Brisbane punk scene stalwart Alan “Fred” Noonan died in the early hours of this morning, 9 May, after a battle with cancer. Best known as the drummer with party punks Blowhard and swamp rockers Six Ft Hick, Noonan’s engagement in the Brisbane scene began in the early 1980s. His earlist known band, Public Execution, supported the Dead Kennedys and in 1989 he became a founding member of Blowhard before later joining Six Ft Hick, with whom he toured rigourously both locally and overseas. He also piloted a country-punk unit known as the Fred Band and appeared with a myriad of other Brisbane punk a ..read more

and they want your help. The Butters want to take their Begins Here 20th Anniversary Tour to regional towns in 2025, so they’ve launched a page where fans can nominate which towns they’ll play in. With a list including 50 regional towns and satellite cities in every state and territory, there are plenty to choose from. Head to the page now and nominate your favoured location for a show from The Butterfly Effect in 2025! Brian Giffin Metal, Progressive metal, Progressive rock, Rock, The Butterfly Effect Alternative rock, News, Progressive metal, Progressive rock, Rock ..read more

Those crazy metal mavens Battlesnake will be heading to Europe next week, but before then they’ve released a new single. The Key of Solomon is the fourth track from their upcoming new album The Rise and Demise of the Motorsteeple, which is due for release on Winter Solstice day, 21 June! The album and a bunch of accompaying bundles can be pre-ordered now. The single is out now; the clip will premiere from 9 May. Battlesnake will tour nationally from 21 June. Brian Giffin Battlesnake, Heavy Metal, Metal Heavy metal, Metal, News ..read more

The “Who the Fuck is Black Rheno” tour kicks off this week in Sydney and Wollongong. The berzerk warrriors of sludge take it to the streets again after their career-highlight Pantera support in Adelaide. Grab your tickets now or regret it forever. Brian Giffin Black Rheno, Metal, Sludge Groove metal, Metal, News, Sludge, Sydney Metal Bands ..read more

Giving themselves a break from the studio where they’re working on album number nine, Psycroptic have announced a run of dates in August, starting in Frankston on the 16th. This are the band’s first shows since their tour with Obituary last year and their first dedicated headlining tour in ages. Get out to a show. Brian Giffin Death metal, Metal, Psycroptic Death metal, Metal, News ..read more

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON 19 DECEMBER 2010 Already a prominent name on their local scene thanks to some early releases, including a single produced by Mark Arm from Mudhoney, in 1992 Wollongong band Tumbleweed toured with Nirvana and scored a minor hit with “Sundial”. That began a near-decade long cycle of constant touring and recording that put them at the top of Australia’s alternative rock scene. Three consecutive Big Days Out and other regular festival showings, two straight Top 10 albums, a string of hits, national jaunts with bands like Hoodoo Gurus and You Am I and overseas tours with the ..read more

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON 7 NOVEMBER, 2011 Perth quintet Voyager have just had the privilege of appearing at the Progpower USA, a so far unqiue opportunity for an Australian band. Their fourth full- length album The Meaning of I is perhaps their most diverse so far – which is saying something – as they mix their progressive metal base with dance, trance, electronica and symphonic pop elements like never before. Loud fired off a few questions to bass player Alex Canion just after they returned from Stateside, and here’s what he shot us back. Q: How has the reception been towa ..read more

Melbourne’s Gravemind have returned with a new single, featuring vocals from Jamie Hails of Polaris. F.E.A.R. is a taste of the band’s long-awaited album, Introsphere, out through Grey Scale on 2 August. Pre-orders are being taken now. Brian Giffin Death metal, Jamie Hails, Polaris Deathcore, Melbourne Metal Bands, Metal, Metalcore, News ..read more

Forgotten live recordings of punk rock records seem to have a knack for turning up decades after someone threw the tape in a box somewhere, and this time it’s a seriously lo-fi document of Sydney’s Hitmen DTK that’s surfaced after almost 35 years. Tonight We Ride, recorded on a handheld tape deck at Sydney’s sardine-can like Toucan Tango in 1991, is a full live set from Hitmen DTK. The night was particularly special as it featured Radio Birdman’s Deniz Tek making his return to rock and roll after a decade in the US military, but immediately after it was taped, the cassette was apparently filed ..read more

The Neptune Power Federation, Black Aces, Pilots of Baalbek, Caster at the Duke of Enmore, Sydney. 27 April 2024 Saturday night in Sydney and I find myself once again at the Duke in Enmore. I’ve sung the praises of this place before but it’s not without cause as it’s simply a great live rock and roll room and the shows are always free. Tonight the mystical cult of The Neptune Power Federation is gathering to launch their latest album and they’ve put together a corker of an undercard to help them out. First up was Caster from Newy, a band of young blokes throwing punkish metal shades, featuring ..read more