Long gone are the days when the only music Australia was producing was embarrassingly clichéd pub rock and Aussie hip hop. These days the country is humming with creative and inspired music. Once more we can stand proud for the music that’s flooding out of our sticky floored pubs and onto the streets. Melbourne especially is proving to be the little city that could, spawning labels such as Spooky records, Singhala Music, Two Bright Lakes and Hopestreet Recordings which are supporting some seriously killer bands. The irony is not lost in the fact that the harsher government legislation becomes and the more live music venues are shut down, the stronger our music scene becomes. It’s rock and roll man! London, New York, Silver Lake and Berlin ain’t got nothing on us now! In case you were not aware of how great this place is, here are five bands that are doing us proud.
These guys share their singer/harp player, Kenny Ambrose-Smith with King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard and boy does that dude have charisma. His wonky, high-pitched soulful voice fits perfectly with that psych-soul-surf-punk Nuggets sound. They released their Tee Pee EP a few months ago and have already played alongside Thee Oh Sees and Graveyard Train. Get amongst it!
This lady blows my mind and frankly, I want to be her. Usually seen swigging down a generous glass of red wine as she performs and staring the audience dead in the eye, Kira busts out a voice that is not dissimilar to Etta James. Her old-time blues, soul sound is modernised by her band’s intense caterwauling guitar riffs and brooding basslines.
Galapagoose is Melbourne artist/producer/monome experimenter Trent Gill. He’s an electronic wizard who creates wildly inventive music that keeps you on the edge of every beat. Blending hip hop, house, unexpected samples and rich vocal harmonies Galapagoose always steers clear of expectations. His debut LP Commitments will have you obsessing over every moment.
Grand Salvo is the project of Melbourne artist Paddy Mann. He’s a delicate and vivid storyteller and he presents his narratives amongst ornate and luscious orchestration. His latest album ‘Slay me in my Sleep’ is at times thoughtfully sombre while also expressing celebratory joyous and instrumentally intricate moments.
A band whose music expresses the cultural diversity of its home town, hailing from North Melbourne The Bombay Royale are a hybrid of retro Bollywood, cinematic, funk and surf rock. Think James Bond meets Shammi Kapoor. Their live shows are exhilarating, colourful and sometimes even involve a giant inflatable elephant. You can’t ask for much more!
-Tash
