The Basics: this could be the last time
By NEIL WALKER GOTYE has gone back to The Basics and the band is dropping in on Mornington as part of their national tour in support of their latest The Age of Entitlement album. Guitarist Tim Heath says The Basics drummer Wally De Backer, known as the solo artist Gotye, is heading back to Australia from the US where he is recording the follow-up to his commercially successful Making Mirrors album which spawned the global smash...
Running Touch: new talent dawning
By NEIL WALKER Running Touch is a Mentone man of mystery. The 21-year-old electronica singer-songwriter, who is nameless and faceless in publicity shots, is a jack of all musical trades but listening to efforts such as his latest song This Is Just To Say it’s apparent he is certainly a master of blissful beats and smooth vocals with an urban edge. The vocalist, lyricist, guitarist, pianist, producer and poet (yes, poet) is off to a...
Def Leppard shake off the haters
By NEIL WALKER The haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate but Def Leppard are due more credit in rock and roll’s history books than critics generally give them. Taylor Swift certainly thinks so. The biggest pop star in the world right now performed with Def Leppard in 2008 as part of a US series called Crossroads that paired modern musicians together with their idols from yesteryear. Swift reckoned that singing the likes of the hit...
Lennon: Yesterdays in the life
By NEIL WALKER “I would love to be Doctor Who!” Actor and musician John Waters’ declaration has been prompted by mint magazine’s suggestion the 66-year-old would be a perfect choice to play the Time Lord in BBC TV’s long-running sci-fi show now the Beeb has seen sense and is skewing older in its casting of the good Doctor in the form of current incarnation Peter Capaldi. While mint hopes the Scotsman does not immediately vacate the...
Courtney Barnett: ‘Everyone is the voice of their generation’
By NEIL WALKER COURTNEY Barnett is so hot right now. The 27-year-old Northcote based singer-songwriter’s debut album Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit has cracked the Billboard Top 20 in the US and soared to the top of alternative album charts all over the world. No appearances on The Voice Australia or the recently axed Australian Idol shows required. High-profile US news site Salon described Barnett as “the new Bob...