Paul Southwell

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BIG COUNTRY (Bruce Watson) Tour Interview, 2025 

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Scottish indie rockers Big Country have returned to Australia for a Greatest Hits tour. In 2019, they were here to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of their classic second album Steeltown which was recorded at ABBA’s Polar Studios in Stockholm and produced by Steve Lillywhite, garnering a UK number one album.  Their debut album, The Crossing, also with Lillywhite at the helm, cemented their reputation as an influential band with an undeniable 80’s Celtic Rock feel that led to two Grammy nominations and widespread airplay, alongside substantial touring. A lot has transpired since those heady days but with the current line-up treading the boards with great reviews on keeping their legacy alive, we recently caught up with founding member, and guitarist, Bruce Watson via Zoom.

JD FORTUNE ‘Plays the Best of INXS’ Tour Interview, 2025

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INXS were internationally huge, and if you ever saw them live, the reasons were self-explanatory. However, the loss of a legendary front man [Michael Hutchence] is a hard bridge to cross, yet JD Fortune rose to the challenge. Imagine stepping into the shoes of one of Australia’s biggest, and most beloved, rock exports. Then, on top of that, dealing with the endless invasions into personal freedoms that international media are so adept at ignoring. So, we were privileged to gain access to the quite stellar, Canadian vocalist JD Fortune, to explore his experiences, and to discuss the approaching tour. 

TESTAMENT New album ‘PARA BELLUM’ and music video ‘Infanticide A.I.’

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Bay Area thrash metal icons TESTAMENT return this Fall with their fourteenth studio album, Para Bellum. The album which will be released on October 10th via Nuclear Blast Records stands as both a battle cry and an observation of humanity’s uneasy alliance with its own creations. As technology accelerates and disconnection grows, Para Bellum sees TESTAMENT reflecting the modern chaos through music that’s urgent, sharp, and unflinchingly human.

DIRKSCHNEIDER & THE OLD GANG release single ‘Dead Man’s Hand’ from the upcoming album BABYLON

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PRE-ORDER “BABYLON” If you’ve been following the journey of BABYLON the highly anticipated debut full-length album from DIRKSCHNEIDER & THE OLD GANG, you already know what kind of powerhouse material this band delivers. Now, with the release of their fifth single, ‘Dead Man’s Hand’, the stakes are raised yet again. And if this is your first taste

ILL NIÑO (Dave Chavarri & Tommy Roulette) Tour Interview, 2025

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Latin American, alternative metal band Ill Niño made their mark at the time of nu-metal hitting the hard music charts. Formed by Pro-Pain drummer David Chavarri, their 2001 release Revolution Revolución made a statement of presence to the metal world, whereby the band enjoyed mainstream success, continuing that drive with subsequent release Confession, with several releases since then, with the most recent being in 2014 with Till Death, La Familia. Currently fronted by enthusiastic newcomer to the fold, Tommy Roulette, Ill Niño is finally looking to contain the solid line-up that will at last release some new music, which will also be aired in their upcoming setlists.

letlive – Live Review, 2025

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Support band: StepsonManning Bar, Sydney University, Camperdown.Saturday, the 6th of September. American progressive soul punk band letlive recently embarked on a tour known as the “sincerely yours” tour across Europe, Australia, and the United States. Having reunited recently, for a proper farewell jaunt, the band was intent on delving into their celebrated back catalogue with

HELLOWEEN (Sascha Gerstner) Interview, 2025

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German power metal pioneers, Helloween, weathered the naysayers when their Pumpkins United project took flight. Shortly after, the decision to reunite with three lead vocalists, for their self-titled, statement bearing release, Helloween, looked superb on paper, but had some risks to mitigate. Those eggshells were not trodden on, and with a deft display of maturity in a notoriously insecure business, the seven-membered band toured harmoniously, and subsequently have cemented their newfound stability with their latest opus, and seventeenth studio album, the remarkable Giants & Monsters. 

Jeff Martin, ‘Celebrating Neil Young’ Australian Tour Interview, 2025 

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A celebration tour featuring notable musicians in their own right, will delve into Neil Young’s vast discography to offer reinterpreted renditions of Young’s great works, whilst retaining the distinct, recognisable musical flavours and unique tones of his music. Given Young’s prolific musical output, the setlist will be wide and varied, including three superb vocalists in the celebration line-up: Jeff Martin [The Tea Party], Shane Nicholson [ARIA and Golden Guitar winner], and Richie Lewis [Tumbleweed], putting their own respectable stamp on Young’s material. We recently spoke to Jeff Martin about this fantastic upcoming tour. 

UB40 BIG LOVE WORLD TOUR, January 2026

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UB40 FEATURING ALI CAMPBELL BIG LOVE WORLD TOUR 2026 IS HEADED OUR WAY… The unmistakable voice behind UB40’s biggest hits is returning to Australia next summer as part of their Big Love World Tour.  UB40 featuring Ali Campbell will bring some reggae cheer back to our shores as he takes the latest incarnation of his