Pretty much every editorial this season has featured a Gatsby-inspired theme. If it’s not Gatsby, then it’s Downton Abbey or Parade’s End – the list of inspiration for extravagance in the Jazz Era is endless. And if they aren’t blatantly mentioning Gatsby or the 20′s, it’s a look into the beauty and decadence of dripping jewels and beaded shift dresses – which, if we’re being honest is just a way of trying to be original without really being original. There’s nothing wrong with a little name dropping to help set your theme.

As much as someone can love an era, it is said that too much of a good thing can ruin it. So with Carey Mulligan gracing the covers of both US Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar in full Daisy Buchanan-esque ethereal glory and Karlie Kloss in the inimitable Prada dress on the cover of Australian Vogue, has this 1920’s craze gone too far? To answer simply, no.

Trends come and go but for some reason, drop-waisted dresses and fringed, sequin gowns are very timeless. Look at the flapper dresses have made their way back into collections all over the fashion landscape. Think Gucci SS12, where there was an array of intricately embellished, art-deco inspired flapper dresses which created a steady click-clacking as the models sashayed down the runway. Other big names such as Marchesa, Nina Ricci and Alberta Feretti have also created pieces which pay homage to the sartorial decadence of the jazz era – albeit some are a more modern interpretation than others. But it’s this sense of avant-garde modernism that allows them to fit in with the inspiration era as well as in the 21st century.

It’s not just the high-end fashion houses that have embraced the 20’s. High street stores such as Topshop, Zara and online retail giant, ASOS have also embraced a good sequin shift dress and reintroduced a lower hemline through the midi skirt phenomenon. And we all know that when these kind of stores catch onto something, that’s when it’s really gone mainstream.

(Gucci SS12 – Milan Fashion Week)

It doesn’t just stop at women’s fashion though. Men’s magazines such as GQ have also taken inspiration from this resurgence of the 1920’s. If you could pinpoint a period in time where men were the best dressed, it would definitely have to be this era.

While the black suit was still a staple, the white shirt that went with it had pleats and bow ties and pocket squares were a must. Crisp white oxfords paired with a structured blazer and two-toned leather wingtips were all the rage. These, along with the off-white linen suit, weren’t considered over the top but rather just appropriate day wear. Top it off with a straw boater and we have a very regatta-esque look – but this defined the fashion landscape for men.

(Brooks Brothers – The Great Gatsby Collection)

Labels such as Brooks Brothers, Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren have always showcased a strong perchance for what is now known as a ‘preppy’ look. They have embraced what the 1920’s were about and found success with it ever since. While the whole prep school look hasn’t always been well received, it is extremely popular with the male population at the moment so this re-introduction could not come at a better time.

In the end though, fashion’s love affair with the 1920’s comes down to the fact that it was an era of hedonistic values, throwing your cares out the window and being over the top – which is essentially what fashion is all about. Lower hemlines and shift dresses that don’t cling to your figure is a nice change but still remains sexy all the same. The time may have been defined by sugary shades and soft pleats but it was also adorned with sequins and beading which is just the kind of extravagant splendour that the fashion landscape needs to be re-introduced to.

Last week, an anonymous miniature artwork was discovered in a car repairshop, turning your next takeaway latte into a mini canvas waiting for some creativity.

Posted on imgur, the incredibly detailed styrofoam cup features hand-drawn decorations and figures, all created by a nameless punter with a ballpoint pen.

image via imgur

The found cup is a touching reminder of the talents in each of us. If a stranger is willing to leave an intricate illustration like this behind, who knows what else he or she is creating.

Our lives are littered with art in various forms. Nameless artists are creating intricate works on laneway walls or drunk poems in public bathroom stalls every day.

With varying degrees of recognition, anonymous art is sometimes criminal, sometimes praised and always (even just a little bit) inspiring.

Weburbanist reflected on the anonymity of street artists:

“The most noticeable and breathtaking pieces of art aren’t created by world-renowned talents. They are created by the unknown street artist under cover of darkness. We never see them and they are known only by their tagging pseudonyms.”

One of the world’s most notable street artists is also the most recognisable of any modern anonymous artist: Banksy.

image via Unurth

There have been claims Banksy was ‘unmasked’ to be 28-year-old Robin Cunningham, but his ‘true’ identity is, of course, a mystery.

Banksy stated on his website:

“I am unable to comment on who may or may not be Banksy”

Despite his anonymity, Banksy’s pseudonym and signature style are well known and world-renowned, his work sometimes fetching hundreds of thousands at auction.

Critics of Banksy maintain the status of street art as vandalism, which can be said of most anonymous artwork.

Street art and graffiti are classic examples, which can therefore liken ‘anonymous art’ to vandalism.

The classic example of destructive graffiti is tagging, with spray-painted personal signatures found almost everywhere.

There’s an important distinction, though, between anonymous art and graffiti. The logistics of anonymous art means it often ultimately manifests itself as street art.

Likewise, the necessity for criminal street artists to work underground or in secret turns them into artists without identity.

But for some, like Bansky, there is a clear distinctive, running and continuous artistic style. Even an anonymous identity can have personality, which can turn a transient, silent artists into a personality (even without a name attached to it).

For one anonymous street artist, their artistic style won them not only a renowned creative personality but also $100,000 prize money.

Young French street artist ‘JR’, travels to slums around the world. He transforms the houses of poor neighbourhoods into artistic canvases, using huge plastered photographs of the neighbourhoods’ residents.

image via Gawker

JR’s stunning work captured the attention of the public art world when they won him the 2011 TED Prize.

image via Gawker

Since then, JR has been interviewed, photographed and publicised, but his ‘true’ identity is unconfirmed.

Which raises the question: if the public doesn’t know your name, does that really make you anonymous?

We might not know JR’s real name or his life story, but anonymous artists still often create consistent, recognisable and renowned folios of work.

For a piece of work to go from personal notes or doodling to anonymous ‘art’, there’s an essential element of interaction with the public.

To become ‘found art’, anonymous works must somehow insinuate themselves into the public spaces they are left in. Artist Kerri Smith defines this ‘guerilla art’ as “an insidious way of sharing your vision with the world.”

She says ‘found art’ is:

“…a method of art making which entails leaving anonymous art pieces in public places. It can be done for a variety of reasons, to make a statement, to share your ideas, to send out good karma, or just for fun. My current fascination with it stems from a belief in the importance of making art without attachment to the outcome. To do something that has nothing to do with making money, or listening to the ego.”

‘Tagging’ is the classic example of street art, which points to the ego of the artist. There’s a thirst for recognition, to attach one’s name to a creation.

The anonymous styrofoam cup featured a message:

“If you look deep within a piece of art, you will find a piece of its creator.”

image via imgur

There was no signature, and the artist’s identity remains a mystery.

But a piece of the creator was left behind with this cup, and it’s the same with most anonymous art.

These works aren’t going to hang in galleries. There’s no one waiting for praise or recognition for anonymous artworks.

But an anonymous artist retains an identity nonetheless.

As the party wore on Thursday night, the Suite Novotel Cannes Centre was robbed and over $1million worth of Chopard jewels were taken. In fact, the entire safe in which they were kept had been taken from the hotel.

Chopard are a long-standing sponsor of the film festival, designing the Palme d’Or trophy, awarded for best film, and providing the jewels for celebrities like Julianne Moore, Cindy Crawford and Cara Delevingne during the week. The Cannes Film Festival brings the best and most expensive of haute couture and jewellery to the red carpet. Millions of dollars are spent as armies of stylists, hairdressers and make-up artists are flown in each year for the glamorous event. Some – like the Guardian – would say that the heist was inevitable and precedented.

Just last year, four luxury watches, worth almost $0.5million dollars, were stolen from two international Senegalesse footballers. Earlier this year, a shop on the Croisette (or the promenade that doubles as the Film Festival’s Red Carpet once a year) was robbed of 150 luxury watches worth about 800,000 pounds.

The particular irony of this heist was that Sofia Coppola’s new film, The Bling RIng, was premiering at the same time. The film, starring Harry Potter alumni Emma Watson, was a biopic of an LA gang who stole over $3million in cash and belongings in 2008-09. They targeted over 50 homes in the Hollywood Hills, which belonged to the likes of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Miranda Kerr.

Who said thieves don’t have poetic justice?

As if the earliest rumour of this collaboration wasn’t enough to get us uncontrollably excited, we were given a sneak peak of this collection last month, as Bosworth road-tested the Festival ready duds in their natural environment, at this year’s Coachella music festival in California, and made us all utterly envious along the way.

If you are craving more than Kate’s Coachella fashion tips, Topshop has released a short interactive film, named The Road To Coachella, which sees Kate strutting her stuff, showcasing her ideas on how to best wear and style the pieces from the collaborative collection.

The Road to Coachella was filmed by Bosworth’s fiancé, Michael Polish, the man responsible for capturing on camera the beginning of Bosworth’s relationship with the British retailer, a be-sequined Bosworth exploring her musical side, singing the Christmas classic, Winter Wonderland for Topshop’s festive video campaign.

(Image via Daily Mail)

In fact, the Christmas time collaboration was the starting point for the ongoing relationship which would produce this Festival line. Topshop creative director Kate Phelan has stated,

Kate and I were discussing the summer trends and how she had been one of our inspirations. She was here working with us on our Christmas project and the next day Kate came in with all these incredible images and references and shared what her ultimate festival outfits looked like. It is an organic extension of Kate’s fashion sense aligned with the Topshop brand – we think that’s fresh and exciting.)

But, Topshop’s festival fun doesn’t end with this collection – the Brit brand is taking it a step further, planning to host a set of secret pop-up gigs featuring emerging musical talents at select locations all over the world, extending exclusive invites to randomly selected Topshop customers. And if that wasn’t enough, apparently, a musical partnership is also on the cards, with details to be revealed later this month. Freaking out yet? A good idea would be to soothe that nervous anticipation with some good, old-fashioned retail therapy! All of the items featured in The Road to Coachella are now available for purchase online, including the soundtrack, which is available for download via iTunes.

(via Vogue)

]]> http://lunadigital.tv/video-topshop-x-kate-bosworth-festival-collection-unveiled/feed/ 0 http://lunadigital.tv/kanye-west-reveals-yeezus/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=kanye-west-reveals-yeezus http://lunadigital.tv/kanye-west-reveals-yeezus/#comments Sun, 19 May 2013 06:21:05 +0000 Sean David http://lunadigital.tv/?p=62796 It’s been two and a half years since Kanye West dropped his highly-acclaimed fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and although we’ve since seen him team up with Jay-Z as The Throne and his G.O.O.D. Music clique with Cruel Summer, there’s certainly ... Read More

It’s been two and a half years since Kanye West dropped his highly-acclaimed fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and although we’ve since seen him team up with Jay-Z as The Throne and his G.O.O.D. Music clique with Cruel Summer, there’s certainly been heavy anticipation for a new Yeezy solo record.

With the announcement last month that Mr West would be taking to the Saturday Night Live stage as musical guest for their 38th season finale, fans and media both swarmed over this news; did this signal that West’s new album was ready?

Yesterday, those questions and more were answered.

It began in the morning when West, on a newly-wiped Twitter account devoid of any past rants, announced that a new track and its visual would be premiered uniquely worldwide, marking the first real glimpse of his new material.

NEW SONG AND VISUAL FROM MY NEW ALBUM BEING PROJECTED TONIGHT ACROSS THE GLOBE ON 66 BUILDINGS, LOCATIONS @ KANYEWEST.COM

— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 18, 2013

Late last night, during and after the projection happened in many cities, footage surfaced online of the visuals themselves, for those of us not able to be there. Triple J’s Nina Las Vegas also took the chance to post images of the Sydney visuals on her Instagram account for Australian fans.

The track is titled New Slaves, and is a rhythmic commentary featuring vocals from man-of-the-moment Frank Ocean.

However, the birthing of the new album wasn’t done yet, and it was much later in the Australian night that West performed his first clear and broadcasted new material on Saturday Night Life.

The Chicago native performed both New Slaves as well as a second track, Black Skinhead, a black hip hop/rock cut that samples Marilyn Manson‘s Beautiful People, with the combined angst of Manson, Saul Williams, and Kris Kardashian.

New Slaves:

Black Skinhead:

The First Night of Yeezy had more up its sleeve though, with Rap-Up confirming that the new album would be called Yeezus, and would be released in exactly one month. Kanye’s girlfriend and baby momma Kim SexTapeian later took the announcement that one step further, Instagram-ing an image which has universally been assumed to be a reveal of the album artwork. Nice job Kim.

Kim Kardashian posts possible Kanye West album cover.

Aside from New Slaves and Black Skinhead, we also know that the album features a track called I Am A God with Malik Yusef, as well as collaborations with Daft Punk, Skrillex, Hudson Mohawke and/or TNGHT, John Legend, 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Chief Keef, Kid Cudi, Odd Future, Travi$ Scott, Pusha T, The-Dream and King Louie.

In regards to the content, Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter told Rolling Stone that the album is ”very raw. He was rapping—kind of screaming primally, actually. Kanye doesn’t give a fuck.” Australian alumnus Iggy Azalea also sparked (since-quashed) rumours of an affair between her and Kanye when she said, “I was at [Kanye's] house last week and he was playing me his ‘scriptures,’ as he calls his spoken-word interludes, and there was one about McDonald’s: ‘Those fries / Those fries / I have them in my eyes / That smooth apple pie….”

We’ll have to wait until the album comes out to pass our judgement.

Yeezy season is open. Yeezus drops on June 18th.

]]>

Franco has racked up his fair share of acting credits. He is perhaps most well known in the original film adaptation of Spiderman as Harry Osborn. It secured his role as a Hollywood heart-throb, and landed him the title as Sexiest Man Living in 2009.

The diversity of his film choices has seen him in pot-humour films like Pineapple Express, to period love story Tristan and Isolde. He has won critical acclaim for his role opposite Sean Penn in Milk and his Oscar-nominated role in 127 Hours. But he’s not restricted to the big budget or highly acclaimed films. He has a recurring role on soap opera General Hospital.

Much like many other actors, he’s tried his hand at directing and producing as well. He’s also ventured into modelling, and was named the face of Gucci in 2008. He’s also done his fair share of charitable good, volunteering and fundraising for various reliefs and charities.

But then, Franco moved beyond the typical mould of celebrity expansion. He began making his own films, starting with a documentary, Saturday Night that looked at his hosting gigs on Saturday Night Live. 

He has also released a collection of short stories, Palo Alto, inspired by his own high school adventures and struggles with being a teenager. His stint on General Hospital in spired a collection of artwork that he exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

But perhaps most impressive has been his commitment to his education after feeling dissatisfied with the direction of his film career. In 2006, he enrolled into a creative writing degree at UCLA, studying things from French to the Holocaust.

Franco then went to New York to study simultaneously at  Colombia University, Brooklyn College, Warren Wilson College and NYU for various film-making and creative writing courses. Currently he is a PhD candidate at Yale University while also at the Rhode Island School of Design. Sometimes over-achiever just does not cover it.

To top it all off, he’s also teaching film production and english courses at NYU, USC, UCLA and CalArts. He lined a few of his friends to star in his students’ productions – including Seth MacFarlane, Natalie Portman, Kristen Wiig and Olivia Wilde.  

And now his overly packed resume can boast film and literary critic as well. Franco wrote a review of Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby for arts and culture magazine Vice. It was a well-written and enlightened article that was very favourable over the film that has received many mixed reviews. Most critics have challenged the modernisation of the literary classic by Luhrmann, putting the film into 3D and bringing in Jay-Z to soundtrack the music with hip hop tunes and remixes of Lana Del Ray and The xx.

And if this was not enough, he then wrote a review of his own review on HitFix.  His subtle sense of humour that was seemingly lacking from his Oscar-hosting gig was highlighted in the “(review) review.” His self-deprecation seamlessly mixed with his quasi-egocentric commentary as he wrote:

“There is saying I like to say, and it is, “I am James Franco and everything I touch turns to art.” And so what makes this (review) review interesting is that I am James Franco. We allow sentences to get away with so much and imbue them with meaning that may or may not exist because we have decided that they are worthy of analysis because I am James Franco. Art.”

If anything, he highlights a great sensitivity to the meaning of art characteristic of being as well-educated in English and film as he now is.

In Franco’s own words, “Hmmm. This paragraph is pretty good. I can say that because I outsourced it to my cat while I took a break to grab a cup off coffee, complete a PhD program in mime, and travel as an ambassador to Thailand to bring donated sex toys into underprivileged communities.”

It’s a funny joke, but knowing his over-achievements of late, Franco may just well take a break – whether to grab that cup of coffee and pursue his philanthropy in Thailand or just for a mere well-deserved rest from his multi-disciplinary achievements.

So we’ve heard of the generic stereotypes, hipsters, hippies, skaters and surfers, but what happens when these style stereotypes merge together? This is the dilemma I have been facing as of late, placing the nomads of subculture into one particular stream. The hipster used to simply describe someone who cared about literature, alternative music (so alternative that ‘regular’ people hadn’t heard it before), and dressed in op-shop finds – something that these days may just reside within a General-Pants store. The hippy was an earth-lovin’, yoga-lovin’ vegetarian being, who dwelled heavily in hemp and tye-dye, whilst the skater and the surfer were somewhat similar with their beached up hair, tanned skin and ruthlessly chilled attitude. Today however, we can find a multitude of guys and gals who dress like a hipster, ride a skateboard, smoke plants, drink soy milk and eat within a strict non-meat diet. WHAT IS GOING ON? Is this just a clash of cultures, or something more?

The Bondi Hipsters

Fashion has always been something that compliments one’s identity through self-expression, one of the defining reasons as to how we got our selves into this stereotyping dilemma in the first place… Consequently, if we start to blend trends and styles, the stereotypes become a victim of this mix up too. Nowadays, we have this strange mix of styles going on, staging the war between the hipsters leaning toward hippies for inspiration, the hippies leaning toward the surfers for their chilled vibes and love of nature, and the surfers leaning toward the hipsters for that alternative-environmental-something or other that has essentially been taken from them in the first place.

Not only can we see these new found style trends emerging within everyday life, but it has also been spotted on a number of blogs, and of course – the runway. Designers such as Vanishing Elephant tackled cross-cultural fashion trends with their latest ready-to-wear collection, mixing beach-come-board shorts with clean-cut blazers, quirky prints teamed with leather and denim, and cute socks paired with skate shoes. Vanishing Elephant’s collection is a perfect mix between pattern and plain, which is presented as a blend of casual and dressed-to-impress, perfectly exemplifying this mix of style and identity.

As we see these type of trends descend into the world of runway fashion, it has also been noted by a number of YouTube sensations such as Australia’s own ‘Bondi Hipsters’. Dom and Adrian are two Sydney slickers who live in Bondi, seeing their fair share of these cross sub-cultural trends.  The pair decided to describe their experiences in the best way they know how, satirical YouTube videos (and thank god they did!). The videos are a perfect depiction of this stereotype mash, and can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR4n6OVoyYQ

So, what does this mean for these new-coming fashion trends fueled by the needs of particular post-modern stereotypes? The world of fashion that supplies style for all individuals part of a sub-culture (such as the hipster), will more than likely be a forever changing market, conforming with the ever changing needs of the individuals and their peers.

A Day To Remember

A Day to Remember certainly made today one when they announced their Right Back At It Again Australian Tour. The Florida outfit last toured our shores two years ago and are set to release their 5th album, Common Courtesy later this year.

Tour Dates
Fri 12th July – The Riverstage, Brisbane
Sat 13th July – Hordern Pavillion, Sydney
Sun 14th July – Festival Hall, Melbourne
Tues 16th July – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide
Thurs 18th July – Metro City, Perth (18+)

Tickets on sale Friday the 24th of May.

Xavier Rudd

Australia’s best known musical hippie is teaming up with Donavon Frankenreiter and Nahko and Medicine for the People for an eight date tour that will bring together three different voices from three different cultural backgrounds who share one love of music and the ocean.

Tour Dates
Wed 25th Sept –  Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide SA (All ages)
Sat 28th Sept – 3 Oceans Winery, Margaret River WA (18+) Sun 29th Sept – Fremantle Arts Centre, Fremantle WA (18+)
Thur 3rd Oct – The Forum, Melbourne VIC (18+)
Fri 4th Oct – Big Top, Luna Park Sydney NSW (18+)
Sun 6th Oct – Caloundra Music Festival, Sunshine Coast Qld (All Ages)
Mon 7th Oct – YAC Amphitheatre, Byron Bay NSW (All ages)
Tues 8th Oct – The Tivoli, Brisbane Qld (18+)

Tickets on sale Thursday 30th May at 10am here.

The Jungle Giants

Already on a roll as part of Splendour In The Grass and Spin Off Festivals, The Jungle Giants have also announced a few headline shows of their own.

Their single, She’s A Riot, was a huge success for the Brisbane quartet who are planning to release their debut album later this year.

Tour Dates
Sat 6th July – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
Fri 12th July – Oh Hello!, Brisbane
Sat 13th July – The Standard, Sydney
Sun 28th July – SITG, Byron Bay
Fri 2nd Aug – Spin Off Festival, Adelaide
Sun 11th Sept – Bigsound Live, Brisbane

30 Seconds To Mars

30 Seconds to Mars are set to hit Australia for their first arena tour, announcing performances in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Lead singer Jared Leto revealed the bands intention to return to Australian shores whilst here earlier this month to promote their hugely anticipated fourth album, Love Lust Faith + Dreams (out today).

Tour Dates
Sat 10th Aug – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne. Tickets.
Sun 11th Aug – Entertainment Centre, Sydney. Tickets.
Tue 13th Aug - Entertainment Centre, Brisbane. Tickets.
Fri 16 Aug – Challenge Stadium, Perth. Tickets.

Find full Tour and ticketing details here.

Frontier Members pre-sale
2pm AEST Tue 21 May to 2pm AEST Wed 22 May

General public on sale from 9am local time, Mon 27 May 2013

Bliss N Eso

Iconic Australian Hip-Hop trio Bliss N Eso have announced their highly-anticipated return to the touring circuit, with their House of Dreams tour.

The six-date tour will cover all mainland capital cities in the band’s first headline tour since 2011. They will be joined by two very special guests – Alabama’s rising star Yelawolf and local MC Pez.

This tour announcement comes off the back of the release of Home is Where the Heart Is - the first official single from their upcoming album Circus in the Sky, out June 28th.

Tour Dates
Thu 4th July – Enmore Theatre, Sydney. (All Ages)
Sat 6th July – Festival Hall, Melbourne. (All Ages)
Wed 10th July – Metro City, Perth.  (18+)
Fri 12th July – Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane. (All Ages)
Sat 13th July – Entertainment Centre Theatre, Adelaide. (All Ages)
Sun 14th July – Discovery, Darwin.  (18+)

Bliss N Eso Members pre-sale

Frontier Members pre-sale
10am AEST Tue 21 May to 10am AEST Wed 22 May

General public on sale from 9am local time, Friday 24th May

Find full details here.

Far East Movement

US electro-rappers Far East Movement will return to Australia in July. They’ll be bringing their Movementality Tour to Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Gold Coast, Cairns and Coffs Harbour.

The group rocketed to notoriety with smash hits Like A G6 and last year’s Live My Life (feat. Justin Bieber) and Turn Up The Love (feat. Cover Drive) and continue to make some noise with their feature on the current dancefloor anthem Get Up (Rattle) by the UK’s Bingo Players, which has recently gone platinum in Australia

Tour Dates
Thu 11th July – Plantation Hotel, Coffs Harbour. Tickets
Sat 13th July – Metro Nightclub, Perth. Tickets
Sun 14th July – Club LIV, Gold Coast. Tickets
Thu 18th July – Gilligan’s, Cairns. Tickets
Fri 19th July – MELBOURNE  Secret Show Details released 20^th May
Sat 20th July – Pacha Sydney, Sydney. Tickets

All shows 18+

Steve Vai

Guitar God, great, genius, guru and other words that start with g, Steve Vai has also announced an Australian tour, hitting all mainland capitals this July.

Vai’s prolific creativity has seen him build an extensive discography of more than 60 albums including 16 solo works, several musical contributions to film soundtracks and guest appearances on numerous albums by fellow artists.

Tour Dates
Wed 10th July – Concert Hall , Perth
Fri 12th July  - Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide
Sat 13th July – Palais Theatre, Melbourne
Sun 14th July – Canberra Theatre, Canberra
Mon 15th July – Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Tues 16th July – QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane

Tickets on sale 9am Tuesday May 28.

My Live Nation Members’ pre-sale begins midday Wednesday May 22.

Find full details here.

Rudimental

UK electro outfit, Rudimental, let LUNA know personally about their upcoming Australian tour in September, with band member, Piers Agget breaking the news over the phone from London.

“I’m really excited for it and can’t wait to get back into the studio to hopefully have some new stuff to play by the time we get over there,” Agget told us and given the warm reception they  received from Australian audiences earlier this year as part of the Future Music Festival lineup, local fans will be pretty excited too.

The quartet’s return follows the release of their debut album Home.

Tour Dates
Fri 13th Sept – Metro City, Perth
Wed 18th Sept – UC Refectory, Canberra
Thurs 19th Sept – HQ Complex, Adelaide
Fri 20th Sept – Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane
Sat 21st Sept – Festival Hall, Melbourne
Tues 24th Sept – Enmore Theatre, Sydney

Tickets went on sale yesterday, May 16th.

Passion Pit

Hitting Australia as part of the line up of the sold out Splendour In The Grass and Spin Off festivals, Indie synthpop outfit Passion Pit have announced their own run of headline shows in July and August.

Renowned for their highly energetic live shows, the 5-piece will visit Sydney, Perth and Melbourne and put on a special under 18s show at Melbourne’s HiFi bar.

Tour Dates
Sat 27th July – The Enmore, Sydney
Sun 28th July – Splendour in the Grass, Byron Bay – SOLD OUT
Tues 29th July – The Palace, Melbourne
Wed 31st July – HiFi, Melbourne – under 18’s
Fri 2nd August  - Spin Off Festival, Adelaide
Sun 4th August – Villa, Perth

Tickets went on sale yesterday, the 16^th of May.

Mantra

Melbourne MC, Mantra is taking to the open road with a small scale tour following the after release of his latest single, Loudmouth.

The former Obese Records alumni, affectionately known as “your favourite rapper’s favourite rapper”, recently signed with Ten To Two Records and Loudmouth is his first release via the new label.

The track is autobiographical, telling the story of Mantra’s journey from class clown to renown MC.

Tour Dates
Sat 1st June – Rosemount Hotel, Perth
Thur 6th June – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
Fri 7th June – Coniston Lane, Brisbane
Fri 14th June – The Standard, Sydney

You Am I

To celebrate 20 years of kicking out their collective jams, You Am I are giving their first three albums, Sound As Ever, Hi Fi Way and Hourly Daily, the full reissue treatment.

Remastered Digital and CD versions will feature a ton of extra tracks including never-before-released live performances, Demo’s, alternate versions and B’sides. The CD will also feature expanded booklets with liner notes, historical information and unseen photos.

And what celebration would be complete without a massive tour to mark the occasion?

Tour Dates
Wed 19th June – Dark Mofo, Mac2 (Macquarie Wharf 2) Hobart. Tickets
Wed 26th June / Thurs 27th June (sold out) – Tivoli Theatre, Brisbane. Tickets
Wed 3rd July / Thur 4th July (sold out)  / Sat 6th July (sold out) / Sun 7th July (new show) – Forum Theatre, Melbourne.
 Tickets
Fri 12th July – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide. 
Tickets
Sat 13th July (sold out) /Sun 14th July  - Astor Theatre, Perth. Tickets
Fri 19th July (sold out) /Thursday 1st Aug – Enmore Theatre, Sydney. Tickets
Sat 20th July  - UC Refectory, Canberra. Tickets
Fri 2nd Aug – Panthers, Newcastle. Tickets
Sat 3rd August – Waves, Wollongong. Tickets
Fri 9th Aug (new show) – Darwin Festival, Amphitheatre. Tickets
Sat 10th August (new show) – Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns. Tickets
Sun 11th August (new show) – Mackay Entertainment Centre, Mackay. Tickets

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1. Denial - Forever and Always

Forever and Always appeared on Swift‘s second album, Fearless. Written about the singer’s untimely break-up with Disney boy Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers (who infamously ended things via text message), this is the first in a notorious series of personal revenge tracks written by Swift in response to her heartbreak at the hands of famous male stars. For a nasty break-up with someone who didn’t turn out to be Prince (or Princess) Charming after all, we prescribe ice-cream and a sing, scream and cry-along to this track in your bedroom.

2. Anger - I Knew You Were Trouble

If laughing at the goat cover of this track doesn’t cheer you up, dwell unapologetically in your blind hatred and fury to the uncharacteristically dubstep beats of Swift’s recent single, I Knew You Were Trouble. This track has proven effectiveness, being the first of Swift’s songs to reach #1 on the Billboard Adult Pop Songs chart and being certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The song could possibly apply to Swift’s previous rage target of Dear John fame, John Mayer, or her more recent break-up with One Direction darling Harry Styles. Does it matter? What matters is that they never loved you or her, or anyone, or anything. YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

3. Bargaining - The Story of Us

The Story of Us is one of Speak Now’s pop-leaning tracks, and documents Swift’s miserable encounter with an ex-boyfriend (again, most probably, Mayer) at the 2010 CMT Awards. Swift begins the song by addressing the mystery man with a reflection on how she thought she’d tell the story of how they fell in love to people in the future, before snapping back to the present and bemoaning the reality of their separation. Sing out the bridge, bargainers – “The battle’s in your hands now / but I would lay my armour down / if you’d say you’d rather love than fight!”

4. Depression - Last Kiss

Another strike for Joe Jonas comes on the Speak Now track, Last Kiss. Swift has a well-known habit of hiding secret messages with capitalised letters through the lyric books in her albums, and the hidden message in Last Kiss‘ lyrics is FOREVER AND ALWAYS. According to “hardcore archivists”, Swift flew to Dallas for a Jonas Brothers show on July 9, 2008, which fits with the lyrics “I ran off the plane / that July 9th / the beat of your heart”. Indulge your heartbreak and sadness by wailing away to Last Kiss - “So I’ll watch your life in pictures / like I used to watch you sleep / and I’ll feel you forget me / like I used to feel you breathe”. SOB.

5. Acceptance - We Are Never Getting Back Together

That’s right, leak all of the poison out, girlfriend. When you’re finally feeling better, put your onesie and hipster glasses on, throw a big party and sing the victory out at the top of your lungs. Need we say more? Oh, um…

“Ugh, so he calls me up last night and he’s like “I still love you”, and I’m like… “I just…I mean this is exhausting, you know, like,
we are never getting back together. Like, ever. NOOOOOOOOOOO!”

Of course, if you are blissfully happy (well, fine then, good for you) – we recommend the following Swift happy love joy anthems.