It doesn’t matter where you are: music fans around the world are feeling the sad loss of Michael Jackson. The man was a genius, and his presence will be sorely missed.

It still doesn’t seem quite real, even though I’ve been sitting watching news broadcasts and tributes all day. While he might be gone, thankfully we’re left with the music.

I’ll leave you with this clip of Michael performing “Human Nature” in Brisbane way back in 1987. This is surely how he’d want to be remembered, up there on stage doing what he does best.

It sounds like Britney Spears will bring her Circus tour to Australia sooner rather than later.

Leading local promoters are in talks with the former pop trainwreck who is expected to visit our shores later this year.

“All the promoters are vying for it, but the bottom line is that she really wants to come here and she really wants to come this year,” said Sony boss Denis Handlin.

Michael Gudinski is one of the promoters hoping to bring Britney over for her first Aussie tour.

“I don’t expect anything will be worked out or finalised for a month, but we’re in there,” he confirmed.

“It will be one of the biggest concert productions to come here.”

With a rotating stage, acrobats, a stripper pole, and a greatest hits set, it certainly sounds like it. The less said about those lip-synching allegations the better!

Image source: Newscom

Australian Face to Face fans have waited ten long years for the Californian pop-punk band to return to our shores. Now their patience has been rewarded, with the band playing around the country as part of the massive Soundwave festival. I caught up with frontman Trever Keith to talk about the festival, what it’s like to play with his bandmates after a four-year hiatus, and why that return to Australia took so long!

You’re out here to play Soundwave. How have the shows been so far?
They’ve been great. We’ve only done two, in Brisbane and Sydney, but last night we did a Sidewave show in Sydney in a club and that was a lot of fun also.

How has the reaction been from the crowds?
It’s been really, really good. Despite the fact that we haven’t been to Australia in over ten years the audiences are singing along, singing the words to the songs and going crazy. We’re having a great time. It’s awesome.

That was actually my next question. I’m sure the fans are wondering, why has it taken you so long to get back here?
You know, I don’t know why it’s taken us so long. We definitely haven’t done the work out here that we should have been doing, and I can see that now. We should have been coming down here all along. We’re not going to let ten years slip by before we get back out here on a headline tour.

What’s it like to be part of a big festival like Soundwave?
You know, it’s got its good and bad points. I will say it’s incredibly well organised, and everyone is getting flipped from their destinations like a well-oiled machine. The stages are great, the sound is great. My only complaint about being on festival shows is you just feel a bit more disconnected from the audience because you’ve got the really high tall stages and the barricade that’s really far from the crowd and all that. I like to get a little more up close and personal with the audience. But that would be my only small complaint and that’s not a fault of Soundwave. It’s just the nature of doing a festival.

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Sony Music is doing their bit for the Victorian bushfire appeal, with a benefit CD set to be released next week.

Bushfire Aid: Artists for the Bushfire Appeal CD will help raise funds for the thousands of people left homeless in the fires. All money raised from the sale of the CDs will go directly to the Salvation Army Bushfire Appeal.

It’s a cracking collection of songs too, with plenty of patriotic tracks and inspirational tunes. Do your bit to help the fundraising effort and make sure you grab a copy and spread the word!

Click below for the complete track list.

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What are you doing this Australia Day? Sure you could celebrate with a barbeque like last year, but with so many free concerts happening around the country there’s no reason to stay in!

Australia Day Live – Parliament House, Canberra
Technically this show is the day before, but the line-up is so fantastic it deserves a mention. From 6:30 pm acts like Jessica Mauboy, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Dan Kelly, Wendy Matthews, Gurrumul, and Brian Cadd, will play Parliament House. Pre-show entertainment starts at 3:30 so arrive early to get a good spot!

Rocksong Festival – The Rocks, Sydney
More than 70 of this country’s finest singers and songwriters will play across nine stages in The Rocks. From 11 am to 9 pm you can see big name acts like Christine Anu, Holly Throsby, Kid Confucius, The Herd, and Tina Harrod.

James Morrison – Kings Domain Gardens, Melbourne
Australia’s iconic jazz trumpeter James Morrison will play a free show in the gardens from 12:30 pm. If you’ve never seen James live you don’t want to miss this.

Survival 2009 – Fremantle Park, Fremantle
This Aboriginal cultural festival features performances by Fitzroy Xpress Yabu Band, Abmusic Band, and indigenous dancers and performers. Join in the fun from 1 pm.

Australia Day Concert – South Bank Piazza, Brisbane
Finish off Australia Day with performances by Clare Bowditch, The Gin Club, and Gentle Ben and his Sensitive Side. It all kicks off at 7:30 pm, but with acts like this you’ll want to arrive early for a good view.

A Day on the Beach – Kingston Beach, Tasmania
There’s not a lot happening in Tassie, but some local bands will play at A Day on the Beach. The event, which starts at 10 am, also features sand castle competitions, water and beach sports, a kids gym, a treasure hunt, and an old fashioned Aussie BBQ. It sounds like fun!

Australia Day Concert – Elder Park, Adelaide
From 10 am Adelaide will celebrate Australia Day with a massive free concert. Lee Kernaghan will headline the show, which also features All Stars, Acoustic Juice, and Patrick McMahon. There’ll also be face painting and other kids activities, making this event one for the whole family.

Image source: Euthman @ Flickr

The Killers, Snow Patrol, Duffy, and the Kaiser Chiefs are amongst the big names confirmed to play the V Festival shows in Australia next year.

They’ll join Elbow, Louise XIV, The Do, Tame Impala, The Temper Trap and Crayons.

Tickets for the shows go on sale on November 28 through Ticketmaster. Plenty of tickets will be sold, but don’t stress about the environmental impact. Ticketmaster promise to carbon offset the ticket process. In addition, Virgin will donate $1 from the sale of every ticket to their charitable organisation Virgin Unite. Soyou can enjoy some great bands, and feel like you’re doing a good thing too!

Here are the dates!

28 March 2009 - Centennial Park, Sydney
29 March 2009 - Avica Resort, Gold Coast
4 April 2009 - Melbourne Showgrounds
5 April 2009 - Claremont Showgrounds, Perth

Image source: Phil Romans @ Flickr

It looks like Madonna might bring her Sticky and Sweet Tour to Australia after all, and it could be sooner than you think.

Speaking on Sunrise this morning, Molly Meldrum confirmed that two promoters are currently fighting over the tour as we speak.

But it’s just a formality. Now that Mads doesn’t have that whiny Brit of a husband begging her to stay at home, she’s keen to get out and see the world! In fact, we could see her on our shores as early as January!

It’s unknown at this stage whether Madonna will bring the entire stage and dramatic production elements out here, but if she does expect to pay for it with some hefty ticket prices. Although with the value of the Aussie dollar down to around 60c, these seats are never going to go cheap!

Considering that Madonna hasn’t toured here since she brought her Girlie Show Down Under in 1993, I know plenty of punters will pay whatever the Queen of Pop is asking!

Image source: Newscom

There’s a new kid on the Australian radio landscape, but you won’t hear it through your car stereo. It’s called Stripe, and it will broadcast through your 3G mobile phone.

“It is not your traditional radio in how a receiver goes but it is programmed as a commercial radio station would be,” Stripe’s Matt Whittemore explained to Undercover.com.

“The difference being that there are niche stations and genre specific stations, a whole stable of them. Stripe is the brand and underneath that we will launch with 40 stations. It is using the full spectrum that is available to digital radio but instead of having to buy a new receiver, it is available through your 3G mobile phone.”

With so many stations on offer, Stripe looks to play the artists that don’t quite fit the constraints of commercial radio. Matt said he’s particularly interested in exposing new bands that traditionally don’t get the airplay of their more established counterparts.

Stripe will launch next month. I don’t have a 3G phone, but I’m all for more diversity on radio. If anyone gets to tune in, I’d love to hear what you think!

Image source: Lionel Titu @ Stock.xchng

Fans of vintage Oz rock will be thrilled to hear Madder Lake have reformed to play this year’s Queenscliff Music Festival.

Madder Lake was one of Mushroom Records early success stories thanks to the hits “12 lb Toothbrush” and “Goodbye Lollipop.” They also wowed crowds at Australia’s Woodstock, the Sunbury Festival. And there’s more good news for fans of the band. According to the press kit the band they’re planning to release another album next year!

Madder Lake will join an eclectic line-up featuring American troubadour Howie Day, Aussie singer-songwriter Josh Pyke, comedy trio Tripod, local legend Ross Wilson, and eclectic songstress Kate Miller-Heidke.

It’s all happening in Victoria on November 28-30. Big Weekend tickets are on sale now from the Queenscliff Music Festival website.

Image source: Jsarcadia @ Flickr

The who’s who of reggae will head Down Under in the new year for the second annual Raggamuffin festival.

The impressive bill features Arrested Development, Ziggy Marley and brother Stephen, Eddy Grant, Shaggy, Inner Circle (are they still around?), and Bonjah.

Ticketek will sell tickets for Sydney, while Ticketmaster is handling the five other shows. Get your tickets for Raggamuffin from August 25 for Byron, Brisbane, the Hunter, and Melbourne, August 26 for Sydney, and October 13 for Perth. 

24 January 2009 - Supreme Court Gardens, Perth
26 January 2009 - Red Devil Park, Byron Bay
30 January 2009 - The Riverstage, Brisbane
31 January 2009 - Lindemans Winery, Hunter Valley
1 February 2009 - Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne
3 February 2009 - Hordern Pavilion, Sydney

Image source: Drew Wilson Photography @ Flickr