PerthZine

Tag: perth music

  • Gig Review – Sidequest 5th Birthday with Ursula + Clancy + Symmetrical Dogs + Sam (Sly Withers)

    Gig Review – Sidequest 5th Birthday with Ursula + Clancy + Symmetrical Dogs + Sam (Sly Withers)

    The Bird, Friday August 14, 2026

    Doing a lot for the local scene, Sidequest has now been around for five years and we’re at The Bird to celebrate. The indie label has been working hard to help Perth/Boorloo bands gain exposure, and what better way to mark the milestone than with a fine lineup like this.

    Sam from Sly Withers opened proceedings with a stripped-back acoustic set. With just voice and guitar, it was a relaxed way to start the night and a chance to hear the songs away from the usual full-band setting. Sam sounded great and showed there’s plenty to the songwriting beneath the bigger Sly Withers sound. A nice way to ease into the night before things got louder.

    Symmetrical Dogs up next and in their usual fine form. The band mix a serious sound with fun stage antics, and the crowd are always along for the ride. This time they had a new single to show off with explosion fantasy. It was great to hear new music, with more on the horizon from one of the city’s more established acts.

    Clancy brought an electro tinge to the night. Backed by drums and guitar/synths, she played a fun set of electro-pop that balanced live instrumentation with the more electronic side of her sound. She was full of energy and exuded a charisma worthy of the crowded room, looking like she was having a blast. Having already proven herself across a number of Perth/Boorloo projects, stepping out under her own name looks to be working nicely.

    It was down to Ursula to close the night out, and they did not disappoint. Riff-heavy, but with excellent melody and songwriting to back up the power, the four-piece were a force on stage. It was also good to hear new material is on its way. Their 2022 album, Brains, Waste, Heart, is one of the best things to come out of Perth/Boorloo this decade. The new single, I Fail at Everything I Do, is clearly keeping up the high standard.

    Sidequest threw a hell of a fifth birthday bash and will be back again for Sidefest in November, with an absolutely stacked lineup of bands at the Rosemount Hotel.

  • EP Review – The Off Set: Stars Shift Over Time (2026)

    EP Review – The Off Set: Stars Shift Over Time (2026)

    Off Set Guitars and Stars

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    The Off Set have released a three-track EP full of jangly goodness. The Perth/Boorloo multi-songwriter four-piece are clearly having fun making the music they want to make, and that sense of enjoyment comes through.

    The EP opens with The places she only wished that she could go, written by Barry Divola and probably the catchiest of the tracks. See our single review of the tune here. It remains an earworm, but there’s enough going on beneath the catchy surface to make you dig a little deeper into what it’s actually about, referencing the strange phenomenon of youths going missing prior to the Tokyo Olympics in 1964.

    Pretty One, written by Zack Yusof Young, presents a somewhat darker tone but no less accomplished. With a hint of Gary Moore’s Still Got the Blues, it’s moody but still features plenty of the guitar licks that define the band’s sound. It’s nice when artists can broaden their palette while still sounding like the same band.

    Dave Wallace contributes the third track, Dusk Till Dawn, and moves back into catchy jangle. The tune sits somewhere between 60s acoustic rock and 90s alternative and features some fine imagery of the sun and moon sharing the sky, juxtaposed against the struggles of a relationship (yep, true literary ascendancy has been achieved with the use of the word juxtaposed). The track proves the band are a triple threat of songwriters, while still managing to sound cohesive as a unit; something that shines through in their live sound as well.

    Stars Shift Over Time shows there’s plenty of songwriting depth within The Off Set, and makes you interested to hear where they go next. If it’s anything to go by, we can expect more quality, varied songwriting in the future.

    The Off Set are launching a limited vinyl pressing of the EP at Lyrics Underground on August 29.

    Tickets are available online now – Tickets

  • Single Review – Cassis: I Killed a Man (2026)

    Single Review – Cassis: I Killed a Man (2026)

    With a new single now out, it’s time to catch up on Cassis’ previous single I Killed a Man. The tune shows off the band’s slow groove electro-pop sound, while creating an atmosphere that is both dreamy and a little unnerving.

    The song is inspired by the 1903 Darlington picnic tragedy — an event in which a group of French immigrants from Fremantle became involved in a deadly shooting that left a vineyard owner dead. It’s an interesting focal point, and quite the obscure piece of Perth/Boorloo history and folklore. Look it up if you like a bit of local history.

    Anyway, enough interesting segues. The music itself draws comparison to French bands like Stereolab, given the French-English vocal stylings of Véronique Ramén. That comparison only goes so far, though, as Cassis play a smoother, groove-centred sound that is a little darker than other art-pop acts.

    It’s great to hear music like this coming out of Perth/Boorloo. Like the story behind the song, it reflects the cultural threads that have long been part of the city’s history.

  • Album Review – Capes and Crowns: Growing Pains (2026)

    Album Review – Capes and Crowns: Growing Pains (2026)

    Growing Up, Laid Bare

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    Growing Pains presents singer-songwriter Harley Müller’s emotional journey from pre-adolescence to adulthood, pairing deeply personal reflections with highly accessible indie-pop. If there was ever an argument for music as therapy, this is it.

    The songs were written between the ages of twelve and eighteen, and the emotions laid bare throughout are unmistakable. There’s more to it, though, with synth-laden production turning bedroom songwriting into radio-friendly indie-pop, and plenty of memorable tunes that demand repeat listens.

    The aforementioned synth opens the album on Ghost Train (regrown) accompanied by a very hooky piano riff. It’s a nice mix of melancholy and hope as the melodies dance around each other. Harley Müller’s lyrics are bleak if taken at face value, but it’s also hard not to hear hope in the song’s uplifting production. Lines like “I don’t want to forget but remembering causes pain” show despair, but perhaps hinting at the idea that we must not forget what hurt us as part of the healing process.

    The theme continues across Too Fast and NGT (regrown). The former is another indie-pop earworm, its darker lyrics exploring the complexity and intertwining of youth and maturity. The latter has a darker feel, as Müller pleads for “someone to find me” in a world falling apart.

    When The Stars Collide leans furthest into pure pop, driven by a bouncy waltz piano and the album’s first real love-song sentiment. In Nothing is Changing (regrown) we get more introspection about feeling crazy, and perhaps accepting that everything else is crazy as well. It’s tempting to hear the cathartic pop production as reflecting Müller’s own healing process as much as it serves the listener. One can only hope.

    If My First Song really is what the title suggests, it’s an impressive piece of songwriting for someone so young. More importantly, in hindsight it feels like the opening chapter of a story that unfolds across the rest of the record.

    After a powerful yet restrained Safe and Sound, we then go to a song written by Müller at sixteen, the aptly titled Just 16. It’s another song with gorgeous, hopeful production that goes deep into the difficulties faced when we reach that age where we are expected to be adults.

    It’s a welcome finish to the record with both Give Me An Answer and Time Travel Station seemingly the most mature songs on the album. We are on board with Müller by this point, and there is more hope in the lyrics. Having been through darker times and, it seems, a difficult adolescence, the light now appears to be breaking through. Along with it comes the ability to deal with memories, own them, and use them to become a stronger person in the present. “I can’t stop time travelling / But I’m never going home / I’m the only one still here”. It’s powerful stuff.

    To sum up the album, we must say thanks to Capes and Crowns for being brave enough to share what are clearly extremely personal memories and feelings. The album is a reminder of what music can do at its best: provide comfort, perspective and connection during difficult periods of life, helping us find beauty and solace in the things that hurt most. The importance of this cannot be understated, and Growing Pains captures that journey with honesty, vulnerability and hope.

  • Gig Review – Katy Steele with Anna Schneider

    Gig Review – Katy Steele with Anna Schneider

    Rosemount Hotel, Friday May 29, 2026

    It’s good to see Katy Steele is still at it. After a mix of solo tours and Little Birdy shows, she’s at the Rosemount launching her latest album, Undressed. Her reputation as one of the great front-persons out of this isolated city precedes her, and she did nothing to quell this in front of a packed house.

    Anna Schneider opened the evening, and her choice to start with an a cappella version of the Elvis classic Crying in the Chapel really showed off her strong voice. It’s a clear indication you are watching something special when the crowd goes quiet. With just her and an acoustic guitar, she entertained with love songs about share houses and overgrown weeds; both musically interesting and relatable lyrically.

    She then moved to love songs one assumes are directed at people, with kisses into the microphone a nice touch. Sun was a highlight of the set – Schneider transcending with her vocal melodies, before reminding us to not miss the catchy guitar riffs. You could feel the hushed crowd were along for the ride; it’s the reason we go out and see live music. Singing songs from her upcoming album, and ending with Favourite Colour, inspired by the colour palette of clothing on a hills hoist (in the share house, one assumes), it was a lovely warm-up to the main event.

    Katy Steele took to the stage with the venue filling to capacity and the atmosphere building, the crowd eager to see what songs would be included in the latest performance. The noisy chatter went quiet as she took to the stage; her appeal still strong after twenty-odd years at it.

    After an honest admission of nervous excitement and a few goes getting started, she locked into Signal to You and shed any doubts about her abilities. From there Steele’s powerful voice and knack for melodies kept the audience engaged and happy. A particular highlight came when she played the Little Birdy classic Beautiful to Me, with a lovely harmony from the accompanying keys complementing her vocals.

    Rescue Boat followed – it must be close to the best of her solo material. She then powered through a mix of Little Birdy, solo, and cover songs. From Hit Me Baby One More Time to Perfect Day and Michael Jackson’s Ben, it was an interesting mix which showed off her range and influences. The occasional shaky start only reinforced the honesty of the performance, Katy happy to take another run at a song until it felt right. There is no better reminder of what she’s capable of than Relapse, still one of the finest songs in the Little Birdy catalogue.

    It was an evening of both nostalgia and new music, with Anna Schneider a great choice for support to showcase that this city still has plenty to offer. The reception throughout the night made one thing clear: Perth/Boorloo’s affection for Katy Steele has not faded.

  • Gig Review – FACS + Last Quokka + Grub

    Gig Review – FACS + Last Quokka + Grub

    Mojos, Sunday May 10, 2026

    We’re at Mojos again and this time it’s something extra special, with Chicago band FACS headlining the bill. Alongside some of the upper echelon of local bands, it made for a hell of a noisy evening.

    Grub up first and in typically ferocious form. When that first heavy guitar part drops in Terrorhead, it’s like a sledgehammer slamming down, shocking everyone in the room to attention. Singer Matilda holds the crowd with her honest depictions of mental illness, delivered with bite. Singing lines like “I’m ready, I’m ready, give me stability please”, in the appropriately named Stability Please, the sound and subject matter are equal parts control and chaos. Maybe that’s the whole reason for making all this racket.

    Last Quokka were next, in all their punk/hardcore grime. The band are a force to be reckoned with. Raw and fun, and coming across like they don’t give a shit while singing about issues that prove they clearly do give a shit. With songs like Gina/Rupert (yes those two) and plenty of songs about regional WA, you can tell they’ve got some political scratches to itch. Combine this with punk rock messiness and you can’t go wrong really. Guitar strap breaks? Make it work, swing that thing all over the place. Hot in here? Take your shirt off and let everyone see your guts. This is what punk is all about, isn’t it?

    And onto the import of the night, US band FACS hit the stage in a smoky haze and instantly locked in with super tight, driving bass lines and intricate drum patterns. The sound the three-piece produces is big and almost ear-piercingly loud, but the balance between the bass and guitar is exceptional. As Jonathan Van Herik’s bass bulldozers through, Brian Case’s guitar moves from light to heavy, and really lets the dynamics shine.

    The band’s most recent album, Wish Defence, was the final record worked on by legendary engineer Steve Albini. With Sub Pop behind them, you could tell from the outset these guys meant business. Despite not knowing the pronunciation of the word Quokka, the band had the crowd on side and the packed house was clearly loving the touring act playing the small venue.

    Great to see touring acts coming through and getting a taste of our wonderful venues here in Perth/Boorloo, or in this case Freo/Walyalup. FACS did not disappoint, and kudos to the promoters for putting on such great support acts to go with them.

  • EP Review – Greta Hat: Silver Lining Heart (2025)

    EP Review – Greta Hat: Silver Lining Heart (2025)

    Folk Gem

    Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

    This gem of a folk EP, released last year, just couldn’t go unreviewed, so it felt right to put a little time aside for this fascinating, wonderful songwriter.

    We love DIY, bedroom music and Greta’s work almost defines the genre. Opening track Love Is A begins with her singing about seemingly ordinary things (“I walk into the kitchen”) accompanied by analogue-warped acoustic guitar picking. The highlight of the track is the brilliant little sliding riff that works as a central solo. And how can simple lyrics work so well?

    Promise? follows and the track is filled with echoes, as Greta sings about “existential crisis” and creates an atmosphere that wouldn’t be out of place on a long lost folk recording from the 20s. It can’t be, though, as she sings about her sweet friends waiting for Ubers on William St.

    The picture these songs paint is so stark it’s almost scary. Ever experience the kind of music that both unsettles and soothes right into your marrow? This does that. Knowing You sounds like she’s writing it on the spot; ad-libbing her thoughts as they arise alongside strange chord changes.

    It doesn’t stop on the final track, Girl And A Meadow, which adds some glorious, heartbreaking vocal harmonies. Don’t overlook the guitar work either — it’s deceptively complex and technical, despite the lo-fi production.

    There is an air of mystery around Greta Hat that adds to the atmosphere of the EP – listen to it with headphones in a dark room and tell us this isn’t something special. More please, Greta, this is the kind of art that inspires the rest of us to want to create.

  • EP Review – Wack Mammoth: Wack Mammoth EP

    EP Review – Wack Mammoth: Wack Mammoth EP

    Mammoth’s, Yak’s, Cereal

    Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

    Wack Mammoth, who actually align with the church of the Yak, have just released their first EP and it’s a madhouse. The Perth/Boorloo band lurk in the space between fuzzed-out heavy riffage and full-blown weirdness.

    Let’s get down to the grit – these guys are something different. Think B-52s meets Queens of the Stone Age and you will be part of the way there. There’s definitely more though, and you can hear it in Alina Krasilnikova’s vocals from the get-go. Known as Potato, she sprouts out like a 90s punk-rock rebel girl in Family Dinner. The opener is short post-punk goodness personified.

    James Torpy takes over vocal duties for the riff-heavy, stoner rock Change My Mind. The slow, swinging bassline from Torpy, alongside crunchy, crunchy guitars, brings back memories of early Sabbath. Guitar man Scott Walker’s soloing gets a full display in the middle and could be described as a little Iommi-esque. The band’s originality comes from the weird, character-driven vocal play – with Potato doing excellent harmonies. Mix that with punk and stoner rock and you’ve got something.

    If you want the band’s quirkier side on full display, look no further than Mushrooms. There’s nothing subtle about this one as Potato paints vivid images of eating cake and bumping into poles. It’s humour-based post-punk that straddles a good line between serious rock and parody – the song is a fine chugging walk through the images, with muted guitars giving Torpy and drummer Rhett Robinson (is that his real name or is it Art) a chance to be up front in the mix. It goes full space sci-fi to finish after Krasilnikova sings “you said that aliens must be true”.

    Back to the other side of the spectrum with Broken Arrow, and we get more crunch and fuzzed-out guitar. You can hear the early 00s rock influence, but Mammoth give it their own kind of energy. Torpy sings “I’ll shake you out of your nightmare, and never question why”, in one of the catchiest chorus moments on the EP.

    If you wanted parody, you got it. Cereal is an absolutely ridiculous concept, but they own it and it works. Starting out sounding like Dracula’s Lament (look it up), Torpy walks us through his experience eating cereal in a Transylvanian accent, before the song hits the crunch and opens up. Potato sings “everyone is drunk, I am on the cereal”, while the band hits the fuzz again. You can’t deny the catchiness, and the yells at the end sound like something that wouldn’t be out of place at an Iron Maiden concert.

    You can’t knock these guys for putting it all out there and coming up with something different, this is what makes music great. Take a bit of B-52s, a pinch of Ween, throw in some QOTSA and Foo’s fuzz. Mash it, chop it, swirl it round, crush it. It’s chaotic, catchy, and unique – worth a listen if you like your rock weird.

    Wack Mammoth EP – produced & engineered by Ron Pollard @ Sleepwalker’s Dread Studio

    The band: Alina ‘Potato’ Krasilnikova – vocals, James ‘Turps’ Torpy – bass & vocals, Scott ‘John Smith’ Walker – guitar, Rhett ‘Art Vanderley’ Robinson – drums

    The Wack Mammoth EP will be launched on June 19 at Music On Murray

  • Album Review – Deep Beep: Soft Honk (2026)

    Album Review – Deep Beep: Soft Honk (2026)

    The Beeps are Deep

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    Soft Honk is the latest from Perth/Boorloo space-psych rockers Deep Beep. Their second offering is developed, epic, and full of god-like riffage. The beeps go deep.

    The 5-track album is a step up in performance and production from the moment the chugging guitars enter in Diesel & Meth. The soundscape builds as the mix introduces each instrument, none overworking but all constructing something. It has Floyd feels, but vocalist Matt Rudas has enough Perth twang to make it local, and the vibrato guitar hits are inspired in both position and tone. Listen for the bap bap vocal breakdown in the middle. This is the Deep, so the song is soaring by the end. It sounds enormous.

    If you want good balance – add something catchier after the epic intro. You’ll Never Be My Baby is a good choice. It’s a post-rock pop song (sorry), not far from what Interpol were doing in the noughties, but proggier. The guitar lead line following the introductory “babys” is gorgeous. Cam Sims and Rudas’ guitar work – they got melody too, these lads.

    Atlantiss is another level again, out of the depths of the ocean where prog was born. The super heavy riff that repeats throughout the song is one of the best moments on the record, getting a little bit middle period muse-y. Super catchy and the airwaves agree, with the tune getting plenty of radio play. It’s a real journey.

    The epic-ness is well and truly underway by the middle, but the biggest is yet to come. For the true epic we must turn to Tell it to the Mountain. It’s about mountains (or one mountain) and runs the longest at nine and a half minutes. Don’t get the wrong idea, it’s not all prog parading, the song also has a hell of a singalong chorus – “take all your troubles, go and tell it to the mountain”. It’s another high point of the record and showcases the dynamics of the rhythm section, Josh Watkins’ drums ebbing and flowing until the ending explodes.

    Braden’s Lament brings the journey to a close in a descent into sample and noise jamming madness. The secret-song like track summarises the band up well actually. A bit mad and not unwilling to play around. Not all serious-musicianmanship progressive rock, this is a bit different. It seems a reasonable summary of Deep Beep, given how much fun the album is. The name says it all.

    Soft Honk was recorded at Rada Studios.

    Deep Beep play live this Saturday night at Four5Nine Bar.

    The band: Jerome Kennedy – Bass, Matt Rudas – vocals/guitar, Cam Sims – guitar, Andy Bartlett – Keys, Josh Watkins – drums.

    Album One: Mind the Brain (2023)

  • Album Review – The Psychotic Reactions: FeelinHealin (2026)

    Album Review – The Psychotic Reactions: FeelinHealin (2026)

    Feel it, heal it

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    The latest offering from The Psychotic Reactions is full of psych goodness and a mix of longer jams and short hits across the fourteen-track album. Split into two halves – healin’ and feelin’ – the Reactions are gettin’ concept on us.

    Opening with a sample telling us to push ourselves to greater things, Intro sets the scene for the album, with a groove sitting right in the pocket, accompanied by dirty lead licks and vintage keys. It’s sparse and knows when to fill the little gaps.

    Ask follows the intro jam and offers the antithesis to the opener. Danceable, catchy guitar licks, and closer to the indie-pop sound Perth (Boorloo) is known for (let’s call it a little bit of late 80s Pixie-era indie-rock but also leaning on 90s indie-pop). It’s also an intimate portrait of the darkness that can lie deep in the mind, released at the end by a searing guitar solo.

    The immediate response is Answer. The band mellows momentarily as guitarist/singer Hannah Smillie ponders her inner self and tells her friends she’s going to open up and be honest about what’s going on inside, singing the hook “all you had to do was ask” as a signal to the future. There is a concept-like connection between the tracks, linking the songs in sound while shifting in mood. Clearing the Air keeps the tempo down with a mellow jangle, before building to one of the best guitar moments on the album in a slow-blues jam.

    How Can They Sleep? is acoustic psychedelic dreamscape with 60s/90s influence. The biggest moment comes when Smillie, backed by harmonies, sings “you don’t get it, we gotta change it”. It could be the album’s strongest track; it has everything that makes the band pop. Don’t Take My Side backs this with a real showcase of Smillie’s vocal range, moving from pop drawl to something more bar-room smokiness.

    It’s hard not to focus on the guitar work, as yet another tune delivers plenty of bluesy-psych lead work. A Minor Spoken Word (I’m a sucker for these spoken word jam tracks) sees the continued restraint from rhythm section Jacob McAneny (bass) and Rory Lowe McLoughlin (drums). The two are rock tight as Smillie riffs both verbally and with her axe, with some Echoes-esque noise work holding the tension.

    The album’s healin’ half starts with, you guessed it, Healing. Essentially the album title track with the chorus vocal hook “now baby I’m healin’, how’s that making you feelin’”. We’re almost in Portishead territory now, with synth loops and trip-hop beats from McLoughlin going for late night Rage feels.

    Growing Old is the single of the album with the gorgeous chorus “and I realise, I’m not mad about growing old” full of melody and harmonies. Did I mention Smillie’s guitar work – as sharp and soulful as ever here. The song is pure pop goodness with edges.

    We then enter classic 60s psychedelia with Take It Easy. The track is about as pop as the band get, and comparing to the 60s doesn’t do it justice, as there are touches of 80s and 90s indie-pop resonant throughout. If that wasn’t enough, country-pop barnstormer Chills & Fever comes along and says you ain’t seen danceable yet (this is pure early 60s rock n roll from 1961, originally by Johnny Love and His Orchestra). Punk, rock n roll (aren’t they the same thing deep down), country, catchy as hell.

    The Psychotic Reactions close out with Black Coffee, and the versatility of the trio shines again. It’s a nice approach having the jam-out songs early on and the happier, poppier tunes at the back, to go along with the conceptual split between feelin’ and healin’. Keep ending on positive vibes; if we all approached life like FeelinHealin, wouldn’t it be a trip.