Author: Troy Culpan

Garbage – Sydney Opera House – December 14, 2025

Garbage – Sydney Opera House – December 14, 2025

It’s been a long time since Garbage have been back to Australia, and I was l there and they were amazing. I saw their set at Good Things in Sydney and they were again amazing. So here we are tonight in one of the most prestigious venues we have, the Sydney Opera House to see them be amazing here too. […]

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Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater (Video Interview)

Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater (Video Interview)

“Here we are 40 years later, been around the world dozens and dozens of times and you know it’s just been quite a journey and quite a trip and if anything it’s just more surreal than anything it’s just hard to believe how quickly time has flown…” From Release: With the worldwide excitement around the recently completed European tour, GRAMMY®-winning, […]

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The Living End – On The Steps, Sydney Opera House Forecourt – December 12, 2025

The Living End – On The Steps, Sydney Opera House Forecourt – December 12, 2025

It was 2012 when I saw The Living End on their retrospective tour, and saw them perform their debut album in full. It was outstanding, now here we are thirteen years later on the steps of the Sydney Opera House to see them do it again. I never miss a chance to see these guys live and tonight with them […]

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Jimmy Barnes – Sydney Opera House Forecourt – December 10, 2025

Jimmy Barnes – Sydney Opera House Forecourt – December 10, 2025

How can you not love a bit of Jimmy Barnes?! Actual question. He’s an Aussie music legend, he’s been around the block more than a few times and tonight we’re here to celebrate and remember the album that turned 40 years old this year ‘For The Working Class Man.’ I decided to listen to the album again today in full […]

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Brendan B. Brown of Wheatus (Video Interview)

Brendan B. Brown of Wheatus (Video Interview)

“I’m still not gotten over the fact that I play music for a living. I’m pretty blown away by the fortune that has brought me and how incredibly special and rare that is/ I have not gotten over it, or bored of it, or used to it yet so I’m very much still in the fan space mentally when it […]

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Johannes Eckerström of Avatar (Video Interview)

Johannes Eckerström of Avatar (Video Interview)

“I have come to understand more and more through the years that yeah it’s nice if I understand what we have done at the end of the writing, but you don’t always have to know exactly where you’re going in the beginning…” From Release: The heavy metal visionaries collectively known as AVATAR have finally unleashed their latest masterwork Don’t Go […]

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John Vesely of Secondhand Serenade (Video Interview)

John Vesely of Secondhand Serenade (Video Interview)

“I wanted to do something different for the 20th anniversary, something I’ve never done, and I had this idea a few years back…” From Release: From the raw, heartfelt strums of a lone acoustic guitar in a Californian bedroom to global stages filled with thousands singing his lyrics, John Vesely, better known as Secondhand Serenade, has carved a legacy that […]

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Sebastian Bach – The Enmore Theatre, Sydney – November 28, 2025

Sebastian Bach – The Enmore Theatre, Sydney – November 28, 2025

I’ll never forget picking up the debut Skid Row album back in 1989, as a 13 year old it blew my mind, and continued to help shape my music journey through the late 80’s. I’m also not scared to say it still gets a spin today… so when Sebastian Bach, the voice of Skid Row comes to town and is […]

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Lauri Ylönen of The Rasmus (Video Interview)

Lauri Ylönen of The Rasmus (Video Interview)

“The first time is always the first time, and it can only happen once, but it always has a lot of expectations and a lot of like things building up towards it…” From Release: Rock stars in their homeland of Finland since their first album, Peep, went Gold when they were just 16 years old, The Rasmus have built a […]

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Butch Vig of Garbage (Video Interview)

Butch Vig of Garbage (Video Interview)

“It’s so hard to have an identity and for some reason Garbage has a very strong identity and now we look at that as an incredibly powerful asset.” From Release: Returning to Australia for the first time in nearly a decade, GARBAGE aren’t ones to rest on their laurels. Led by vocalist, guitarist and bonafide ’90s icon, Shirley Manson, the […]

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Metallica – Accor Stadium, Sydney – November 15, 2025

Metallica – Accor Stadium, Sydney – November 15, 2025

The last time I saw Metallica was at Soundwave in 2013… so now here we are back at Olympic Park to see them again, and after twelve years to see if they are still that good. I’m going to go with yes, more than likely a resounding yes. Before we get to the main event we have a couple of […]

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Evanescence – The Metro Theatre, Sydney – November 14, 2025

Evanescence – The Metro Theatre, Sydney – November 14, 2025

This is going to be fun. While here in Australia supporting Metallica, Evanescence are doing a few intimate shows and tonight it’s our turn as this sold out in minutes, Metro Theatre is about to see something special. Here we go. It’s 8pm… No support, just Evanescence and as the band take the stage the cheers roar and that unmistakable […]

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Punk Rock Factory (Video Interview)

Punk Rock Factory (Video Interview)

“We like to think that our show is kind of 60% music and 40% us just talking shit and making people laugh…” From Release: PUNK ROCK FACTORY bring everything you love about 1990s/2000s punk rock and deliver the classics and hit songs we all know the words to; like you’ve never heard them before. The band has redefined pop-culture and […]

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Wednesday 13 (Video Interview)

Wednesday 13 (Video Interview)

“I tell people all the time, we’re your favourite band you just don’t know it…” From Release: Wednesday 13 returns on the back of a sold out Australian tour in 2023 celebrating his former band Murderdolls. The pairing of Kim Dracula and Wednesday 13 is a stroke of evil genius. Fast and dirty, raw, chaotic and macabre. It’s tongue-in-cheek horror […]

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Fran Healy of Travis (Video Interview)

Fran Healy of Travis (Video Interview)

“No matter where we play it always feels like we’re doing it not for the first time but I treat it like it’s the first and last show all the time…” From Release: For the first time since their sellout 2001 Australian tour, multi-platinum and BRIT award winning, Scottish alternative rock band Travis is coming to Australia, to perform classic […]

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Rob Thomas – The Enmore Theatre, Sydney – November 5, 2025

Rob Thomas – The Enmore Theatre, Sydney – November 5, 2025

I dig Rob Thomas. I’ll never forget the first time I saw Matchbox 20. It was 1997, and from then I was hooked. I’ve seen them and Rob solo many times since and it’s so good to be back tonight at The Enmore to see him again. This is the third night of three just proving that he still has […]

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Joey Santiago of PIXIES (Video Interview)

Joey Santiago of PIXIES (Video Interview)

“Some of them were a bit daunting just thinking about playing them, and then when you get into it you get the muscle memory back, and you just realise how screwy the songs were…” From Release: PIXIES have announced a 2025 Australian tour which will see the alt-rock legends perform two consecutive nights in each city. On the first night, […]

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Mike Muir of Suicidal Tendencies (Video Interview)

Mike Muir of Suicidal Tendencies (Video Interview)

“It’s great because we have an opportunity to be able to play in front of a lot of people that normally would not see us, and some maybe never heard of us or for whatever reason never saw us…” From Release: Exactly two years since their last visit, Suicidal Tendencies return in late 2025 with a series of firsts, which […]

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Max Cavalera of Soulfly (Video Interview)

Max Cavalera of Soulfly (Video Interview)

“It was cool because we were not under any pressure from the label or anywhere to do anything quick or fast, so we kind of took our time with this one…” From Release: SOULFLY has been spearheading the movement of groove metal for decades now, reaching into limitless directions while seamlessly retaining the expert quality and perfection that bears the […]

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Crowded House – The State Theatre, Sydney – October 22, 2025

Crowded House – The State Theatre, Sydney – October 22, 2025

This is a bit different. Last time I saw Crowded House was on the steps of the Sydney Opera House last December. Tonight here we are at these intimate pop up shows and I can’t wait hear these classic songs in this environment. The band take the stage as Neil raises his guitar and “the opening act” now called ‘Strangely […]

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Taylor Acorn (Video Interview)

Taylor Acorn (Video Interview)

“I feel like I’ve been doing so many things on my own and doing as much as I can on my own, and now I feel like we’re going to go to radio for the first time and we’re going to be able to do things that I wouldn’t necessarily be able to do on my own anymore, and so […]

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Taylor Acorn – Poster Child

Taylor Acorn – Poster Child

OK, it’s been a while since I’ve done an album review so let’s kick it back off with this one… I’ve loved Taylor Acorn’s music for a while now, and watching this evolution from way back in the country days to what we’ve now got in 2025 is amazing. With independent releases out previously it’s time to check out her […]

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JD Fortune – Selina’s, Sydney – October 11, 2025

JD Fortune – Selina’s, Sydney – October 11, 2025

I can’t remember the last time I was at Selina’s for a gig. Maybe Sebastian Bach in 2006 but it’s not about that tonight so I have left the familiarity of the city and ventured to the beach to come and see the original Rock Star, JD Fortune back in Australia to play the INXS songs he helped rejuvenate in […]

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Ryan Key of Yellowcard (Video Interview)

Ryan Key of Yellowcard (Video Interview)

“We are in a chapter for this band that is in our minds is unheard of to be doing what we’re doing now and I think we’re truly if not already we’re very much on the cusp of this being bigger even than Ocean Avenue was…” From Release: ‘Better Days’ is the band’s first full feature length album in almost […]

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Liam Guinane of Windwaker (Video Interview)

Liam Guinane of Windwaker (Video Interview)

“We’re a very fun band to go see live, I think there’s something for everybody with our style of music, we’ve got heavy moments, we’ve got really catchy singalong moments, we’ve got just a fun swagger about us…” From Release: Australia’s genre-bending Windwaker released HYPERVIOLENCE in July 2024 and followed the album with HYPERVIOLENCE EXPANSION PACK deluxe record earlier this […]

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James Veck-Gilodi of Deaf Havana (Video Interview)

James Veck-Gilodi of Deaf Havana (Video Interview)

“This time around I’m a bit nervous because I really care about this album, like I really do. I honestly didn’t think we were going to release another album…” From Release: ‘We’re Never Getting Out’ sees the band dig deep emotionally and musically for fans of Nothing But Thieves, You Me At Six and UK alt-rock. They’ve shared a number […]

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JD Fortune (Video Interview)

JD Fortune (Video Interview)

“I’ve loved this band since I was a kid, I have not stopped singing these songs since I was a kid, and it’s a blessing for me to just share this again…” From Release: INXS fans, get ready – the Original Rockstar (and former INXS Frontman), JD Fortune will finally return to Australian stages for his first ever headline tour […]

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Don Broco – The Manning Bar, Sydney – September 5, 2025

Don Broco – The Manning Bar, Sydney – September 5, 2025

I’ve been looking forward to this show for quite some time, as in 2023 after seeing Don Broco live for the first time they immediately became one of my favourite live bands, so tonight they’re back and I can’t wait. Future Static opened the show and with some good stage presence, big vocals, and big guitars they delivered a set […]

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Simon Rix of Kaiser Chiefs (Video Interview)

Simon Rix of Kaiser Chiefs (Video Interview)

“We always tried to do things that people liked, basically…” From Release: UK indie icons Kaiser Chiefs have announced their return to Australia this November, celebrating the 20th Anniversary of their seminal record, Employment, one of the best-selling UK debut albums of all time. It will be their first visit to these shores since 2012, when they packed out venues […]

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Jason Aalon Butler of letlive. (Video Interview)

Jason Aalon Butler of letlive. (Video Interview)

“You get back together, you start talking, you start playing the music you’ve played, you think about those times and it’s inevitable…” From Release: Renowned for their genre-defying sound and electrifying high-energy live performances, letlive. is set to triumphantly return to stages one more time, reuniting with fans and reigniting the fire that defined a generation of alternative music. The […]

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