Tame Impala
Festival Hall, April 26
Winner of last year’s J Award for Australian album of the year, Tame Impala’s Lonerism epitomises neo-psychadelia. Songs like ‘Apocalypse Dreams’ and ‘Feels Like We Only Go Backwards’ take its listeners back to the sounds of the 60s, when psychedelic rock and pop intertwined in a counterculture influenced by LSD and similar mind-altering substances. With a sound quite similar in some respects to The Beatles, Tame Impala are reinventing psychedelic rock. Combining dreamy melodies with distorted guitar chords, electric piano riffs and long-haired musicians, Tame Impala are a contemporary relic from a decade of liberation and experimentation.
The Kooks
Palais Theatre, May 1
An archetype of British indie-rock and Britpop, The Kooks are returning to Australia for a number of sideshows supporting their Groovin’ The Moo performance this year. In 2008, their second record Konk debuted at number one on the UK album charts and went on to achieve gold status in both the UK and Ireland. Influenced by their British predecessors, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, The Kooks bring both an acoustic and heavy rock sound to their records. Their lyrics are catchy, cute and always relatable. Hit songs include ‘Naive’, ‘You Don’t Love Me’, ‘Do You Wanna’ and ‘She Moves In Her Own Way’.
Emma Louise
The Corner Hotel, June 4
Supporting the release of her debut album Vs Head Vs Heart, Emma Louise will be bringing her electro-folk sound to the Corner. Likened to Bjork, Bat for Lashes and Lykke Li, Emma Louise is a unique package, weaving synthesised pop and folk into an atmospheric performance. Heading in a new direction after the release of her 2011 folk EP, Full Hearts and Empty Rooms, Emma is reborn in her debut album, experimenting with synths and ultimately separating herself from the signature Australian folk genre.
– Dina Amin
Axolotl
The Workers Club, April 16, 23 & 30
As part of their April residency at The Workers Club in Fitzroy, Axolotl will be performing there every Tuesday. After the release of their debut EP, Autonomy, in October 2012, it’s clear that these guys are a big deal – not to mention that they have supported the likes of The Bamboos and Daedelus. Their mix of thickly layered electronic sounds, sharp vocals and pulsating drumbeats resonate long after the release of their EP and beg for live reenactments.
Matt Walker and the Lost Ragas
The Spotted Mallard, May 3
Matt Walker and The Lost Ragas will be performing at The Spotted Mallard in Brunswick next month to launch their latest single ‘Mama Go Tell Your Children’ from their album In Echoes of Dawn. Matt Walker has toured with Bob Dylan, Nick Cave, and The Black Keys, amongst other world-renowned acts. His sound is undoubtedly folky; ‘Mama Go Tell Your Children’ features sharp harmonica melodies, twanging mandolin riffs and, of course, Walker’s irresistibly smooth voice. Entry is fifteen dollars at the door.
They Might Be Giants
Corner Hotel, April 23
The legends behind the inescapable theme song of Malcolm in The Middle have announced sideshows to their appearance at Groovin’ The Moo. Their weird, experimentalist mix of pop-punk and indie/alternative rock, has won the band two Grammy Awards. Having released their sixteenth studio album, Nanobots, at the beginning of March, we may be surprised with some new material and, undoubtedly, a mix of their old classics.
– Steve Voser
