HEARTBREAK was the inspiration behind Fritz's latest slice of indie dream-pop released on Wednesday. Arrow is Newcastle songwriter Tilly Murphy's first new music since the single Jan 1 last year which has become her most popular track with 135,000 streams on Spotify.
Arrow is also Fritz's first release on leading independent label Inertia Music, which boasts a stellar roster of Australian and international artists including Bon Iver, Neil Finn, Moby, Angel Olsen, Hockey Dad, Idles, Robyn and Martha Wainwright. The video was self-produced and features scenes shot at Newcastle National Park netball courts and Murphy dancing next to a Smiths poster in her bedroom.
BUSY BEE
CATHERINE Britt jetted off to Brisbane on Thursday to lay down the finishing touches to her forthcoming eighth album. The Newcastle country star completed the tracking for the album this week in her backyard studio at Mayfield with just the overdubs and vocals remaining.
It'll be Britt's first fully-independent record after she raised $35,000 through a Pozible fundraising campaign in April to cover half of the production and marketing costs.
GIVING A HOOT
WOLLONGONG music festival Yours & Owls has unveiled the line-up for its 2021 edition and Newcastle electronic artist e4444e, aka Romy Church, is on the bill. Due to COVID-19 the festival was shifted from its usual October scheduling to January 23 and 24 at Stuart Park. The headliners include Kiwi indie star Benee and Australian acts Cosmo's Midnight, DMA'S, Hayden James, Hockey Dad, Lime Cordiale, Pnau, Winston Surfshirt and The Smith Street Band.
JUNKYARD RETURNS
WHENEVER you mention the Grand Junction Hotel to musicians you instantly hear their voice light up. It's usually followed by, "I love the Junkyard."
After a quiet four months imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, live music returns to the Maitland pub on Sunday when booming Newcastle artist Justin Ngariki fires up the blues and rock'n'roll in the Junkyard beer garden from 3.30pm.
Plenty of other familiar faces will be returning to the Junkyard in the coming weeks.
Maitland-bred soul diva Zoe K will perform her first gig since returning home from New Orleans on July 26. Then Newcastle's country-soul songsmith James Thomson (pictured) will finally have a chance to perform tracks from his third album on August 2.
Thomson's album tour for Golden Exile, released on March 13, was interrupted by the pandemic.
Last week the Grand Junction reopened under the management of the Roose family after a brief stint with Steven Forbes and Barton Smith. The Roose family had previously held the licence for the venue for 30 years.
MARTIN RESET AGAIN
IF the coronavirus pandemic wasn't so serious, you'd almost laugh at the irony of Jeff Martin's Set In Stone Tour being cancelled for the second time.
The Tea Party frontman was initially booked to perform at Lizotte's on his national tour back in March.
Following the lockdown the gig was rescheduled for October 3. Due to the new outbreak and lockdown in Melbourne, the whole Set In Stone Tour has again been rescheduled, this time for 2021. Martin will return to Lizotte's on May 1.
