Perth band The Triffids were indie pioneers, and their charismatic vocalist David McComb, who died at 36, wrote lyrics imbued with the Western Australian landscape. A new film charts his story.
Ed Kuepper, right, performing with The Aints! in 2018.
Perry Duffin/AAP
Record label chief, promoter, TV producer, Michael Gudinski’s career stretched from Skyhooks to signing Kylie Minogue to charity feats and nurturing today’s talent on TV music shows such as the ABC’s The Sound.
In his autobiography, Tell Me Why, musician Archie Roach tells the stories of loss, pain and survival behind his songs.
Composer William Barton in 2013. Indigenous composers have long been working in the field, but the contribution of Indigenous music and culture to Australian composition deserves greater recognition.
David Crosling/AAP
Australian composers have long referenced Indigenous music and culture in their works. A new platform paper suggests a more collaborative way forward.
The absence of women rockers such as Chrissie Amphlett (pictured here in 2006) from an Oz playlist promoted by the prime minister speaks volumes about how women are excluded from the music canon.
Joe Castro/AAP
The PM’s Spotify playlists are significant as they offer insight into what he sees as valuable in popular culture. They also remind us how women are excluded from the music canon.
Egyptian-born Australian musician, Joseph Tawadros.
josephtawadros.com
High-profile awards ceremonies are often only as interesting as the controversies they create. The 2016 ARIA Awards has started strongly in this area. Although the main ceremony is still a month away…
A young punk at Myanmar’s annual water festival in 2012.
Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters
Punk gave women a voice; changed the dynamic between audiences and performers and offered music fans a DIY smorgasbord. On its 40th anniversary, that’s worth celebrating.
Fifteen years ago, The Avalanches won four awards at the 15th Annual ARIA Music Awards. How has music changed in a decade and a half?
AAP Image/Dean Lewins
The Avalanches’ legendary first album, Since I Left You, was a modern classic, built from more than 3500 music samples. Sixteen years on, they’re finally releasing a second one - but will it resonate in an age when everyone samples?
Michael Hutchence bought name recognition to Dogs in Space.
The Making of Dogs in Space
Richard Lowenstein’s 1986 film Dogs in Space was a punk circus/social document that alienated many. But on the film’s 30th anniversary, it seems the world has caught up with it and a new audience of fans has emerged.
Music – as a tool of mobilising people against power – tends to suit a more progressive agenda.
AAP/Richard Milnes
Cold Chisel’s Khe Sanh was played at Reclaim Australia rallies in various cities last weekend – but won’t be again, after a public statement by the band’s frontman, Jimmy Barnes. Was it a good song choice?
Angus Young is still touring the “Australian Sound” with AC/DC.
EPA/Sara Johannessen
Blood + Thunder offers an entertaining insight into the development of the “Australian Sound” – but why do the producers fail to acknowledge the influence on the blues on that sound?