Perth

Cool, romantic, punchy. A masterful piece of club-pop from Perth's Sid Pattni..

Perth-based producer Jia Lih unleashes a monster in Stronger..

Master of music journeys, Perth's Sleepyhead selects us an excellent playlist..

A new single and a huge San Cisco tour support to boot..

Chillin’ on the cheap..

Flower Drums' lead singer Leigh Craft selects some dreamy jams for us.. Flower Drums are putting out some of the nicest, warmest garage-pop we’ve heard in ages. They're like Perth's answer to Toro Y Moi or Washed Out. As we enter into 2015, Pilerats are keeping a firm ear on this four-piece from Perth, who had a winner of a year in 2014, performing at Laneway Festival and giving us two super strong tracks: Bad Websites, and Don’t Wait, the latter featuring vocals from fellow WA artist St. South. Flower Drums have an EP due out next month; and we’re expecting it to make quite the splash, particularly with the current Australian music climate really embracing vocal-driven harmonies with an electronic backbone as per Flower Drums’ style (with Chet Faker being the case in point here). Flower Drums’ lead singer Leigh Craft has great taste in music – his personal Facebook page is always filled with great picks from left-field artists and rising talents. Leigh’s put together ten songs he’s v

Maximum fun on minimum funds.. Here's our weekly pre-weekend tips for means to extract the mostest fun, on the leastest money. Particularly handy if you spent all your money at Laneway last weekend. Particularly handy if you're spending more time out during the week than you normally would on "just a few casual white wines" and "just a few cheap Fringe Festival shows", that actually amount to a considerable outlay by week's end.  Particularly handy if you left your wallet in the back of a taxi, or you have no idea where you left your wallet. Particularly handy you know exactly where your wallet is, and you know exactly how much money it does not contain.  (Image: Clara Canepa) STATUS MUSIC UPDATEThe Rosemount plays host to a big show presented by Status Factory Records this Friday which is gon’ be a real banger for local music lovers. The larger-than-usual home grown line-up includes Eleventeen Elston, Felicity Groom, Flower Drums, Gunns, Runner and Golden String. For a mere 10 smacker

Cultural binge with no bucks.. Perth’s pulsing with performance, art and people (so many people!) right now, with annual independent arts event Fringe World in full swing. The festival have turned up the heat with a mammoth 2015 programme; with over 500 events going down – you can peruse them, and buy tickets, HERE. If you’re a struggling creative with no money to splash out on other struggling creatives, we’ve found some free Fringe picks that look pretty fun! (Image: Nina Zivkovic). MOB THE JOINT If you love surprises and eating bucket loads of food then this is the event for you, Fringe Fast Food Flash Mobs. The aim is to get a large group of people to descend on a fast food outlet at one time and eat a specific ingredient till it runs out but you won’t know where till the last moment! Register here for times and locations. WINE YOURSELF If a fruity white or a full-bodied red are you friends of choice at night then the official sponsor of Fringe World 2015 Howling Wolves Margaret Ri

Maximum fun on minimum funds.. Weekend vices at a nice price, so you'll still have some lunch money when Monday rolls 'round. (Image: Shane Lynam) TGIF RHYTHMS This Friday night spells free at the William Street Bird for Rhythmatism, a laid back club offering including a selection of Perth’s best beat makers Jack Doepel, Henry Maxwell, Rok Riley and Ben M. If you ain’t got much going on, you can get your dance on and groove away to free vibes all night. Guaranteed good time for somebody without much bank. - Charles  When & Where: Fri Feb 6, William Street Bird, 141 William Street, Northbridge FEEL ALIVE FOR FIVE Lo-fi dive bar The Hideaway is throwing out a bunch of drink specials for $5 to celebrate that it’s Friday – from spiced rum to schooners -  the best thing about this happy hour is that it goes for three hours. Three very happy hours. Local DJs Willliams and Monroe keeping the tunes flowing as fast and chilled as the cheap beers. – Dani When & Where: Fri Feb, 7pm – 10pm. The Hi

Maximum fun on minimum funds.. Just 'coz you've only got a few clams in your account doesn't mean you have to bury yourself in the sand and avoid social contact all weekend. Study Pilerats' handy cheapskates' guide to the weekend closely - everything in it is $5 or cheaper - and prepare to put your money woes and anti-social lows behind you. (Image: Thomas Van Der Zaag) SPARKLY SPOKES Grab your bike and deck it out with as much recycled (that bit’s important, the ride has a ‘green’ theme) stuff as you can, then hit the Carine Regional Open Space for the annual Glow Ride, a night-time bike ride. If you can make it to the end of the obstacle course, there’s a free BBQ in it for you at the end. If your bike is the most blingiest, you could win a prize. For more information about the ride and the registration process, email cycling@stirling.wa.gov.au and visit the event website. - Dani When & Where: Sat Jan 31, 7pm – 9pm, Carine Regional Open Space. RIPE FOR THE PICKING Pilerats aren’t the

Next Hype-man Gurvin Dhillon selects a deluxe dancefloor playlist ahead of 'the Summer of Next Hype'.. Fun times are always afoot when Next Hype are around. The Perth-based boutique promotions collective is the little brother of Horizons Touring, the brains and brawn behind Origin NYE. They have a knack for curating music line-ups of highly credible underground dancefloor talent from around the world; ranging from burgeoning to established artists. They then combine those first-class talent choices with special venues, extra thoughtful touches, and round out the package with brandinga and limited edition merch. Their Why Make Sense? parties being a case in point: seeing Julio Bashmore and Gold Panda play with an intimate crowd in a tiny alley with a ceiling of fairy lights and stars was pretty memorable. Likewise, we won't forget seeing Glasgow producer Rustie on the beach by moonlight. Or witnessing Oneman ripping up the rooftop of an abandoned Fremantle department store: Next Hype h

Perth electronic trio release beautiful new track, Don’t Tell Me.. Following the release of their EP Swim back in 2013, Perth-based electronic trio Lilt (fronted by the sensational Louise Penman) have returned to the centre stage with a beautiful new single, released independently earlier this week. Don’t Tell Me, the duo's first release since their Coming Down single ten months ago, is remarkable. Swelling synth work, crystalline, soft vocals and bouncing percussion build and build until it seemingly explodes at the chorus, dense with menacing drums. Accompanied by a pretty cool video clip and also available for free download (both below), Don’t Tell Me is just the start of a massive 2015 for the group and we are pretty damn excited. FREE DOWNLOAD: Follow Lilt: FACEBOOK / WEBSITE