Roller Derby is one of Australia's fastest growing sports, helped along by the success of the Drew Barrymore-produced Whip It. With leagues popping up in every city and a host of international teams touring our shores, it's been hard to ignore the roller derby juggernaut.

We headed along to the Victorian Roller Derby's sold out Double Dissolution bout to find out exactly what the sport is about... And of course to check out the bashers, crashers and smashers.

Photo: NovaFM.com.au / Cameron Stewart
Video editing & filming: Talitha Conway

Apple is one company that's perfected hype marketing. Each time a new iPhone or iPad hits the shelves, we see hysteria on a global scale.

When the iPhone 4 was released in Australia we decided to join the queue and chat to those camping out for the night and even spoke to the person who managed to buy Australia's very first iPhone 4.

Photo: Apple
Video editing & filming: Talitha Conway 

Katy Perry's debut album, One Of The Boys, demonstrated an innate ability for creating instant familiarity in pop music. On Teenage Dream Perry proves it wasn't a fluke.

Those who witnessed Perry in full flight on stage in Melbourne last month can attest to that fact as the singer belted out what sounded like a greatest hits set, still weeks out from the release of her second album.

And it's that talent which sees the release of Teenage Dream move Perry a step closer to the pop throne she's been propelling herself toward.

Teenage Dream is her most promising step up yet, following the path many great pop albums do: swinging from exceptional to very, very bad. For every head-invading, chart-topping, pop anthem on Teenage Dream there are cringeworthy moments ready to counteract them.

But it's a proven formula in pop music. Madonna's Like A Prayer yielded the title track alongside "Act of Contrition". Britney Spears fronted up with "...Baby One More Time" and "Email My Heart" on her debut album. And Lady Gaga delivered "Poker Face" and "Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" all within a few tracks of each other on The Fame.

Lead singles "California Gurls" and "Teenage Dream" are two of the album's said anthems, but Perry hasn't played her hand too early by unleashing those first up.

Teenage Dream is an effortless throwback to Perry's younger years. Retelling the rollercoaster ride of teenage emotions -- from euphoria to melancholy and back again -- Teenage Dream offers a warning against growing up too fast and skipping over life's defining moments.

The "Hey Mickey" inspired "Peacock", full of thinly veiled innuendos as Perry chants "I wanna see your peacock, cock, cock", is Teenage Dream's surefire third single.

"Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" lets the Teenage Dream continue as Perry sings about maxing out credit cards, threesomes, skinny dipping and everything else we all get up to on an average Friday night.

Reminiscing about college days, "The One That Got Away" provides another album high, detailing a lost love and making out to Radiohead in a Mustang.

On occasion Perry's sugary overtones are too saccharin creating a paraody of herself she'd be best avoiding. "E.T." is Katy Perry gone too far while the faux-angst of "Circle The Drain" just doesn't sell itself.

But the lows on Teenage Dream are well and truly eclipsed by sundrenched anthems, seeing Katy Perry convincingly avoid the sophomore slump.

With enough hooks and potential singles to propel her through 2011, it's not a stretch to declare Teenage Dream this summer's soundtrack while we're still wallowing in winter. And you can't help but think that's exactly what Perry was aiming for.

Teenage Dream is in store now.

This piece originally appeared on NovaFM.com.au on 30/08/2010

It's been a long time coming for Bliss N Eso, but the hip hop trio finally took out the #1 spot on the ARIA album chart this week with fourth album, Running on Air, after ten years in the game.

Bliss N Eso's ascension sees them topple Eminem's Recovery from the top spot after a six week rein.

The band's second album, Day of the Dog, became the first Australian hip hop album to debut in the ARIA top 50, landing at #43 in the chart back in 2006. That's when punters first started to take note of the Bliss N Eso juggernaut.

It wasn't until the release of 2008's Flying Colours -- which debuted in the top ten of the ARIA album chart and saw the boys take home an ARIA award -- that Australians began to embrace the brilliance of Bliss N Eso.

Four huge singles resulted from Flying Colours, followed by appearances at every music festival worthy of a mention, a North American tour and an appearance before 80 000 at Melbourne's Sound Relief event, announcing to the world that Bliss N Eso had well and truly arrived.

The release of Running on Air and resulting #1 is icing on the cake for the Bliss N Eso team.

"We were rehearsing for our new show when we got the news on Friday night about the sales and chart position," MC Eso explained to NovaFM.com.au earlier today.

"The three of us were huddled around the phone when we got the call from Matt and Adam at Illusive and the result was hard to comprehend. It just reinforces that if you believe, you can achieve."

Bliss N Eso are currently on tour across Australia. Running on Air is available now.

Bliss N Eso tour dates:
Friday 13 August - Palace Theatre, Melbourne - SOLD OUT
Thursday 19 August - Enmore Theatre, Sydney - SOLD OUT
Friday 20 August - The Tivoli, Brisbane - SOLD OUT
Saturday 21 August - Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide

This piece originally appeared on NovaFM.com.au on 09/08/2010

Sydney's Cloud Control will release one of this year's finest albums, Bliss Release, this weekend, and vocalist Alistair Wright has put together an exclusive track-by-track of the record for Koffee users.

Cloud Control, currently touring Australia with Vampire Weekend, have become one of this year's most hyped bands, and it's not without good cause. Kicking goals both in Australia and overseas, and with an exceptional debut album in the bag, these kids are worth keeping an eye on.

Alistair Wright's Bliss Release track-by-track:

01: "Meditation Song #2 (Why, Oh Why)"
This song is a big fuzz wave that you can ride. Nobody can explain the majesty.

02: "There's Nothing In The Water We Can't Fight"
We wrote this together on opposite sides of the world, without the internet. How is that even possible? Some would say it was a 'spiritual connection' but those people are hippies. And that's OK with me.

03: "Ghost Story"
This is a song about telling ghost stories. It's not actually a ghost story it's more about telling ghost stories. It's also about representing where you live. Yes, that kind of reprazent.

04: "Gold Canary"
Good for singing from clifftops into valleys. You have to sing it loud enough so that it bounces back to you and all around until you are surrounded by voices.

05: "This Is What I Said"
Like, just floating. And bubbling layers of song. It's about reality. And superreality. They both exist. But anyway, life is not about the meaning.

06: "Just For Now"
Sometimes you need to remember that things come and go, and that today is always the best day of your life. Know what I mean? It doesn't get any better than this - ever. That's what this one is about.

07: "The Rolling Stones"
I sure hope we don't get busted for having a song that has the same name as a well known band. I guess we just came to the same conclusion as them, and that's why it's called the rolling stones. But it has nothing to do with that band, promise.

08: "Hollow Drums"
Sometimes a song will just come up out of nowhere and bite you in the face. You don't even mean to write it but somehow it just jumps out and says "make me live". That is what writing this one was like.

09: "My Fear"
Almost made the album in a different form, as an acoustic kind of track. But in this version, you'll start off bopping your head, then you can sing along, then your face gets melted and then at the end you can really feel it. If you know what I'm saying.

10: "Beast Of Love"
The sound of Heidi and Ulrich arguing about lyrics the night before the album is due to be mixed and mastered. There is a surprisingly small amount of heated discussion and yelling involved, more echo vocals and a damn smooth fadeout. Very relaxed people, those Lenffers.

Cloud Control's Bliss Release is released on May 14.

Catch Cloud Control live this May/June:
May 14 - Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
May 15 - Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
May 21 - Republic Bar, Hobart
May 22 - East Brunswick Club, Melbourne
May 23 - East Brunswick Club, Melbourne
May 27 - Prince of Wales, Bunbury
May 28 - Mojo's, Fremantle
May 29 - Amplifier Hotel, Perth
June 2 - Beach Road Hotel, Sydney
June 5 - Transit Bar, Canberra
June 11 - Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay
June 12 - The Zoo, Brisbane
June 19 - Jive Bar, Adelaide

This piece originally appeared on koffee.com.au on 13/05/2010

A St. Louis church, known for their hateful anti-homosexual views, picketed a Lady Gaga concert over the weekend.

The Westboro Baptist Church announced plans to stage a protest outside Lady Gaga's Monsterball in St. Louis, writing on their website, "Now what type of wicked hypocrites would we be if we did not warn this little false prophetess and all of her over-indulged sycophants that they are each one, individually heading straight to hell in a gender-confused, self-loathing, tone-deaf hand basket and that a gift from the God they hate?"

The group, which have claimed "God hates 'Lady' Gaga" did not hold back in their tirade against the singer, "There appears to be little to no hope for her, but who is to say what is doing with the souls of those who may be swarming to listen to your less-than-beautiful singing program?"

Remaining classy, Lady Gaga addressed her fans via her Facebook page, urging her Little Monsters to steer clear of the hate group as they arrived at her show.

"This group of protesters are hate criminals and preach using lewd and violent language and imagery that I wish I protect you all from. Their message is of hatred and divisiveness, but inside at the Monsterball we preach love and unity," she wrote.

"My request to all little monsters and public authorites is to pay these hate criminals no mind. Do not interact with them, or try to fight, Do not respond to any of their provocation. Don't waste your words, or feelings, no matter what you hear or see you are more fortunate and blessed than they are, and in your heart just pray for them.

"Although I respect and do not judge anyone for their personal views on any politics or religion, this group in particular to me, is violent and dangerous I wanted to make my fans aware of my views on how to approach, or rather not approach, these kinds of hate activists."

It appears Lady Gaga's Little Monsters took note of her advice as Gaga declared victory over the protestors post-show, writing on her Twitter: "Tonight love and hate met in St. Louis. And love outnumbered the hate, in poetic thousands. Hate left. But love stayed. + Together, we sang."

This piece originally appeared on NovaFM.com.au on 19/07/2010

BREAKING NEWS: despite rumours suggesting otherwise DJ Tiesto is not dead, but he is headlining this year's Stereosonic.

In what appears to be 2010's version of Richard Wilkins' Jeff Goldblum gaffe, a rival radio network earlier today pronounced Tiesto -- the world's #1 DJ -- dead, claiming he'd been fatally injured in a car accident.

Listen to the false declaration of Tiesto's death:

NovaFM can confirm that Tiesto is in fact alive and kicking, so much so that he'll be heading to Australia later this year to headline the annual Steresonic festival.

Tiesto's Australian tour earlier this year was a huge success, selling out nine arena-sized shows across the country.

His return as a Stereosonic headliner is sure to be one of the most anticipated events of the year.

Stay tuned to NovaFM.com.au for more myth-dispelling and Stereosonic news.

Stereosonic tour dates:
Saturday 27 November – Sydney
Sunday 28 November – Perth
Saturday 4 December - Melbourne & Adelaide
Sunday 5 December – Brisbane

UPDATE: Tiesto has broken his silence regarding yesterday's hoax surrounding his death.

The music world was thrown into disarray yesterday after false reports of Tiesto's death were spread.

Today Tiesto has taken to his Facebook page, confirming his health and thanking fans for their support saying, "It's nice to read that people care about my life.Thank you for all the support. It's good to be alive and to get so much love from you xx"

After a highly successful tour earlier this year, Tiesto will be returning to Australia in November as he headlines the 2010 Stereosonic Festival. Tickets are on sale in early August, but for now mark the following dates in your diary -- it's certainly a must-attend event:
Saturday 27 November – Sydney
Sunday 28 November – Perth
Saturday 4 December - Melbourne & Adelaide
Sunday 5 December – Brisbane

This piece originally appeared on NovaFM.com.au on 07/07/2010