We haven’t seen much from the Sheffield lads lately, so I’m sure plenty of others are just as interested in where they are taking their music. Coming to us via the War Child Records Help (2) charity album, Opening Night offers more of the late era Monkeys sound we’ve had from the last two albums, with a hint of heaviness from AM and earlier records (as Turner sings – “tonight is heavy on one side”).
I always thought the latest Monkeys iterations lean towards a sound that perhaps should have been Alex Turner’s solo work, but the band must have been happy to go along for the ride. This is just speculation but the sound definitely took a turn away from the catchy riff-based rock to more lyrical and less verse-chorus-verse.
Having said that we have hints of guitar licks with some excellent flourishes, making it a pretty dynamic track with plenty of interesting bits. This is a solid track that offers the usual Monkeys quality, without going into new territory. I wonder where they are heading next.
I can’t remember what led me to watch this movie but it may have been a conversation between Leonard Cohen and Paul Nelson in the book I Like People That Can’t Sing. Anyway, something made me do it, and despite not quite finding a consistent tone, it’s not a bad spy movie.
Directed by Peter Collinson, (most known for The Italian Job) the plot is the usual spy fare. Stanley Baker plays ageing British secret agent John Craig, programmed to do that and only that (no hanky panky, they zapped this out of him years ago), tasked with finding a Russian defector and returning him (take your pick, several countries want him). Double crossing and bargaining is guaranteed.
Along the way he kidnaps Miss Loman, Miriam Loman (Geraldine Chaplin, Charlie’s daughter), who makes up one of the more interesting characters in the film. She accompanies him on his hunt and naturally tries to seduce him, but there is a lot more emotional connection here than what you’d get with Bond. He’s also chased by a couple of agents who ham things up, and it gets even hammier with a Turkish hotel keeper talking in a ridiculous Aussie accent (he helped the diggers in the war, and picked up all the lingo), who starts out on the wrong side but ends up a faithful sidekick.
Aside from Baker’s mullet, Chaplin is a standout, playing the delicate but not-completely-useless female lead, offering help peeling away layers of our battle hardened but broken secret agent. I’m also a fan of Donald Pleasence as Loomis, the posh but ruthless British spy boss. He plays it with a nice nose-up arrogance.
It isn’t the worst spy movie, especially looked at as part of the shift in movies becoming more ‘modern’ in the late sixties and early seventies (it comes closer to the sixties). The pace is good with a bond-ish soundtrack rolling things along, and plenty of action from judo chops to gunfights, plus some exploding cars for good measure. Worth a look if you are into the genre and wanting something a little more obscure.
Presented as the Red Hot Summer Tour, Crowded House blessed the winery setting with great songs and enthusiasm for a show to remember.
Arriving as The Waifs played, their sound suiting the winery setting perfectly, and songs like Lighthouse and Bridal Train will remain classics.
Settled in and ready for Mark Seymour, it was great to see Vika and Linda still going strong and their harmonies and stage present are still as strong as ever. Seymour played the classics with a few from V & L really helping to drive the set along. The ladies were a joy to watch and had some fun stage banter to go with the perfect harmonies; ever so cool even when the band started a song in the wrong key, recovering nicely and letting the band know about it.
The Church are an interesting one; this reviewer not being overly familiar with their catalog, apart from Under the Milky Way which must be up there with greatest Aussie-written songs ever. Full of jokes between songs (not my thing, unless done well, which is rare), they displayed a nice range of eighties new wave/post rock tunes. A band whose albums I’d like to go back through and have a deeper listen.
Angus & Julia Stone. Admittedly they were the main draw for getting tickets to this one. Having never seen them live (Angus was here with Dope Lemon earlier in the year and great), it was about time, and they are a force. Playing an interesting mix starting with a cover of The Go Betweens Streets of Your Town, and including a well timed airplane flying over during Big Jet Plane (magic 😊), the band have matured nicely and have developed a real swagger. If anyone suits the winery/festival setting it is them (Chateau anyone). I’d really love to see them doing a longer set so hoping they are back with their own headline tour soon, not just for me but plenty of others in the crowd. They could have played for twice as long and still satisfied.
Julia rocking the guitar, trumpet and leopard skin mini skirt
And with that, Crowded House, who must be up there with having the best song back catalog of any band in the world, took the stage clearly in the mood for a good time. Neil Finn is a ball of energy, like a toddler in a playroom. At one point having issues with his guitar – he just said all good I’ll do it on the electric piano. They mixed it up, playing the classics (Distant Sun, Fall at Your Feet, Weather With You, Four Seasons in One Day) alongside songs from their new album (Teenage Summer, The Howl) and even some Split Enz songs (Message to My Girl, I Got You). Overall it was a great atmosphere, with plenty of singalong moments for the crowd, while also keeping it fun and energetic. For the finale Liam Finn was challenged to crowd surf to the front of house control position and back again, and succeeded, then they topped it off with fireworks. A magic summer night.
Geese must be in strong consideration for best rock band going around these days. Getting Killed continues their experimentation in what it takes to be a great band in the twenty twenties. Is rock dead? Hell no, and it ain’t ever gonna die.
Opening with Trinidad, we immediately get everything we come to expect from Geese – great guitar licks from Emily Green (probably the best rock guitarist right now), Cameron Winter’s melodic and chaotic vocals, and the tight rhythm section consisting of Dominic DiGesu (bass) and Max Bassin (drums). “There’s a bomb in my car” is instantly quotable and already has a t-shirt line.
A few moments of quietness, but not really quiet and still plenty catchy, we get Cobra and Husbands, and then back into chaos with Getting Killed; the albums balance is spot on.
Getting Killed continues this way and doesn’t let up. Bow Down is a masterful highlight that mixes interesting rhythm with a soaring, melodic chorus.
Overall the album, like the three that come before it, is the kind that you just want to listen to front to back – it’s not any one single that stands out and dominates – every track is listenable in a different way, with influences coming everywhere from Zeppelin to Radiohead, but never sounding like anything other than Geese. If they can keep making music like this, the future of rock looks good.
Having only discovered Aldous Harding, Warm Chris is her most recent release and a wonderful showcase of the vocal chameleon’s range and depth.
Aldous has an uncanny ability to create these soft acoustic songs that suddenly morph into as catchy a chorus as you’ll hear anywhere. The opener Ennui is no exception to this, starting with a simple walking piano until finally, two minutes in, rewarding you with a brilliant hook chorus that also cuts deep lyrically (come back, come back and leave it in the right place).
The catchiness doesn’t stop there. Next up, Tick Tock is just as catchy, and Aldous takes on an almost Lou Reed tone. Fever sounds like a stadium screamed anthem song but sung low key. The title track, gently played acoustic picking, goes further with more than one catchy line leaving you wondering which is the chorus (you make that impossible face, what a line).
The range is astonishing. From the bubble gummy pop Passion Babe to sounding like Loretta Lynn in She’ll be Coming Round the Mountain, and an almost Nico-like sounding closer Leathery Whip, the album manages to have both enough variation to make it interesting while sounding distinctly like Aldous Harding.
Overall it’s hard to fault what Harding does. Presenting a mysterious persona, who’s both uncomfortable and confident, it makes for intriguing listening and invites the listener to ask the question – who is she? Is she the shy quiet woman who appears awkward and uncomfortable, or is there more to this act? Either way the album is highly recommended, and give the songs a chance to kick in, you’ll see just how catchy they can be.
At an outdoor cinema with some ominous clouds threatening to rain out the session, and a couple of kids tagging along (is it okay to bring a kids under ten to a movie like this? It was fine in the eighties, and this is much tamer in comparison to what we saw when we were kids), Anaconda delivered what it says on the box – Paul Rudd and Jack Black having fun bouncing off each other, with some good supporting cast along for the ride.
Black plays Doug, a wedding video creator who dreams of a horror themed marriage. Rudd, his best friend, is struggling actor Griffen. The two reunite alongside Kenny (Steve Zahn) and Claire (Thandiwe Newton) making up a foursome who had big ambitions to make movies when they were kids (like The Quatch, a bleeped out swear word, Scorsese-inspired masterpiece they made when they were kids).
The plot isn’t rocket science. The group of friends end up with the rights to Anaconda and head to Brazil to film it. There is an illegal gold mining side story that doesn’t really explain itself all that well but adds some guns and plot twists.
As you’d expect, a giant snake starts terrorising everyone on screen and the movie they have gone to the jungle to make gets real.
The best thing about the movie is it doesn’t take itself seriously and goes into the meta-remake territory where it can joke about itself and the original (is there cameos? What do you think?). It has some genuine laugh out loud moments, with not just Black and Rudd doing all the heavy lifting; the rest of the cast also hold their own
Naturally you are not going to see this movie with the expectations of anything more than ninety-ish minutes of fun and it delivers. Go see it at the cinema with some friends and popcorn and you’ll have a great time.
Despite being on the eve of returning to the daily grind for the first time in 2026, there was a festival vibe at Red Hill for this interesting mix of bands. Maybe everyone else was in the same boat and this was a good final release before reality kicks back in.
Note – this reviewer is somewhat biased and there to see Santigold, hence her name in front in the title.
First up Perth’s local heroes Pond, providing the small but loyal crowd gathered near the stage a set that is perfect for summer festival vibes. I have mixed feelings about the band – one part appreciates the psychedelic sounds and willingness to go into some out-there ideas, the other wishes they had more songs that dug deep and stayed with you. They come close with some tracks – Sweep Me Off My Feet, Daisy, to name a few, and they have good energy with frontman Nick Allbrook playing the Aussie feral role well. Imagine Prince if he was born in the lower-middle class suburbs of Perth, wearing thongs (flip flops for the non-Australian readers). Overall, they offered a nice foreground to the sun setting behind them.
To Santigold. I must admit I didn’t know what she would present on stage – she came out with a pair of masked backing singers/dancers and with a hint of cockiness asked the crowd if anyone had experienced her show before. Some had but I never actually expected to see her live and hadn’t thought about how good this would be – I’m glad I came.
Going through what is a fantastic back catalogue of songs, the show was tight and energetic and gave off gospel church choir vibes (which she mentioned when talking about some of the dance moves). From L.E.S. Artistes to Lights Out, Shove It and Disparate Youth, she reminded the crowd she is a force to be reckoned with, and her influence on the crossover between guitar-based rock, hip hop and electropop cannot be denied.
On several occasions she brought members of the audience on stage to dance with her, sending security into chaos, and I’m pretty sure a woman threw her false leg onstage before being ejected from the front row. Fun and a little out of control, the energy was great.
I consider Santigold a little under the radar when it comes to great music and hope that there are plenty of other people that also get her – from the size of the crowd I don’t think I’m the only one.
While not as familiar with Maribou State as the other acts, they came on and clearly had a loyal fanbase who came to get up there and dance had into the night. The sound and lightshow were something to behold. This reviewer had to leave mid-set unfortunately. Sucks being part of the rat race. Thanks all three bands for keeping me dreaming and trying to live a better life.
Well, this reviewer admits that he has never seen the great band live, and this might be the last chance to see what they can do. Going in with a little scepticism that they still have it despite nearing their eighties, in the end there was nothing to worry about – AC/DC truly are the greatest rock band in the world.
Apologies to Southern River Band but I arrived late and heard them both from outside Perth Stadium as I walked across from Burswood Casino, and the last couple of songs from pretty close to the stage (after lining up for mid-strength beer first – Perth Stadium, why?). Great big sound from the Perth lads who can hold themselves in the stadium setting, and let’s be honest, suit it damn well. Some of the final sounds were ear-piercingly loud so was a little worried the whole night would be this loud…
Not to worry! Amyl arrived on stage with her trademark energy and attitude and the sound guys found their mojo.
I’ve missed the last few opportunities to see Amyl (playing the Railway Hotel, come on, play bigger venues or more shows) so was just as keen to see her as the headliners. Revelling in the stadium atmosphere she was a perfect warmup to the main event and seemed as enthusiastic about AC/DC playing as the rest of us. Amyl has an excellent catalogue of good old fashioned pub rock / punk tunes and the band sure know how to pump up an audience. I would love to see her playing in a small-town pub just to see how she interacts with the locals.
And with that it became time for the one and only AC/DC. Anticipation was high, and they came out and did not disappoint. Though physically ageing they appeared anything but old, and you could tell these guys aren’t doing it for the money, they clearly love what they do and want to keep doing it forever.
Angus moves like he always has, and man what a guitar player he is – spectacular. Brian has such control over his vocals these days (he must be maintaining them well, no one can naturally sing like this at 78) and he still screams louder than anyone in rock. By the time Thunderstruck hit, I, and everyone around me was giddy with excitement and just having a good goddamn time. I’m not sure I’ve ever been moved like I was when that thunder struck, it was something else and got me that little bit closer to the sublime, chills on top of chills on top of chills.
Playing plenty of songs from the Bon Scott era (Highway to Hell, TNT, Dirty Deeds, hard to pick a favourite but I’m a big fan of If You Want Blood, the set opener) as well as plenty from Johnson’s time, the band are tight, energetic, and just all round awesome. If they come again, even if they need mobility scooters to get around the giant stage (including a huge bell and cannons), I’ll be there with hells bells on.
Attending a midday session in the city I expected to be mostly alone. But Marty Supreme, probably through the appeal of Tim Chalamet to younger audiences, drew a reasonable crowd for what would normally be an oldies and weirdos-like-me session. If you are expecting a feel-good sports triumph story, I was going to say think again, but to be honest it does have that part covered. Marty Supreme goes much further than this though, and I could feel the shock from the kids expecting a safe Chalamet experience when the more violent and gory moments hit.
I am more inclined to compare it to Uncut Gems and Good Time (previous films by the Safdie brother duo of which Josh alone is taking the director helm here) over a sports movie. This is a fast-paced thrill ride that puts itself squarely in the category of nail-biting cinema. Thank you, Josh Safdie, for understanding what we want out of going to the movies and delivering it in spades. Chalamet is outstanding and brings us along for the ride with all the emotional punch of a best actor (give it to him, he’s done enough now to prove he’s no boring teen-looking heartthrob), and the supporting cast (including a small but wonderful role by The Nanny herself, Fran Drescher) are just as good. Hats off to Gwyneth Paltrow for maturing into the older woman role in a role that suits her to a tee.
Do I need to go into the plot? Not really as I would love the reader to go in with the same lack of background as I did and be picked up and hurled along for the ride. Marty is a ping pong player hustler in the early 50’s (very loosely based off a real person) who’s cockiness and confidence land him in all kinds of sticky situations, that’s enough to know. Let’s just say Safdie is a master of building suspense and tension out of bizarre, ever escalating situations that drive the plot forward – the film is the closest rival for best picture to Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another – and he’s the original master-tension builder. The table tennis action is filmed brilliantly and equally as tense as the chases and sticky situations.
Go see it at the cinema and remember what they are there for, and why movies like this are made – to completely escape from the outside world and be absorbed into someone else’s for a few hours.
Nick Cave has been good to Perth (unlike his bass player’s band who have not been to Perth since the nineties. Come on Colin, let the other Radioheads know it’s a nice place to visit), with regular visits in one form or another. Last time he toured with the bad seeds was about a decade ago, so the audience appeared itching and ready to hear how the years have aged the band (like fine wine, to use the cliche).
Playing in the spacious setting of Fremantle Park, and down the road from my old high school, Nick and the band put on an arena sized show with giant screens and lights to boot, and boy did they bring the scale. From Wild God on this fan was blown away by the bigness of it all, and happy to see the veteran performer at his best. How age and experience conditions performers always amazes me. Every time “Bring your spirit down” popped up on the big screens the chills spread further through this reviewers body and justified the spending of the standard high ticket price on a show that left me reliving moments for days.
Performing mostly tracks from the Wild God album, with some classics and deep cuts in between, noone in the audience seemed unhappy (apart from the usual jerks yelling requests – please audiences, never do this unless asked by the performer, let them play the show they have practiced so hard to get right). Emotional, exhilarating, it had it all. When he closed solo on the piano playing the now recontextualised Into My Arms, the emotion was hard to contain. Thank you Nick and band, and please keep coming and sharing your hearts with us.
Before ending the review, I must make special mention of Aldous Harding, who I’ve only discovered a few weeks ago after my wife told me she’s supporting, and thank god she told me. I’ve since been absolutely blown away and obsessed with the brilliant NZ performer. Aldous walked on like she hadn’t seen a crowd of this scale before and wanted to ignore us and pretend she was in her room at home, but she brought an incredible vocal range and intensity that had this reviewer feeling chills. From tongue in cheek (Leathery Whip) to pure emotional outpouring (Horizon), she was a perfect warm up to the main show. Can’t wait to hear new material from Aldous this year, and fingers crossed a tour of her own to Perth.
