Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds are pure Australian legends. I have seen them several times now and they never disappoint. So it proved Saturday night on a beautiful summer night at The Domain. For close to two and a half hours they gave us a wonderful night of music. They rocked, they serenaded, they connected emotionally. This was The Wild God tour, named for their 2024 album. They would play 8 songs from that wonderful record. They really translated well live. Especially the title track, as well as ‘Frogs’ and ‘Conversion’. Of course they gave us all the classics too. My favourites were ‘Jubilee Street’, ‘From Her to Eternity’ and ‘The Mercy Seat’. Nick Cave is still the magnetic frontman. He commands a stage like no other. He loves to connect with his adoring fans. And of course The Bad Seeds are electric live. The encore was really special too. Australian classic ‘Shivers’ was played and then Nick closed this magnificent night playing ‘Into My Arms’ solo on piano. A perfect way to end a great night.
Set List Frogs Wild God Song of the Lake O Children Jubilee Street From Her to Eternity Long Dark Night Cinnamon Horses Tupelo Conversion Bright Horses Joy I Need You Carnage Final Rescue Attempt Red Right Hand The Mercy Seat White Elephant
Shivers Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry The Weeping Song Henry Lee Skeleton Tree Into My Arms
2025 belonged to Geese. Their album in 'Getting Killed' was my album of the year with little doubt. In my list of favourite songs of the year I could have included nearly all of the songs from that album. So naturally my number one song of the year was by the New York band. It could have been 'Taxes', a magnificent song and the obvious pick. But I went with 'Husbands', third song off the album and a song I love with all of my heart. Truly incredible. 'Cobra' was also one to feature highly. Lead singer Cameron Winter released a fantastic album late in 2024 which I loved. I have seen it appear on many 2025 lists as it was released so late in 2024, but it appeared on my 2024 list. Although with many repeated listens it could easily have appeared much higher on my 2024 list. 2025, a great year for music.
1. Husbands-Geese
2. Wound Up Here (By Holdin On)-Wednesday
3. Left For Tomorrow-Perfume Genius
4. Frontrunner-Horsegirl
5. Taxes-Geese
6. Gethsemane-Car Seat Headrest
7. Afterlife-Alex G
8. Hydroplaning Off the Edge of the World-Destroyer
9. Possession-Ty Segall
10. Taraval-Freckle
11. Los Angeles-Big Thief
12. It Will Get Worse-Lifeguard
13. Lou Reed-Cory Hanson
14. This Side of the Island-Hamilton Leithauser
15. Defense-Panda Bear
16. Cobra-Geese
17. June Guitar-Alex G
18. Elderberry Wine-Wednesday
19. Half Real-Geese
20. Wreck-Neko Case
21. First It Was a Movie, then it was a Book-Florry
22. 2468-Horsegirl
23. Au Pays du Cocaine-Geese
24. Mud-Waxahatchee
25. More Today-Hand Habits
26. Paranoid-Freckle
27. Total Euphoria-Caroline
28. Is My Living in Vain?-Bonnie Prince Billy
29. Julie-Horsegirl
30. Devereaux-Car Seat Headrest
31. It's a Mirror-Perfume Genius
32. Pick Up That Knife-Wednesday
33. Bird on a Swing-Cory Hanson
34. Lowly-Young Fathers
35. Oranges-Alex G
36. How Could I Have Known-Big Thief
37 .One Tiny Flower-Jeff Tweedy
38. Winchester Mansion of Sound-Neko Case
39. Football-Youth Lagoon
40. Pony-The Men
41. Ink Blot-Clifford
42. Under Your Reach-Lifeguard
43. Sylvia-Julien Baker & Torres
44. Song For Alicia-Haley Heynderickx & Max Garcia Conover
45. Praise-Panda Bear
46. Coast-Snocaps
47. Shoplifter-Ty Segall
48. Tree of Heaven-Friendship
49. Spangled-Fust
50. Floodway Fall-Will Johnson
51. Talk-Lucy Dacus
52. Fletcher's-Craig Finn
53. Habit-Daffo
54. Catch These Fists-Wet Leg
55. Little By Little-Matt Berninger
56. The LA River-Georgia Maq
57. Dan's Boogie-Destroyer
58. Porchlight-Colin Miller
59. Song Two-Caroline
60. Joker-Cory Hanson
61. Enough-Jeff Tweedy
62. Damage-Whitney
63. Reality-Car Seat Headrest
64. Salesman-Greg Freeman
65. Migration Patterns-Home is Where
66. Screaming Song-Alan Sparhawk & Trampled by Turtles
I believe that 2025 truly belonged to Cameron Winter. At the end of 2024 he released an album named Heavy Metal, his first solo album. It came out very late in the year and so missed most end of year lists. After a couple of listens I slotted it in at 19. But this magnificent album has shaped most of 2025 for me. So much so that it would probably be my number one album of 2024 if I redid my list. I wasn’t that familiar with Winter previously but I found out he is the lead singer of Geese. A band I liked but wasn’t totally sold on. Then they released a song called Taxes, and I was hooked. Taxes would become part of Getting Killed. From the moment I heard this album in September I had no doubt it would be my album of the year. Such an exciting, swaggering, vibrant album. This New York band is truly special. There were other special records released last year. Alex G made his major label debut and produced a beauty, whilst Wednesday followed up my favourite of 2023 with a fantastic album in Bleeds. Perfume Genius made an album of impossible beauty, whilst veterans like Destroyer and Ty Segall came through with the goods again. As did Neko Case and Jeff Tweedy. I truly believe 2025 was a great year for music.
1. Getting Killed-Geese 2. Headlights-Alex G 3. Bleeds-Wednesday 4. The Scholars-Car Seat Headrest 5. Glory-Perfume Genius 6. Possession-Ty Segall 7. Dan’s Boogie-Destroyer 8. Sinister Grift-Panda Bear 9. Caroline 2-Caroline 10. Phonetics On and On-Horsegirl 11. Double Infinity-Big Thief 12. Freckle-Freckle 13. Neon Grey Midnight Green-Neko Case 14. Buyer Beware-The Men 15. Diamond City-Will Johnson 16. Twilight Override-Jeff Tweedy 17. I Love People-Cory Hanson 18. Rarely Do I Dream-Youth Lagoon 19. Big Ugly-Fust 20. The Purple Bird-Bonnie Prince Billy 21. Big Black Plume-Michael Beach 22. Ripped and Torn-Lifeguard 23. Sable, Fable-Bon Iver 24. Thee Black Boltz-Tunde Adebimpe 25. Losin’-Colin Miller 26. The Open Up-Frog Eyes 27. Blue Reminder-Hand Habits 28. Alan Sparhawk with Trampled by Turtles 29. Snocaps-Snocaps 30. Golden Caravan-Clifford 31. Get Sunk-Matt Berninger 32. Always Been-Craig Finn 33. What Of Our Nature-Haley Heynderickx & Max Garcia Conover 34. This Side of the Island-Hamilton Leithauser 35. Time Indefinite-William Tyler 36. On This Day-Tony Molina 37. Moisturizer-Wet Leg 38. Small Talk-Whitney 39. Strange Love-Bleak Squad 40. Abomination Revealed at Last-Osees 41. Natural Light-Dan Mangan 42. Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory 43. Send a Prayer My Way-Julian Baker & Torres 44. Surgery and Pleasure-Vundabar 45. Hunting Season-Home Is Where 46. Forever Is A Feeling-Lucy Dacus 47. Blight-The Antlers 48. Once I Was Wild-The Smith Street Band 49. I Believe In You, My Honeydew-Josh Ritter 50. A Study of Losses-Beirut
Any year that Paul Thomas Anderson releases a new film has to be a good year. And so it proved. Many great film in 2025 but Anderson's One Battle After Another was my number one. Not only was it his most expensive film, it was also his most action packed. But you could tell it was still a PTA film in style and delivery. I saw it 3 times at the cinema. It was a spectacular film. At the moment it looks favourite to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, giving Anderson a well overdue win. As usual my best of list contains many films that were released in the US in 2024, but only received an Australian release early in 2025. Of those my favourite was The Brutalist, a spectacular epic film that I hoped would win Best Picture early in 2025, but it wasn't to be. Sentimental Value made a late charge up my list after seeing it in the last week of December. Just a beautiful film in every sense of the word. I have plenty to look forward to early in 2026, including No Other Choice, Hamnet, The Secret Agent, Marty Supreme, It Was Just Accident, Sirat, amongst many others.
1. One Battle After Another 2. The Brutalist 3. Sentimental Value 4. Nickel Boys 5. A Complete Unknown 6. I'm Still Here 7. The Seed of the Sacred Fig 8. September 5 9. Twinless 10. Bugonia
I was lucky enough again in 2025 to see live music overseas. In July I ventured to the US to see several live music acts. It was a great opportunity to see some much loved acts in some places that I had never been to before. I ended up with 4 shows. It was meant to be 5 but sadly exciting young Chiacago band Lifeguard had to cancel their Los Angeles show due to illness. But it was still a great trip, highlighted by seeing the incredible Car Seat Headrest in Denver. They had been off the scene for a little while, with Will Toldeo becoming seriously ill. So I was super excited to see them again, my first time in 7 years. They were excellent. In a great venue I was moved to tears. Whilst in Denver I also got to visit Red Rocks Ampitheatre for the first time. What an iconic venue. Seeing The Avett Brothers there was a night I won't ever forget. Seeing Yo La Tengo and Built to Spill together in Milwaukee and Father John Misty in Los Angeles were also unforgettable. Back home my highlights were probably 3 shows at the Sydney Opera House. Perfume Genius was breahtaking, whilst earlier in the year the MJ Lenderman and Gillian Welch shows were also purely wonderful. I might not get to as many shows as I used to, but I still managed to see some great live music.
1. Car Seat Headrest @ Mission Ballroom, Denver 2. Yo La Tengo & Built to Spill @ Pabst Theater, Milwaukee 3. Father John Misty @ Greeat Theatre, Los Angeles 4. The Avett Brothers @ Red Rocks, Colorado 5. Perfume Genius @ Sydney Opera House 6. MJ Lenderman @ Sydney Opera House 7. Gillian Welch & David Rawlings @ Sydney Opera House 8. Kendrick Lamar @ Allianz Stadium 9. PJ Harvey @ Sydney Opera House Forecourt 10. TV on the Radio @ Enmore Theatre
Kendrick Lamar played the first of two sold out nights Wednesday night at Allianz Stadium. And it was enormous, and thrilling and just flat out spectacular. I had seen Lamar on his last two tours at the smaller Qudos Bank Arena, but after the success of 'Not Like Us' and the Super Bowl halftime show he has graduated to stadium shows. And he filled the space with ease. Lamar is at the peak of his powers and he has total command of the stage. He just raps with ultimate ease and power. He has a small troupe of dancers, but basically it's just him. And his use of visuals is great and for a stadium show the sound was pretty good as well. But it always comes back to the music. And that is totally supreme. A lot of the set was from his latest album in 'GNX', with 'Squabble Up' and a split up 'TV Off' especially being highlights. But of course he has so many iconic songs in his catalogue and they were all great to hear. And even though he plays less of his very early songs, he still plays them even if he only does them in part. The biggest response of the night though was probably for the megahit in 'Not Like Us'. It had the whole stadium bouncing. Kendrick Lamar shows truly feel like an event and a must see anytime he visits.
Set List Wacced Out Murals Squabble Up N95 King Kunta Element TV Off (part one) Euphoria Hey Now Reincarnated Humble Backseat Freestyle Family Ties (Baby Keem cover) Swimming Pools (Drank) m.A.A.d City Alright Man at the Garden Dodger Blue Peekaboo Like That DNA Good Credit (Playboi Carti cover) Love Count Me Out/Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe Money Trees Poetic Justice Luther TV Off (part two) Not Like Us
Perfume Genius Tuesday night at the Sydney Opera House was a completely astounding show. Beautiful, phenomenal, sensual, majestic, incredible. A magnificent night where each and every moment was treasured completely. It's been a few years since I have seen Perfume Genius live and certainly a long way removed from the quiet piano based show I saw many years ago in Sydney. Michael Hadreas has expanded his band to five and the music is ecstatic and vibrant, but still moving and highly emotional. Perfume Genius released one of my favourite albums this year in 'Glory' and the show opened with many of those songs, including a barnstorming 'No Front Teeth' and a highly emotional 'Left For Tomorrow'. We also received a glorious Big Star cover in 'Kanga Roo', plus many classic Perfume Genius songs such as 'My Body' and 'Describe'. But I think my favourite was the jaw dropping rendition of 'Otherside'. This was one of many songs where Hadreas would contort his lithe body in an extraordianry way. He also used props such as a chair and a spinning wheel to bend and move his body in truly eye opening ways. Hadreas is of course the central figure, but the band behind him were also great. Especially his husband in Alan Wyffels and the extraordinary guitarist in Meg Duffy. Duffy provided support as well as Hand Habits. Their six song set was truly great as well. I felt lucky to be at this show. A truly special night.
Set List In A Row It's A Mirror No Front Teeth Slip Away Left For Tomorrow Valley Me & Angel Kanga Roo (Big Star cover) Clean Heart On the Floor Otherside Describe Eye in the Wall My Body
Songs posted on this site are for sampling only. If you
like it, buy it. Where possible I have provided links to do so. If you need something taken down please contact me.
