Yours & Owls – a video retrospective

When the quiet little coffee shop opened two years ago, nobody could have ever predicted how much Yours & Owls would shake up the local music and culture scene. Two years on, Owls has become the hub for live music in the Wollongong CBD, and has inarguably become the nucleus around which the new local music scene has been built. Playing host to virtually every local band, as well as nationally touring stars and even a smattering of well-respected internationals, Yours & Owls has provided a space (albeit a cosy one) for music to flourish and live in the centre of Wollongong.

Two years down the track from their unassuming opening on Crown Street, Owls has hosted many shows that will likely be forever etched into the memories of local music fans, young and old. From acoustic sets by The Flatliners, to secret Totally Unicorn gigs, to epic Budha Nights where music lovers are introduced to their new favourite bands, Owls has something for everyone. Basement, Bomb The Music Industry, Tim Hart (of Boy & Bear), The Rubens, Hunting Grounds,  Fait Accompli, Millions – Yours & Owls has played host to many of the most memorable local shows in recent memory. Luckily, thanks to Owls’ policy of video recording most of their shows, we can look back and remember the epic gigs that we’ve been to, or check out the ones that we missed. With the Yours & Owls 2nd birthday party fast approaching (this Friday, August 31!), here’s our look back at some of the more memorable shows that have gone down within the walls of Yours & Owls:

Sticky Fingers
On their most recent tour, Sydney funk-rock outfit Sticky Fingers played a two-night-stand at Owls. They blow us away whenever we see them, and seeing them in the cosy surrounds of Y&O was pretty special.

Tommy M & The Mastersounds
Tommy M seem to play Owls every single week, but that never seems to diminish the crowds they bring. Surely holding the record for most consistently packed-out shows (we hear that their Budha Nights gig with Rocking Horse a few months back was the fastest pack-out of the venue ever), the eight-piece quickly became an Owls favourite.

The Walking Who
These guys, too, have become something of a regular fixture on the Owls calendar. Their brand of fuzzy psych-rock has won The Walking Who a lot of fans recently, including Sydney institutions Select Music and FBI Radio.

The Rubens
Back before they blew up on JJJ, The Rubens were playing places like Owls. Check their performance from 2011 right here.

Totally Unicorn
Arguably the most memorable gig in Owls history was the Totally Unicorn show of September 2011. The final show on a quick east coast tour, the Totally Unicorn guys destroyed the tiny venue in a show that saw punters flying off the stairs onto the crowd below, Drew crowd-surfing the length of the venue, and a greater concentration of tie-dye than any other location in history. Check out the chaos below.

Of course, Totally Unicorn and The Walking Who will be some of the star attractions at Yours & Owls’ 2nd birthday celebrations on August 31. The three-venue party will take over Owls, the Town Hall and Fever/Blue Note nightclub, with Step-Panther, Alotta Presha, Let Me Down Jungleman and a dozen more playing throughout the night. For all the details, click here.

TOUR NEWS: The Rubens, British India, The Cairos.

A few exciting announcements this week in upcoming shows for Spring:

Sydney band The Rubens are releasing their hotly anticipated debut in September, so what better time to go see them? The Rubens are headlining at gig at UOW Unibar on Thursday the 20th of September, supported by Bertie Blackman and New Gods. Click here for more details!  The band also released the video for new song ‘My Gun’ last week. Check it out here! 

Melbourne rockers British India are back! With the release of their latest song ‘I Can Make You Love Me’ the band are hitting the road again this spring, and have added a Wollongong show at The Patch, for Friday the 26th of October. Bright Yellow and The Owls will also be playing.

Tickets on sale now! 

You’ve probably heard their ever catchy tune ‘Shame’ being blasted all over Triple J this year. The Cairos are passing through Wollongong on Wednesday the 10th of October, and will be playing at UOW Unibar.  Tickets on sale now through the usual outlets.

NEW MUSIC: The Pennys, The City Summer, Flatliner

* The Pennys have shared two new songs from their recently released EP. Check out ‘Around The Light’ and ‘In Your Head’ on their Facebook page. The next gig for The Pennys is September 7 at Dicey Riley’s, where they join the lineup for the launch of A Cat Named Kesey’s new EP, ‘Smoother Than Your Grandma.’

* The City Summer (formerly Avaine) will soon release their debut EP ‘Close To Home.’ The first track is titled ‘When I’m Gone,’ and can be heard over on Facebook. The band are also looking for a new rhythm guitarist, so if you’re interested, get in touch with the guys.

* Two new tunes from Flatliner have been released online. Go check out ‘BTD’ and ‘Closed Eyelids’ on the band’s Soundcloud page.

* Illawarra singer-songwriter Mitchell Dimech has a new song titled ‘Letters To You.’ It is taken from his EP ‘Broken Dreams,’ and you can hear his acoustic stylings on Youtube.

NEW MUSIC: Graves, Crash Tragic, Abstract Classic, Laugh Riot

* Metalcore dudes Graves have posted a new track titled ‘Extinction.’ Give it a spin at their Soundcloud page, and head along to see them play alongside House vs Hurricane, Confession and loads more at Unanderra Community Centre this weekend (more info here).

* Crash Tragic‘s new single, ‘The City,’ can be heard and purchased on iTunes now.

* Abstract Classic have released a new track titled ‘Yes, We’re Pirates.’ You can stream it free, or download it through the band’s Bandcamp page.

* Laugh Riot‘s new track, ‘Your Fear,’ is up online now. Hear it on Facebook (along with three other new tracks from the band), then check them out when they support Die! Die! Die! at Yours & Owls on Friday night.

* ‘Hold Me Like A Stone’ is the new track from Gravity Takes Over. Take a listen on GTO’s ReverbNation page.

Moonbase Commander announces EP launch, remix

It’s been a busy week for Moonbase Commander, with the beats producer announcing a new EP and launch party, announcing a live set on FBI Radio, releasing a new remix of Gucci Mane, and more.

Moonbase Commander (AKA Nick Luke) will release his debut EP ‘Flare Gun’ next month, and will officially launch the release with a special Huchi Muchi-presented party at Yours & Owls on September 29. MBC will be co-headlining the night with Sydney punks Chicks Who Love Guns, with the lineup rounded out by The Nuclear Family and Kochanski. Tickets are just $10, with doors from 8pm on the night; click here for more info. You can check out the first track from the EP, ‘POW Block,’ right here.

In addition to his own EP launch, Moonbase has also been selected to play FBI Radio’s 9th birthday party in Sydney on August 31. With a massive lineup of talent including Catcall, Sures, Fishing, Bon Chat Bon Rat, MBC is certainly in good company. It’s all going down at FBI Social at the King’s Cross Hotel; click here for more info. Moonbase will also play a special live set on FBI Radio (94.5FM) at 12 midday on the 31st.

Moonbase has also just posted a new remix of the Gucci Mane track ‘Pillz.’ The video for the track is below. It goes along with his recent remix of Kanye West and Jay-Z’s track ‘Gotta Have It,’ which you can hear here.

Phew! Busy times for the local producer.

Yours & Owls 2nd birthday party lineup finalised

The final additions have been made to an already stellar lineup of talent for the Yours & Owls 2nd birthday party next weekend.

Let Me Down Jungleman will join the Town Hall lineup, while a bunch more have been added to the late night party at Fever/Blue Note; Hanye Fres, Klue, Mega-Shark and Storey will be playing until late at the Totally Unicorn-headlined party.

These acts join the previously announced Alotta Presha, Step-Panther, Walking Who, Fait Accompli and more on the multi-venue party on August 31. Tickets are on sale now – get them over the counter at Owls, or online at the Town Hall website. Tickets are available for each individual venue (Owls cafe, Town Hall and Blue Note/Fever), or an all-night all-venue pass.

For more info and full lineup details, including venues that each band will be playing, click here.

Totally Unicorn to tour with Pour Habit

Totally Unicorn will again be bringing their infamous live show to the country at large later this year, after being announced to join acclaimed US punk outfit Pour Habit on their Australian tour in November.

TU supported Pour Habit on the Wollongong leg of their tour with Smoke Or Fire earlier this year (see our photo gallery here), and obviously impressed enough to be selected for the entire tour this time around. The tour, which also features Hightime, will hit all major capital cities as well as a number of select regional sites in November and December. Luckily enough for local fans, they’ve also booked a Wollongong date at The Patch (the only regional NSW date) on the itinerary.

Tickets for the tour are on sale now.

In other Totally Unicorn news, the bearded bruisers have apparently completely sold out of copies of their new EP, ‘7Inches.’ The two-track vinyl was limited to just a few hundred copies, and every copy has reportedly been sold – just a week after being made available for order. You can listen to a new track here. The four-piece will also be playing the Yours & Owls second birthday party later this month – click here and here for more information.

Pour Habit, Australian tour
w/ Hightime, Totally Unicorn

November
30th – Unibar, Adelaide [Lic/AA]
December
1st – FEST-MAS @ The Evelyn Hotel, Melbourne [18+]
2nd – The Tote, Collingwood [18+] Pour Habit playing their album “Suiticide” in full.
5th – Brisbane Hotel, Hobart [18+] * Totally Unicorn not appearing.
6th – Crowbar, Brisbane [18+]
7th – Miami Tavern, Gold Coast [18+]
8th – Annandale Hotel, Sydney [18+]
9th – Valve Bar & Venue, Tempe [Lic/AA] Day Show
9th – The Patch, Wollongong [18+]

Hot Damn! Wollongong Roadtrip next week

The latest Hot Damn! Wollongong Roadtrip is set down for next weekend, so start teeing up your mates, organising your pre-drinks, and sorting out a place to crash overnight!

The last few events at Hostage X have been pretty wild, and the August instalment will be no different. The Sydney-based alternative nightclub will be bringing their first international band to the Wollongong pop-up club, with Texas In July to headline a big night of live music on August 25. Joining the American shredders will be Caulfield, For All Eternity, and local boys The Phalanx.

Besides a huge band lineup, all the details you’ve come to know and love remain the same – $4 drinks until midnight, and the famed Hot Damn! DJs dropping party, punk and hip-hop jams upstairs and downstairs all night. And of course, saying RADAR at the door when you pay (just say “RADAR” to the guys on the door when you enter) will get you cheap entry!

Besides all that good junk, Aussie powerhouse label/booking agency UNFD have come onboard with a stack of giveways. They’re offering up copies of House vs Hurricane’s new album ‘Crooked Teeth,’ as well as Hand of Mercy’s new album ‘Last Lights.’

So, get into it! Cheap drinks, cheap entry, party times, great tunes, loads of live music and a buttload of giveaways! Next Saturday, August 25, at Hostage X Nightclub (Crown St, Wollongong). Doors from 8pm, say RADAR when you enter!

For more info, hit the Facebook event

GIVEAWAY: Yours & Owls 2nd birthday tickets

Preparations are in full-swing for the massive Yours & Owls 2^nd birthday celebrations on August 31, and Radar will be offering up a swag of tickets to the three-venue, all-night party!

Two years after starting up as a quiet little coffee shop, Yours & Owls has become THE place for live music in the Wollongong CBD. Locals of all shapes and sizes have played the tiny floor of Owls, and it has become a veritable breeding ground for new bands as well as established and popular locals and touring acts. The lineup for the party speaks for itself; local legends Totally Unicorn, Alotta Presha and The Walking Who, with established Sydney acts Fait Accompli and Step-Panther, and a sprinkling of up-and-comers such as My Little Underground (click here and here for more event info).

Today we’re bringing you the first of our ticket competitions, with two passes up for grabs. Over on our Facebook page, we’re asking the question “what gift would you give Yours & Owls for their birthday?”

Get creative, get funny, get thinking laterally! Creativity will be rewarded. Two winners will be named – the comment that gets the most “likes” on Facebook, and the best/funniest answer as selected by the crew at Yours & Owls.

So, get thinking! Once you’ve got an answer, let us know on the Radar Facebook page, then tell your friends to “like” your suggestion (as well as letting them know about the party, of course)!

We’ll be announcing winners next week, so you’ve got some time to think up a great present for Y&O. They’re celebrating two years of reinvigorating music in the Wollongong CBD and have been a breeding ground for some of the region’s finest new young talent, so we reckon they deserve a pretty special gift…

Hit the Radar Facebook page (and “like” us on FB too, if you haven’t already), think up an answer, and get your mates to support you!

Of course, you can check details of the massive birthday party here and here. Radar is a proud presenting partner of the multi-venue all-night celebrations, and we hope to see all of you there!

TOUR NEWS: The Swellers, Endless Heights; The Rubens

American punk favourites The Swellers will be returning to Australia later this year, and have locked in a local date for mid-October.

The Michigan band, last Down Under as part of the Soundwave Revolution festival last year, will bring their first ever Australian headlining tour to The Patch on October 17. Joining The Swellers on the nine-date tour will be Sydney melodic punk band Endless Heights, who were last in town supporting Basement at Yours & Owls.

Wollongong is one of only two regional stops (alongside Newcastle) on a tour that takes in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Canberra. The Swellers are a cult favourite punk act, and this being only their second time in Australia and their first proper headlining tour, expect tickets for this one to fly out the door.

Tickets are up for grabs from August 23.

The Swellers
w/ Endless Heights
The Patch, October 17
(Facebook event)

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Aussie up-and-comers The Rubens have announced that they will stop by Wollongong next month.

The Sydney indie act have quickly built a name and big reputation for themselves since coming together last year, with a dream run so far including big love on Triple J, recording their debut album in New York with acclaimed producer David Kahne (Paul McCartney, The Strokes, Regina Spektor), a run of sold-out shows across the country, and packed festival slots including Splendour In The Grass. They’ve also just released a video for new single ‘My Gun.’

The Rubens will play Wollongong Unibar on September 20, as part of a big national tour to launch the album. They will be joined on tour by Bertie Blackman, plus guests. Tickets are on sale now from the usual outlets.

The Rubens
W/ Bertie Blackman + guests
Unibar, September 20
(Facebook event)