Heather McDonald photo
Joseph Keckler – Brunswick Ballroom, Melbourne
He made my Top Ten last year, and his return only confirms why. Joseph Keckler remains one of the most distinctive voices working today: brilliant, entertaining, and unlike anyone else.
An American singer, musician, performing artist, and writer, Keckler moves effortlessly between absurdist operatic monologues and eerie, emotionally charged ballads. His work is steeped in the unorthodox and the uncanny, balancing dark humour whilst showcasing the breadth of his musical talents—something beyond the ordinary.
Melbourne musician Rosie Westbrook opened the show with a mesmerising solo guitar set.
The New Christs, JJ McCann Transmission and The River of Snakes at The Tote, Melbourne
From the first riff, The New Christs hit the room like a bolt of lightning. The Tote was packed with the usual suspects, every inch vibrating with the energy of a crowd that knew they were in for something special, that was long overdue.
JJ McCann and River of Snakes had warmed us up, but when the New Christs entered, it was a tidal wave of loud, raw, utterly rivetting rock ’n’ roll. Rob Younger owned every moment: snarling, sneering, commanding, his voice cutting through the sweat and roar of the band. The audience pressed tight, and I was lucky to find a seat to stand on for a good view.
Or so I thought—until a couple in front of me spent the whole set kissing longingly, so close I could have almost joined in. Is this a new music category? - “Erotic Rock”! I didn’t ask questions; anyway, the guitars rattled the walls and the drums pounded like a heartbeat, drowning out everything else.
I left buzzing, already desperate for the next time. We want more!!!
The Beasts (w/ Hellen Rose, Dave Graney), The Johnnys, Cash Savage, Ezra Lee at the Forum, Melbourne
It was a flabbergasting performance from the opening track, “Black Milk” — I was hooked instantly. Tex Perkins and Hellen Rose hit the stage like a knockout punch, their male/female yin and yang exactly the jolt the band needed.
The guest appearances were pure gold too, with Dave Graney, Cash Savage, and Dan Brodie all raising the roof. Evan Richards was phenomenal on drums — he fitted the music like a glove. No showing off, just total instinct and feel. And considering the shoes he had to fill, that’s saying something. As for the rest of the band – Charlie, Kim, and Boris - what more can I say? Aren’t they simply the best?
As for the venue - I do love the Forum, but their security staff treated punters in a very rude and condescending manner. I’d thought things had changed but...
The Johnnys – The Tote w/ Penny Ikinger’s Marbles and The Vibrajets
It was a full-throttle celebration of guitar-driven rock ’n’ roll in all its wild and wonderful forms. Across three distinct line-ups — the three-piece punch of The Johnnys, the six-piece sprawl of my own Penny Ikinger’s Marbles, and the four-piece drive of The Vibrajets — each band brought its own sense of dust, danger, and attitude.
The night played out like a masterclass in guitar tones and techniques: dirty riffs, snarling leads, interlocking parts, fingerpicking versus plectrums, and the subtle art of knowing when to leave space and when to detonate. Pickups, pedals, amps, and attitude all came into play. That's not to suggest that the rhythm sections were any slouches, but it was, in effect, a live guitar workshop — a reminder that there are countless ways to skin a cat, and every one of them can still pack a punch.
I’ve always been partial to a rockin’ three-piece and a Johnnys show never fails to deliver.
Sun Ra Arkestra - Federation Square, Melbourne
I never thought I’d get the opportunity to witness this musical phenomenon live for free at Federation Square, and it did not disappoint. The performance was a magical weaving of sound, melody, and rhythm — less a concert than a form of space travel. There were cosmic swells, ritualistic grooves, moments of joyful chaos, somersaults on stage, and even a dancing, conga-like train of brass players passing right in front of my eyes — so close I could almost touch them.
With 16 musicians on stage, the Arkestra delivered not just music but spectacle: disciplined yet anarchic, deeply rooted yet utterly otherworldly.
Barry Adamson + The Wreckery – Corner Hotel, Melbourne
Multi-talented Barry Adamson was as suave and slick as ever, wielding a guitar and delivering vocals with his trademark cool. On stage, he seemed completely at ease in his frontman role, commanding attention without effort. Adamson remains the architect of his own sonic universe, conjuring menace and melancholy with equal parts elegance and grit.
The Wreckery opened the night with power and precision, their tight, confident performance setting the tone for an evening of darkly compelling music.
The Passion of Joan of Arc, presented at the Recital Centre as a silent film with live musical performance and score by Julia Holter.
Combining Carl Theodor Dreyer’s 1928 French silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc with a spellbinding score by Julia Holter, which was performed live at the Recital Centre. The film is a haunting portrayal of the French saint’s trial, featuring a stunning lead performance by Renée Jeanne Falconetti.
Julia Holter is a Los Angeles-based composer, singer-songwriter, and producer, whose music combines elements of art pop, chamber pop, baroque, experimental and ambient. Her score evoked rural medieval life rather than the polished pageantry of nobility. Most people’s idea of “medieval music” comes from the elite sphere of courtly songs and liturgical chants.
But Holter’s sonic palette—those raw timbres and instrumentation, and the chant fragments—seemed to reach for something earthier and more superstitious, closer to the lived world Joan of Arc herself would have known, I suspect. I have a long-held fascination with Joan of Arc. Her life was immediately mythologised after her demise, and her legacy continues to inspire today.
Run, Run, Run (China) - The Odeon, Richmond
Named after the Velvet Underground song, hypnotic Chinese psych-rockers Run Run Run delivered a swirling, lucid collision of styles — garage rock, post-punk, indie folk, and retro pop all melting into one another. Beneath it all ran groove-driven rhythms shot through with echoes of traditional Chinese folk music.
It felt like a cultural mash-up as much as a genre-blender, and a powerful one at that. Seeing the spirit of the Velvet Underground ripple its way to China — and land squarely with a younger generation — was nothing short of inspiring.
A Complete Unknown (film)
A biopic tracing Bob Dylan’s early-’60s ascent, culminating in the moment he famously rattled the folk purists by plugging in and tearing up the rulebook. I’m no Dylan aficionado, so I can’t vouch for the film’s historical veracity, but accuracy feels secondary to atmosphere here.
What does land is the casting and the commitment: Timothée Chalamet and Monica Barbaro don’t just play Dylan and Joan Baez, they inhabited them, handling the music as convincingly as the drama. The cinematography is equally strong, steeped in grit and grain, and fully transporting you back to an era when going electric felt like a genuine act of rebellion. Watching Dylan’s transformation from acoustic prophet to electric trailblazer is a reminder of a time when music meant everything — and in my world, it still does.
P.J. Harvey, The Plenary, Melbourne
She’s a genre-defying, multi-instrumental composer, poet, and artist in every sense. Yet from where I was seated—far from the stage, with no screens to bridge the distance—it might have been anyone performing. What a difference a venue makes. The repertoire was less familiar to me, but it sounded fabulous. It’s always interesting to hear an artist break new musical ground, and PJ keeps breaking it.
REST IN PEACE
Lindsay June Ikinger – Sadly, my dear Mum passed away last year. She gave me so much, but one of her greatest gifts was inspiring in me a deep love of the arts. She was always my biggest supporter, especially when it came to my music. She loved music herself and was a huge fan of Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, among many others. I like to think she’s reunited with my Dad now, perhaps catching up with my friends in rock’n’roll heaven together.
Liz Dealey - bass guitarist and singer-songwriter from Adelaide who played with The Sputniks (with Clare Moore, Dave Graney and Steve Miller), The Acid Drops, Twenty Second Sect and The Liz Dealey Band. Wild and loud, she was a real trailblazer.
Leanne Cowie - from The Scientists, Kim and Leanne - a powerhouse drummer and another true pioneer for female musicians.
Christine Hahn – artist and bass guitarist who was a founding member of the all-female post-punk band Malaria! (Germany) who were a huge inspiration to me when I first started playing guitar.
James Baker - The real deal. A rock star prototype for us all to follow. Style and talent, a triple dose of cool—effortless, humble. An enigma from Perth. The coolest persona: attire, drumming style, lyrics, hairdo, résumé. A rock ’n’ roll soldier of the highest order—suave, garage, tribal, primal. Played with The Victims, The Scientists, Hoodoo Gurus, The Beasts of Bourbon, The Beasts, The Dubrovniks, The James Baker Experience, The Eternal Teenagers, The Painkillers - an amazing resume and a helluva legacy! The Baker Beat lives on...
David Johansen - another real deal. He was an American singer, songwriter, and actor best known as the lead singer of the seminal proto-punk band the New York Dolls. He later forged a solo career. Thanks to Billy Pommer Jnr for introducing me to his amazing solo albums.
Thanks to all the musicians who played shows last year and to all the punters who came along. May your 2026 rock!
