate what you have and support the people who support you. Being in a touring band is ROUGH AS so if people are nice enough to help you out by lending you gear or giving you a couch to crash on, always return the favour and pay it forward (shoutout to the legends in Days Of Deceit and Void Of Vision. We owe you guys big time!)

What Australian track would you play to cheer up someone who was crying?

Probably 'Smoko' by The Chats, it's hard to hear that song and not crack a few solid lols!

What Australian track would you play to someone to make them cry?

Oh god! 'Dinosaurs' by Ruby Fields gets me in the feels SO HARD every. single. time. Jurassic Park is my favourite movie ever and I bawled so hard the first time I heard that song!!!

You’re the DJ at a party. The dance floor is pumping. What Australian track do you put on next?

'Shooting Stars' by Bag Raiders. Really, is there any other choice?

What was the last local gig you went to? How was it?

We've been on tour pretty much non-stop since UNIFY (which was epic, as always!) but we did manage to hit Crowbar in Sydney to see Awaken I Am, Isotopes, Watchtowers & Kaskeid supporting Secrets from the US. It was an absolute vibe! Lots of singalongs and a wild pit!

Tell us about the bands or people in the Sydney music community that inspire you.

There are so many incredible acts exploding out of Sydney right now, but we can't help but be inspired by those closest to us. Bands like Stand Atlantic, Yours Truly and Down For Tomorrow are all kicking major goals in their own respective lanes and it's so heartening to see such talented, lovely people succeeding. I've also got to shout out our incredible producer and dear mate Stevie Knight who fronts a sick band you may have heard of called The Dead Love. Without his guidance, faith & numerous pep talks when things were at their shittest, RedHook would never have made it this far. He's been our rock n' roll Yoda, inspiring us not to give up and helping shape the band into what it is today. His producer hands are also all over so much of the killer new music your hear coming out of your radio as well. Stupidly talented guy.

What are your plans for 2019?

Oh geez, there's so much happening we get a bit dizzy thinking about it! First up is the inaugural Sydney leg of Download Fest happening this Saturday (thank you so much triple J Unearthed for the slot!) and then jetting off to play the UK version in June, which we're beyond pumped for (Slipknot & Tool OMGOMG)!! We've got a show with Void Of Vision down in Frankson on March 16th that's going to be an absolute baller. We'll be announcing a really exciting new festival event this week that I've personally created and curated, so stay tuned for that! We're also planning to unleash plenty more music including a bit of a timely cover that we're pretty proud of and a bigger release later in the year... and apart from that, basically just touring our absolute guts out!

Tell us about your music. How did you develop your sound?

I don’t think any of us quite know how we developed Dulcie to sound the way it does. It’s really been such a subconscious fusion of all of the music that the four of us have ever listened to or been inspired by individually. At any given time, any one of hundreds of potential influences could shine through and push our sound in another direction. Hopefully that will be something that people will continue to find interesting about listening to our music. At the moment we’re really exploring how to incorporate multiple-part harmonies and that's always been a pretty consistent idea for us all. 

What’s your greatest source of inspiration for making music?

Definitely each other and our personal and combined love for music. We all really egg each other on in rehearsal and write music together so I think it’s probably fair to say that our biggest inspiration is other musicians and the ability to inspire and collaborate with each other. Songs come together that much quicker when you’ve got three other people in the room getting hyped up over your ideas.

What can punters expect from a Dulcie live show?

You can definitely expect a few laughs, we don’t take ourselves too seriously on stage so punters can expect a bit of a giggle with/at us for sure! You can probably expect to have a bit of a dance and maybe some cheeky sing-a-longs and clapping on the beat too- we love that stuff!

What’s the best advice you've been given and who was it from?

As silly as it sounds, my mum has this frame full of motivational quotes hanging above our toilet at home and there is this one quote that says “Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.” I feel like this has always been a really important thing in reminding me to choose what I want to do because I love it rather than what will give the biggest instant reward. This whole philosophy has definitely helped more than one musician in my life to decide to either study music or commit their time to writing and making music, follow their dream because they love it and want to have the experience, not necessarily the money or the fancy degree. Touring and playing music is the biggest source of cool experiences and stories to tell so it’s pretty relevant to all of us.

What Australian track would you play to cheer up someone who was crying?

100% ‘Exactly How You Are’ by Ball Park Music. It’s got me smiling after the first sentence every single time, it is the most wonderful song and sometimes people need a little reminder that it’s okay to be who they are and they “don’t have to swim upstream”.

What Australian track would you play to someone to make them cry?

That’s a tough one! We’re gonna have to go with Sawteeth by Spacey Jane. It’s just a beautiful song and you can’t help but shed a few tears to it. If you haven’t checked them out, prepare yourself for some of the most beautiful songwriting ever.

You’re the DJ at a party. The dance floor is pumping. What Australian track do you put on next?

Surely it would be a sin not to put on ‘Let It Happen’ by Tame Impala. Not sure about everyone else, but we’re never at a party that doesn’t get around a bit of a boogie to that huge tune.

What was the last local gig you went to? How was it?

I think the last one was probably the Across The Road Music Festival in Bunbury (that’s down south, does that count?). We played a little festival down in Bunbury at the start of the month with a bunch of other Perth bands and it was SO FUN. Every single band or artist that performed killed it, there were little op shop stalls, food trucks, pop up bars and the whole thing was zero-waste. Basically it was everything you could ever ask for.

Tell us about the bands or people in the Perth music community that inspire you.

The list of people in Perth that inspire us goes on forever and ever. Within our little family at Across The Road Music there is a really inspiring space to create in. We have some great mates in some great Perth bands (Wooly Mammoth, Great Gable, Carla Geneve, Death By Denim, King Ibis, Lilia, Grace Armstrong- the list goes on). It’s always been a pleasure to play and hang out with everybody that we have had the chance to so far and there is certainly no lack of inspiration in the Perth music community.

What are your plans for 2019?

2019 is shaping up to be a big one! We’ll definitely be jumping into the studio and putting out some new music. Starting this week, we’re going on our first ever national tour with our good friends (and amazing Perth band) Great Gable so we’re all super keen for that! Every day things change and become bigger and more exciting so we’re keeping it pretty chilled out while we do this tour and hopefully over the next few weeks we’ll get a bit more of a detailed idea of what this year holds for us.

Tell us about your music. How did you develop your sound?

I view my music as an ever changing amalgamation of the music, people and places that inspire me. My sound is an attempt at creating music with all the beauty and depth of folk writing, mixed with a strong sense of indie-pop/rock. Easier said than done, and I definitely haven’t cracked the code, yet...

What's your greatest source of inspiration for making music?

I believe inspiration can be found not only in sound, but in lyrics, emotions, song structure, thematic direction etc. And acts such as Gang of Youths and Bon Iver are able to creative such amazingly profound music by touching upon all these things. I want to be able to effect a listener with my music like I was the first time I heard a Gangs/Bon Iver record. This is why I love creating music. 

What can punters expect from a Fergus James live show?

Tbh, a lot of bad dancing on my behalf... Apart from that, a Fergus James show will have a lot of different sounding music, and will dynamically dip and rise, having subtle acoustic moments, then soaring with up-beat tunes. It will be a bag of fun.

What's the best advice you've been given and who was it from?

Probably from my co-writer and producer, Pip Norman. He said you should be 100% happy with what music you put out into the world, cause you’ll be singing the song for the next 5 years if you’re lucky.  Although being about music, I feel anyone can relate to putting out bodies of work for the whole world to see, and having to deal with the legacy of such work. 

What Australian track would you play to cheer up someone who was crying?

From the top of my head, probably ‘Oceans’ by Vallis Alps. There’s something so sweet and uplifting from this tune, would definitely help wipe a tear from my eye.

What Australian track would you play to someone to make them cry?

Undoubtedly, ‘Persevere’ by Gang of Youths. This is an absolute gut wrencher, and to see Dave from the band talk about the story behind this song, then play it acoustically to a dead quite Enmore theatre, would make anyone weap.

You're the DJ at a party. The dance floor is pumping. What Australian track do you put on next?

I remember being in my first year of high school when the first Flume album came out, and I lost it. It was so revolutionary to me, so if I was to keep a party going, I couldn’t look past ‘On Top’ from that debut LP.

What was the last local gig you went to? How was it?

The last gig I went to was Slum Sociable at the Corner Hotel. My goodness those boys know how to put on a show, a definite must see. 

Tell us about the bands or people in the music community that inspire you.

Well, I’m Sydney based, but to give you two names, I would say Xavier Dunn (Syd based) and Dustin Tebbutt (Mel based). I have been working with both a lot, and the way in which they produce, write and the way they’re just so awesome is definitely something that inspires me. 

What does 2019 look like for you?

Writing more and more and more new music!! And hey, maybe some will get released and I can play some more shows. We will see... 

Tell us about your music. How did you develop your sound?

My current sound feels like the coming together of many different influences I’ve had throughout my life. I come from a singer-songwriter background, so the lyrics and the story is really important to me. At the moment it’s been very cathartic to combine this with a heavier sound. 

What’s your greatest source of inspiration for making music?

People, feelings and a desire to understand them. I am addicted to the emotional release and connection to others that I get from both listening to and playing music. 

You were our Unearthed Grow Your Own Festival comp winner in 2019, who was your highlight on the day?

The Preatures were a stand out for me. Isabella is a force as a performer and I found their set really inspiring to watch. They also had the sunset spot so the heat of the day was easing off and I was surrounded by some of my best girlfriends, what a dream! 

What can punters expect from a Grace Turner live show?

You can expect dress-ups, me saying personal and potentially inappropriate things, sweet crunchy guitar licks from my guitarist Shanna and everyone else in the band just generally having a good meaningful time. 

What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who was it from?

"Careful who’s advice you take". I can’t remember who told me that but when I reflect on my younger years I see the value in it. Pave your own way, go with your gut and trust yourself. I can’t remember who told me all those things either but they have served me well. 

What Australian track would you play to cheer up someone who was crying?

‘Pleasure and Pain’ by The Divinyls. 

What Australian track would you play to someone to make them cry?

'Flame Trees', written by Cold Chisel but listen to the version performed by Sara Blasko. It has such sorrowful nostalgia and captures the feeling of our lonesome country towns. Gets me every time. 

You’re the DJ at a party. The dance floor is pumping. What Australian track do you put on next?

I recently discovered Electric Fields, an indigenous pop act from South Australia and their songs are pumping. Their track ‘Don’t You Worry’ is an absolute banger. 

What was the last local gig you went to? How was it?

I have been moving around a lot so I haven’t been home much to see many gigs in Newcastle lately. The last Newcastle gig I went to was Indiana and the Journey to The East and Lachlan X Morris at The Cambridge just before Christmas. It was a great show, Indiana has an epic voice and Lachlan is such a prolific artist.  

Tell us about the bands or people in the Newcastle music community that inspire you.

I am most inspired by the people that are helping to forge creative spaces for their communities. Theres a group of people in Newcastle that have been working really hard on this. Michael McDonahugh, Tim Evans, Caitlin O’Reily to name a small few. They have been working with the council to secure more diverse and intimate venues that cater to under 18’s and give space for singer-songwriters and other non-mainstream genres. At the moment though people are resorting to house shows as there is a big gap in Newcastle currently. 

What are your plans for 2019?

I plan to record and both an EP and an album and fingers crossed have them both released this year. I want to do a headline Australian tour and I’m very excited to be spending a bit of time in the USA for the SXSW showcases! I also plan to get the the Northern Territory in August for the Darwin Festival!

Tell us about your music. How did you develop your sound?

Our music is just a happy accident really. It's changed a lot over the years we've been playing together but we've spent a lot of time together wokring on songs and refining them now. There was a lot of doubt in our early years as to whether we were being completely honest in what we were writing, but there's none of that now.

What’s your greatest source of inspiration for making music?

As emo as it is, bad things happening. We struggle to write emotive music when we're not in a bad mood.

Who are you looking forward to seeing at Unify this weekend?

Karnivool, Taking Back Sunday and Underoath if we had to cut it to a short list. That new Ocean Grove song is gonna go real hard as well.

What can punters expect from a Pridelands live show and at Unify this weekend?

We just plan on banging out our 20 minute slot with songs at a high intensity. It's not a TED talk, we just wanna play some tunes that hopefully people who haven't heard us before will want to listen to again.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who was it from?

To work hard and not let hinderances defeat you, if making music is what you want then you'll find a way. It's not directly what he said, but that was from Nic who plays drums in Northlane.

What Australian track would you play to cheer up someone who was crying?

Client Liason with ‘World of Our Love’.

What Australian track would you play to someone to make them cry?

INXS with ‘Never Tear Us Apart’. Of course.

You’re the DJ at a party. The dance floor is pumping. What Australian track do you put on next?

Running Touch with ‘My Hands’.

What was the last local gig you went to? How was it?

Unfortunately due to how busy 2018 was for me, I didn't have a whole lot of time for local gigs in general. I am very excited to be seeing Pseudo Mind Hive with Mt Mountain at The Tote later this month though.

Tell us about the bands or people in the Melbourne community that inspire you.

Running Touch is a paragon of creativity in the Australian music scene at the moment and such a beautiful soul to match. So, him certainly. Artists like Yeo, Thornhill, King Gizz, ORB and Drama kind of remind me that the creative process is thriving for some people in this city. It is so incredible to be exposed to it, day in and day out.

What are your plans for 2019?

Write an album and make sure it's good. Hopefully getting to hang out with you guys some more, too!

Tell us about your music. How did you develop your sound?

I’ve (Will) been writing music since i was 17 and have gone through many genres. I played a lot of metal in high school so thats really what it stems from. Not that we’re playing metal but riffs are everything to murmurmur. Everyone in the band has a broad listening taste and has been playing in bands for a long time. 

What’s your greatest source of inspiration for making music?

My inspiration is from life experience. Obviously music inspires me to no end but how i’m feeling about things is the real inspirer. I’m eating pineapple right now and it’s fantastic. 

What can punters expect from a murmurmur live show?

An intense live show with lots of hair, many riffs and our drummer Luke’s magic show. 

What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who was it from?

Be patient and don’t rush into things. That’s something that resonated with us. It can be really easy to be impatient and make bad decisions. 

What Australian track would you play to cheer up someone who was crying?

Thats easy! Donny Benét with 'Konichiwa'.

What Australian track would you play to someone to make them cry?

I made this weird Nicolas Cage remix with audio from the Wicker Man (Funniest film i’ve ever seen). Its so awful. It will definitely make people cry and fall to the ground clutching the sides of their heads. (Available on request).

You’re the DJ at a party. The dance floor is pumping. What Australian track do you put on next?

Kylie Minogue with 'Spinning Around'.

What was the last local gig you went to? How was it?

Stella Donnelly at the Northcote social club. She’s unbelievable, amazing voice, amazing performer.

Tell us about the bands or people in the Melbourne music community that inspire you.

Our good friend Lena Douglas runs YOWO, a program for aspiring young women playing music. It’s so important for programs like this to exist and she is an inspiration to so many of us.

What are your plans for 2019!
We didn't get to play many shows this year so we just want to play a heap and record some more music. 

Tell us about your music. How did you develop your sound?

I developed my sound from dabbling in different styles of electronic music over the past 5 years. I try to make everything from scratch and limit the amount of sound packs and presets that I use. At the moment I am feeling influenced by hip-hop, and the hybrids of r&b, soul, funk and disco.

What’s your greatest source of inspiration for making music?

I draw from anything that is happening in my life at the time. It might be a particular sound or interaction I've had. Anything stimulating can spark a song.

What can punters expect from a XMPLA live show?

You can expect a lot of head bopping, new and original music, mixed with live percussion and maybe i'll bust out a few dance moves.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who was it from?

To keep believing in myself and remember what i have already acomplished. My mate gave me this advice when I was stuck in a rut and having doubts about my next song release.

What Australian track would you play to cheer up someone who was crying?

I would say 'Streamers' by Wave Racer. It's a straight up get happy song! 

What Australian track would you play to someone to make them cry?

I can speak from experience, I showed a mate 'when words fail, music speaks' by Wombat, and he cried. I think the words in the song are really relatable and struck a nerve.

You’re the DJ at a party. The dance floor is pumping. What Australian track do you put on next?

'Felon' by Slumberjack.
  
What was the last local gig you went to? How was it?

I went to see Sammi Constantine recently at the Malborough Hotel in Newtown, it was great to see Aussie artists absolutely killing it and bringing live drums and guitar to electronic music.

Tell us about the bands or people in the Sydney music community that inspire you.

There are so many people that inspire me! Kwame, Manu Crooks and The Kid Laroi are making some big waves. Great to see good hip-hop coming out of Sydney! 
  
What are your plans for the rest of 2018 and 2019?

This year has flown by. I just want to finish a couple of tracks while I get ready for the holiday season! And for 2018, I'm aiming to release an EP mid year and working on some XMPLA merch! I want to work with more rap artists and hit up America and Japan to discover some of the culture and sounds over there!