As we head into the weekend that would have been, the team at Splendour HQ are feeling a little (okay a LOT) nostalgic for our favourite weekend of the year.
We’re missing the 100+ bands across the 4 main stages, the 21 bars, 70+ food stalls, 60 market stalls, 240 showers, 842 porta loos (actually not really missing them that much), 185 site sheds, 4850 pallet walk boards, 20km of temporary fencing, 70 golf buggies, 750 lanterns, endless gaffa tape and more than anything the 3500+ staff, volunteers and crew along with tens of thousands of music lovers that come together at North Byron Parklands each year to create the magic that is Splendour in the Grass.
Splendour memories are starting to fill the social media feeds, giving us all the happy sads. So we thought we’d ramp it up a notch and drop this vid on you too!
Now you’re feeling all the feels, here’s how you can get involved in Splendour in the Grass right now!
LISTEN – TRIPLE J’s SPLENDOUR IN THE PAST
If you can’t be at Splendour IRL then tuning into triple j’s Splendour in the Past is definitely the next best thing! Listen on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 July between 9am – 6pm for highlights from Splendour’s past including tracks from A.B Original to Yeasayer and everyone in between.
WATCH – DMA’S STREAM PERFORMANCE FROM SPLENDOUR’S AMPHITHEATRE
DMA’S are no strangers to Splendour in the Grass, having played the GW McLennan stage in 2014 and the Amphitheatre in both 2016 and 2018. 2020 would have been a triumphant return to a stage they hold dear. While the festival has been put on hold, you can still catch DMA’S when they stream a very special acoustic set from Splendour’s Amphitheatre. Fans will be able to watch the stream via the Splendour in the Grass and DMA’S Facebook pages, and DMA’S YouTube today (Friday 24th July) at 4:30pm (sunset slot).
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SUPPORT SPLENDOUR CREW & PURCHASE T-SHIRT HERE
100% of profits from the sale of these T’s will go directly to Splendour’s crew, who are doing it super tough during Covid, so rest assured this is a purchase that will have you looking and feeling extra good! And at just $40 + postage they are a total bargoon!
All money raised will be distributed via Support Act, which provides crisis relief, mental health and wellbeing services to Australia’s music industry community.
SUPPORT FOR SUNDRESSED
“This one gets stuck in your head after just one or two listens.”
– Brooklyn Vegan (USA)
Tracks added to Spotify playlists ‘New Punk Tracks’, ‘Punk Unleashed’, ‘Pop Punk’s Not Dead’ and ‘Punk Rock Workout’
Tracks added to Apple Music playlists ‘Rise and Grind’ and ‘Breaking Rock’
Arizona-based indie-punk band Sundressed have just revealed their new single ‘Your Frequency’, off their forthcoming new album ‘Home Remedy’ – due September 18 via the band’s new home Rude Records. ‘Home Remedy’ features previous singles ‘Home Remedy’ and ‘Oh Please’. Pre-orders for ‘Home Remedy’ available now; HERE.
“’Home Remedy’ is a record about getting better by any means necessary,” shares frontman Trevor Hedges. “Despite many setbacks, I truly believe we were able to make our most authentic and honest record yet.”
He continues: “’Your Frequency’ is about the “side-hustle” culture. How it’s never okay to relax, how something always comes up when you’re almost ahead. This song is about the desire to have less worry about essential needs and have more time to be human.”
Living on such a chaotic planet, tossing and turning is inevitable. It’s hard to sleep in the midst of uncertainty. That’s why Sundressed was born. Lead vocalist and songwriter Trevor Hedges began his project in 2012, with the initial purpose of maintaining his sobriety. Now, eight years later, Hedges has refocused the project’s mission, writing songs that tackle mental health issues for others to take solace in. His confessional lyrics and punk-infused melodies inspire hope in listeners to continue moving forward.
With the addition of AJ Peacox (guitar), Vic Chan (drums), Matthew Graham, and Justin Portillo, Sundressed has never sounded better. With ‘Home Remedy’, produced by Mike Pepe (Taking Back Sunday), the band is determined to make a positive impact, one lyric at a time.
’Your Frequency’ is available worldwide now through Rude Records
FOLLOW SUNDRESSED
Coming off a feature on Lewka and Misoltri’s Sony Music single ‘Show You Off’, Singer/Songwriter Corey Holland, now marks his own entry into the music industry with smashing debut single ‘Mean That’.
The track is a bonafide R&B/pop tune, fuelled by heartfelt lyrics and a catchy chorus that’s written by Corey Holland. The instrumental was co-created by Corey Holland and Australian powerhouse producer FRAAN, who is known for his drum patterns and adding a lot of flavor to the simplest of melodies.
Corey Holland says that ‘Mean That’ was inspired by the idea of masking your truth in a relationship and the idea that neither of you really know what you want from the other. It’s an event that occurs for a lot of individuals in relationships and the artist wanted to capture this feeling.
“This is my first ever single and it has been in the vault for a while! In the past few months, I have been working with a few electronic music producers from around the world, and after a lot of amazing feedback from fans, I decided to release some original music.”
http://tiny.cc/coreyhollandmeanthat/
https://instagram.com/coreyholland_
https://facebook.com/coreyhollandofficial
https://www.youtube.com/coreyholland
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WATCH: SONNY FODERA & DOM DOLLA – MOVING BLIND (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
BUY/STREAM: SONNY FODERA & DOM DOLLA – MOVING BLIND
DOM DOLLA AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2020
Tickets on sale now: http://bit.ly/DOMDOLLA2020
Thursday 22nd October – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide | 18+
Friday 23rd October – Centenary Warehouse, Perth | 18+
Thursday 29th October – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane | 18+ SOLD OUT
Saturday 31st October – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney | 18+ SOLD OUT
SONNY FODERA X DOM DOLLA US TOUR
Tickets on sale now: https://sonnyxdom.com/
Thursday 5th November – Concord Music Hall, Chicago IL | 18+
Friday 6th November – Secret Warehouse, Brooklyn NY | 19+
Saturday 7th November – Big Night Live, Boston MA | 21+
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Twin Peaks have cancelled their upcoming Australian tour and will no longer appear at Boogie Festival.
Despite all efforts to push forward, the tour, which was originally scheduled to take place in April then pushed to October/November 2020, can no longer go ahead due to the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19. Refunds for all headline shows are available from the point of purchase.
Boogie Festival – rescheduled for October 30 – November 1, 2020 – is planning to proceed with a local lineup should restrictions allow at the time of the event.
STATEMENT FROM TWIN PEAKS
“Given the endurance of the global pandemic and the ongoing uncertainty of when we will safely be able to play shows again, we are officially cancelling our Australia tour in October. We won’t be rescheduling at this time, as the longevity of this situation remains unknown to us all.
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THE SOUND
EPISODE TWO: SUNDAY 26 JULY, 5.30PM ON ABC
REPEATS SATURDAY 2 AUGUST, 12.30PM ON ABC
Stream on iview
Featuring
PAUL KELLY & PAUL GRABOWSKY
THE TESKEY BROTHERS
JAMES REYNE
JULIA STONE
SAN CISCO
CUB SPORT
EVES KARYDAS
SYCCO
+ more
Hosted by
JANE GAZZO, ZAN ROWE
and special guest RUSSELL CROWE
#TheSoundAU
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UK label Big Scary Monsters has announced a Virtual Popup store, which will open its doors at 4pm on 27th July, with ‘instore’ performances every day from illuminati hotties, Kevin Devine, We Were Promised Jetpacks, and Into It. Over It (see poster for full line up). The virtual store can be entered here on launch day, and will stock exclusive vinyl variants, rare test pressings and new merch, alongside interviews with Jamie Lenman, Delta Sleep and Martha and more.
Users will be able to click on sections of the store to reveal instores and live Q&As at relevant times. Activites include special live content exclusive to the store, such as a conversation between Chris Farren and Kevin Devine, live songs from ‘A Lull In Traffic’ from The Gloria Record, a very special live cover song from The Winter Passing, and a Q&A with Jamie Lenman to name a few.
The pop up aims to raise funds for Black Minds Matter UK and #saveourvenues, and there will also be a special t-shirt on sale with proceeds going towards these charities.
Talking about the store, label founder Kevin Douch said: “We absolutely love our popup shops. Having been to London, Cardiff, Glasgow and Brighton over the past couple of years, we decided there was only one possible destination for a summer like 2020; EVERYWHERE. The first ever BSM Virtual Popup shop provides all of the usual fun. We’ve got instores, talks, exclusive products, crazy discounts, test pressings and so much more. Our old friends Signature Brew are even providing the (mail order) beers! We can’t wait to open our online doors and see everyone next week.”
In aid of Black Minds Matter UK and #saveourvenues
More info here: bsmrocks.com/popup
Collaborating for the first time, Ben Harper and Rhiannon Giddens have released a new duet of the Nick Drake song “Black Eyed Dog”. Featuring Harper on lap steel and Giddens on banjo, listen to the plaintive track HERE.
“Rhiannon and I are both black purveyors of American roots music, and while this is not an anomaly, it is an exception within a subculture,” Harper explained. “We have unquestionably tapped into the same creative well of influence, carrying on the tradition through our own individual instincts and perspectives.”
“I’ve been hearing and hearing about Ben Harper for a long time, but had never gotten to meet him until recently at an event in LA and I was immediately struck by a kindred spirit,” Giddens added. “Didn’t have as much to do with the kind of music we play, although we share many, many commonalities as black folk playing roots music, but more to do with the spirit that we access when we play it. I felt that spirit in him right off and knew if we ever got the chance, we could make something beautiful together.”
Rhiannon Giddens is a celebrated artist who excavates the past to reveal truths about our present. A MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient, Giddens has also been Grammy-nominated six times. Last year she was nominated for her collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi, there is no Other (2019), an album that is at once a condemnation of “othering” and a celebration of the spread of ideas, connectivity, and shared experience. In the past month she’s appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’s #playathome series, and performed an NPR Tiny Desk from home. She recently spoke to Rolling Stone at length about “Rewriting Country Music’s Racist History,” and was also included in VICE’s recent feature on marginalised voices in bluegrass music.
“I’ve always wanted to cover ‘Black Eyed Dog’, but the song was intimidating in its haunted perfection,” Harper continued. “Only through collaborating with Rhiannon would I have ever attempted it. When I step back from it, this collaboration should’ve happened long ago, but I’m thrilled that it’s finally here.”
Three-time GRAMMY Award winner Ben Harper is also working on a new album that is scheduled to come out later this year. He’s previously released 15 studio albums garnering Gold and Platinum certifications worldwide, including his latest No Mercy In This Land with revered blues legend Charlie Musselwhite. In May, Harper released the new single “Don’t Let Me Disappear”, featured in The New York Times’ The Playlist, which “is about the fine line between loneliness, isolation and invisibility, to where you can’t seem to find a way not to be hiding in plain sight,” Harper explained. The black and white video for the song features two modern dancers intertwining fluid and fragmented movements while Harper performs the song on acoustic guitar.
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As a seasoned musician, multi-instrumentalist and accomplished performer, Melbourne’s Nicholas Martyn has lent his complex drumming wizardry to some of Melbourne’s most beloved acts. Since 2014, the prolific songwriter, producer, vocalist and sole performer began creating his own unique blend of genre-defying percussive explorations under, Las Mar. Releasing an EP and an LP in his first two years and staying relatively quiet ever since Las Mar is finally back with new music and thrilled to present his latest psychedelic art-pop trip, ‘Weekend Repair’, taken from his forthcoming album to be released later in 2020.
Out via Ditto today, the new single showcases Las Mar’s signature beat oddities beneath angelic yet urgent vocals, textured guitars and funk-driven basslines, in a frenetic gathering of organised chaos. Enveloped in a big chorus and even bigger finish, ‘Weekend Repair’s’ subtle rhythm shifts and deep grooves are as original and infectious as ever with lyrics paying homage to shedding skin, personal and collective growth and the ultimate search for survival in a rapidly shifting world.
“I wrote this song about the moves we must make to survive in a rapidly changing world. It’s a song for wiping the slate clean (or life doing it for you) and being pushed into personal growth. It’s also about parting ways with obsolete ways of thinking, stagnant ideas or damaging relationships. To break a cycle takes force and will-power – Weekend Repair pays homage to the movements, and individuals, that must gather this force to succeed. Percussion heavy drumming and sharp guitars create the perfect undertow for exposed, urgent vocals. my usual polyrhythms are more subtle here in favour of a pumping, bass-driven momentum and a big final chorus.” – Las Mar
Cutting his teeth in Melbourne’s thriving live scene led to working with some of Australia’s most highly regarded musicians such as Gotye, D.D Dumbo, Matt Corby, Nai Palm, Husky and Barney McAll. Nick was also a founding member of acclaimed outfit Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes and has toured with them extensively throughout the US and Europe. In the midst of all this Nick was compelled to create a unique project, something to call “home”, a journey into his DIY recording of borrowed instruments and microphones, and fusing disparate influences like Sonic Youth, Aphex Twin, Cornelius and Miles Davis into one artistic voice. Thus, Las Mar was born. From his first release, Las Mar has continued to forge a completely singular sound, funnelling post-rock epicness, Afrobeat funkiness, twisted beats and general trippiness into songs you can hold on to and live improvisations you wish you could bottle up for a rainy day. Now the epic live performer is thrilled to announce a specially recorded performance Live at The Grove airing online Thursday 23 July on YouTube. You won’t want to miss it.
Las Mar – Live at The Grove
Airing: Thursday 23 July
Time: 6pm
Where: The Grove Youtube
The Grove Facebook: www.facebook.com/livethegrove/
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Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there?
Jordan: Auckland, full of talent. Almost everyone is making some sort of music, so there is always a decent amount of inspiration around.
Billy: Melbourne, the music scene here is really strong, especially the hip-hop scene.
Grateful to have worked with some of the best acts.
How did you first get into music?
Billy: Ironically I failed all my music classes in school but turned out really enjoy it in uni. Meeting so many great artists there really inspired me to give it a try.
Jordan: Primary school, I played the trumpet for the school orchestra. From there I just kept picking up new instruments, sounds and ideas.
How did Gated Community form?
Jordan: Long time school friends. We both ended up making tracks and decided it would be dope to link up for a song, titled “Low Life”. From there we just kept getting better and better, and found we make a great team when working together.
What’s been happening recently and has COVID19 impacted your workflow?
Billy: My workflow has been relatively the same,
although there is less for me to write about since I’m not outside as much.
Been pouring most of my music time into writing and producing my album.
Jordan and I work remotely about 90% of the time anyway so we’re still able to work on the same amount of bangers as usual in lockdown.
Jordan: Lots of life adjustments. Figuring out a way to do what I love and also make a living.
It has been a busy year! Solo projects are on the way, along with multiple collab projects.
Covid-19 may have impacted my job, but caused a lot more tracks to be made.
Your new single ‘Lay Low and Snitch’ will be out on August 21, what influenced the sound and songwriting for this track?
Jordan: I had just finished work and noticed Billy had sent me a new track he was working on. I was pretty amped up, and his flow / verse was just incredible. I wrote the verse in all caps to remind my self to go hard.
Billy: For me the beat just brought out a side of me I don’t think I see often enough, I just had the wackiest sh*t on my mind and wanted to rap it haha.
How did you go about writing Lay Low and Snitch?
Billy: I was blasting the beat on my speakers and ended up writing my verse way faster than I usually write one. I was so keen to record it, I knew Jordan would be a perfect fit for the track so I sent it to him as soon as I recorded.
Jordan: Locked in the studio, and full of energy. I wanted to maintain the flow from our previous collab whilst delivering a fresh sound. (also same answer as question above)
Where and when did you record and who with?
Jordan: My home Studio in Auckland. I recorded at about 1AM with my friend and frequent collaborator, Wizard of Oz.
Billy: I think we did this track back in May.
I was just home, alone in my room in the afternoon working on my verse and hook.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
Billy: I’ve been listening to Mac Miller’s new album so much, absolutely love it.
I’ve had a lot of James Blake on repeat too.
Jordan: Logic, absolutely too excited for his new and last album, “No Pressure”.
Kendrick Lamar has always been my top favourite though.
Recently I have been listening to more ambient music for relaxation.
What do you like to do away from music?
Jordan: Traveling and road trips, it’s good to get away. I find new environments can help with my creative process.
Billy: I’ve definitely been less adventurous due to lockdown haha so for me I’ve just been chilling in quarantine with my girlfriend, playing Mario Kart and binging The Office.
What’s planned for the remainder of 2020?
Billy: Trying to experience as much as I can with the circumstances being what they are while keeping safe of course.
Gonna be pumping out a single every month until December as well.
Jordan: Honestly just a lot of releases, more recordings and a general good time.
Hoping to get back to Australia to see the boy Billy for some more recording.
Favourite food and place to hangout?
Jordan: The beer spot Whangaparaoa, honestly dope.
Burgers and beer, what else do I need?
Billy: There’s a Taco Bell near my new place so that’s been the spot at the moment haha.
Earlier this month, soulful UK singer songwriter, Alex Lleo presented the breathtaking single ‘4:05’, his first new material since 2018’s Park Studios, JQ and Emanate EPs. A nomadic globe-trotter, Alex has spent a lot of his music career seeking inspiration on the road less travelled, with his endeavours taking him from Norway to Scotland, and all corners of the UK and Europe; each trip harvesting inspiration for any number of songs aching to be written. One such occasion was a short trip to the coast for a change of scenery, whereby Lleo waited for the 4:05 train which was to become the catalyst for his stunning new single as well as a bunch of new tracks yet to be released.
In lieu of a live gig, Alex Lleo is thrilled to present a special stripped back performance of the single in his new video for ‘4:05’ as premiered by BBC last week for BBC Music Introducing in the West Midlands. Recorded in Birmingham at Park Studios JQ and directed by Owain Ulyet, the clip is the closest we’re going to get to an Alex Lleo live show in the foreseeable future. The video offers a perfect encapsulation of the intimate and raw energy of this immense international talent, centering Lleo’s captivating vocals with a minimalist setup that allows space for each note to linger a little while longer.
“Park Studio just feels like home base for me. Owned and operated by my good friend Ali, positioned in a 200+ year-old building that was once used to house many of the country’s most valuable gems (hence the name, gem building), the place just oozes character. Although these songs found their birthplace in Brooklyn, once back on home soil, this felt like the obvious place to tackle them alone!” – Alex Lleo
Recorded over five weeks at a small studio in Brooklyn last year, ‘4:05’ and the songs to follow were tracked with a full six-piece band of seasoned musicians including Quinn Devlin, Zach Calluori, Andy Shimm, Jordan Wolff, Eli Aleinikoff, Sarah Ciceroand and producer, Sahil Ansari. Be sure to keep an ear to the ground for more to come from Alex Lleo in the not too distant future.
Video Credits:
Recorded at Park Studios JQ, Birmingham, Uk.
Engineer: Alastair Jamieson
Director: Owain Ulyet
Artist: Alex Lleo
‘4:05’ is out now via AWAL