Sounds of Down Under

Of course, it would be rude to ignore the contributions of Australia’s biggest export since Castlemaine XXXX, no not Men at Work, but INXS - who were one of the world's most successful rock bands and had a string of hits spanning two decades. And of course who can forget Rolf Harris’s contribution to the credibility of antipodean music... ahem.

But this was all in the golden amber days of gone by. What does the land Down Under have to offer us in 2005 — more predictable pop slop?

The Neighbours pop star alumni has most recently been extended to include Delta Goodrem — who we will be seeing a lot more of in 2005, as she is yet to release further singles from her second album in the coming months.

The petite princess of pop, Kylie, has already sold out her UK Greatest Hits Tour in April, and sister Dannii also has a new album out in the spring - going to show one thing — that Aussie girls with fame in their sights are much like another Oz export — the boomerang.

However it’s not all bad news... steering away from their pop predecessors, and described as 'The hottest band in rock' by NME, Jets will be following up their hits including 'Are You Gonna Be My Girl' with a new album in 2005.

The Melbourne based four-piece have also been nominated alongside Maroon 5, Scissor Sisters, Kanye West and The Killers for the Best International Breakthrough Artist at the 2005 Brit Awards.

They are currently working on their second album due out this year — and will back touring the UK as soon as their new songs are ready — so watch this space...

Another tip for the future sound of Oz, is the melodious Melbourne rock band Square One. Having been recently signed by the UK label Now & Then - they are a band with ambitions to take over the UK. Listen out for their album Supersonic due out soon - it's going to be a big hit.

Heavy rock band The Butterfly Effect will also be making a lot of noise when they hit the UK as part of their European tour late in the new year. Having built up something of a reputation touring with System of a Down, they are about as close to Kylie as Sydney is to Perth! So it seems that the Australian music scene might shake off its soap-sullied image after all!