What Topped ‘23?
We asked The Note’s music nerds to give us their end of year lists.
Zara Richards – Senior Writer
Best Release: Lush Life by The Belair Lip Bombs. There’s something magical about stumbling across an album and it becoming your all-time favourite. If you need me to namecheck a track, ‘Look The Part’ has a talent for unfurling forgotten memories and is the best to scream-sing in the car.
Best Gig: West Thebarton at the Cranker. I’m a big fan of getting thrown around a sweaty moshpit and the pub-rockers’ first hometown gig in a long time was the perfect place for that. Dark, damp and dangerously fun.
Best Local Release: ‘Punchcard’ by Wake in Fright is the last song that completely stopped me in my tracks. That being said, Cult Nonsense’s ‘In The Yeah’ was in my top 10 most-played songs this year.
Best Festival: Without a doubt, Harvest Rock. Spending two jam-packed days interviewing some of my favourite Aussie acts and boogieing side of stage will go down as 2023’s major pinch-me moment.
One To Watch: Oscar the Wild. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – 2024 will be their year. I’ve been on this train ever since they released ‘Hey’ and I’ll be comfortably seated forever.
oliver Raggatt – Director
Best Release: ‘Now And Then’ by The Beatles. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be listening to a new Beatles release in 2023. While AI played its part, all the tracks are the actual artists, including John Lennon’s original vocals.
Best Gig: Private Function at Jive. One of the best, most high energy acts in Australia. This gig had stage-diving from a balcony, Metallica and Coldplay covers and even an on-stage engagement.
Best Local Release: King Jeff & The How Are Yous’ Moon Landing. Stand-out track on this one is ‘Spinning Cactus’, even cracking into my Top 5 on the Spotify Wrapped. The full album is a great listen from start to finish.
Best Festival: A biased answer would be Notestock, however it’s hard to go past Harvest Rock’s combination of high calibre artists mixed with great food, booze and incredible atmosphere.
One To Watch: The Dainty Morsels. I hadn’t caught them live before they earned their slot at Notestock through the public vote, and the public weren’t lying. Think laid back tunes, only with a high-energy set and a solid ’60s/’70s vibe. Having just released their debut album, The Dainty Morsels are the real deal and I think 2024 could be a big year for them.
Will Oakeshott – Writer
Best Release: The Gleaners by Lo!. These (mostly) New South Welshmen released an astounding LP of the ugliest yet most brutiful presentations of post-metallic sludge with sharp injections of mathcore. Converge, take note – here is your new favourite Australian band.
Best Gig: Freedom Of Fear with Ekosa, at Space Theatre (Adelaide Guitar Festival). An Adelaide technical death metal band being a feature act at an internationally recognised guitar festival screams ‘prestige’. FoF will be taking on the world very soon.
Best Local Release: alt.’s ABEYANCE delivered 10 tracks of illustrious, melodic post-hardcore that has seen the quintet tour with the globe’s best in the genre. It feels like this is just the beginning.
Best Festival: Froth and Fury at Pirate Life Brewing. Thirty-six heavy music bands from mostly Australia, but also USA, Europe and New Zealand shredding stages and melting faces – all washed down with devil-icious craft beer.
One To Watch: Stressed – they deliver straight-edge hardcore in the same vein as LA’s Strife with incredible intensity.
Harry Silcock – Account Manager
Best Release: Adam Newling’s freshly released EP Dorothy Painted Portraits is a standout, I can’t get enough of it. The track ‘Barmy’ is a pure, feel-good gem.
Best Gig: Fisher and Robbie Williams were a spectacle. Beddy Rays at Notestock was biblical.
Best Local Release: Any 2023 West Thebarton release was insane. The energy in their songs is hard to match. Sons of Zöku’s track ‘Yumi’ is also a cracking tune to get the vibes high while sipping your first drink on a Friday arvo.
Best Festival: Harvest Rock was a highlight for me – so awesome seeing Bad//Dreems pull a huge crowd and share the stage with some seriously famous musicians.
One To Watch: Can’t go past the legends in The Shadow Ministers. Imagine if The Rolling Stones and The Black Keys teamed up for a surf movie soundtrack – that’s the vibe you get from The Shadow Ministers. If you didn’t know, now you do.
Wayne Saunders – Designer
Best Release: SCARING THE HOES by JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown. There’s a reason it was my most played album of 2023. The production, samples, off-kilter rhymes – everything is top-tier.
Best Gig: West Thebarton at the Cranker. The band room was heaving and West Theb tore it apart. High energy is an understatement.
Best Local Release: Druid Fluids’ Then, Now, Again & Again. The comparisons to early Tame Impala are inescapable, but the influence of The Beatles’ psychedelia is thick. One thing is for sure though, the hazy psych-rock sound keeps me coming back.
Best Festival: Laneway Festival back in February. What a line-up! Turnstile, Fred again.., Joji and HAIM. All my musical itches were scratched.
One To Watch: The Shadow Ministers. Bluesy, no fuss, rock ‘n’ roll in the best possible way. Incredibly tight and every gig is killer.
Nash Blight – Photographer
Best Release: If I’m allowed to say a re-release, then it’s got to be the new deluxe edition of Stop Making Sense by Talking Heads, along with the film. I think it’s a banger. If not? Painting of My Time by Floodlights is a beautiful record.
Best Gig: Private Function with Smooch and Jongo Bones and the Barefoot Bandits at Jive went off. Incredible energy, fantastic crowd. A guy got on stage and proposed to his girlfriend! Like, c’mon.
Best Local Release: ‘Monster Truck Mondays’ by The Empty Threats. (Duh).
Best Festival: Punk Ass Kids 10th Birthday at Rhino Room and Lowlife. All my favourite local bands were there giving some unreal performances. Grace Cummings knocked me clean off my feet and I’m still yet to recover.
One To Watch: The Empty Threats. They’re phenomenal, they’re completely electric when they play live, every time without fail. It’s been said a lot, lately, but it does feel like they’re on the verge of something explosive.
