Perhaps an anthem for our times? If you like a bit of Nick Cave-infused messy grit-pop-rock, then this Sydney-based trio, The Wild Frontier, may be for you. The brainchild of brother and sister, Christopher and Philippa Mayes, with David Mackie, this archival style promo seems to hang together quite well in a sort of sixth class collage kinda way. As the band themselves pronounce on their YouTube channel: ‘Get your sackcloth on and writhe in the ashes’. Just what I was thinking.

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There is no subtle way of saying this: I have never been to Homebake. Ever. It has never really appealed to me. Yes, I love Triple J. Ye,s I love local music. But Homebake was always just a little too grungy. Then I saw this year’s line up. Yes, after cancelling in 2010, Australian music festival Homebake is back in full force for 2011.

If Pnau, Goyte, Kimbra, and The Vines are not enough, add Cut Copy and Lady Hawke and I’m now frothing at the mouth with excitement. Homebake 2011 invites you to kick off Summer in style playing host to the best new local and international talent while also paying homage to some legends, such as Nick Cave, who will be fronting for Grinderman.

If the music isn’t enough of a draw, Homebake also plays host to a film and arts festival. And brand new this year is a comedy stage bought to you by The Sydney Comedy Festival.

Tickets are still available, so hop to it. They sold out in 2009, and with this star-studded line-up, it’s likely to sell out again. And quickly.

Set to a reworking of Nick Cave’s immortal ballad, The Ship Song, this short film and song features performances by Neil Finn, Kev Carmody, Sarah Blasko, Angus and Julia Stone, Paul Kelly, Temper Trap, Martha Wainwright, Katie Noonan and Daniel Johns.

We Were One is the debut album by Columboid. Shattering orthodox approaches, their brand of brooding anthems are a cross between the heightened awareness of Nick Cave and the darkly sexy, throbbing keyboards and twisted party-times of TV On The Radio.

Chicago-based artist, educator, and Alvin Ailey dancer Nick Cave (not to be confused with the other one) has been wowing people with his amazing Soundsuits for years now. Inspired by African ceremonial costumes, Cave’s pieces fuse sculpture, fashion, and performance.

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A lot of horror lies buried in the American landscape, and the nation’s music, since long before the time of Charlie Poole and Leadbelly, has often dealt with themes of death, murder, war, and the occult. It’s funny then that people should be so jarred by bands like Those Poor Bastards, who, drawing from bluegrass and old time music, create menacing, sinister, gothic country. A natural extension of the murder ballad tradition, the Wisconsin-based outfit incorporates sounds and ideas from more contemporary dark genres and acts — metal, industrial, Nick Cave, and Tom Waits — making music that sounds a bit like a zombie Johnny Cash in a top-hat.

The Cad Factory is an inner-city warehouse space in Marrickville, Sydney that holds band and performance nights, as well as art exhibitions. The likes of Conway Savage from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Mick Turner from The Dirty Three have played solo gigs at the Factory, while electro-punk performance trio Toy Death have caused chaos onstage on a regular basis. Artists such as photographer Clare Pandemonium and painter Edwina Wrobel have contributed to the ambiance, exhibiting their works on the warehouse walls. Event organisers Vic McEwan and Sarah Moor intend The Cad Factory to be a place in which ‘people can come together [and] nurture their own ideas’. With an artist residency program in action, and McEwan and Moor committed to promoting the work of new artists and musicians, The Cad Factory certainly looks like it will be an up-and-coming venue for creative people to strut their stuff. I’m really looking forward to their March 15 gig, which will feature Joe Lally, the bassist from Fugazi, and their upcoming experimental performance night of March 1, which will showcase the work of American sound composer Kraig Grady.