spats 2023Jo Forster photo

PETER BLACK/ TIM STEWARD @Frank’s Wild Years…two of my local faves doing an intimate  double header.

LUCINDA WILLIAMS/ STEVE EARLE @Enmore Theatre…a master class in Americana from two of the best.

THE DELINES @The Great Club…Portland county soul comes to the Sydney Inner West, featuring one of my favourite authors aka Willy Vlautin.

JENNY DON’T & THE SPURS @Enmore Hotel…speaking of Portland, retro rockin, honky tonkin’ good times always guaranteed. Don't miss them when they return!

AMENDS @Mary's Underground...walked into a bar on a quiet Sunday night & these western suburbs kids blew my head off! Kinda like Husker Du meets Drive-By Truckers...the Los Angeles headliners were like lukewarm water in comparison. Bonus points for the singer rockin' a Flying V.

 DEVO @ICC…my first ever gig in ‘82 & also my most recent. Still amazing in their 50th year.

DESCENDENTS @The Metro…old punks playing with the energy and enthusiasm of teenagers, out there in a league of their own.

ROCKS/STRIKE OUTS/JANE DOES @The MoshpitROCKS as per Descendents comment, absolutely relentless. As a bonus, they treat their support bands as equals…a great bunch of humans.

charlie moshpitCharlie Owen at MoshPit. Barman photo.

CHARLIE OWEN @The Moshpit…a national treasure sharing his rock’n’roll stories with songs from across his career. One of my all-time favourite axemen.

SCOTTY NASH TRIBUTE @Petersham Bowlo…a wonderful afternoon for a wonderful bloke. Johnny Casino was (unsurprisingly) man of the match, followed closely by a very brief reunion of The Crusaders.

THE CHURCH @Enmore Theatre…the ‘classic’ lineup is long gone, but they are still incredible & huge respect for always moving forward, not being stuck in the ‘chicken-in-a-basket’ oldies circuit like many of their peers. Having Ash Naylor in the lineup doesn’t hurt either.

THE ALLNITERS @Cronulla Beach…always a joyous occasion, especially with ocean views.