Sydney Smattering

Is smattering even a word? Who cares. Here's some music by a bunch of Sydney bands that have been on my mind lately:

Telephone - Cuthbert & The Night Walkers



I can’t believe I haven’t gotten around to talking about Cuthbert & The Night Walkers yet. They’re so cool! You may be thinking that because they have 5-piece choir, they are somehow a gimmick. It couldn’t be further from the truth. Underneath the choir is an incredibly solid band, with some excellent music. Whenever I watch them, I find my mouth gradually creeping open, either because I’m in awe or just a subconscious desire to sing along. Whatever it is, they must be doing something right.

Like An Arrow - The Red Sun Band



The Red Sun Band are yet another local band that I have ignored for no particular reason. They’ve been around for a while, but I’ve just never bothered to listen to them. Thankfully I put an end to this when I caught their set at The Laneway Festival. On first glance, their music feels like pretty straightforward indie rock, and is easy to get it into because of this. But closer inspection shows something deeper, darker and more enduring to their sound. I’m certainly looking forward to their upcoming releases.

Mad Scientist - Laura Imbruglia



Unlike the rest of the bands in this post, I’m not here fresh from seeing Laura Imbruglia live. In fact I’ve never seen her play, nor have I listened to her all that much. But something about her intrigues me. Her debut is incredibly varied, moving between fast rock, slower ballads and even dabbling in some sort of abstract techno. But whatever territory she’s in, the music is strong and the personality abounding. She is undoubtedly an interesting character.

Familiar Faces - Hypertonic



A year ago, I arrived at Hypertonic’s myspage, thanks to a recommended link on the Red Eye Records website. The page was pretty desolate and the songs didn’t really grab me. A year later, not much has changed. This is such an incredible shame, because after seeing them live, they clearly have potential. Their music is heavily inspired by Sonic Youth and would undoubtedly be welcomed by many. I feel like they need a reality TV show to give them a make over, or (more realistically) a manager to point them in the right direction and start promoting them properly. These guys deserve it.

Your Face Burnt A Whole In My Memory - The Devoted Few



Up until very recently, The Devoted Few were a band I’d never seen live. This was undoubtedly due in part to them not playing that many shows, but also because I failed give their 2004 album, Billboard Noises, anything more than a casual glance. But a month back, when I caught them at Spectrum, this all changed. I can’t remember being so impressed by a live band whose material I didn’t know well. Their songs were great and the performance even better. They are actually sitting on a brand new album, just waiting for a label to pick it up. If the live show is anything to go by, this album is something to look forward to.