With a strong focus on the Australian music scene, Australian Guitar is a rich source of information on playing techniques, styles, the wide range of instruments available and all the technology that guitarists have to consider in the 21st Century.
Billy Corgan has joked in a new video for Larey that he felt Butch Vig “stole” his guitar sound when he went in to work with Nirvana on Nevermind. The Smashing Pumpkins man has recently signed with Laney and in a spirited longform video interview with the amp brand, he dipped into the ongoing debate on who developed the grunge sound. “Success has many masters and failure has but one,” acknowledges Corgan. “People say, ‘Who invented the grunge sound?’ Soundgarden were the first band of that era where I thought, ‘OK, something different is happening… But I think, being from Chicago, we were very influenced by what came out of Detroit: the Stooges, Ted Nugent, Bob Seeger. Those are tougher, rougher bands. Seattle was a little more psychedelic.” Corgan says…
Last issue we reported on the rumoured return of Tom DeLonge to Blink-182. Not only has that rumour come true, but the pop punk threesome have announced an Australian tour, and it’s a massive one. At the time of writing, the group has announced 12 Aussie shows and two in New Zealand, with the tour kicking off in February 2024. That big 12 show blow-out was originally a mere eight, but such was the predictable demand, more shows were added. Blink-182 will be supported by Rise Against for all shows, with tickets available (assuming they’re not sold out!) at livenation.com.au. It’s a big change in tune from Hoppus’ words back in August, when the possibility of an original line-up reformation was all but shot down. “There is no news to…
Lire 6 has introduced what looks like a game-changing firmware update to its Helix multi-effects and amp modeler family, which has been dubbed “the biggest sonic improvement to Helix since it first shipped back in 2015”. Usually, such bold claims are viewed with caution, but it looks as though Line 6 has well and truly delivered on its word. As an overview, the free 3.50 update is impressively comprehensive, debuting five amps, seven effects and a swathe of new features. The biggest news is the updated IR engine, which has been completely rebuilt in a bid to deliver improved sonic options and usability, the likes of which have never been seen in the Helix family since its inception. With the new IR engine, Line 6 has also introduced 20 guitar…
FIVE ISLAND DRIVE THEY ARE A trio of genre-bending vibronauts wreaking havoc on Eora country with a fierce sound and even fiercer message. They (quite aptly) describe their “trance-flavoured mosh” as what would happen “if Denzel Curry met with Rammstein to write a Sega soundtrack”. KINDA LIKE Hacktivist, RedHook, Ecca Vandal and Enter Shikari. CHECK OUT Their equally poignant and pernicious debut EP, White Rose. Armed with an arsenal of intense riffs, mind-shattering beats and cold-hot vocal flows that put some of nu-metal’s greatest to shame, the record named in tribute to one of history’s most iconic anti-fascist movements - sees Five Island Drive raise a pissed-off middle finger to a cruelly regressive status quo. PLATONIC SEX THEY ARE A quartet of Meanjin-based luminaries carrying the torch for the kind…
HALLIE HAILS FROM MEANJIN/BRISBANE, QLD PLAYS SOLO (WITH A BACKING BAND) SOUNDS LIKE EARLY ’00s POP-ROCK WITH A MODERN SHEEN LATEST DROP THIS IS LOVE (EP OUT FEBRUARY 3 INDEPENDENTLY) What’s your current go-to guitar? My current go-to is my sunburst Stratocaster. It’s been my favourite for years now and I’m just in love with it. It sounds so beautiful, and it was the first guitar I bought for myself so it holds a lot of sentimental value for me! How did you initially fall in love with the instrument? Growing up, I had my dad’s Maton acoustic around the house. I remember my parents bought me one of those pink K-Mart nylon-string guitars, which was also really cool, but I also wanted to play dad’s Maton. We used to…
WHERE THE TIVOLI, MEANJIN/BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND WHEN SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2022 The Tivoli is a beautiful theatre, stately and regal with its art deco aesthetic, tiered standing platforms and bar staff clad in suits - a fitting castle for Gen Z’s indie-pop queen, Beabadoobee (aka Beatrice Laus), whose Brisbane show rounded out her first-ever tour of Australia. That it even went ahead is commendable: early on in her set, Laus admitted to the crowd that she’d been walloped by a gnarly cold. But we honestly couldn’t tell - not only did Laus power through the night with impressive energy, she absolutely stunned with her vocal prowess. Part of that can be attributed to the use of backing tracks, but those never took the spotlight away from Laus’ own soft and melodic…
