Curious what notable personalities in the scene think was great this year? So is TGEFM! So we reached out to some of our favorite luminaries ranging from musicians, label personnel, and more for their “Best of 2023” lists. Now, listen: TGEFM is not a taskmistress. Contributors can write these out however they want. So if it doesn't actually look or read like a list… and sometimes it really is just a list with no other observations! Who cares?
Melbourne, Australia act Catholic Guilt combine elements of punk, alt, folk and rock, resulting in a sound they describe as ‘honest music'. Their nostalgic new tune “Can You See Me?”, is out now via Wiretap Records. Drawing inspiration from the Australian indie and punk scene from the 2000s, “Can You See Me?” is a tale of lost identity and feeling at odds with yourself.
The band released their debut EP, Hymnbook Vol. 1 independently in 2018 and followed it up in 2020 with This Is What Honesty Sounds Like via Wiretap Records. This Is What Honesty Sounds Like earned the band national and international airplay across over 130 stations and received widespread acclaim from outlets including Alternative Press, Music Feeds, Brooklyn Vegan, Pop Matters and landed them a coveted triple j Unearthed feature artist spot.
Catholic Guilt will support Guttermouth (US) in March 2024.
Member: Dean (Guitar/Vox)
Top 5 Gigs I went to!
City & Colour
Bon Iver
The Teskey Brothers
Back To The Future (The Musical) – Not technically a gig, but it was soooo good!
The Beatles – White Album – (Tim Rogers / Chris Cheney / Phil Jamieson / Josh Pyke)
Member: Brenton (Vox)
Top 5 Holy Shit! Moments In Mainstream Pro Wrestling This Year
CM Punk returns to WWE at Survivor Series – War Games in Chicago
Swerve Strickland and Hangman Adam Page – Texas Death Match at AEW Full Gear
AEW sells out Wembley for All In London
Sami Zayn turns on Roman Reigns
Cody Rhodes not ‘finishing the story' at Mania
Notable mentions:
– Any segment or moment involving Rhea Ripley and Dirty Dom. Mami is making us very proud down under.
– Bryan Danielson getting to fight Okada at Forbidden Door. He got IRL injured, but it was still surreal to see Okada in a mainstream US wrestling promotion.
Member: Megan (Guitar/Vox)
My Top 5 Blue Guitars
Eastman Juliet LA
Harmony Silhouette
Gretsch 140th Anniversary G5230T
Fender '59 Custom Shop Strat
Fender Telecaster – Chrissie Hynde Signature
Member: Ben (Bass)
Top 5 TV shows I binged watched this year in the order that I thought of them
Rick and Morty
Wednesday
Yellowstone
Ru Paul's Drag Race
Poker Face