Rolling Stone Australia July 2016

“No wonder no one put their name to the piece because it was a farce. Not one Australian artist made the list.” Punk Education YOUR RECENT FEATURE ON the Ramones [RS 775] was a real education on the history of a band that I just used to associate with knock-off T-shirts, runway models and cartoonish punk clichés. Turns out they were the real deal. Thanks for setting me straight. Now I’m off to buy some of their records, starting with their debut. Banjo Powell, Coffs Harbour, NSW Punk Oversight Committee THE MUSIC WORLD IS BIG- ger than just North America and the UK. You seem to have forgotten two groundbreaking 1977 Australian albums [in the 40 Greatest Punk Albums feature, RS 775]: (I’m) Stranded by the Saints and Radios Appear…

LIST 100 GREATEST HIP-HOP SONGS OF ALL TIME Check out our expanded list of hip-hop’s best songs ever, from N.W.A’s “Straight Outta Compton” to Biggie’s “Juicy” and 50 Cent’s “In Da Club”. EXCLUSIVE BROODS TRACK BY TRACK New Zealand brother-sister duo take us on a tour of their highly anticipated new album, Conscious. WATCH LIVE SESSIONS AT THE RS OFFICE Our regular stripped-back video series continues. This month: Camp Cope, Nathaniel Rateliff and more. FEATURE ELECTION 2016 THE ISSUES We take an in-depth look at the key decisive points for the upcoming Australian federal election. HEAR BETH ORTON FIRST LISTEN: ‘KIDSTICKS’ Exclusive premiere of the genre-fusing new album from the acclaimed British ‘folktronica’ singer-songwriter. MUSIC NEWS, AROUND THE CLOCK Get breaking music news from ROLLING STONE’s award-winning staff of writers…

Axl Shoots to Thrill! Axl Rose was nervous about joining AC/DC after singer Brian Johnson was forced to sit out their European tour. “I’d sing ‘Back in Black’ in the car, but I’d never tried to sing the songs fully,” he said. In Lisbon, Rose put those fears to rest, nailing cuts like “Shot Down in Flames”. Rose said he was happy to help AC/DC avoid the legal problems that come with cancelling shows: “I’ve gone through that a little bit!” THE ODD COUPLE Eighties rock peers Jon Bon Jovi and Michael Stipe sat together at the Food Bank of New York City’s Can Do Awards. “We discussed the working hungry of New York City, along with Prince and the state of the music industry at the moment,” said Stipe,…

AFTER THE SUN SETS AND THE sky turns purple over Indio Valley’s Empire Polo Club grounds on October 7th, Bob Dylan will take the stage. Later, the Rolling Stones will follow. It will be the first day of a historic three-day concert that will also include Neil Young, Paul McCartney, the Who and Roger Waters – two acts a day, performing full sets with their own stage productions. The event – which is the result of a year of secret meetings and careful negotiations – doesn’t have a name. “What name could be bigger than these acts?” says Paul Tollett, the CEO of Goldenvoice, who put the event together. For the past 17 years, Tollett has staged the Coachella Music & Arts Festival, also held at the Indio, California, site,…

BEYONCÉ’S “LEMONADE”, RE- leased on April 23rd, was a triumph of sound and storytelling, an intense and adventurous “visual album” (accompanied by an hourlong film) about race, infidelity and marital meltdown. It was also a marvel of project management. Beyoncé, famously controlling and tight-lipped about her creative process, oversaw a cast of nearly 100 collaborators, from Jack White and Diplo to dozens of unknown producers and songwriters. “Beyoncé is really involved at all stages,” says Jonny Coffer, who co-wrote and co-produced “Freedom”. “She produces, alters and arranges tracks in ways I wouldn’t think of,” adds MeLo-X, the Brooklyn rapper-producer who worked with her on “Hold Up”. Malik Yusef, a Chicago spoken-word artist and producer who co-wrote “Sandcastles”, says his contribution began with a conversation with Beyoncé at the NBA’s All-Star…

The Delta Riggs’ bassist Michael Tramonte (or Monte, as he’s affectionately known) is no stranger to hosting an impromptu party. The cosy Surry Hills flat he shares with his girlfriend Lucy is ground central for the Riggs and their mates from the Sydney music scene, and tonight is no exception. From the minute people arrive carrying offerings of dessert and bottles of booze, Monte’s iPhone is passed around as people add (or often delete) songs from his Apple Music playlist. Monte shrugs as singer Elliott Hammond grabs the iPhone and starts messing with his playlist. “I’m not precious,” he chuckles. “I’m always hearing new stuff that I like.” Monte’s system consists of a Sonos PLAY:5 that lives on his kitchen counter next to the always-busy dining table, and a pair…