Moving through arena sized venues, starting at the Adelaide Entertainment Theatre on the 18th November, continuing to the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney on the 1st December and finishing up in her home town of Melbourne at the Margaret Court Arena on the 14th December. She will be joined by likeminded strummers Pierce Brothers and forest ravers Willow Beats for a celebration of musical freedom and instrumental virtuosity.

Tash Sultana has spent the last 18 months collecting fans and selling out shows worldwide in what can only be described as a whirlwind of activity. Riding high on the back of her singles ‘Jungle’, ‘Notion’ and ‘Murder To The Mind’, the accolades have come thick and fast. She landed at number 3 in last year’s triple j Hottest 100 (picking up the Unearthed J Award on the way through), fixed herself in the top 10 of the ARIA chart with her Notion EP and has watched the view count on her YouTube channel rocket into the millions.

Returning home for another victory lap before focusing her attention on that all important debut record, these standalone performances (no extra shows will be added to this tour) will serve as a benchmark to just how much Sultana has achieved since she was first noticed busking amongst Melbourne’s humming CBD. Solo on the stage, as she was on the street, Sultana has a rare ability to create wholly intimate atmospheres, even in the largest of spaces. A diminutive figure equipped with searing confidence and incredible skill, Sultana utilises her self-taught skills on several instruments (guitar, horns, drums) to compliment her powerfully exotic voice and build a truly intoxicating on-stage atmosphere.

Also appearing at these landmark shows are fellow former buskers Pierce Brothers. Forging a similar path to Sultana, this brotherly duo has garnered considerable buzz worldwide for their high energy performances and virtuosic skills. Their latest EP The Records Were Ours came in at #9 on the ARIA chart after topping the iTunes charts across the globe. Opening up will be Melbourne based free spirits Willow Beats, an uncle-niece partnership who will provide glorious, tropical rave pop.

Tash Sultana Homecoming Tour This November/December
November 18 – Adelaide Entertainment Theatre, Adelaide
December 01 – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
December 07 – Freo Arts Centre, Fremantle
December 09 – 3 Oceans Winery, Margaret River
December 14 – Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne
December 16 – Noosa AFL Grounds, Noosa
www.tashsultana.com

Having played sold out shows in Melbourne and Sydney to great acclaim in 2014, these will be Marr’s first as a solo artist when he and his band roll in to Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane.

A founding member of cultural institution The Smiths and performer alongside the likes of Modest Mouse, Beck, Talking Heads, The The, Oasis, plus featured on the critically acclaimed album by John Frusciante, The Empyrean – Marr was already rock royalty before releasing his Top 10 debut solo album The Messenger in February 2013.

    ‘Each tune throws up a different style, creating a one-man compilation album that rifles through 25 years of lush or edgy genres, perfecting every one…The Messenger isn’t just a summary of everything worthwhile in contemporary rock music, it’s an insightful and informed dissection of life in 2013.’ – NME 8/10

    ‘One quick listen to The Messenger brings all his signatures rushing back — the intricate, intertwining arrangements, the insistent riffs finding a counterpoint in the elastic yet precise melodies, a romance with the past that doesn’t negate the present.’ – All Music 8/10

In a poll conducted by the BBC, Marr was voted fourth best guitarist of the last 30 years and Phil Alexander, Editor-in-Chief of Mojo magazine described him as “arguably Britain’s last great guitar stylist”.

Nothing if not prolific, Marr had begun writing sophomore solo effort Playland (out October 3 through Warner Music, watch the clip for new single ‘Easy Money’) almost immediately after The Messenger’s release “…I kept on writing. I liked that the band had a momentum going on tour and a connection with the audience, and I thought that energy would be good to capture on the new record.”

Energetic, post-punk song writing complemented by Marr’s characteristic guitar licks, engaging lyrical ideas and poised vocal phrasing. Playland is composed around the central theme that “songs that move at the speed of life” and captures much of the spirit that made his debut so memorable.

Marr collected rave reviews when last in Australia with critics spotlighting his ability to combine the best of his new material with select highlights from his epic back catalogue, including The Smiths and many others.

    ‘This was a man honouring his legacy while still creating in the present. As the T-shirts at the merchandise desk defiantly proclaimed… Johnny Fuckin Marr.’ – The Music

    ‘His playing is visually evocative, often invokes wide-eyed dopamine release and is always impeccably tasteful. Put simply, the man is a goddamn God-like genius.’ – Beat

He’s one the most celebrated guitarists in the world. Armed to the teeth with classics and his own lauded solo works, when Johnny Marr hits Australia and New Zealand in July 2015 the shows promise to be exhilarating displays of talent from a revered virtuoso.

Johnny Marr 2015 Australian Tour
Sat 18 July – Metropolis Fremantle, Perth
Mon 20 July – Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Tue 21 July – The Gov, Adelaide
Wed 22 July – Forum Theatre, Melbourne
www.johnny-marr.com

His superb phrasing is just the start. It’s his choices in tone and the way his notes spill into unusual areas that make the biggest impression. They just coat your ear holes with gooey goodness.

Mark’s liquid tone is matched by his introduction of notes in a fashion that is most luxurious; they seep out of your speakers in a surprisingly organic way, especially considering how processed they actually are. This is technology used to paint a most vivid picture of something naturalistic.

His backing by Yaron Stavi on bass and Asaf Sirkis on drums is also stellar and even with the chops of god that all concerned surely possess; they submerge individual hot spots for the common cool. This approach leads to a feeling that juxtaposes heat and ice and fire and finesse. Even the outright shredding songs like Voltaic never loose their cool.

Add this to the collection of guitar albums that feature a unique voice, singular approach and defined sense of journey. This work takes you to places serene and stimulating.

Rob Hudson
www.markwingfield.com

Taking away the often times bombastic soundscape that heavy use of outboard gear allows gives band mainstays Sasha Markovic and Kana Kamitsubo the opportunity to create a world of both introspection and intimate appeal. These are songs that invite you to get inside them, like the feeling of wrapping yourself up in a warm blanket on a cold winter’s night.

The band’s duo core is supplemented by a plethora of guests that further expand the scope of the proceedings. Dewa Budjana and Anthony Mullin’s guitar work and Wen Chang’s violin are just a few of the stellar additions and add further textural revelations.

The version of Free’s Wishing Well is particularly enlightening and their reinvention of such a familiar melody with strong piano chords and subtle plucked and bowed notes is startling. So weather it’s the wide open west expansion on Sound Of M, the classical gas take of Deep Purple’s Burn or the swing sway of North, this is a work of constant surprise and engagement.

Being truly progressive relies on an open-minded approach where there are no expectations that can’t be ignored and no compositional leaps that can’t be cleared.  Reinvention or revelation, Kai is inviting in both extremes.

Rob Hudson
www.yagull.com

While most ultra practitioners continually punctuate bold statements with speed and excess, Dusan tickles the ears with an overabundance of surprises and restraint.

In a soundscape where strange time signatures abound and a series of unique tones are produced of an almost revisionist nature, there is little that remains static and forward motion is a welcome constant. The music is out there but it is also grounded by a humanistic sense of humour and discovery.

Dusan is on to something here and while guitar aficionados will have much to savour there is also an accessibility through departure that extends the olive branch to those that feel a bit beat up by overstatement.

Rob Hudson
www.dusanjevtovic.com

His delivery has changed little in all these years and that’s just fine. The thought of him continuing to fall out of the tour bus amid a cloud of green smoke and then take the stage to deliver one of his laconic sets still warms the heart.

Returning to the duet formula for his latest release also fits just fine in these ears. It also helps getting your country on first thing on a lazy Sunday morning after a previous night of working an Aussie hip hop show. If definitely helps to balance out all those yo yo yos.

Teaming Willie with a plethora of Country Darlings (past and present) will always work with someone so generous with the vocal spotlight. “Time to wake up Willie, it’s your verse!” With names like Dolly, Rosanne, Wynonna, Loretta and Emmylou, you know the proceedings will have that hickory smoked appeal.

Country Music may be a dirty word in a lot of households but when you want to chill, really chill, that pedal steel guitar, relaxed to the point of slumber vocal approach and easy swing always goes down easy. Might have to balance it out with some metal later on but for the moment, cowboy hat happiness prevails.

Rob Hudson
www.willienelson.com

This collection of songs (the first release of an upcoming trilogy) sees Dewa indulge in his most esoteric nature and the end result makes one happy, very happy.

His phrasing is sublime and the variety of tones he unleashes from a wide selection of guitars is remarkable but what most impresses is how uplifting this music actual is. Utilizing a wide range of guest artists and their unique instruments (to most western ears) also gives the work a travel log vibe filled with the treasure of discovery.

This international mix isn’t all foreign to Western ears though and there are some very cool moments when say on a track like Rerad Rerod an earthy harmonica (by Howard Levy) drops in makes its point and then drops back out or other times when the solos are almost blues based. These moments firmly root the music in terra firma.

Add this work to your collection and the next time that you find yourself in one of those moments of musical indecision, you will have the perfect antidote to play. One that will make your emotions soar right along with the music.

Rob Hudson
www.dewabudjana.com

The new long player Asymmetry more than lives up to those expectations with its expansive take on progressive rock.

The work screams with passion when the mood strikes but also whispers with precision. The band creates a musical world with all the bombast and idiosyncratic behaviour that marks the best in the genre. It’s minute attention to detail also gives clues to the band’s less than vast recorded output.

It’s a dense work that is best left to wash over you as it reveals more and more depth. This approach is dramatically helped by the CD format as the moments of vocal respite rise up out of complete silence and after the guitar maelstrom that has come before, the effect is startling.

This music is as far from audio wallpaper and passivity is near to impossible, as it demands your attention. The rewards to that effort are substantial as this is one the year’s most arresting releases.

Rob Hudson
www.karnivool.com.au/latest

This sunny Sunday morning that perfect aural pleasure is Films by Yagull. The group, the project of composer/guitarist Sasha Markovic blends beautiful acoustic instrumentation with forward thinking arrangements and playing.

Don’t let the acoustic tag impact your mindset on this either, for there is as much power in these grooves as a Marshall stack on 11, it’s just more cerebral and only slightly less physical. There is also a superb use of space that allows the listeners to add their own moments of reflection.

As the album’s title denotes there is a cinematic feel to the proceedings that gives it a distinct story arc. This even includes an interesting middle reel with the reimagining of Cream’s White Room and Black Sabbath’s Sabbath Bloody Sabbath that show what a disservice musician do to a song when recreating a mirror image of the original.

The sun is out, the coffee is strong and the music wafting out of the house onto the deck is striking just the right tone and life is good. Perfection indeed.

Rob Hudson
www.yagull.com