Beabadoobee
September 9,
Northern-hemisphere festival sensation Beabadoobee takes on the other side of the world.Erika Kamano
Words that can worry many a music fan,these days,are “TikTok sensation”. But in defence of Beatrice Laus,the Philippines-born Londoner known as Beabadoobee,that tag came more as a result of Canadian MC Powfu,who sped up and sampled her sweet,acousticCoffee for his downer-rap earwormDeath Bed (made the more inescapable in 2020 because,well,we couldn’t go anywhere in 2020).
Until that point,Beabadoobee hadn’t made much of an impact outside the London indie circle. Since then,however,she has released two terrific solo albums of melodic alt-pop that’s couched in herCoffee-flavoured folk roots but that can coolly veer into cruisy bossa nova (The Perfect Pair,from this year’sBeatopia) or satisfyingly crunchy indie-rock (thinkCare,from 2020’sFake It Flowers).
Beabadoobee brings her band to Australia primed from a northern-hemisphere summer spent playing festivals from Europe to Japan,and hopes are high for her live show.
Pop Will Eat Itself
September 9,
This is the day,this is the hour,this is Pop Will Eat Itself.Richard Herbert-Parkhouse
There may not be a band I saw play more often in my teenage years of the late ’80s than Pop Will Eat Itself – partly because my best friend was their biggest fan and drove all over England when they toured,with me his wingman,but just as much because Poppies shows were always entirely thrilling.
Not only did their music sound like nothing else around at the time,smashing together squealing guitar riffs,mad samples and hip-hop beats,they referenced the coolest things,from groups like Public Enemy and films likeBlade Runner to graphic novels such asWatchmen andV for Vendetta.
One of their frontmen,Clint Mansell,might now be in Hollywood (superbly) scoring movies,but the other one,Graham Crabb,is still proudly flying the Poppies flag alongside other beloved band members from across their 35-year journey,and on this tour they’re playing their incendiary second albumThis Is the Day … This Is the Hour … This Is This! in full.
Billie Eilish
September 13-15,
Enjoy her while she’s fresh:Billie Eilish.
As the winner of multiple Grammys in her teens and,this year,an Oscar before the age of 21,Billie Eilish makes most of us feel like underachievers,late bloomers or both.
And even if such awards,and Eilish’s enormous accompanying commercial success,mean nothing to you,you can’t dispute her influence on her generation,the latest evidence of which comes in this string of long-sold-out Sydney arena dates.
The young American has certainly impressed live in the past;whether bounding around to infectious dark-pop bangersBad Guy andBury a Friend or cooing through sublime balladsOcean Eyes andLovely,.
My only concern with Eilish is whether an artist so very much of this time will be able to maintain her relevance and popularity for even a few more years,let alone a long career – but let’s cross that bridge when we come to it,and for now just enjoy her distinctive,exciting take on modern pop.
The Chats
September 15,
Loveable punk-rock ratbags the Chats.Luke Henery
As album titles go,they don’t get much better thanGet F---ed. (Bonus points for the alternative,non-confrontational connotation when you say it alongside the band name:The ChatsGet F---ed.)
Word of the simple genius of these punk-rockers from Queensland has long spread far and wide,what with rock gods championing them from the US (Dave Grohl and Josh Homme have been fans since at least) to the UK (check,the excellent YouTube show from the Darkness frontman),with Australia catching on properly somewhere in between.
Best of all,the Chats remain the same old loveable ratbags they’ve always been on their aforementioned second album:they still thrash through two-minute tunes about relatively banal things they love (6L GTR) or hate (The Price of Smokes) and they’re still a ton of fun,especially.
Thelma Plum
September 16,
After the triumph – what with its multiple ARIA nominations and top-five success– of her then-long-awaited and,to date,sole albumBetter in Blak in 2019,Gamilaraay woman Thelma Plum has finally released a follow-up in the form of August’sMeanjin EP.
Sofa,so good:Thelma Plum.Georgia Wallace
Meanjin is what traditional owners of the land call Brisbane,Plum’s beloved home town,but don’t let any interstate rivalry or other such irrelevant nonsense put you off. For a start,Plum worked on the EP with an erstwhile Sydneysider,her frequent collaborator Alex Burnett (formerly of the much-missed Sparkadia),but their shared talent for melody and songwriting,plus Plum’s dreamy vocals,transcend any potential distractions anyway.
The last time she performed in Sydney was alongside Paul Kelly at this year’s Vivid Live on the Opera House’s Northern Boardwalk,but this show could be just as special. It’ll certainly be warmer.
A cultural guide to going out and loving your city..
