Author: Troy Culpan

Joey Belladonna of Anthrax

Joey Belladonna of Anthrax

”You know I just think we’re a much, much more focused in what we want to do and we’ve got a really great way of making things sound better now, I think we’ve advanced as players, singers and all that stuff, musicians in general and we’ve just gotten better , we’ve naturally picked up the pace and that’s a good […]

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Rob Thomas – On The Steps – Sydney Opera House – February 24, 2016

Rob Thomas – On The Steps – Sydney Opera House – February 24, 2016

Rob Thomas most of you would know from his position as front man in Matchbox Twenty for the last twenty years, and he’s visited Australia many, many times since his first visit in 1997. Tonight he returns off the back of his newest solo album ‘The Great Unknown’ and he’s playing somewhat of an iconic venue, but more on that […]

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Dave Mustaine of Megadeth

Dave Mustaine of Megadeth

“I think probably the only thing that we try and do is not copy ourselves to make sure that we set the scales for our own self critiquing to high, not to unobtainable heights because obviously that would kill any project but just to make sure we don’t take the easy way out and that we don’t copy ourselves.” From […]

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Halestorm – Manning Bar, Sydney – December 13, 2015

Halestorm – Manning Bar, Sydney – December 13, 2015

OK, it’s fitting that it’s my last show of the year because this is also my most anticipated gig of the year, mostly due to the fact that I’m a huge fan of Halestorm and have been for around six years now. So to say I’m a little excited is an understatement, just a warning… Bellusira back from LA for […]

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Chris Cornell – Sydney Opera House – December 11, 2015

Chris Cornell – Sydney Opera House – December 11, 2015

Before the show even starts I feel that this could be the show that I simply review this way… ‘Chris Cornell. Genius.’ But I’ll see what else I can come up with. David Le’aupepe from Gang of Youths opens the show solo tonight. Now I love this band and hearing him sing these songs tonight this way is an absolute […]

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The Maine – The Factory Theatre, Sydney – December 1, 2015

The Maine – The Factory Theatre, Sydney – December 1, 2015

I’ve been looking forward to this show, as a band like The Maine may not get the radio play or attention they deserve but there are plenty here tonight that know who they are and in the end that’s all that matters… With Confidence certainly know how to warm a crowd up as they with their way through a set […]

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Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society – The Roundhouse, Sydney – November 28, 2015

Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society – The Roundhouse, Sydney – November 28, 2015

Tonight Taylor Swift returns to Australia and wait… There’s another gig on in Sydney tonight and that’s exactly where we are… thankfully… It’s been a long time between tours for Zakk Wylde and his Black Label Society, so after almost six years they’re back, and as the merch says they’re ‘forged in iron and built to destroy…’ and we can’t […]

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John O’Callaghan of The Maine

John O’Callaghan of The Maine

“I think that our love for music has just substantially grown, exponentially it’s grown and at this point it’s really, really special that people are still allowing us the opportunity to make records and giving us the chance to see where it goes and I think that’s something that we certainly don’t take for granted.” From Release: THE MAINE, Arizona’s […]

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Joe Hottinger of Halestorm

Joe Hottinger of Halestorm

“Really we just play a rock and roll show, there’s no tracks or trickery, we don’t even use a click track, we just kind of plug in play and what you see is what you get. We like it, we get to ride the wave of the audience…” From Release: Pennsylvania-natives Halestorm have left an indelible impression on the hard […]

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Jerry Only of The Misfits

Jerry Only of The Misfits

“So I think what you really need to do is come with an open mind if you’ve never seen the band and participate and I think participation is really the key to having that combustion between that audience and the band.” From Release: From hell they came… in April 1977 at the dawn of the punk movement, THE MISFITS were […]

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Zakk Wylde of Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society

Zakk Wylde of Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society

“It’ll be great family entertainment, I wrestle a great white shark and then after that we have dancing bears, grizzly bears and then we introduce everyone to the Black Label fall fashion line of men’s lingerie, so it’s a very exciting evening *laughs* there’s also a lot of choreography going on, it’s just a delight to the senses. *laughs*” From […]

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Elliot Vernon of Alestorm

Elliot Vernon of Alestorm

“…we’re pretty much there just to have a good time, it’s not really about metal and it’s not about being serious, it’s just about having fun. So we appeal to pretty much everybody really which I think is pretty unique in the metal genre, so yeah, fun.” From Bio: Avast, ye landlubbers! From the deepest darkest depths of the Caribbean […]

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Def Leppard – Qantas Credit Union Arena, Sydney – November 17, 2015

Def Leppard – Qantas Credit Union Arena, Sydney – November 17, 2015

Def Leppard are back in Australia, and what can you say about a band that has been doing it for almost forty years? Everything… but where to start? Let’s get to that after The Baby Animals and Live… The Baby Animals open with a newer one tonight. ‘Under Your Skin’ and it’s great hearing these guys in a big arena like […]

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The Tea Party – The Enmore Theatre, Sydney – November 14, 2015

The Tea Party – The Enmore Theatre, Sydney – November 14, 2015

Australia has always loved The Tea Party, and tonight they’re back and here for the twentieth anniversary of ‘The Edges Of Twilight’ and we’re getting it in full plus more. There’s also no support tonight just The Tea Party and I’m ok with that. Starting acoustically and with that unbelievable vocal, Jeff Martin sing a simple “you…” the crowd cheers and […]

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The Darkness – The Enmore Theatre, Sydney – November 13, 2015

The Darkness – The Enmore Theatre, Sydney – November 13, 2015

It’s been many a year since I caught The Darkness live on their ‘One Way Ticket’ tour and more importantly eleven years since I first saw them at their headline show at The Gaelic Club in Sydney in 2004 and man, that was one hell of a show then so I’m looking forward to checking out their live set circa […]

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Frankie Poullain of The Darkness

Frankie Poullain of The Darkness

“I think we used the new album to escape from the upheaval we went through, the upheaval with management. Obviously we did the comeback and when you do a comeback for us it wasn’t really a comeback, we just wanted to get together again and do an album…” From Release: THE DARKNESS, multi award winning, multi-million selling megaband formed in 2000 […]

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Adam Spark of Birds of Tokyo

Adam Spark of Birds of Tokyo

“The idea mainly spawned from when we were away a lot over the last couple of years.  We always have to introduce ourselves and say here have a listen prior to going in and giving them sampler things and all that stuff. I don’t know, it kind of dawned on us that when you’re doing that sort of stuff how […]

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John Sankey of Devil You Know

John Sankey of Devil You Know

“So after the first record I think we were like we’re not going to go through that experience again, I mean not that it was a terrible thing it wasn’t at all, this album sounds a lot truer to who we are, the each of us, and the people that have heard it so far have all said that, like […]

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Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist of The Hives

Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist of The Hives

“…I mean it’s basically if you think about  rock concert that you’ve been to and you multiply it by ten, it’s kind of more, it’s louder and faster and more jumping *laughs* cooler clothes, better guitar playing, you know, the usual… it’s the same thing, just more and better *laughs*” From Release: Australian audiences require no introduction to The Hives. The five-piece […]

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James Brown of Pulled Apart By Horses

James Brown of Pulled Apart By Horses

“…it’s mainly about performing and the atmosphere when you do perform and one of the most important things for us is to have this sense of well almost community, we want everyone to be involved and we don’t want anyone to feel left out and it’s more about everyone in the room than it is us…” From Bio: Pulled Apart […]

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Megadeth – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney – October 18, 2015

Megadeth – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney – October 18, 2015

Megadeth are back in Australia, this time with Children of Bodom, so we’re in for one extremely loud evening, and for a Sunday, that’s just what we need! I made it in just in time… as the lights already dark went darker and ready for Children of Bodom as they thrashed their way onto the stage bathed in green lights as […]

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Phil Small of Cold Chisel

Phil Small of Cold Chisel

“…as long as we all enjoy playing together and coming up with new songs we’ve just got to keep doing it and enjoy it while we can because the realisation of Steve’s passing, were only here for one shot in life so we’ve got to do it while we’re here and enjoy it, so that’s kind of the path we […]

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Lifehouse – The Big Top, Sydney – October 16, 2015

Lifehouse – The Big Top, Sydney – October 16, 2015

Thirteen years is a long time between tours, and although they almost made it back in 2013 we had to wait another couple of years for it to actually happen, but here we are, Lifehouse have made it back to Australia… Stone Parade are here to entertain the early comers and they’re doing it quite well at present, even managing […]

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Caligula’s Horse

Caligula’s Horse

“…so we wanted to go a little bit different with this one, deliberately not do a concept album and just write a collection of songs that have an uplifting message that have a colourful sound and a vibrancy to them and go for an energy that matches our live show as well because we have quite a physical and energetic […]

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Travis Stever of Coheed and Cambria

Travis Stever of Coheed and Cambria

“I think it’s through and through a Coheed album in the sense that it explores different territories of the band. And in different way than we ever have before. And that is something Coheed had done with every record.” From Release: The Color Before The Sun is the outfit’s eighth studio album and their first non-conceptual release, with the previous […]

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Dave Lombardo

Dave Lombardo

” It’s basically one on one with Dave Lombardo, you get to sit there with me and we basically have a conversation but it’s in a large forum with a lot of people. So it’s fun, I enjoy doing it.” From release: As an original and founding member of Slayer, Lombardo has performed with Slayer on seven albums, including their ground-breaking […]

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KISS – Allphones Arena, Sydney – October 10, 2015

KISS – Allphones Arena, Sydney – October 10, 2015

It’s time once again for the band that will never go away, and I say that in the nicest way, even after farewell tours, KISS can’t stay away and continue to draw crowds of dedicated followers, an army if you like, so tonight we’re here as a part of their 40th anniversary and as always I’m sure it’ll be a spectacle… […]

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Christopher Thorn of Blind Melon

Christopher Thorn of Blind Melon

“I think we were worried for about a year but when it happened it felt like we were launched into space and our lives were never the same. It’s hard to explain but I can say that every boy hood rock and roll dream I ever had came true … and then some.” From release: In recent years, the tale […]

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Chris Kael of Five Finger Death Punch

Chris Kael of Five Finger Death Punch

“This is our sixth record in, Five Finger Death Punch has become a well-oiled machine and we do the things that we do and do them very well, everything is gelling in the sense that everybody writes together and all the ideas are bounced off one another, so pretty much a continuation of the process really.” From release: FIVE FINGER […]

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Dennis Locorriere of Dr Hook

Dennis Locorriere of Dr Hook

“…these days what seems to remain  of Dr Hook is a sound that people remember, and this many years later that sound almost causes a sense memory, I can tell by what people say to me it’s almost like you smell chicken and you think of your mom’s house *laughs*, so I want this music to sound like they remember […]

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