Amyl goes for gold as Split Enz re-splice
This week, IA’s assistant riff assistant, David KowalskiIt dives into the chaos of Grammy-specific punk, transcendental live folk, the revival magic of Split Enz, and a new crop of indie oddities.
Amyl smells a Grammy nomination
Melbourne bogan punks Agents and Exciters They received their first Grammy nomination in the Best Rock Performance category. This is a huge achievement for a young indie band who have just released their third LP. cartoon darkabout 12 months ago. They share the nomination Linkin Park, paramore‘s Hayley Williams, yungblud And Tourniquet.
Considering Grammy voters prefer to perform on major labels with big marketing budgets and bands that have been around forever, it’s truly surprising that a young indie punk band from the southern tip of Australia is getting noticed, let alone nominated. I personally wish them success in this crowded field. I hope they bring home the gold.
Little Oddities is live
I had the opportunity to see the Central Coast folk rock band on October 25th. Little Oddities He lives in Canberra. In a small band room White Eagle Polish ClubThe stage was just big enough to accommodate the band’s physical presence, but not their energy.
I came as Stella Eve warming up the crowd with her melodic indie pop style; His songs punctuated the mood nicely with carefully chosen guitar lines and high-pitched lyrics. Shortly after drummer Mia Toole and her father/manager Paul Toole installed their cymbals and newly tuned snare drum into the drum set, their cousins and siblings took the stage full of color and energy.
Lead singer and guitarist Abby takes the stage in one of her full-body costumes complete with wings and leads the band through a set of powerful songs taken from the new EP. Monsterand their final self-titled LP, as well as classics from early in their career. ‘There would be no life‘ And ‘Crumbled‘. They also added a few well-chosen covers to the mix. I thought about your choice ‘jolene‘ with Dolly Parton It was an odd song choice for them until they played their stunning rearrangement. I don’t think I’ll ever doubt your song choices again.
The lively four-part harmony sung by the Toole family on this song and others – Abby, Jaymi, Alex and Mia (even as they pounded their drums into submission) was simply stunning. Jaymi’s lead vocal is full of pain and emotion that the song demands. It also included a powerful version of it. ‘Zombie‘ with cranberrya song that was indispensable many years ago when girls would play it in the streets along Terrigal’s coastline.
Of course, I can’t forget to mention Jordan, who is not related to anyone else on his family’s side, but is a brilliant guitarist in his own right who puts out an amazing tone in his own way. Fender Telecastor while striking all kinds of rock star poses. The night wasn’t complete without Abby running around the venue, guitar still plugged in, wirelessly connected to the PA and strumming hard, dancing with all the fans before returning to the stage to wrap up the show.
Having seen the band five years ago and seeing them again a few weeks ago, the band’s stage presence and performance style became much more explosive in the following years. They were amazing back then; They’re even better now. They play on every stage, no matter how small, as if they were performing for 100,000 people at Wembley. I saw some of the last images on the social media they opened. Robert Thomas Last weekend they played to 8,000 people in Brisbane, just as they had played to this writer and hundreds of others at a small club in the nation’s capital.
Little Quirks are definitely one of Australia’s best live bands right now. Check them out when you get the chance.
Bluesfest 2026 squad
next squad bluesfest It has been announced that it will be held in Byron Bay over the Easter long weekend in 2026. The roster will include Living End, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Mark Seymourblues legend dude man, As Mental as Anything and also the young guitar prodigy of the NSW Central Coast Taj Farrantand many more, among others, will be revealed in due course.
I could have fallen off my chair during the announcement of the leads. New Zealand legends split enz They have reformed to get top billing and will embark on an arena tour in Australia later in the year. I never thought I’d see that day.
The group will consist of original members Tim Finn, Eddie Rayner And Christmas CrombieJoining Tim’s little brother Neil Finn with James Milne on bass and Matt Eccles on drums to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their debut LP. Mental Notes. They promise lots of classic art-rock eccentricities and interpretations of the classics. ‘I See Red‘ And ‘Message to My Daughter‘.
Split Enz will play Melbourne at the Rod Laver Arena on 13 May, Sydney’s ICC Theater on 18 May, Perth at the RAC Arena on 22 May and Adelaide at the Entertainment Center on 25 May.
Split Enz – I See Red (Official Video)
New music — Sneeze’s new EP
Sydney’s indie and underground stars sneeze We are coming back with a new EP with a very adult name Bands, Affairs, Girlfriends. The group makes a name for itself with extremely short and concise songs. Their 1993 self-titled debut album was a double 7-inch single with 20 songs on it. This release was later expanded onto 12-inch vinyl with bonus tracks to be retitled. 41 Songs in 47 Minutes.
This new album is no different; Six songs clocked in at just over eight minutes, recorded at various points between 1998 and 2025. Half Cow bookstore owner and christening star soloist Nick DaltonAnd stain singer-songwriter Tom Morgan.
The group was filled with a group of people who orbited Dalton, including at various times. Alison Galloway Simon Holmes from Smudge Alannah Russack And Robyn St Clare related to Hummingbirdsand from time to time Evan Dando from lemon heads.
This special release features their long-serving drummer. Lara Meyerratkenand also a view Simon’s DayHe is most importantly known for his band mouse cat.
Aside from the EP, lots of great music is also available at: Half Cow label Bandcamp page.
Until next time…
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David Kowalski is an author, musician, educator, audio engineer, and podcaster. His podcasts ‘The Sound and the Fury Podcast’ and ‘Audio Cumulus’ are available to listen to only HERE. You can follow David on Twitter/X @sound_fury_pod.
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