Album Review: ‘Smile’ – Brighton’s Thrillhouse have blossomed into something quite special with their second shimmering album. Brighton band Thrillhouse have long been on our radar and, while at times the radar's been on the blink due the sheer volume of noise in the industry, one thing has never changed and that's their continued creative output. In fact we've followed them since early 2020 and they released their debut album 'Something About This Place' in 2023 (see our review here). These days essentially a duo consisting of Sam Baldwin and Jack Nielsen, Thrillhouse are back with their new album 'Smile' and all is well in the world.

Album Review: 'Smile' - Brighton's Thrillhouse have blossomed into something quite special with their second shimmering album.
@thrillhouse_ok @spiritofspikeisland
#thrillhouse #spiritofspikeisland #brighton #backseatmafia #news #albumreview #indie #pop

Live Gallery: Biffy Clyro Brings Futique Tour To Australia – 08.04.26, Eora Land/Sydney Roundhouse opened last night with Teenage Joans, the Kaurna/Adelaide two-piece, Cahli Blakers on guitar and Tahlia Borg behind the kit. They've been a darling of the Australian alt scene for a few years now and there's a reason for that. There were a few moments between songs where the energy dipped, but coupled with new releases and mid-tour, none of that really mattered. Their spirits were genuinely high and they found their footing. They're doing UK dates in May this year, so keep an eye out. Biffy Clyro walked out and quickly reminded us what a band that has already won the room looks like.

Live Gallery: Biffy Clyro Brings Futique Tour To Australia

@biffy_clyro
images: @juiceboxedjess

#biffyclyro #austour #backseatmafia

Track: Zipper reveals stunning post punk new single ‘Hiko’ Originally from Eora/Sydney, Zipper first appeared back in 2019, releasing their debut EP 'Dreamer’s Gate' the following year. It was something I sadly missed at the time but on the strength of their new single, I'm definitely going back in time. As happens in life, the various members subsequently scattered around the globe and life moved on. But Zipper are back, now in Melbourne, with new single 'Hiko', and it is a brilliant blast of post punk, delivered with an arched brow and a cool swagger. A louche and insouciant delivery from singer Haruka Sato is carried on a scything cut glass guitars and a driving insistent beat.

Track: Zipper reveals stunning post punk new single 'Hiko'
@zipper.unzipped @spoilsportrecords
#zipper #backseatdownunder #indie #postpunk #naarm #video #track #news #backseatmafia

Track: Cam Butler (Ron S Peno & the Superstitions) unveils new track ‘The Warning’ from forthcoming album ‘World Forever’ Iconic guitarist, producer and composer Cam Butler (Ron S Peno & the Superstitions) follows up from his recent single ‘Clear Infinity’ (reviewed by me here) with the haunting atmospheric 'The Warning'. In contrast to the previous single, 'The Warning' is sombre, dramatic, like a soundtrack to either a horror movie or a New Zealand-based fantasy epic. Strings haunt the ether and soaring organs provide a swirling backdrop. Then there's an ominous thrum like thunderclouds in the distance, all dramatic landscapes, mountains and wilderness. It is a track with two moods - a haunting sombre opening which transforms to something gothic and dark.

Track: Cam Butler (Ron S Peno & the Superstitions) unveils new track 'The Warning' from forthcoming album ‘World Forever’
@cambutlermusic @heavymachineryrecords
#cambutler #heavymachineryrecords #backseatdownunder #backseatmafia #instrumental #news #indie #track #video #naarm #melbourne

Premiere: Kathleen Halloran unveils enigmatic video for the sultry track ‘Wolves Like You’ ahead of new album and live dates. We are very honoured to provide you with an exclusive look at the stunning new video for the über cool single 'Wolves Like You' from guitarist Kathleen Halloran. The release arrives alongside the announcement of her long-awaited debut album Nobody’s Baby, set for release on Friday, 8 May, produced by Roscoe James Irwin (The Cat Empire, The Bamboos, Paul Kelly) and engineered/mixed by Ben Edgar (Gotye, Angus and Julia Stone). The track is an insouciant piece of thundering rock that has elements of Sharon van Etten and P.J Harvey: a slinky slice of attitude that swaggers and rolls like a galleon in a storm, framed by exuberant woo-hoos and a scaling chorus.

Premiere: Kathleen Halloran unveils enigmatic video for the sultry track 'Wolves Like You' ahead of new album and live dates.
@kathleen.halloran.music
#kathleenhalloran #premiere #backseatmafia #rock #indie #track #video #indie #backseatdownunder

News: Mumford & Sons Announce 2026 Arena Tour of Australia and New Zealand Mumford & Sons will return to Australia and New Zealand in 2026 for three arena shows supporting their upcoming album Prizefighter, joined by Folk Bitch Trio on all dates.

@MumfordandSons bring their Prizefighter tour to Australia and New Zealand in 2026 — three arena shows with @FBTband joining across Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland. #BackseatMafia #MumfordAndSons #PrizefighterTour @secretsounds @livenationaustralia

News: Charlotte de Witte Locks In Exclusive Sydney Show for March 2026 Charlotte de Witte will bring her trademark intensity to the Hordern Pavilion on 6 March 2025, a rare standalone Sydney show set between global festival appearances and the release of her self-titled debut album.

@CharlottedeWitteMusic is heading to Sydney for a one-off Hordern Pavilion show on 6 March 2025 — her only Sydney date before Pitch Festival. A rare chance to catch one of techno’s most influential artists up close. #BackseatMafia #CharlotteDeWitte #SydneyGigs #Techno @hordernpavilion

Track: PistonFist Hit the Highway on New Single ‘The Road’ PistonFist’s new single ‘The Road’ draws from their recent two-month tour through Europe and the UK, capturing the grind, freedom and late-night momentum of life lived in transit.

@PistonFist return with ‘The Road’ — a heavy, riff-driven track shaped by long drives, late nights and their 2024 run across Europe and the UK. A true touring snapshot from one of Brisbane’s loudest exports. #BackseatMafia #PistonFist #BrisbaneMusic #AustralianRock

News: Soul and Funk Royalty Earth, Wind & Fire Lock In 2026 Australian Dates Earth, Wind & Fire will return to Australia for the first time in 14 years, headlining Byron Bay Bluesfest and playing two intimate sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne. The soul and funk pioneers bring with them more than five decades of groundbreaking music, from “September” and “Let’s Groove” to “Reasons” and “Shining Star.”

@EarthWindandFire are coming back to Australia for the first time since 2012 — hitting Bluesfest on Easter Friday plus Sydney and Melbourne sideshows. A rare chance to see one of the most influential soul and funk groups ever take the stage. #BackseatMafia #EarthWindAndFire #Bluesfest2026

Live Review & Gallery: An Evening With Eric Gales at Factory Theatre – Gadigal Land/Sydney, 22.11.25 Factory Theatre was properly humming on Saturday night, with half the room seated and the rest of us staking out whatever floor space we could claim and not dare move from. What we got in return was two hours of world-class performance from Eric Gales, the man who, when it comes to instrumentation, lives on a different plane entirely. Five years sober and touring 'Crown', he carried himself with the pride of a musician who’s rebuilt both the personal and the professional parts of his life. He let the guitar speak first, second, and basically every time after that.

We caught the world-class performance from Eric Gales at Factory Theatre over the weekend!

#backseatmafia #ericgales

Live Gallery: Pixies at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion 13.11.2025 At the Hordern Pavilion, the Pixies remind Sydney why their sound has endured. Sharp, taut, and emotionally charged, their set feels less like a throwback and more like a statement of continued purpose.

Sydney’s night with the @PixiesOfficial — loud, lean, and still rewriting the rules. #Pixies @HordernPavilion #SydneyGigs #AlternativeRock #BlackFrancis #JoeySantiago #LiveMusicAustralia #BackseatMafia @livenationaustralia @elrpainting @joeyalbertosantiago
Images deb_pelser

Live Gallery: The Ghost Inside Bring Redemption and Fury to Perth 19.10.2025 The Ghost Inside’s first Australian headline tour in more than a decade opened in Perth with a cathartic, high-voltage performance that proved why the Californian metalcore veterans remain one of the genre’s most resilient forces.

@TheGhostInside made a powerful return to Aus stages—Perth roars as the Californian metalcore legends reclaim their place at the top
@destroyalllines
#TheGhostInside #Metalcore #AustralianTour2025 @bleedfromwithin #LiveMusicAustralia #BackseatMafia #PerthLive #HeavyMusic
Images @_joshhauser_

News: Electric Callboy Announce Explosive 2026 Australian Arena Tour Electric Callboy will return to Australia in September 2026 for their largest-ever headline tour, bringing their genre-blurring mix of electronic chaos and metalcore power to arenas across the country.

Germany’s wildest export is back — @ElectricCallboy are bringing Tekkno mayhem to Australian arenas this September. Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane
#ElectricCallboy #TekknoTour2026 #Metalcore #Electronicore #BABYMETAL #GoodThingsFestival #AustralianTour #BackseatMafia @destroyallines

Live Gallery: Teddy Swims Opens His Australian Arena Run at Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney 14.10.2025 After his show-stopping NRL Grand Final performance, Teddy Swims launches his Australian arena tour at Qudos Bank Arena, joined by a captivating opening set from Matt Corby.

Fresh from his powerhouse performance at the #NRLGrandFinal, @TeddySwims opens his Australian arena run with a sold-out night at @QudosBankArena—joined by the sublime @MattCorby #TeddySwimsLive #teddyswimshq #@FrontierTouring #BackseatMafia #SydneyLiveMusic
@frontiertouring @nrl
Images @deb_pelser

Live Gallery: Picture This Bring Irish Charm to Liberty Hall as Tom Grennan Shines at Sydney’s Liberty Hall 10.10.2025 Ireland’s Picture This brought stadium-worthy emotion to Liberty Hall before Tom Grennan continued his unstoppable rise with a soulful, confident headline set.

Ireland’s #PictureThis delivered heartfelt, arena-sized emotion to Liberty Hall before #TomGrennan took Sydney by storm with his signature mix of soul and swagger. #PictureThisBand #TomGrennanLive #IrishMusic #UKMusic #BackseatMafia #LibertyHall @secret sounds
Images @accessallareasmedia

Track: Day Dreamers Confront Modern Panic with New Single ‘y2k’ Melbourne alt-rockers Day Dreamers return with ‘y2k’, a self-produced anthem of anxious reflection and melodic grit, recorded entirely from home and built for the stage.

@DayDreamersband drop ‘y2k’, their gritty new single recorded straight from home — a burst of DIY punk energy for chaotic times. #DayDreamers #y2k #MelbourneMusic #AltRock #PopPunk #DearSeattle #TOWNS #SophisticatedDingo #BakersEddy #VenusBay #AustralianMusic #IndieRock #NewMusic #BackseatMafia

News: Oklou Expands Her Vision on choke enough Deluxe with FKA twigs Collaboration French producer and composer Oklou returns with choke enough Deluxe, featuring four new tracks and a collaboration with FKA twigs, expanding her acclaimed debut into something even more intimate and immersive.

@Oklou_ unveils choke enough Deluxe with new single ‘viscus’ featuring FKA twigs — expanding her critically acclaimed debut into new emotional territory. #Oklou #FKAtwigs #chokeenough #TruePanther #ElectronicPop #AmbientPop #Pitchfork #LanewayFestival #PrimaveraSound #Coachella #BackseatMafia #music

News: Picture This Announce 2026 Australian Return After Selling 100,000 Irish Tickets in One Year From a viral iPhone video to selling out 100,000 tickets across Ireland in a single year, Picture This have become the country’s biggest live act — and in 2026, they’re set to bring that unstoppable energy down under.

Ireland’s biggest band are going global - announce Australian tour. #PictureThis #IrishMusic #LiveMusic #AustraliaTour2026 #TakeMyHand #BackseatMafia #ConcertNews #3Arena #SSEArena #RyanHennessy #JimmyRainsford #IrishBands #MusicNews
@picturethis @secretsounds

News: Wet Leg Return for Laneway Festival 2026 with Two Exclusive Sideshows Laneway Festival favourites Wet Leg return to Australia this February — bringing their new album moisturizer and two exclusive sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne for a celebration of wit, riffs, and glorious chaos.

Wet Leg are back for Laneway 2026 — plus two unmissable sideshows in Sydney + Melbourne.
#WetLeg #Laneway2026 #Moisturizer #RhianTeasdale #HesterChambers #DominoRecords #BackseatMafia #IndieRock #PostPunkRevival #LiveMusicSydney #LiveMusicMelbourne
@lanewayfest @secretsounds @wetlegband

Backseat Mafia

If you're late to the game, this online mag @BackseatMafia has reviewed 9 of my recent singles/albums complete with audio & video links:

www.backseatmafia.com?s=Steve+conte

Dig In!

#steveconte #NYC #newyorkdolls #michaelmonroe #andypartridge #xtc #backseatmafia

Album Review: The Slow Summits have ‘Every Intention’ to blast a ray of luminescent pop sunshine into your ears all the way from Sweden. Anyone else remember the children's Swedish detective series Agaton Sax by Swedish author Nils-Olof Franzén and illustrated by Åke Lewerth, with Quentin Blake illustrating the English editions? Agaton Sax also ran the local newspaper, the Byoping Post. I loved this series for its quirky sense of humour and cheeky delivery. In a complete non-sequitur, The Slow Summits hail from Linköping, Sweden, but to be fair their bright sparkling music evokes the same sort of deep seated nostalgia in me, and I love it just as much. For those who know, there is a nuclear blast of recognition for their C86/Postcard/Sarah Records/Flying Nun sound: bright jingly jangly guitars, soaring melodies, and respectable air of naivety and tweeness in their sound.

Album Review: The Slow Summits have 'Every Intention' to blast a ray of luminescent pop sunshine all the way from Sweden.
@theslowsummits @subjangle
#theslowsummits #linköping #albumreview #c86 #indie #pop #tweepop #dreampop #sweden #backseatmafia

News: Still loud, still sharp: Eddy Current Suppression Ring unleash the gritty Shapes and Forms Eddy Current Suppression Ring — the twice ARIA Award-nominated garage/punk rock band — have re-emerged from a long studio silence with Shapes and Forms, their second new song following on the heels of the angular and wiry Swimming Hole, released earlier in 2025. In recent months, the band have quietly begun re-uploading classic videos from their back catalogue — a move that, in hindsight, hinted at fresh material on the horizon.

News: Still loud, still sharp: Eddy Current Suppression Ring unleash the gritty Shapes and Forms
#eddycurrentsuppressionring #cooldeathrecords @cool_death_records @backseat_mafia #backseatmafia