Charlie Owen’s solo shows under the “Searching for Charlie Owen” banner have attracted full houses and warm reviews.

Long considered “a guitarist’s guitarist”, the music and spoken words sets have taken audiences backstage via Charlie’s warm, funny and sometimes sad reflections on the people he’s met and played with.

The multi-instrumentalist is doing it all again in August with select shows in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.

From his influential work with Tex Don and Charlie, Beasts of Bourbon, The Beasts and the “Distemper” period New Christs to collaborations with Louis Tillett, Paul Kelly, Tendrils and Working Class Ringos. Charlie has consistently pushed the boundaries of his craft whilst captivating audiences with his ferocious and at times tender performances.

With a career spanning four decades there are a lot of back pages to explore.  "Finding Charlie Owen" is proudly presented by i94bar.com and Soundpressing Records.

Friday, August 1
with White Knuckle Fever
Smiths Alternative, Canberra
Tickets: smithsalternative.com

Saturday, August 2
with Dave Favours & The Roadside Ashes
& Sam Shinazzi (solo)
Petersham Bowling Club, Sydney
Tickets: humantix.com

Sunday, August 3
with The Howlin’ Rats
Link & Pin, Woy Woy - 2pm
Tickets: oztix.com.au

Who says South Australia gets overlooked? Reconstituted Melbourne hardcore steamrollers Nursery Crimes will play their first Adelaide shows in 35 years next weekend.

Friday June 20 they’ll be at The Metro Hotel with Chainsaw Preachers and Fear and Loathing. Tickets are here.

The action moves to Port Noarlunga Football Club on Saturday with special guests The Skunks, Cull the Band, The Dandy Buzzkills and punk rock DJ LeRox. Tickets are procurable here.

Flashback to 1984: Seminal Sydney band X finally made it back into the studio to make a follow-up to their classic debut album "X-Aspirations". The end result - featuring the line-up above of Ian Rilen (RIP), Cathy Green and Steve Lucas - became another classic Australian album, "At Home With You", and tThis year marks the 40th anniversary of this iconic release.

Steve Lucas will be bringing the music of X to Sydney for one show only on August 23 to celebrate this event and launch a limited vinyl edition of this groundbreaking release. This also coincides with the 45th anniversary of X-Aspirations, said to be one of the most important recordings in Australia's rmusic industry!

Special guests for this night of nights are Tantichrist and To Be Human and tickets are here.

This year marks the 50th birthday of Brisbane’s community radio station 4ZZZ and a series of huge musical events will be held over October and November.

The 4ZZZ Joint Effort concerts played an integral part of the station’sstory in the 70’s and 80’s, providing live music fans in Brisbane with the best value for money events in town and  bringing together local and interstate original artists. Traditionally held at the University of Queensland campus refectory, these events set the tone for the healthy live music scene Brisbane enjoys today.

Original joint effort promoter, David Darling, is curating a special 4ZZZ joint effort event at the Hamilton Hotel on Saturday, 8 November. Tickets are on sale here and here’s the line-up:

Dave Warner’s from the Suburbs
A participant in  in the original 4ZZZ UQ concert events in the 70’s and 80’s sharing joint effort bills with the likes of Mental as Anything and Razar, Perth’s suburban boy Dave Warner and will be performing with the original “Mugs Game”-era band, From the Suburbs. 

X
One of the most influential bands to emerge from the late 1970s Sydney underground rock/punk explosion, the music of X has well and truly stood the test of time. Frontman Steve Lucas has put on many memorable shows in Brisbane and with his band will be performing the seminal 1985 album “At Home with You” plus other classics from the back catalogue.     

The Survivors
Formed in 1977 in the first wave of Brisbane punk bands, The Survivors played a part in many of the original 4ZZZ joint effort events before disbanding in late 78’

He original trio of Jim Dickson (Radio Birdman and the New Christs), Greg Williamson and Bruce Anthon will stage a very special reunion to help wish 4ZZZ a happy 50th.

He’s currently on the road in Japan and it’s Australia’s turn in June when boogie woogie and blues pianist extraordinaire Henri Herbert returns for live shows.

He's best known in Australian rock and roll circles for playing with The Jim Jones Revue, on their 2011 shows but on the global stage, the French-born and UK-raised Herbert is recognised for chalking up more than 100 million views on YouTube.

Herbert is now based in Nashville, Tennessee, and is constantly in demand in the USA. He'll mark his Australian shows with a formidable video single, a cover of the Jimi Hendrix classic “Fire”, which you can view after the MORE link

After a 20-year hiatus, Melbourne slackabilly surf trio The Tommys are back on the live circuit and launching a new singe. 

Well pedigreed veterans Ollie Laurie (Exotics), Jonathan Lickliter (Died Pretty) and Rob Lastdrager (T Bones) are unveiling their red vinyl 45 single, “Born to Follow” b/w “Window Pane”, at the Old Bar in Fitzroy from 4pm on Saturday. June 7.

They'll also play a live-to-air on Melbourne community radio station 3CR's Burning Vinyl Radio show radio on the Friday between 2-4pm. 

The Tommys released their debut album, “Grow Fins”, way back in 2000 and the follow up single, “Chastity Melts”, recorded live and dirty at the Old Bar in Melbourne, four years later.

Reforming for Garage Fest 2024 they toured of duty in Cambodia and now they’re thrilling audiences in Melbourne and Sydney once more with their tsunami of lo-fi garage surf grooves.

Special guests The Kreep 500 are supporting with their own brand of savage howls with garage nous. A duo far beyond the sum of its parts (think Cramps, Scientists, Reigning Sound), their debut album sold out in months and its follow-up is due in late 2025 on the Groovie (Europe) and Off The Hip (Australia) labels.