Author: Jodie Sloan

she/her Brisbane/Meanjin I like fancy cocktails, pro wrestling, and spooky shit.

Pop punk legends Zebrahead to return to Australia for the first time in seven years

  Zebrahead have been bringing their unique punk fusion of pop-punk and hip-hop to fans for almost thirty years, and today they’ve announced a return Down Under. The SoCal pop punk/rapcore legends will be back our way in October, bringing their energetic live show to venues across the country. It’ll be the first time in…

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Brisbane’s Torizon take us behind the scenes of new single “Bloom”

Meanjin/Brisbane petalcore outfit Torizon have just released their emotionally charged new single “Bloom“, following characters Luna and Sam as they navigate a harrowing miscarriage. Produced and mixed by Kalen Austin, and mastered by Mike Kalajian, Rogue Planet Studios (Bad Omens, Windwaker, Papa Roach), the unfolding narrative is bolstered by razor-sharp riffs, synth flourises, and frontwoman Mish Sharma‘s dynamic vocals. Packed with grief-laden…

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Album Review: Sleep Token return with the otherworldly Even In Arcadia

Masked band Sleep Token are about to drop their latest album, and the hype surrounding the release feels palpable. Four albums in, it’s hard to call them an overnight success, but 2023’s “The Summoning” going viral definitely had a role to play in their huge rise over the past year or so, culminating in a…

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Talk Heavy release new single “Die 4 U”; announce signing to Ninth Life Records

Brisbane/Meanjin emos Talk Heavy are having quite the week. First, they announced their signing with new Aussie label Ninth Life Records. And yesterday they dropped a brand new single – melancholic punk anthem “Die 4 U“. Forming in 2022, Talk Heavy consists of Matt Cochran (vocals/guitar), Patrick Shipp (guitar), Tayla Ellerby (bass) and Beej Vaughn…

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Masked rockers Ghost return with sixth album Skeletá

Ghost – the bedazzled church of Tobias Forge – have returned with Skeletá. With previous frontman Papa Emeritus IV stepping aside to take on the role of Frater Imperator after the death of his mother, Ghost is now led by Papa V Perpetua – which is Forge in a new mask, in case you didn’t…

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Behind Crimson Eyes bid farewell to Brisbane

Aussie post-hardcore/metalcore legends Behind Crimson Eyes are just a few days away from wrapping up their final tour. But before one last hurrah in hometown Melbourne this weekend, they bid a fond farewell to the River City, tearing up The Brightside with a little help from friends Nervous Light, The Last Martyr, and Patient Sixty-Seven….

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Scary Kids Scaring Kids and A Skylit Drive announce Australian tour

Scary Kids Scaring Kids have just announced a Aussie tour set for later this year, and they’ll be bringing fellow post-hardcore outfit A Skylit Drive along for the ride. During the 2009 Warped Tour, lead singer Tyler Stevens took some time away, with genre legends including Vic Fuentes (Pierce the Veil) and Craig Mabbit (Escape…

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Red Castle Entertainment’s Viva BrisVegas is bringing fight night to Fortitude Valley

Brisbane’s home of the heavy is set to become the home of the heavy hitters, with Crowbar playing host to Red Castle Entertainment‘s Viva BrisVegas next weekend. Viva BrisVegas is the latest show from the Brisbane wrestling promotion, following on from their collaboration with New Japan Pro Wrestling‘s Oceania branch, Tamashii, back in February. This…

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Book Review: It’s a zombie apocalypse but not as you know it in Steph Bowe’s posthumous release, Sunny at the End of the World

It’s 2018, and zombies are taking over Australia. Sunny, Toby, and baby Veronica are on the run, trying desperately to survive. Or, at least, that’s the case for Toby and Veronica. Sunny’s already dead, but, somehow, she’s still clinging on. Nearly two decades later, Vee lives and works in an underground facility, wiping out the…

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Book Review: Meet Me in the Pit #5 brings art and music together

Blueprint Comics‘ Meet Me in the Pit anthology recently released its fifth issue, inviting artists to share a few short panels inspired by music and their relationship with it. Boasting cover art from the incredible Phoebe Paradise, this collection spans a huge variety of interpretations on the theme – from music as an escape to…

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UPDATED: New show added to Bloc Party’s Silent Alarm 20th anniversary Australian tour

UPDATE: A new show has been added to Sydney due to high demand – see all the dates below It’s been two decades since UK indie icons Bloc Party burst onto the scene with debut album Silent Alarm, featuring thirteen genre-bending tracks that packed out sweaty dance floors with catchy pop hooks and sharp guitar…

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Book Review: Helen Scheuerer’s new romantasy series sizzles with impossible-to-put-down opener Iron & Embers

We’ve been covering Aussie author Helen Scheuerer here for a hot minute, all the way back to debut series The Oremere Chronicles – and yes, I remain a devoted Swinton girlie. So we were naturally very excited when Scheuerer announced Iron & Embers, the first in The Ashes of Thezmarr series, and her first novel with…

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Alexisonfire close out tour with brilliant (if a little unplanned) two parter in Brisbane

You’ve got to hand it to Alexisonfire and Underoath. With Cyclone Alfred postponing and cancelling gigs across Brisbane a few weekends ago, it would have been very easy for them to skip the city altogether, wrap up the tour, and head home. Instead, they switched out one night at Riverstage for two at the Fortitude…

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Little Birdy reunite for BigBigLove 21st Anniversary Tour

More than two decades after the release of debut album BigBigLove, Perth indie icons Little Birdy have reunited to celebrate its 21st birthday. Appearing at last year’s Hotter Than Hell festival, frontwoman Katy Steele had teased more was to come, and now we have our answer: a new tour, playing BigBigLove in full, alongside a…

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Sleep Token announce new album Even In Arcadia and reveal first single “Emergence”

Sleep Token fans, you can finally rest. It’s happened. After a month of cryptic clues which had fans unscrambling ciphers and following co-ordinates, like some kind of metal National Treasure, we’ve finally got the – kind of obvious – answer we were looking for: a new album. Even In Arcadia will be the fourth from…

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Brisbane venue The Bearded Lady puts out call for help

The Bearded Lady – Beardo to her friends –  is a West End institution. It’s cozy 120 capacity space has played host to acts from across Australia and beyond, from live music to poetry slams, and life drawing classes to burlesque. But, like so many other small venues across the country, The Bearded Lady is…

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Alexisonfire and Underoath release tickets for rescheduled Brisbane shows

While Cyclone Alfred shut down Brisbane over the weekend, Alexisonfire and Underoath didn’t leave their River City fans hanging. Their Riverstage show, originally scheduled for March 8th, was pushed back a week and is now a two-parter, taking over the Fortitude Music Hall on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th March. Canadian hardcore legends Alexisonfire always…

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Behind Crimson Eyes announce supports for final tour

There’s only a few short weeks before Behind Crimson Eyes head out on their final tour, and we’ve just found out who’ll they’ll be bringing along for the ride. Perth metalcore act Patient Sixty-Seven and Melbourne nu-metallers The Last Martyr will be appearing at most dates, with a series of local bands rounding out each…

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Here’s (almost) everything cancelled in Brisbane this weekend, thanks to Cyclone Alfred

Tropical Cyclone Alfred has been slowly making his way towards the East Coast over the last few days, with the latest estimates suggesting he’ll be making landfall on the Sunshine Coast in the early hours of Saturday morning. With Brisbane music venues closing to protect staff, patrons, performers, and property, a slew of gigs have…

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BABYMETAL in Brisbane: This might be the most fun I’ve had at at a show all year

35 isn’t old, but some days it feels it. And I’d definitely head-banged a little too hard for someone my age the night before at A Day to Remember. Returning to the Fortitude Music Hall for my second show in as many days (something I’m gradually finding I may also be too old for) the…

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A Day to Remember bring the noise to Brisbane

The day after a raucous Knotfest Brisbane set, Florida pop-punk/metalcore act A Day to Remember were still in the River City, gearing up for a sideshow at the Fortitude Music Hall. The show would be their only Aussie headline appearance, so it’s no surprise that it sold out quickly, with the line to get in…

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La Boite Theatre launches 2025 season with bold re-imagining of Macbeth

In just a few short weeks, Brisbane’s La Boite Theatre will bring an exciting reimagining of Shakespeare‘s Macbeth to life, putting the three Witches at the centre of it all. Co-directed by La Boite Theatre’s Artistic Director Courtney Stewart and Lisa Fa’alafi (Co-Artistic Director Polytoxic, Hot Brown Honey), with Sue Rider (former Artistic Director of La Boite) as dramaturg, this…

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Mayday Parade announce 2025 Australian tour, with Jack’s Mannequin and The Home Team

Tallahassee quintet Mayday Parade have just announced Australian dates, bringing their Three Cheers for 20 Years tour our way in September. Since forming in 2005 and dropping debut album, A Lesson in Romantics, in 2007, the band are responsible for some of their genre’s cult classics, including “Jamie All Over” and “Miserable At Best”. Twenty…

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Book Review: Caladin Gies discovers the true cost of intergalatic war in Stellarlands #2

War has broken out across the universe, and in the strategic stronghold of Upentia, tensions are rising between the human soldiers and the indigenous Atolans, forced to seek their protetction from the attacking Eritraxians. In the midst of it all, a young soldier named Caladin meets M’Kali, a local. Brought together by the devastation of war…

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Hollywood Undead announce first Aussie headline shows in over a decade

Hollywood Undead have just announced a string of shows alongside their support slot at Falling In Reverse‘s Popular Mons(tour) next month. It’s the first time the rap rock band have headlined here in fourteen years, but rest assured, we still know every word to “Everywhere I Go“. Of course, Hollywood Undead have kept busy in…

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Guest Playlist: Behind Crimson Eyes share the songs that helped bring latest single “Burn It Down” to life

Melbourne metalcore act Behind Crimson Eyes have just dropped new single “Burn It Down“. It’s the latest from upcoming EP An Exodus From Eden, which will also be the band’s last. A farewell tour has been announced to accompany the release – and ensure fans get one last run around the mosh pit! To celebrate…

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Here’s everything we know about Sleep Theory’s debut album Afterglow

It’s been a big couple of years for Memphis quartet Sleep Theory, with their distinctive blend of metalcore and R&B winning them fans and piquing the interest of music press everywhere. And 2025 is set to be even bigger, with the announcement of debut album Afterglow. Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming…

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The Juliana Theory and The Spill Canvas to join forces for three date Aussie tour

Influential emo artists The Juliana Theory‘s Emotion Is Dead turns 25 this year, and, as part of the celebrations, they’ll be heading our way in July. And they won’t be coming alone! The Spill Canvas will be joining them to celebrate a milestone of their own – 20 years since the release of second album…

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The stage is set with RinRin’s sophmore EP Angels

Perth-based alternative rocker RinRin has just dropped new EP Angels, a six track strong celebration of her signature fusion style of hyper-pop punk and metal. The musical project of singer-songwriter and guitarist Qarin Hipe, RinRin pulls influences from the likes of BABYMETAL, Poppy, and Bring Me The Horizon. Angels is a prequel of sorts, gathering recent releases…

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Emo icons The Used add FIVE new shows to massive Australia run

In the few short weeks since The Used announced their massive 25th anniversary world tour, the Australian dates have gone absolute gangbusters. Sold out dates across the states have resulted in a slew of venue upgrades and new shows. Here’s everything elder emos everywhere need to know! First, venues in both Adelaide and Perth have…

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