I believe that 2025 truly belonged to Cameron Winter. At the end of 2024 he released an album named Heavy Metal, his first solo album. It came out very late in the year and so missed most end of year lists. After a couple of listens I slotted it in at 19. But this magnificent album has shaped most of 2025 for me. So much so that it would probably be my number one album of 2024 if I redid my list. I wasn’t that familiar with Winter previously but I found out he is the lead singer of Geese. A band I liked but wasn’t totally sold on. Then they released a song called Taxes, and I was hooked. Taxes would become part of Getting Killed. From the moment I heard this album in September I had no doubt it would be my album of the year. Such an exciting, swaggering, vibrant album. This New York band is truly special. There were other special records released last year. Alex G made his major label debut and produced a beauty, whilst Wednesday followed up my favourite of 2023 with a fantastic album in Bleeds. Perfume Genius made an album of impossible beauty, whilst veterans like Destroyer and Ty Segall came through with the goods again. As did Neko Case and Jeff Tweedy. I truly believe 2025 was a great year for music.

1. Getting Killed-Geese
2. Headlights-Alex G
3. Bleeds-Wednesday
4. The Scholars-Car Seat Headrest
5. Glory-Perfume Genius
6. Possession-Ty Segall
7. Dan’s Boogie-Destroyer
8. Sinister Grift-Panda Bear
9. Caroline 2-Caroline
10. Phonetics On and On-Horsegirl
11. Double Infinity-Big Thief
12. Freckle-Freckle
13. Neon Grey Midnight Green-Neko Case
14. Buyer Beware-The Men
15. Diamond City-Will Johnson
16. Twilight Override-Jeff Tweedy
17. I Love People-Cory Hanson
18. Rarely Do I Dream-Youth Lagoon
19. Big Ugly-Fust
20. The Purple Bird-Bonnie Prince Billy
21. Big Black Plume-Michael Beach
22. Ripped and Torn-Lifeguard
23. Sable, Fable-Bon Iver
24. Thee Black Boltz-Tunde Adebimpe
25. Losin’-Colin Miller
26. The Open Up-Frog Eyes
27. Blue Reminder-Hand Habits
28. Alan Sparhawk with Trampled by Turtles
29. Snocaps-Snocaps
30. Golden Caravan-Clifford
31. Get Sunk-Matt Berninger
32. Always Been-Craig Finn
33. What Of Our Nature-Haley Heynderickx & Max Garcia Conover
34. This Side of the Island-Hamilton Leithauser
35. Time Indefinite-William Tyler
36. On This Day-Tony Molina
37. Moisturizer-Wet Leg
38. Small Talk-Whitney
39. Strange Love-Bleak Squad
40. Abomination Revealed at Last-Osees
41. Natural Light-Dan Mangan
42. Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory
43. Send a Prayer My Way-Julian Baker & Torres
44. Surgery and Pleasure-Vundabar
45. Hunting Season-Home Is Where
46. Forever Is A Feeling-Lucy Dacus
47. Blight-The Antlers
48. Once I Was Wild-The Smith Street Band
49. I Believe In You, My Honeydew-Josh Ritter
50. A Study of Losses-Beirut

Any year that Paul Thomas Anderson releases a new film has to be a good year. And so it proved. Many great film in 2025 but Anderson's One Battle After Another was my number one. Not only was it his most expensive film, it was also his most action packed. But you could tell it was still a PTA film in style and delivery. I saw it 3 times at the cinema. It was a spectacular film. At the moment it looks favourite to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, giving Anderson a well overdue win. As usual my best of list contains many films that were released in the US in 2024, but only received an Australian release early in 2025. Of those my favourite was The Brutalist, a spectacular epic film that I hoped would win Best Picture early in 2025, but it wasn't to be. Sentimental Value made a late charge up my list after seeing it in the last week of December. Just a beautiful film in every sense of the word. I have plenty to look forward to early in 2026, including No Other Choice, Hamnet, The Secret Agent, Marty Supreme, It Was Just Accident, Sirat, amongst many others.

1. One Battle After Another
2. The Brutalist
3. Sentimental Value
4. Nickel Boys
5. A Complete Unknown
6. I'm Still Here
7. The Seed of the Sacred Fig
8. September 5
9. Twinless
10. Bugonia   

I was lucky enough again in 2025 to see live music overseas. In July I ventured to the US to see several live music acts. It was a great opportunity to see some much loved acts in some places that I had never been to before. I ended up with 4 shows. It was meant to be 5 but sadly exciting young Chiacago band Lifeguard had to cancel their Los Angeles show due to illness. But it was still a great trip, highlighted by seeing the incredible Car Seat Headrest in Denver. They had been off the scene for a little while, with Will Toldeo becoming seriously ill. So I was super excited to see them again, my first time in 7 years. They were excellent. In a great venue I was moved to tears. Whilst in Denver I also got to visit Red Rocks Ampitheatre for the first time. What an iconic venue. Seeing The Avett Brothers there was a night I won't ever forget. Seeing Yo La Tengo and Built to Spill together in Milwaukee and Father John Misty in Los Angeles were also unforgettable. Back home my highlights were probably 3 shows at the Sydney Opera House. Perfume Genius was breahtaking, whilst earlier in the year the MJ Lenderman and Gillian Welch shows were also purely wonderful. I might not get to as many shows as I used to, but I still managed to see some great live music.

1. Car Seat Headrest @ Mission Ballroom, Denver
2. Yo La Tengo & Built to Spill @ Pabst Theater, Milwaukee
3. Father John Misty @ Greeat Theatre, Los Angeles
4. The Avett Brothers @ Red Rocks, Colorado
5. Perfume Genius @ Sydney Opera House
6. MJ Lenderman @ Sydney Opera House
7. Gillian Welch & David Rawlings @ Sydney Opera House
8. Kendrick Lamar @ Allianz Stadium
9. PJ Harvey @ Sydney Opera House Forecourt
10. TV on the Radio @ Enmore Theatre   

Kendrick Lamar played the first of two sold out nights Wednesday night at Allianz Stadium. And it was enormous, and thrilling and just flat out spectacular. I had seen Lamar on his last two tours at the smaller Qudos Bank Arena, but after the success of 'Not Like Us' and the Super Bowl halftime show he has graduated to stadium shows. And he filled the space with ease. Lamar is at the peak of his powers and he has total command of the stage. He just raps with ultimate ease and power. He has a small troupe of dancers, but basically it's just him. And his use of visuals is great and for a stadium show the sound was pretty good as well. But it always comes back to the music. And that is totally supreme. A lot of the set was from his latest album in 'GNX', with 'Squabble Up' and a split up 'TV Off' especially being highlights. But of course he has so many iconic songs in his catalogue and they were all great to hear. And even though he plays less of his very early songs, he still plays them even if he only does them in part. The biggest response of the night though was probably for the megahit in 'Not Like Us'. It had the whole stadium bouncing. Kendrick Lamar shows truly feel like an event and a must see anytime he visits. 

Set List
Wacced Out Murals
Squabble Up
N95
King Kunta
Element
TV Off (part one)
Euphoria
Hey Now
Reincarnated
Humble
Backseat Freestyle
Family Ties (Baby Keem cover)
Swimming Pools (Drank)
m.A.A.d City
Alright
Man at the Garden
Dodger Blue
Peekaboo
Like That
DNA
Good Credit (Playboi Carti cover)
Love
Count Me Out/Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe
Money Trees
Poetic Justice
Luther
TV Off (part two)
Not Like Us

Gloria 

Perfume Genius Tuesday night at the Sydney Opera House was a completely astounding show. Beautiful, phenomenal, sensual, majestic, incredible. A magnificent night where each and every moment was treasured completely. It's been a few years since I have seen Perfume Genius live and certainly a long way removed from the quiet piano based show I saw many years ago in Sydney. Michael Hadreas has expanded his band to five and the music is ecstatic and vibrant, but still moving and highly emotional. Perfume Genius released one of my favourite albums this year in 'Glory' and the show opened with many of those songs, including a barnstorming 'No Front Teeth' and a highly emotional 'Left For Tomorrow'. We also received a glorious Big Star cover in 'Kanga Roo', plus many classic Perfume Genius songs such as 'My Body' and 'Describe'. But I think my favourite was the jaw dropping rendition of 'Otherside'. This was one of many songs where Hadreas would contort his lithe body in an extraordianry way. He also used props such as a chair and a spinning wheel to bend and move his body in truly eye opening ways. Hadreas is of course the central figure, but the band behind him were also great. Especially his husband in Alan Wyffels and the extraordinary guitarist in Meg Duffy. Duffy provided support as well as Hand Habits. Their six song set was truly great as well. I felt lucky to be at this show. A truly special night.  

Set List
In A Row
It's A Mirror
No Front Teeth
Slip Away
Left For Tomorrow
Valley
Me & Angel
Kanga Roo (Big Star cover)
Clean Heart
On the Floor
Otherside
Describe
Eye in the Wall
My Body

Fade Into You (Mazzy Star cover)
Queen

TV On The Radio made a triumphant and ecstatic return to Australia Tuesday night. Their Enmore Theatre show was their first in Australia in ten years. The band took a hiatus before returning to the live arena in 2024. I was lucky enough to see them in London last December, but seeing them again a year later was still a massive treat. The band were one of the signature bands from New York in the early 2000s, making music that was thrilling and exciting. Their live shows are exactly the same. Taut, tight and supreme. They played a good selection from across their career, with 'Dear Science' receiving the most attention. 'Wolf Like Me' was probably the standout, with it obviously being their most well known song. But I also loved 'Dreams' and 'DLZ', whilst 'Staring at the Sun' was the obvious and perfect closer. Even without founding member David Sitek currently touring with the band, they are super tight with Kyp Malone and Jaleel Bunton front and centre on guitars. And Tunde Adebimpe is a magnetic and captivating front man. Although I don't think the vocal mix was great, his vocals were a little over powered. But it was great overall, a supreme band showing that they still have the goods.  

Set List
Young Liars
Golden Age
Lazerray
Happy Idiot
Dreams
Wolf Like Me
Stork & Owl
Could You
Love Dog
DLZ
Shout Me Out
Satellite

Ambulance
Trouble
Staring at the Sun 

It was an absolute delight to welcome the great Sharon Van Etten to Sydney again last night. Her show at the Enmore Theatre was a night of joy and happiness. I believe this was the fourth time that I have seen her live and it's always a total pleasure. Last night was a little different though as Sharon rebranded her act as Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory this year. They released an album under this name earlier this year, a full band effort. I do like the album but I think it lacks a little from the Van Etten solo records. Last night they frontloaded the show with tracks from that album. They did sound good live, especially 'Afterlife', but they are very synth heavy and not as magnetic. So the show went from good to great when the older songs were played. Such as 'Serpents', probably my favourite song of the night. Of course fan favourites such as 'Seventeen' and 'Every Time the Sun Comes Up' deservedly went down a treat. By the end we were all in Sharon's hands. Not only is she a great singer, but seems such a warm and gracious person. She radiates inner beauty. A short encore featuring the magnificent 'Tarifa' topped off a wonderful night of music.   

Set List
Live Forever
Afterlife
Idiot Box
Comeback Kid
I Can't Imagine (Why You Feel This Way)
Somethin' Ain't Right
Southern Life (What It Must Be Like)
Trouble
No One's Easy To Love
Anything
Serpents
Every Time the Sun Comes Up
Jupiter 4
Seventeen
I Want You Here

Tarifa
Indio