Welcome to Notes From Pig City. This is my online archive for as much of my journalism as I can keep up with. Published pieces will be reposted here as soon as they can be. I also write exclusively on my Patreon page; those pieces are not republished here.
I’m the author of two books: Pig City (2004), a book about Brisbane, and Something To Believe In (2019), a music memoir. I'm currently employed by AAP. I continue to freelance occasionally for other publications, mostly Guardian Australia, where it doesn't conflict with my full-time gig.
I have a wide variety of interests, and they’re reflected by the number of tabs in the main menu. You can click through those, or the archive list at the bottom to find what you might be interested in, whether you’re a casual visitor or looking for something specific.
If you want to get in touch send me a message here.
While most people in Brisbane were battening down the hatches ahead of the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Alfred, others revelled in what was, for them, one of the most exciting natural events of their lives. Over the course of the weekend and into Monday, throngs of birdwatchers lined the shores of Bramble Bay in the […]
Twinnies care for sodden seabirds after Alfred Read More »
Live music promoters TEG Group and British band New Order are facing a public backlash after announcing they would go ahead with a scheduled concert in Brisbane as the city grapples with major flooding in the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. The concert, part of the Manchester synth-pop pioneers’ Australian tour, is set to take place Tuesday
New Order face cyclonic backlash in Brisbane Read More »
Tex Perkins has been around the ruthlessly ageist Australian music industry to know an opportunity when he sees it. “As far as Boomers and Generation X punters go, it’s all about anniversaries these days,” he says with a dry chuckle, somewhere on top of a hill (the mobile reception is better) near his home in
The Cruel Sea: Honeymoon spark returns Read More »
Journalists, as a rule, don’t write the headlines. They’re designed to catch your attention, especially in our click-based economy, and unfortunately aren’t always an accurate reflection of the story they’re selling. But even as a journalist who knows this all too well, I’m still troubled by one headline from a few years ago that read: “Peter
Peter Dutton: Bacon got back Read More »
For more than a decade, you could be forgiven for thinking that Jack White – rock & roll’s last great aesthetic purist – had diverged from his righteous path, if not lost his way entirely. Once an unbridled force of nature, his music had become so self-conscious and studied that, if nothing else, you had
Jack White: Live, 6 December 2024 Read More »
How do you follow up an instant classic? This was the challenge faced by King Stingray, the self-described Yolŋu surf-rock group from Yirrkala in north-east Arnhem Land, whose self-titled 2022 debut sounded more like a greatest hits collection than a first album. It deservedly won the Australian Music Prize. Thankfully, the band hasn’t overthought things. Their answer
King Stingray: For the Dreams Read More »