Concrete Playground

There is a growing trend in Australian music. I will call it the rising of the thinking-person's-singer-songwriter. Catchy, I know. I'm talking Blasko, Washington, Paul Dempsey's solo stuff, Holly Throsby, and then some bands like The Panics, Oh Mercy etc. Artists that aren't afraid to write soft rock, or smart folk with slick, yet quirky production. Whitley is one of these characters.

People that know his tunes will attest to the fact that the 22 year old Melburnian is a great writer and an affable and charismatic performer. He debuted with 2007's Submarine — a lovely, introspective acoustic based album. He has made a great move and expanded his sonic approach on his new album Go Forth Find Mammoth, incorporating some electronic elements and diverse but simple instrumentation. The record is always pushing the melodies and arrangements, with lyrics right at the front. A great performer with some thicker, slightly more 'rocked up' songs, Whitley is sure to put on a great show at the OAF, which still retains some intimacy for a decent sized venue. The Brunettes and Deep Sea Arcade open.