 “My friend told me of a secret Told me that she blames herself You invaded her magnificence Put your hand over her mouth” Stella Donnelly doesn’t shy away from the truth. That’s what I like about her. She’s a songwriter with an unflinching take on things, someone who interrogates life as well as embraces it. Then she sets those experiences to song. There’s nothing contrived in the way she does it.
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 Known for art, activism, and some of the most popular songs of this day and age, The 1975 have returned to Australia after a three-year break. Over the past few years the Manchester outfit have continued to build a massive and international fanbase. As I enter the venue it’s clear that their Australian following has also grown, as the band has people lining up at the gates hours before the show.
 With a fan-base growing by the minute, a groove-train of a particular youth culture spill into the core of Gold Coast’s nightlife Elsewhere, to witness the indie pop lovers - Ivey. With their recent release ‘Talk Talk’, Ivey are rising to the top rapidly and are here to steal the hearts of the Gold Coast yet again.
 In the late hours of a wintry night, I make my way into Byron Bay’s biggest pub. I strap in for a night filled with beers, wild behaviour, and rock ‘n’ roll, the perfect atmosphere for The Pinheads to steal the spotlight for the last time before closing off their homeland tour. After hearing rumours of their raucous antics onstage, I predict tonight’s ride is going to be a wild one.
 Nothing short of a wonderland, the 2019 edition of Rabbits Eat Lettuce Festival was a weekend all who attended will never forget. Held at Cherrabah Resort in southern Queensland, REL is predominately an electronic festival but one combining flavors of all music across multiple stages. With a stellar lineup of diverse acts, spectacularly colorful décor and a crowd of the most beautiful people, this year’s event was without a doubt one of the best to date.
 I walk up the long stairs leading up to Tomcat. I instantly notice my long grandma skirt was probably not the right choice for the occasion. Everyone else dressed head to toe in black but hey, I am comfortable
 I asked a friend what another friend – a hardcore fan - thought about John Maus. He got back to me saying this other friend had said this: “I see it as an art performance for him. He drains and punishes himself for us the viewer. We are paying him to give us his soul. If he doesn’t feel like he’s giving enough he does laps [of the stage] or hits himself. We are exposed to his mind.”
 As expected, the Tivoli is jam-packed. People are crawling over one another just in hope of catching a glimpse of the irresistible creative genius that is Angus Stone under alias Dope Lemon. There is no space to fill. People huddle together, others are dancing. Couples are cuddling up and the smell of dope is lingering in the air.
 Pumped with adrenalin a diverse crowd of adolescents and elderly-rockers floods The Brightside. After the recent release of latest album Bent, Stonefield have embarked on their own East Coast tour before leaving the country to support King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard in the United States. With word going round that Melbourne and Sydney attendees still hadn't picked their jaws up off the gorund, I enter The Brightside with little doubt that tonight Brisbane is in for a treat.
 Lights reflect off crystal chandeliers as Tia Gostelow hits the stage. She wears a pink suit jacket and pants that match. Her band wear all white. “This song I wrote about an ex-boyfriend, which a lot of people seem to relate to. It’s about cheating, but I turned it into a song you’d like to hear on the radio” she shares before cutting into ‘That’s What You Get’. Her set comes studded with special guests. First is Busby Marou who join her for an impromptu rendition of Violent Soho’s ‘Fur Eyes’. She later brings out another up-and-coming female talent, Thelma Plum for ‘Around Here’. The set closes with a version of ‘Strangers’ featuring Ball Park Music’s Sam Cromack.
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