James Blunt

Rod Laver Arena

James Blunt makes his entrance to the stage by running out encouraging everyone in the seated audience to stand, as he opens with ‘ Beside You’.

He quickly engages the audience by gesturing everyone to stand up. Having been thoroughly entertained by the opening act Pierce Brothers, everyone is in the mood to dance.

He works his way through the hits “ Wise Men” and “ Carry Me Home” and the crowd is enthralled.

Pausing at his piano for a moment he speaks about his best best friend Carrie Fischer ( Princess Leia) who he lived with while recording his first album. He describes her as a beautiful but deeply troubled individual and reminisces about how absolutely crazy her house was- with chandeliers in the garden and a piano in the bathroom that played itself. ‘ Dark Thought’ is an incredibly touching song filled with regret and sadness as a black and white image of James with Carrie flashes up on the screen behind him.

Just before the song ‘ High’ James jokes that most of the men in the audience are probably at the show with a woman, and it’s women that have kept his career going. He encourages the women to sing along but informs the men that as he is able to sing so high, and that he is in fact a dolphin ( and thus his voice is too high for men to hear) they can sit this one out and enjoy three minutes of silence. He does however encourage the audience to start a Mexican wave and instructs a lone audience member to start the wave each time he sings the word “ High”. It’s a great success and the audience absolutely loves participating.

Heading towards the end of the show, James has been incredibly engaging, entertaining and extremely funny. For a guy whose whole career is hinged on sad songs, he certainly knows how to entertain a crowd. He is self effacing at times, humble at others, and comes across as a wonderful human.

It’s fair to say that James Blunt writes some pretty sad songs, and one would think that in doing so the audience gathered together tonight would be mostly women that have come along to witness the troubadour sing his heart out. Looking around the audience though there is fairly good representation from the men, proving sad songs really are for everyone.

Words by Amanda Lee Starkey

Behind the lens Rena Tan

James Blunt: Who We Used To Be Tour

Supported by Pierce Brothers

Rod Laver Arena

24/11/2024

Behind the lens: Rena Tan

Support

Headline

BLAKTIVISM

Hamer Hall

The lights go up and the Kuluin Nations Song Women take to the stage to open the evening’s show. Dressed in black and adorned with emu feather necklaces and possum fur, the women present a beautiful performance.

The spotlight shines on Breanna Lee next performing ‘Ngarra Burra’,her voice floating up the air like a beautiful bird in the sky.

Tasman Keith and Yirramal absolutely amaze the audience as they perform ‘ No Country ’ together, Yirramal’s voice  blending with the rapping of Tasman’s Keith’s in an exceptional performance.

The talented pioneer of reggae Bart Willoughby dressed in a white suit plays a few numbers for the audience next and the crowd are absolutely loving him. Playing a medley of his most popular songs the Sugar Cane Mamas accompany him, adding in ‘ Woman’.

Tasman Keith returns to the stage for two more numbers ‘Left Right’ and ‘Territorial/Tread Light’, rapping about powerful themes. His performance is evocative and captivating.

Yung Warriors are up next to showcase ‘ Hunters, Gathers, Warriors’. The audience begins to cheer as a group of dancers from all different corners of the country lead Uncle Robbie Thorpe on stage in a boxers dressing gown. The crowd go absolutely wild for his appearance, the much loved activist basking in the moment.

The evening has showcased some impressive talent so far and certainly Deline Briscoe has one of the most captivating voices of the night. Her touching performance of Uncle Archie’s  ‘ A Child Was Born Here’ is absolutely beautiful as images of influential Aunties and First Nations women such as Aunty Ruby Hunter and Aunty Eleanor Harding.

Rounding out the evening are Sprigga Mek , Kaiit and the Sugar Cane Mummas, all showcasing some spectacular talent, ending in a gathering of all the performers on stage to celebrate the evening’s success.

After a twenty minute interval, Baker Boy closes out the evening with an hour long set, and almost the entire audience is up and dancing. The energy in the room is electric as he plays ‘ Meditjin’ and ‘ Wish You Well’. He shows no sign of wanting to slow down, he’s having a great time, telling yarns to mob, unable to wipe the smile off his face.

The showcase has been an incredible experience, from spoken word pieces to moving performances it has been a display of Blak excellence, each performance memorable, touching and beautiful. It has brought together mob from different parts of the country in one space to celebrate the oldest living culture on Earth. Blaktivism proves that no matter who your mob are or what colour your skin is, that music binds us as human beings, and brings out the absolute best in people. It has been a joyous experience and a memorable show with every single performance absolutely captivating.

Words by Amanda Lee Starkey

Mother Mother

Festival Hall

The Covid pandemic saw the rise of Tik Tok and bands that relatively unknown prior to the world wide lock down suddenly had a surge of success all thanks to thirty seconds of viral fame.

One such band to benefit from the Tik Tok craze is Mother Mother. Having experienced viral fame with several of their songs on the platform the Canadians are in Australia to show their fans a great time.

The Canadian alt-rock band brought their signature energy, connecting deeply with fans through their mix of indie rock, infectious melodies, and introspective lyrics. Known for their electrifying stage presence, they performed hits like “Hayloft II” and other fan favorites, keeping the audience enthralled throughout the night.

Crammed in as tightly as possible fans danced, raised their arms to the sky and for a joyous few hours they sang like their lives depended on it.  Lead singer Ryan Guldemond seemed to thrive on the energy of the crowd, and the more excited the audience became, the more he amped it up, taking the energy levels into the stratosphere.

The band’s ability to engage with their audience and create a sense of community was evident, with sing-alongs and heartfelt moments that resonated with concertgoers. Festival Hall provided an ideal backdrop for their stadium-sized energy, which paired perfectly with the intimacy of their message of self-acceptance and belonging.

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After a short one year hiatus, Santa Fest is back in 2024, with hundreds of Santas set to descend on the main watering holes of Wollongong for the mother of all pub crawls that will hit 11 local venues and feature 30 live music acts, bringing back this beloved community event in support of local charities Sahssi and Disabled Surfers Association.

Hailed as ‘Wollongong’s Christmas party’, the Santa-laden crawl will kick off at North Gong Hotel on Saturday December 14, before merrily ambling to The Illawarra Hotel, Towradgi Beach Hotel, Humber The Prince, La La La’s, and more, with tickets on sale now from Oztix.

After spreading Christmas cheer for thirty years and contributing over $2.5million towards charitable causes, Santafest had to sit last year out due to challenging conditions, but the spirit of the event has been revived as key figures in Wollongong’s hospitality scene step forward to ensure the tradition continues, albeit with a sustainable new approach, and with a full line up of live music at the forefront, featuring 30 acts across the participating venues, including sets from KLP, Lenny Pearce, Furnace and The Fundamentals, Fleetmac Wood and more.

With the blessing of the event’s creator (Neil Webster), Adam Murphy (Humber/Heyday/Halfway), Josh Hill (North Wollongong Hotel), and Ryan Aitchison (The Illawarra Hotel) have come together to save and rejuvenate this iconic event. Working collaboratively, they are poised to bring Christmas joy and charity back to Wollongong for another 30 years.

“Santa Fest’s humble beginnings started in 1993 with a group of mates coming together to celebrate the festive season and donating presents to the less fortunate. North Wollongong Hotel proudly became the spiritual home of Santa Fest, nurturing the event from one hotel to multiple venues, from a group of mates to 12,000 people coming from all over the world to participate at its peak,” explains North Wollongong Hotel venue manager, Josh Hill.

“This event is culturally important to Wollongong, I came from a Sydney venue, and every local I’ve spoken to has shared a story or two of their fond memories attending this event. The team at North Wollongong Hotel are proud and excited to continue the legacy that Neil started in 1993, continue to support local charities and continue to provide an event that creates fond memories for everyone who attends.”

To make the event future-focused, we know we need to make changes. What was once perceived as a day of intense drinking is now evolving into a Festival of Place. Our goal is to celebrate Wollongong—its people, its live music, its hospitality, its unique character and most importantly, its charities—by inviting people from near and far to Wollongong’s Annual Christmas Party,” says The Illawarra Hotel Publican, Ryan Aitchison.

Tickets to Santa Fest are available now from Oztix.

KREATOR Release Digital Album LIVE IN CHILE + Full Show Filmed April 23, 2023 Streaming On The Band’s YouTube Channel

Today, the mighty KREATOR have released a digital album and full video stream of their monumental live performance at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile, which was held and recorded on April 23rd, 2023.

Fans can relive the mayhem and massive circle pits that erupted throughout the night, showcasing the raw energy that only KREATOR and their Chilean Hordes can command.

With Live In Chile you can experience one of the world’s most renowned extreme metal bands rip through a breathtaking, career-spanning set full of fan favourites and songs from their most recent album, Hate Über Alles, proving that they’re still at the very top of their game.

LISTEN TO KREATOR – LIVE IN CHILE: 
https://kreator.bfan.link/liclp

WATCH KREATOR – LIVE IN CHILE: 
https://youtu.be/r714qvYD0K8

ABOUT KREATOR

The last decade has been a particularly exciting time for the group, with 2012’s Phantom Antichrist proving how they could embrace modern production techniques and move with the times without forsaking the underground spirit and defiance which made them a household name in the first place. Its successor, 2017’s Gods Of Violence, saw them topping the German charts for the very first time in their career, a feat virtually unheard for a band of such thunderous intensity.

They returned in 2022 with fifteenth opus Hate Über Alles – which marked their first studio album with Frédéric Leclercq (ex-Dragonforce, Sinsaenum) on bass, joining Mille, guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö and drummer Jürgen ‘Ventor’ Reil – the metal titans are once again channelling an unholy heaviness strong enough to tilt the earth off-axis.