Underoath has become reputed as one of the greatest live acts, earning the respect and admiration of fans worldwide. Since their Australian tour, the band has released their long anticipated album Lost in the Sounds Of Separation. Fans from throughout Sydney banded together at UNSW's Roundhouse to farewell Underoath and show their appreciation for the bands efforts and mentality.

The night opened with coastal heroes, A Silent Fiction, slowly warming the crowd, wrapping up their set with their notorious version of Limp Bizkit's, 'Rollin''. Not one body could escape the excitable energy of the crowd.

As promised the audience was confronted with Underoath's "give it all you got" attitude. As drummer/singer Aaron Gillespie made his way onto the stage the crowd erupted into a sea of cheers. The opening chords of 'In Regards to Self' exploded from the speaker system, the crowd's anticipation and waiting was over, and the sea of people burst into movement. With the rising temperature it was easy to disguise the chaos of the moment. The tempo quickened and you soon found yourself flooded with the lyrical words that Underoath have based their success on.

Lead singer Spencer Chamberlain then brought the crowd back to ground level, reminding us all why it is that we are here. Showing his appreciation for his fellow stage mates, A Silent Fiction (even if he may have forgotten their name to begin with), the long acquired fans and last but for him, most importantly God. The band ending the night with one of their more sentimental songs 'A Boy Brushed Red Living in Black And White' allowing the crowd a profound connection with the band and in fact more so with one another. As 'Returning Empty Handed' fazed out, Underoath put down their instruments and left its Sydney fans craving more.

Review By Jason Michael Henson

Photography By Sarah-Kate Harris

By Nick Milligan

]]> Sat, 08 Nov 2008 09:41:54 -0800 http://virb.com/mattpacker/posts/text/918482 http://virb.com/mattpacker/posts/text/916941 This live recording featuring the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is something to whack on one sunny morning and kick back. A winning combination that blends the chilled sounds of Salmonella Dub with the lush sound of the NZSO. These collaborations with orchestras are fraught with danger of the uh... 'cheese' factor, I am happy to say that Feel The Seasons Change is free of this.

It is great to see musicians pushing their music into new areas.

by Miles Thomas

By Noah Cross.

Just so you all know, here's the list of awards that Bob made off with;

• 1233 Tour Support Prize
• ABC Music Publishing & APRA Songwriters and Composers Recognition Award
• Blues & Roots
• Folk
• Pop (tied with Sarah Humphries)
• Hunter Broadcasters Choice

You can buy Bob's recently released, and now award winning, album Storyboard direct from his website.

The standouts include the incredibly catchy 'Underwhelmed' and the powerful ballad 'Out On Your Own'. Check it out. Support Australian music.

by Miles Thomas

***** PRESS RELEASE *****

Hello music fans.

Big thanks to everyone for their support for the Big Day Out once again this year.

With Sydney and Gold Coast tickets snapped up within hours and all shows heading towards sell outs it is great to know that you trust us once again to deliver a wonderful experience.

Our new musical offerings are ready to be unveiled. We truly believe these new acts are impressive additions to an already stellar lineup.

Soon we will also announce our final musical acts, visual art installations, special attractions and the world of the Lilyworld.

We hope you can join us for the day.

Two down, one to go....

Roll up! Roll up! Rock 'n' roll ringmaster SERJ TANKIAN has donned his top hat and will be cracking the whip at BIG DAY OUT 2009. The System of a Down front man has gone solo with the multi-layered album Elect the Dead. Backed by his band the FCC, TANKIAN's show is a vaudevillian explosion - part comedic, part heart-attack serious. A showman like no other, SERJ TANKIAN is guaranteed to bring the drama at BIG DAY OUT this summer. (ALL SHOWS)

BIG DAY OUT is dedicated to providing good times. And to help us do this in 2009, we've called on the band dubbed Boston's answer to the Ramones - the legendary DROPKICK MURPHYS. This loud, raucous and chaotic seven-piece Celtic punk combo hits the stage with one goal: to play music that creates an all-for-one, one-for-all environment where everyone is encouraged to participate, sing along, and have a good time. Sounds good to us! So let the good times roll with DROPKICK MURPHYS at BIG DAY OUT 2009. (ALL SHOWS)

Do not underestimate the charm of BLACK KIDS. They won't teach your boyfriend how to dance, but this feel-good Florida five-piece will help you put your best foot forward at BIG DAY OUT 2009. Led by Reggie Youngblood's "catchy tunes about dancing and desire", BLACK KIDS have put a fresh spin on retro sounds with their irresistible debut album Partie Traumatic. From artist-to-watch to buzz band to real deal in the space of only three years, see BLACK KIDS continue their stratospheric rise at BIG DAY OUT. (ALL SHOWS)

When BIG DAY OUT felt that burning desire to get on the floor, there was only one band to call: please welcome back everybody's favourite synth-wielders, London's HOT CHIP. "The most effortlessly cool band in Ravesville" (thanks, NME) are set to scintillate and shake up the summer with tunes from their third album, Made in the Dark. For a festival experience packing personality and electro-pop perfection, it gets no hotter than HOT CHIP at BIG DAY OUT 2009. (ALL SHOWS)

Summer Down Under is so hot, BIG DAY OUT is calling in The Cool - the head-spinning wordplay of Chicago hip hop trailblazer LUPE FIASCO. Once prot]]> Thu, 06 Nov 2008 02:59:18 -0800 http://virb.com/mattpacker/posts/text/913904 http://virb.com/mattpacker/posts/text/913903 Date : Saturday 4th July
Pre Sale: Thu 6 Nov, noon - Thu 6 Nov, 10pm
General Public on sale: Fri 7 Nov, 9am

Come one, come all - and step into the Funhouse!

P!nk - Australia's biggest selling international recording artist of 2006-7 - is back, at the top of her game, and raring to perform live for your entertainment.

In 2007 P!nk staged the biggest Australian concert tour ever by a female artist, with more than 307,000 tickets sold for a 35 show itinerary that grew to a run of more than 8 weeks around the country's arenas.

Winning the 2007 Helpmann Award for 'Best International Contemporary Concert', 2007's I'm Not Dead Tour was a spectacular that drew critical raves and standing ovations!

Aiming to top the raunchy theatrical performances of the I'm Not Dead Tour, Funhouse will not disappoint!

Expect a dazzling carnival-styled stage set, feats of aerial daring and surprises that can only be hinted at... and at the core, the confident and charismatic vocal powerhouse that is unmistakably P!nk.

P!nk said, "I'm so excited to get back on the road. The 'Funhouse' tour ideas are running rampant in my head. Who knows what they'll come out as.... And I can't wait to see."

Set to add substantially to the accumulated albums sales of 23 million world-wide, P!nk 's 5th studio album Funhouse will be released on 25 Oct by Sony/BMG, and features the #1 smash hit 'So What'.

Go read it now!

Take the noise away and they would still stand tall.

Supergrass hold pride of place in my top three favourite live shows of all time - so high expectations were placed on their very longawaited return to Sydney. But unless the four British lads had been drugging themselves into irrepairable mental obliviion, then there was very little chance that they wouldn't blow The Forum into smithereens. The band strode on to the stage as a fivepiece (Charly Coombes now helps out on guitar duties). Gaz Coombes was branded an insidious handle bar moustache - he looked like the mutant child of Nick Cave and Neil Young.

Gaz led the way with the opening riffs of 'Diamond Hoo Ha Man'. It was huge. With oppressive, forty-degree heat inside the venue, Supergrass spent no time ripping into songs, old and new. 'She's So Loose', 'Bad Blood', 'Mary', 'Ghost Of A Friend', '345' and 'Rebel In You'.

There were some extraordinary moments. A surprise performance of their single from the dark, acoustic record Road To Rouen - 'St. Petersburg'. There was no doubting what was about to come when Gaz casually said into the microphone, "This song's about a little run-in with the law." The crowd screamed as 'Caught By The Fuzz' blasted over the speakers. 'Pumping On Your Stereo' was quick to follow, as was 'Moving' and the ball-busting 'Richard III'. The mammoth encore included 'Sun Hits The Sky' from their In It For The Money record. England's favourite sons fi nished with a very old song - 'Lenny'. Despite the absence of any material from their awesome fi fth album Life On Other Planets, this was an incredible gig from start to finish.

The greatest hard rock band in the world are back to stake their claim. Now all we need is the tour.

With a self-titled EP fresh out of the studio, and numerous summer festivals and gigs lined up in the coming months,The Mounzers are all systems go. David Long chats to vocalist and guitarist Luke Costelloe about badminton and the importance of paper, scissors, rock.

Firstly, where did the name The Mounzers come from?

It was the name of Fletcher's (Charlton, drums) first pet lizard.

You've been in the studio recording your new self-titled EP with Roni Francois. How has the process been?

The process has been pretty exciting, a little tedious at times, but Roni definitely keeps it interesting with his elaborate stories, English profanities and good cups of tea. He's definitely got the best out of us, and were all stoked with the result.

What are some things you like about recording as opposed to playing live?

You get to experiment more, and tweak the sound a lot more which is always good fun. Also the fact that Roni's cat "Quavos" was present for each take was awesome. We always talk about taking a cat to a gig. We're now one step closer.

When in the studio, do you use the same setup as you would live?

Yeah pretty much, except we experimented with a few other amps and pedals that we normally wouldn't use.

There's two guitarists in The Mounzers, how do you work out who plays what?

We usually play the parts we made up, or decide which part sounds best on which guitar. But if all that fails we just use 'rock, paper, scissors'.

What's the song writing process like for The Mounzers?

Usually someone comes in with a riff or some music, and a general theme or idea for what they want the song to be about. Then we just add water, mix it all up and it comes out with a bit of Mounzer quirk.

How would you describe your new single being released in November?

It's the latest song we've written so it's definitely got a different vibe about it compared to our other songs. However it still sounds like us because it sits well with the other track on the EP, which was the first song we wrote 10 months ago. We really think people will find it fresh, but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

What do you think of the new breed of working bands who are giving away their music for free and promoting on the web?

I think its brilliant that bands have a new and effective method of getting their music out there. It has definitely helped us a lot and it's the main reason we've gotten to this point now. For a band with no money like us, it's a valuable promotional tool, but if a band wishes to sustain itself off its music, there has to be other methods along the line also.

You've got quite a list of gigs in the next few months, how long has your schedule been so full? And do you like being so busy?

Yeah there are a few in the next few months, however to us that's not enough. We ideally would like to be playing three days a week, but I guess were a while away from that. The schedule hasn't always been so full, but it's getting fuller, so we're happy about that. We love being busy - playing beats practicing, which beats working. We don't really have lives so they're the only three things that fill in our time. That and badminton actually, though Nick argues that he has a life 'cause he has a Wii.

The Mounzers are playing the Social Summer Fest in December, what are you looking forward to about the festival?

We're looking forward to playing with a lot of the bands we love, especially our good friends The Inheritors and Slow Down Honey. Grafton Primary and Art vs. Science are also fantastic live and we're looking forward to getting drunk to them again. I guess the spot by the water is going to be lovely too, I hope we're allowed in the pool... or the lake.

How would you rate playing festivals compared to the regular gig?

Yeah Glastonbury was alright, but not as good as The Chilli Lounge ha-ha... we actually haven't played a festival yet. We're still babies.

You're all from the Central Coast, do you try to get out and support fellow musicians from the area as much as you can, or are you usually too busy?

Yeah, we're all from the Central Coast and yeah, we get out as much as we can to see local bands. We love - as we already said - The Inheritors and Slow Down Honey, as well as Bright Yellow, Jess Locke, Cabins and The Protectors.

Catch The Mounzers at Social Summer Fest, 14 December, Beachcomber Hotel, Toukley.

They will also be playing a residency @ Sirens, Terrigal, 12 and 26 November, 10 and 17 December. On December 13 they will be at the Chilli Lounge, Wyong with The Protectors, and December 19 at Diggers @ the Entrance with The Inheritors.

Check it out, let us know what you think.

]]> Thu, 06 Nov 2008 02:59:13 -0800 http://virb.com/mattpacker/posts/text/913897 http://virb.com/mattpacker/posts/text/910877

"The dilettante aesthetic is if you have a passion and enthusiasm, you slyly and intelligently put it out there. And there's the idea that art's not a frivolous thing. It's an inspiring thing. The appreciation of beauty is not an indulgence. It's a privilege." Tim Rogers

You Am I's 8th studio release, Dilettante, finds the band in fine form and is possible their best release for over a decade. Kevin Bull spoke with guitarist Davey Lane about the new record, the upcoming tour and life on the road in the US.

If Convict was the angry scream, then Dilettantes is the feeling you have once the temper subsides. Is this a fair comment?
Yeah. I can't speak for Tim in a lyrical sense but at the time Convicts came out we were all going through some stuff, personal stuff. I guess it was the byproduct of how we were feeling at the time. I think as a band this time around we were a lot more confident, a lot more relaxed. As a band we were more comfortable with going into the studio together, playing off each other and seeing what comes instead of just going in and thinking that we have to play as fast and as loud as we possibly can. I still love Convicts to death, (but) I think the songs on this record are a little more considered, the structures are a bit more sprawling and we let these songs mapping themselves out.

Did you have an idea that the album was going to sound different to Convicts before you went into the studio?
Yeah, I think it was kind of obvious from the first cassette that Tim sent around to everybody. Even though we keep in regular contact with each other while we're doing other stuff, we hadn't seen each other for a couple of months, I think it was pretty obvious from the first little acoustic guitar and voice demo that Tim sent that this was going to be something a little different.

I would imagine that the new songs would fit in quite comfortably in the live set. Are you finding this is the case?
Yeah, we won't really know until next week when we start playing them, but these songs are a lot more challenging, there's a bit more to them. I'm dividing keyboard parts with guitar parts but I'm up for the challenge.

What does playing with You Am I give you that The Wrights, The Pictures or Crowded House doesn't.
Well, You Am I was the first real band that I was in. I've been playing with those guys for nearly 10 years now, they're kind of like my big brothers.

The recording of You Am I albums appear to be quick and spontaneous. Is this out of necessity or is this the way to get the best out of the band?
A lot of the time it is necessity because we are paying for the record ourselves and we are under the pump to come up with stuff pretty quickly but I think it is in our individual nature as well. We all seem to have pretty short attention spans. We like to work pretty quickly. I like to be a little under prepared, I enjoy working under pressure. It's usually pretty obvious If Tim brings in a song and we bash it out in the rehearsal room, it's pretty obvious by the first or second run through if it is working or not, we don't tend to labour on things. That's the way Convicts and Dilettantes were both recorded. Even though in terms of instrumentation there is a bit more going on this time around, we did tend to play the song through a couple of times in the rehearsal room. What you hear on the record is usually the first or second take.

That's great. I am sure that a lot of bands would hope to be able to do that themselves. That's a great way of putting an album together if you can do it.
Yeah, it was just a matter of getting the right take. Usually the first take would be wildly different from the second one, and we would have a could there to choose from. It's a good thing.

When ordering Dilettantes thru itunes, you get the 'Live at the Budokan' video as a bonus. Any chances of this video becoming available in the stores?
I think it will be just an online kind of thing. It was just shot on handycam. Even though as a document it is You Am I playing the fucking Budokan, it's a pretty cool thing to have but I don't think it will be released on DVD.

Whenever I hear of this venue, I think about Cheap Trick's, Live at Budokan, and the history of the venue. Have you have played a venue where its history has given you a special moment?
Yeah, it wasn't a You Am I show but I got to play with The Pictures at Festival Hall in Melbourne, that was a definite moment. Growing up with video of the Beatles playing there, standing on the same spot that John (Lennon) himself stood on, that was a definite a "fuck me, I'm standing here" moment. And also with Festival hall it's not just the Beatles, it's Dylan in 66, The Who and The Small Faces in 68, Pink Floyd and Neil Young

You spent most of 2007 over in the US touring, something the band has done a number of times. Are these extended trips away from home still enjoyable adventures?
Yeah, most definitely. Maybe when I am a little older I probably won't have the stamina for it but as long as I can do it I will always jump at the opportunity. It's always an amazing experience. Even though we love touring around Australia and doing the drive up from Sydney to Coffs Harbour, there's always something new to be garnered from driving around the states. It's really an exciting thing to do.

On a side note, just wonder what the future plans are for The Pictures.
We've had a record finished for about a year and we've found someone to put it out but it was kind of a little frustrating. We had a finished record and we were going around to everybody saying 'We've done all the hard work, we've got the record done, please can someone put it out', but we've found someone who going to put it out. It was meant to be late October but with You Am I touring it got a little bit difficult so I think it will be sometime in January. Straight after the You Am I tour we will probably be doing a couple of weeks of shows.

We just need the Gallagher brothers to write a whole album themselves rather than give Gem Archer and Andy Bell some royalties.

The punkish simplicity of 'Seasons Change' gives it directness that means business. Well worth a listen.