Matt Malone & The Holy Spirits + Juan Alban (Epicure)
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22 March 2025 starting 5:00 am
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MATT MALONE & THE HOLY SPIRITS:
Matt Malone is an iconoclastic singer-songwriter hailing from the goldfields region of Victoria, Australia.
Malone is known for his darkly poetic songs tilled from a life walking the line between good + evil, musically integrating post-punk, metal + avant-garde influences with the blues, country, folk + gospel tradition.Matt’s bold baritone / tenebrous imagery have often been compared to Michael Gira, Nick Cave, David Eugene Edwards, Mark Lanegan, Johnny Cash + he has cultivated a cult audience with his intense live performances having shared the stage with the likes of Kim Salmon (Beasts Of Bourbon) + Hugo Race (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds).
2023 saw Malone release his critically acclaimed - For The Term Of My Natural Life (VRS Records, CD / Vinyl), solidifying his status as one of the consummate singer-songwriters of the Australian underground. He followed it up w/ a small collection of electrified covers called - Made In The Image, Vol. 1, featuring a reinterpretation of the classic ‘I’m Bad Like Jesse James’ which was endorsed by the John Lee Hooker estate.The Holy Spirits - Anthony Cornish / bass (Ikon, Eden) + James W. du Plessis / drums (Volcanic Honeymoon, Seabirds).Press:'????’- Sydney Morning Herald
'????’- Backseat Mafia
“What a powerful rendition of the John Lee Hooker classic I’m Bad Like Jesse James from bluesman and twang artisan - Matt Malone… I like that!”- Tower Of Song, Double J"Matt Malone & The Holy Spirits sound like a Ennio Morricone score for a Cormac McCarthy movie.”- Americana UK
"Whatever juju, alchemy or disturbed darkness that made Jim Morrison put on a pair of leather trousers & shock the world out of its apathy… Matt has got it!"- Kim Salmon (The Scientists, Beasts Of Bourbon, The Surrealists)
"Matt Malone resonates with echoes of Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen and the greats... his latest single embodies his unique style and lyrical genius." - Anthony De Filipis
+JUAN ALBAN (EPICURE)Many years ago, when his old band broke up, I asked Juan Alban what advice
he’d give a young band just starting out. He replied: “Don’t stop. Ever.”
So, I was surprised when I picked up a copy of Juan’s new solo album and
discovered that the opening track was called ‘Quitters’, a song, he explained,
“about the joys of quitting. Or just fantasising about quitting.”
But, if truth be told, I wasn’t really that surprised, as Juan’s work has always
taken me to unexpected places.
It’s been quite a trip, starting in Ballarat with a band called Epicure when Juan
was just 16. The following decade was filled with sold-out shows, appearances
at the Falls Festival and Big Day Out, four studio albums, four songs in Triple
J’s Hottest 100, and tours with everyone from Train to Live.
I remember that Triple J’s Dom Alessio compared Epicure to The Go-Betweens
and The Triffids, saying: “They were a band that knew how to write a classic
pop song which captured an Australian essence.”Juan’s work is grand and eloquent. Gentle and poetic. His songs seem to float;
it’s only later that you realise they’ve left a lasting impression.
It’s easy to write about Juan, but it’s better to listen to his songs. Not that you’ll
necessarily find all the answers there. If I could use just one word to describe
Juan, it would probably be enigmatic. Do I feel like I know him better after
living with Resentments Central for a few weeks? Yes, but I still don’t feel like
I really know him. And I’m totally fine with that. The truly great songwriters
reveal their secrets over time.
But there’s one thing I definitely know. Juan Alban is no quitter. He’s always
going to be making music, though he’ll do it in his own way and in his own
time. Not chasing trends. Walking his own path.
And for that, I am eternally grateful.
Jeff Jenkins, April 2022
Matt Malone is an iconoclastic singer-songwriter hailing from the goldfields region of Victoria, Australia.
Malone is known for his darkly poetic songs tilled from a life walking the line between good + evil, musically integrating post-punk, metal + avant-garde influences with the blues, country, folk + gospel tradition.Matt’s bold baritone / tenebrous imagery have often been compared to Michael Gira, Nick Cave, David Eugene Edwards, Mark Lanegan, Johnny Cash + he has cultivated a cult audience with his intense live performances having shared the stage with the likes of Kim Salmon (Beasts Of Bourbon) + Hugo Race (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds).
2023 saw Malone release his critically acclaimed - For The Term Of My Natural Life (VRS Records, CD / Vinyl), solidifying his status as one of the consummate singer-songwriters of the Australian underground. He followed it up w/ a small collection of electrified covers called - Made In The Image, Vol. 1, featuring a reinterpretation of the classic ‘I’m Bad Like Jesse James’ which was endorsed by the John Lee Hooker estate.The Holy Spirits - Anthony Cornish / bass (Ikon, Eden) + James W. du Plessis / drums (Volcanic Honeymoon, Seabirds).Press:'????’- Sydney Morning Herald
'????’- Backseat Mafia
“What a powerful rendition of the John Lee Hooker classic I’m Bad Like Jesse James from bluesman and twang artisan - Matt Malone… I like that!”- Tower Of Song, Double J"Matt Malone & The Holy Spirits sound like a Ennio Morricone score for a Cormac McCarthy movie.”- Americana UK
"Whatever juju, alchemy or disturbed darkness that made Jim Morrison put on a pair of leather trousers & shock the world out of its apathy… Matt has got it!"- Kim Salmon (The Scientists, Beasts Of Bourbon, The Surrealists)
"Matt Malone resonates with echoes of Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen and the greats... his latest single embodies his unique style and lyrical genius." - Anthony De Filipis
+JUAN ALBAN (EPICURE)Many years ago, when his old band broke up, I asked Juan Alban what advice
he’d give a young band just starting out. He replied: “Don’t stop. Ever.”
So, I was surprised when I picked up a copy of Juan’s new solo album and
discovered that the opening track was called ‘Quitters’, a song, he explained,
“about the joys of quitting. Or just fantasising about quitting.”
But, if truth be told, I wasn’t really that surprised, as Juan’s work has always
taken me to unexpected places.
It’s been quite a trip, starting in Ballarat with a band called Epicure when Juan
was just 16. The following decade was filled with sold-out shows, appearances
at the Falls Festival and Big Day Out, four studio albums, four songs in Triple
J’s Hottest 100, and tours with everyone from Train to Live.
I remember that Triple J’s Dom Alessio compared Epicure to The Go-Betweens
and The Triffids, saying: “They were a band that knew how to write a classic
pop song which captured an Australian essence.”Juan’s work is grand and eloquent. Gentle and poetic. His songs seem to float;
it’s only later that you realise they’ve left a lasting impression.
It’s easy to write about Juan, but it’s better to listen to his songs. Not that you’ll
necessarily find all the answers there. If I could use just one word to describe
Juan, it would probably be enigmatic. Do I feel like I know him better after
living with Resentments Central for a few weeks? Yes, but I still don’t feel like
I really know him. And I’m totally fine with that. The truly great songwriters
reveal their secrets over time.
But there’s one thing I definitely know. Juan Alban is no quitter. He’s always
going to be making music, though he’ll do it in his own way and in his own
time. Not chasing trends. Walking his own path.
And for that, I am eternally grateful.
Jeff Jenkins, April 2022
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