Just another music lover's gig review blog.

Richard Ashcroft (moments before hissy fit)

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The Damned, The Hi Fi, Thursday 19th January, 2012


Back in "the day", Triple J ran a Hottest 100 songs of all time. This was in 1998 when I was in primary school and living in Caboolture and the Hilltop Hoods didn't exist. I remember voting for "Joga" by Björk and also "Happiness" by Regurgitator, because, you know, they were the best songs of all time. Dad voted for "Smash it Up" by the Damned, the English goth punks from the 70's. I remember he wrote as his 25-words-or-less rationale: “because in my youth I often wanted to smash things up and I'd be damned if the Damned got there first”. My dad probably doesn't remember this, but I do. Years later, I discovered the Damned for myself, after finding a CD copy of 'Machine Gun Etiquette' and buying it for him, and have since forever associated Dad as being a big fan of that band. And no amount of mum saying 'But he HATES the Hi Fi!' could stop me from buying him a ticket to their show for Christmas. What followed was a lovely daddy-daughter evening, where I ate a leek tart at a restaurant that served possum, and had 2 glasses of very nice wine (Dad = still able to drive; me = wheeeeeeeee!)

The Damned were scheduled to start at 9.30, a welcome early start for the Hi Fi – I still remember walking out of there after 1am one night while Tim Rogers was continuing to prance about. We still had a half hour wait ahead of us, so grabbed a drink as Dad lamented on how much he hated the Hi Fi: Me- "Well the Tivoli has a name behind it where as the Hi Fi is still gaining one." Dad- "The Hi Fi has a name. It's “crap”." 
Granted, it is a pretty terrible sounding venue, not quite as bad as Woodland, but one of those place where it is better to be situated in the middle back area than anywhere else. And when you're at a "rock show", you naturally want to experience it as close as possible, am I right?
Which is exactly what happened. Expecting myself to lead the way into the surprisingly large, goth-dressed crowd of all ages, Dad actually took the initiative to force us through people with gusto, pushing us through without a thought for some of the annoyed comments they gave. Slightly embarrassed from being "those people", I also couldn't help but be proud of my Dad the middle aged pusher-inner-er. How very rock & roll. 



The band kicked off with cheers from the crowd, with an immediately gritty tune I didn't recognise; "Neat Neat Neat". The band wasn't overly 'dressed up' as what must have been the case in their heyday, but they were definitely in signature style. Captain Sensible looked like he had stepped out of a french cartoon with his trademark beret and sunnies, and a brightly striped shirt with "FREAK" written on it. Lead singer Dave Vanian was only subtly vampirish with suit, sunnies and a slightly pasty appearance. Together they looked like a motley crew of ageing dudes still kind of stuck in the 70's but with absolutely no shame.


Together they played a tight, energetic set, which sounded pretty decent despite the aforementioned limitations of the Hi Fi. Avian and Sensible's voices sounded slightly matured but still strong and sporting that Brit-punk accent. To me, their style and sound has always felt similar to that of the Stranglers, and I couldn't help thinking that throughout their show. Luckily for me they played a nice helping of 'Machine Gun Etiquette' songs, including "I Just Can't Be Happy Today", and "Love Song", as well as their other big hit, "New Rose", and many other songs that held true to their raw style. There was a lot I didn't know, but all of it was pleasing to my ears and bopping feet, and reminded me of how much I love this era's music. Even though I'm too young to ever really fully appreciate what it was all about, the punk rock and new wave of the 1970's-1980's somehow makes me feel at home, safe and happy. Maybe, or likely, it's just my parents' constant churning out of its music in my younger years that has done that for me; combined with the fact that its songs will always be there, untainted, permanent and still fresh, while new music continues to deteriorate with re-hashing, mass production and autotune.

bassist Stu West, Dave, and Sideshow Bob (aka Monty Oxy Moron)


Anyway, the show continued with the band not losing an atom of energy, and sharing their joy at playing their catalogue to an old and new audience. Capt. Sensible and at times Dave addressed the crowd between songs with reminiscence, such as Sensible's musings about Malcom McLaren, and his acknowledgement of the Saints: "Everyone thought the Sex Pistols started punk. But I think it was the band right here that did it!" Cue cheers and claps. After slogging through a fair amount of typically short punk tunes, they exited for a few minutes in preparation for their encore. I have to say, waits for encores have been very short lately, which has been both pleasing and efficient. Good job bands!
They came out with their 1985 hit cover "Eloise". During the show I had been looking over at my dad from time to time to ensure he was enjoying himself, which he appeared to, but I knew that it would have all been given a sub-par rating if they didn't play "Smash It Up" (parts 1 AND 2). At this point I suddenly worried they weren't going to play it. But luckily, as "Eloise" finished, the moment came when Dave announced the next song. The opening chords of "Smash It Up parts 1 and 2" began and the already energetic vibe was increased 3 fold. As part 1 kicked into part 2, I couldn't help but jump at the awesomeness. It was a wall of raw, explosive, joyous sound (always *good for a Hi Fi gig*). Dad looked a bit more smiley. As the song finally subsided in it's lazy final lyrics, it was an awesome ending to the show. We battled the crowd out with ringing ears and I finally felt comforted in my choice of birthday present for Dad; we were both glad we came. The Damned has proven that despite it being 2012, they can still draw a crowd and replicate the feel of 1979, showing there is a reason they still stand out as one of the first successful punk bands of all time.



Then, while youtubing for this post, I found this cover of Love's "Alone Again Or". Every punk band that doesn't die with the genre inevitably ends up making musical mistakes. But why did they do this? It just sounds the same but with 80's tackiness splashed all over it. WHY? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY???? Why.


8 red berets out of 10. 

Saturday, January 21, 2012

tUnE- yArDs (with Wintercoats and Fox & Sui), Corner Hotel, Richmond VIC, Sunday 14th January 2012


8am Sunday morning I travelled to Melbourne for essentially one purpose: To see the lady who has restored my faith in modern music of today and in the future. It has come to mine and others attention that I have become a bit obsessed with Merril Garbus, the brain behind tUnE-yArDs. I was still exhausted from the hours of supporting myself at the Arctic Monkeys gig that night before, and was travelling on about 4 and a half hours sleep, but I spent the day around the city resisting all ideas of napping. Pepped up to the point of jitters on 2 mochas and a berocca, I found my way to the Corner Hotel in Richmond, with a half hour to explore before the support acts began. 



I was surprised by the lack of people as support act Wintercoats began- an act I had discovered a few weeks earlier with interest, and is getting a decent amount of 4ZZZ airplay of late. I must admit, I'm stupid when it comes to appreciating something for what it is, and instead end up comparing stuff to the experiences I've already had. And while doing this, in my experience, a Brisbane show usually has ten times the huddle of people for the first support act than the Corner did. (Is the Melbourne music scene so thriving that people don't care much for their local music? Sorry no, I'll stop judging..) 
Anyway, Wintercoats was an engaging, awe inspiring show, in which James Wallace carried his performance with merely a violent, loop pedal, and his voice. He did everything imaginable to that violin to create the sounds of his latest creations: strummed, plucked, played, tapped, even sang into it, and the result was quite ethereal and magnificent. While I applauded his ingenuity and creativity (and ability to plow through his songs without a beat), it also made me inspired that if one guy with a violin can do all that, I wouldn't need much to make my own live musical project. Except maybe.. talent... commitment... lessons... and money...




Anyway, James trotted off and not much of a wait later the young looking pair Fox & Sui replaced the stage with an array of synths, a bass and some greenery. My immediate reaction was "Indie! Oh god the indie!". But as the music began it went to show that first impressions can be deceiving and I should keep my snobbery to myself. While very style driving (maybe Little Dragon meets Beach House) the music was catchy, breezy, and danceably enjoyable, even enticing a couple of hipsters to dance at the front as the rest of us sat comfortably. They expressed their happiness that so many came to support them and mentioned already having seen tUnE-yArDs at Sugar Mountain festival already (rub it in yeah?). The only thing that fit my original judgment was their insistence upon using a watery rainforest noise effect in between every single song. 


So moving along, the thing that I don't really have experience with at the Corner was the curtain, drawn before each act. It prolonged the mystery of what we'd expect when tthey opened, however distanced us a bit from the artists themselves. It also prevented me from acting on my decision to grab a setlist after the show. Disappoint. As I waited for it's final parting I overheard one audience member say perhaps too loudly "At least there aren't many lesbians here tonight! Last time there were only lesbians!"... 
Anyway the curtain finally were drawn to slap past my eager face and see Merril right up to the microphone with her two drums either side of her- all distance gone as she was so damn close to me. Hence, photo GOLD. 


VIEW= A+!!!

bassist Nate Brenner
She kicked off with a few minutes of improvised howling, growling and vocal sretching which in one way was a bit alienating but in another, fixating. Her vocals then began to be looped as her bassist and sax duo turned up, and together they presented us with "You Yes You". Oh.. words escape me. I'd seen Youtube videos of the band in live action, Merril prepping herself with her loop pedal, drums and ukelele, and playing her heart out with her signature screech; but nothing could compare to the real thing. Seamlessly she began her harmonies and lead the band in, each song keeping to absolutely faultless timing without a whisper of a prompt.  
Merril and Sex I mean Sax Crew
I can't emphasise the timing enough; in the next explosive selection, "Gangsta", the bridge with its schizophrenic timing was executed like magic... I was gobsmacked. It would have been more awe inspiring had I NOT seen the videos but they had got me excited for the gig (and probably initiated me to actually travel for it), so I REGRET NOTHING. For all I know it was all extremely rehearsed to perfection, but it sounded so fresh and beautiful, and it'd be nice to see such dedication in all live music performances.





The songs continued, Merril expressing everything she sang through her eyes and mouth, wide eyed in some moments and closed in enjoyment in others. As a performer she connected subtly well with the audience as if sharing a fond memory or joke, especially with a coy smile in a few rare occasions when a loop didn't kick in or a strum failed. She explained her strumming issue as due to a nail she had specially designed for her ukelele having come a little loose, bringing a human side to her genius (and an "aww" from the audience). She also appeared extremely pleased that such a large group of people had turned up to see her, and remarked upon the fact she was used to being relatively unknown during tours in new countries. Thanks for making us feel cool, Merril!


Her setlist was made up of most of 'W H O K I L L', the only glaring exception from that album being "Riot Riot". She also introduced "Hatari" from her previous album 'Bird Brains' and also the only other non-'W H O K I L L' track I knew, "Real Live Flesh". All the songs she and the band performaed were replicated with all the precision, energy and passion as on record, enhanced further by being able to watch it all unfold layer by layer. The magnificent sax section went nuts with their crazy solos and peppered contributions toward each song. Amongst it all was Merril's enormous, all-encompassing voice, which did not falter an inch, and threatened to make my eardrums explode with it's sheer volume. 
She came back for just one encore song, being "Party Can (Do You Want to Live)", a most appropriate choice thanks to the back and forth: Merril "Do you want to live!?" Audience "YES!". It left me with such an inspired buzz, which tUnE-yArDs' music really seems to be trying to do; to push the envelope and the people in it to go out and be alive, say something, do something, scream and howl and dance and make sense of this crazy world of sex, drugs and politics. 
tUnE-yArDs Brisbane show is tomorrow night at the Powerhouse, at which time I will be tied up with singing "everybody knows I'm a mahfuckin' monstaah" at the Big Day Out. Tickets are still available which means if you're not joining me at BDO, you have no excuse not to go check her out. You really, really, really should. Unless, you know, you hate lesbians. :/


BANGBANGBANG


Nine and a half bangs/ukes/tribalfacepaintings out of 10. 

Friday, January 20, 2012

Arctic Monkeys (with Miles Kane and Violent Soho), The Riverstage, Saturday 13th of January 2011

I spent a long time anticipating this gig, after my year of Arctic Monkeys obsession (particularly their latest release 'Suck It And See'). So when last Saturday finally came, I was ready, and eager, and anticipatory, and keen, and... where's my thesaurus... 


Myself with Arctic Monkeys Super Fans group turned up at the Riverstage a little before 7 to hear Violent Soho starting their support slot quite early. The usuals ("Love is A Heavy Word", "Scrape It", Jesus Stole My Girlfriend") were played amongst a couple of new songs, during which we were able to easily set ourselves up in the mosh amongst the mostly nonchalant audience. I've been told to tear Violent Soho to shreds in this blog, and also to describe them as "the nail in the coffin of 90's grunge". But instead I'll say that despite Arctic Monkey's stadium rock moments that Violent Soho are completely all about, they really were NOT suited to a support slot for the wide ranging audience of the Monkeys. In some ways it would have made sense, but on the day, it just felt odd, and they may have noticed this also, as I don't think they played for much longer than 25 minutes. 



A bit of a mosh wait later and Miles Kane appeared on the scene. Miles is the other half of Alex Turner's side project the Last Shadow Puppets, and was here with a full band and a very spotty shirt. It was during Miles Kane that I finally realized WHY CROWD SURGES HAPPEN! So many festivals and big scale shows have involved me getting all in a tizz as the mosh pit suddenly experiences a rush from one side to the other, leaving people losing their feet in their wake. It's only taken me a million years but myself and gig buddies managed to take advantage of them by moving along with the surges into their resulting gaps to secure ourselves closer positions. Of course, the people driving them are probably just shoving themselves into people which is dangerous and stupid... but I am now appreciative of shitty crowd behaviour! Particularly as we ended up 3 people back from the front before the main act started. 


Miles' selection of tunes were very pleasing to the ear, being consistently catchy, rock driven songs, backed by an exceptional band and a powerful voice. I hadn't heard any of his work before, but it felt much like later Arctic Monkeys with more of an early Oasis-y feel to it. An enjoyable, inoffensive, and entertaining show, I wish I could have paid more attention (or seen... anything...) while I concentrated on edging closer to the stage. However, it definitely put me in the mood for the Monkeys as well as inspired me to check out more of his music. 




Rushes finalized and position secured, it was finally Monkey time. The members came out with Alex Turner following, and they commenced a thundering opener with "Don't Sit Down or I'll Move Your Chair". As soon as the introduction was over, the crowd was in a frenzy. I was also in a frenzy, which kept me from being completely bowled over and thrown to my death. It was an excellent start, with their signature guitar jangles strong and piercing, as was Alex's clear and heartfelt voice. As the songs continued, it was all pure rock, from their debut hits "View from the Afternoon" and "Still Take You Home"; "Teddy Picker" and "Brianstorm" from 'Your Favourite Worst Nightmare' and 'Humbug''s "Crying Lightning". The songs rolled off the band members effortlessly, with drum sticks flying and guitar solos whipped out in a blur. Pauses in the songs (for example, just after "SEE YOU LATER INNOVATOR" in "Brianstorm") were drawn out so that when the finale of the song came it was an unpredictable explosion. During these numbers I was barely standing as I got into the music as well as being knocked around from spot to spot with the crowd. Alex tried his best to be charming and appropriately 'rockstar' with his "HOW YOU DOIN' BRISBANE!" calls, and sometimes it worked, assisted by his James Dean style attire and hairdo, and perchance for pointing in an "I Want You" fashion...


Other times it kind of felt like he was trying too hard to be engaging, when he is obviously more comfortable as the quiet, tortured genius type. It was also a little disappointing to hear that at their Sydney show two nights prior, which a few gig buddies attended, he had engaged in the exact same banter without any variance, like a script he was set to follow. 
It was however, easy to forgive Alex's odd connection with the audience, when he and his bandmates treated us to such faultless productions of their best crafted songs. The Monkeys became massive very quickly, and having stayed that way as a band they sound massive and full bodied to complement their fame. 
A few slower moments occurred, particularly those tracks from the new album that I had a soft spot for (e.g. "Black Treacle", "She's Thunderstorms"). They were beautifully executed however, despite not really being melancholy tunes, they did let the momentum down a little. This was to be expected as thanks to the new album's maturity, the Monkey's have improved on their range- however, it kind of felt like they had slowed things down a little too much somehow. Other rockier songs from 'Suck it and See' travelled quite well, including the drummer Matt Helder's vocal spot in "Brick By Brick" and rollicking "Library Pictures" (with perhaps the worst line of their career: "well ip, dip, dog shit rock and roll", screamed by everyone up front). 




Miles Kane joined the band for a number I hadn't heard before, "Little Illusion Machine (Wirral Rider)", and added a little more charisma to the stage, working quite well with Alex and looking dapper in a velvet burgundy suit. After a fantastic helping of songs, they powerfully ripped through "When the Sun Goes Down" and left the stage without much ado. Their encore was short and sweet, commencing with the lyrical gem "Suck It and See", and then one of my favourites, "Fluorescent Adolescent", Alex spitting out the words without a hitch. They ended with Miles Kane's assistance again on "505", which, as a darker song I am not too familiar with, felt a little flat as a final send off. 




I'd seen Sydney's setlist prior to the show (as the travelling gig buddies managed to obtain a torn up copy) and it was a little disappointing for me (and moreso for them) that the band had stuck completely to it for the Brisbane gig. Whether it means anything that they don't wish to change things up each show, I'm not sure, but I would have loved to hear "Piledriver Waltz" or at least something more explosive to send us home with. But all that aside, it was a very good selection of their musical journey so far, and most of the moments I anticipated seeing live were reproduced to my satisfaction. And what better way to have such an anticipated live experience than right up front with a rowdy bunch of fellow fans? Even if it did mean needing to take Voltaren and walking around with bruised feet for the next two days. Worth it.

8 and a half hellcats out of 10.


Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Dan Deacon Ensemble with John Maus, Woodland Bar, 12th January 2011



Wasting no time to dawdle in between shows, I decided I needed to catch a much talked about Dan Deacon show, who played at Woodland on Thursday night. I had had a taste of his brand of synth-electro-pop-nintendo-rave music on youtube, and had only heard that his shows were fantastic experiences. I somehow guessed correctly that knowing very little is probably the best way to go in to a Dan Deacon gig. 

Supports Toy Balloon had come and gone before my arrival and there was enough time for a drink before John Maus took the stage. Holy shit did he take the stage (with nothing but a microphone and his fist). His performance was best summarized by my gig-buddy's haiku:

John Maus backing track
Somehow you make it work well
Stop punching your face

I know nothing more about John Maus except that for half an hour it was extremely difficult for me to 1. NOT laugh, as I somehow found his mostly bizarre antics utterly hilarious while also kind of freaking me out or 2. tear my eyes away from the stage. The music was an intense blur of beats and synth, his vocals were an intense blur of Ariel Pink meets Future Islands-ish yelling, and the look on John's face was an intense blur of intensity. I needed a drink. 

A few G&T's later, Dan Deacon took the stage with a very cool set up involving a glowing skull on a stick, including his drummer, synth/pianist and (bassist?). As you can see, Dan Deacon is made up of all of the geekiest attributes of the world's best geek... He is complete with balding hair, huge glasses, a rolly polly body, an impressive beard, and a tendency to blather on quite a bit while projecting an overall charming awkwardness. Throughout the entire show Dan chatted to us ridiculously to the point where he was interrupted by the band more than once. For example, he was about to tell us an anecdote which ended up being "Remember that movie the Matrix? When Morpheus... oh shit, the song's starting!" leading gig buddy to wonder if his band members often have to derail the conversation to just get the show on with. 

Anyway, the actual show. Oh my god. I was looking for the best way to describe this gig but a video someone took of it describes it all for me. I am not prominently featured in it, THANK. GOD. Thanks to the infectiously danceable music and Dan's prescribed audience participation, the energy was fucking amazing, and had myself and gig buddy dancing in ways that I can at least confirm I haven't danced before. I remember even thinking "Oh god I hope no one is filming this" at the time. Shit.

Some of the things Dan made us all do, as you might be able to tell in the video, WERE:

- Raise our arms in the air and point to the ground, for quite a while, as his opening task
- Create a circle with two dancers in the middle, dancing, until they picked the next duo to replace them with their own dancing, and so on 
- One person starting a chain of people by running around the room giving us all high fives and then pulling people in at random, until THE ENTIRE AUDIENCE WAS RUNNING AROUND THE ROOM IN A CIRCLE
- A specially chosen audience member to lead us all in an interpretive dance number complete with crouching on all fours and potentially giving us all shards-of-glass-tetanus
- The audience bunching together and putting our hands on a person's head, then thinking of something we regret doing to someone and ESPing our apology or something like that - my (PRISTINE) hair was being scruffed like a dog but I've never felt more blissfully giggly

All this was possible thanks to the audience's willingness to be involved (apart from a few onlookers) and the fact it was not too packed and there was space to move. He ended on gleeful Crystal Cat (see below), leaving the audience with glistening, smiling faces, so empowered, exhausted, and rejuvenated all at the same time. This was a feeling normally reserved for the likes of the Flaming Lips, but Deacon was a cheaper alternative that was just as effective.

This is Dan Deacon. If the following filmclip does not make you smile, or at least intrigue you enough to watch it until the very end, then you would probably would not have not enjoyed the gig, and been one of those people who stood at the back of the room while the rest of us went apeshit.



Ahh I have two more gigs to review and they were both fantastic in their own ways, so grading is going to be difficult! But this show will stand out as one of the most memorable for me so I have no hesitation in giving it 9 excellent sweaters out of 10 (minus one because of John Maus alienation). 

Friday, January 13, 2012

Fleet Foxes, Tivoli Theatre, 11th of January 2012

Well folks, I was all set to transfer this blog over to Wordpress when either I clicked something to make it better or Blogger just suddenly got better. I am currently using an interface which doesn't suck and this is making an already satisfactory week even better. Congratulations for reading my thoughts blogger! (We'll see how long this lasts, and if I've broken the internet by typing the word 'blogger' into blogger.).
Now, remind me never to use the word 'folks' again, folks. 

Wednesday night was the second night of Fleet Foxes' Brisbane tour, on the back of their critically favoured second album, 'Helplessness Blues'. I'd heard just enough of the new one to discern a few enjoyable favourites, although I would describe the new one as "very Fleet Foxes", without quite as much magic as their 2008 self titled debut. Anyway, I arrived with gig posse just in time for support act Grand Salvo to start his slot, being a bearded folk singer with naught but his acoustic. As he commenced I noticed that the crowd was a quite distinct mix of old and new, with a fair serving of black-framed-glasses hipsterosity. So much so that the lady in front of us walked up to a black-framed stranger, thinking he was her black-framed husband for a few too many seconds until she found him standing on the other side of her. 

Grand Salvo with a boat

Back to the performance! While showing obvious talents on the strings of his guitar, and a sweetly tuned voice to accompany it, the consistently themed tunes he played us were also consistently melancholic-ally dull. It was clear he was chosen for the finger plucking melodic sounds that the Fleet Foxes share, but the interest value was very lacking, and I felt lulled to sleep more than pumped for the headlining band. Perhaps I'd enjoy him better as background music on a wintry afternoon. 

There was very little time to wait before the Fleet Foxes followed his departure, luckily, and frontman Robin Pecknold and company graced the stage with a visual image of stars trailing behind them. A bit of a fumble and they launched into "The Plains/Bitter Dancer" from the new record. Suddenly we were all awake, awed by the powerful crescendo of lushness, and amazingly strong harmonies, broken up by the perfectly synchronised verse chants. Another bit-too-long fumble later and they continued with "Mykonos" from their 'Sun Giant' EP. The band's pauses between songs were a little longer than expected, probably due to their preparation for each special arranged tune, as some members switched from mandolin to guitar, from double bass to flute, and so on. This was noticed by a few crowd douchebags who screeched out songs for them to play as they got ready, and most embarrassingly boganesque "YEAHYEAHH!!!"'s, dog calls, and the kind of yelling reserved for Rage Against the Machine gigs. I don't know if the perpetrators did this to be ironic or as a joke on the band, having been dragged there by others perhaps, but it wasn't funny and it even lead to Robin saying something like "That's not the way to behave in such a tasteful venue as the Tivoli theatre". Robin, drummer Joshua, and other guitarists (view fail.) were pleasantly engaging during these pauses, with relaxed banter and conversation about badly treated cymbals and the Brisbane heat. 

Christian Wargo (bass) and Robin Pecknold (beautiful, beautiful vocals)

Skuler Skjelset (lead guitar) and Morgan Henderson (most other things)

The sensational music continued with highlights from 'Helplessness Blues', including "Sim Sala Bim", "Battery Kinzie", and the lovely opening track "Montezuma". I can't express enough how perfect their harmonies and intricate instrumentals interacted together to create the most fantastic replications of their album songs. It was pristinely clear and completely un-faultable, and in combination with Robin's earnestness in his performance, was even better than on record. An array of visual patterns were projected to support the songs from time to time, and the continual rising of stars made the band look as if they were floating towards us, powered by their music. (I'm a wank.)
My favourite moments were their selection of songs from their first album, including harmony heaven "White Winter Hymnal", the brilliant "He Doesn't Know Why" (with that all powerful bridge "THERE'S NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTHING I CAN DOOOOOOOOOOOO..." projected to utmost satisfaction) and rollicking "Ragged Wood". To finish off before their encore, they decide to replicate the end of the new album, firstly "The Shrine/An Argument", in its layered, almost schizophrenic glory, and the quiet "Blue Spotted Tail" preluding the energetic "Grown Ocean". 


Circle of Robin


It didn't take long for them to come out again for a bit more fumbling and then a nicely packed encore. They treated us to  a lovely bunch of self-titled album songs, including constantly requested "Oliver James", (you lucky pesks), "Sun it Rises", and "Blue Ridge Mountains". Finally, as I had predicted to myself, they left us with their title song, "Helplessness Blues", which powered along fantastically leaving me slightly bittersweet that it was all about to end. Naww.
The crowd trudged out of the Tivoli with great difficulty, and a kind of speechless cloud was over me as I exited. What an amazing start to the year this performance was! Exclamation! The bar is totally set high by the FF's, and it's going to take a lot of perfection to beat this gig. My bittersweet thoughts appear to be shared, as a fellow gig attendee reported on facebook later "That was inspirational and upsetting. Acceptable and infuriating." Agreed.


9 snow topped trees out of 10. Please imagine these trees as we embrace this searing hot summer. Ahhh.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

The Kooks, The Tivoli, Monday 2nd January 2012

The Kooks are a band I only just got into last year, namely their 2006 debut album 'Inside In/ Inside Out', which I bought on a $10 whim, and became quite acquainted with. They're a band I got very late on the bandwagon of, being UK indie pop darlings since their breakthrough. I get the feeling they are very loved among the Britons, if only from personal experience, as when I put "Naive" on at a friend's party largely attended by members of the UK, it resulted in a rather epic singalong. Did I mention how hip with it I am...

Anyway the Kooks were performing at the Tivoli in support of September 2011's album 'Junk of the Heart'. You may have already heard the incredibly adworthy (it may already be in an advertisement?) title song "Junk of the Heart (Happy)". It's their biggest single off it so far, and to be honest the only song I really could remember off the new album, having bought it a week before this performance. I'm the hippest.

Being a stone's throw away from the Tivoli I lose a bit of motivation for getting there early, so I missed support band Toucan, and hence got a pretty average spot in the middle of the crowd. Still, my photos weren't as bad as they have been in past reviews. The curly haired gang appeared onstage not long after we got there and launched into a packed set, full of their perfectly timed 3 minute pop songs, guaranteeing that much of their catalogue would be covered. They started with a new album track, "Is it Me", and followed without much hurrah with "Always Where I Need to Be" from Konk, during which the crowd were pleasantly receptive. While I wasn't too familiar with the first track it was a great introduction to the Kook's very easy to enjoy style, and their prowess with their instruments. It was with the next selection "Sofa Song", that the crowd were really pleased, and they presented it with all the energy and angst as on record. They were extremely tight and entertaining, and frontman Luke Pritchard carried the show on his shoulders, exploding on the stage with arms and legs flailing, serenading the audience with each heartfelt song.


Even while jumping up and down in peak song moments, you could still hear Luke's voice articulating the lyrics clear as day. Which was quite interesting, as during the moments between songs, I couldn't understand a thing he said. Thanks to a distinct slur and mumble of a talking voice, even when announcing the songs, I didn't expect what I heard, it was so difficult to discern. This was the only issue regarding the sound, as The Tivoli wins again for clear and excellent audio projection. THANKS TIV, ILU.
Song highlights continued with the summerhappy "She Moves in Her Own Way", the seductive "Runaway", with an uncharacteristically funky bassline, and the rock explosion "If Only", a welcome favourite of mine. Then Luke got down to the bizness by taking up a solo spot on our left of the stage with his acoustic guitar, playing us the simplistic opener of their debut "Seaside", and "Tick of Time", then leading the rest of the band into "See the Sun".

It was at this point, where a few more from 'Junk of the Heart' were presented, that their songs kind of blended into each other, and I got a little bit bored. The thing with a band like the Kooks is that, while they are catchy, fun, and pleasing to the ears in their guitar and drum combinations, they don't really stray from their very obvious style. As a result, it felt a little long and repetitive and I couldn't help wondering when it would be encore time. After a few more from 'Konk', ending on the sexual invitation of 'Do You Wanna', they left the stage shortly for said anticipated encore. It's interesting, I don't see the band much as 'hot young things' brimming with sex appeal but more 'young fun things'; perhaps it's their look or Luke's voice, but their sexual invitations don't really work for me? (Whereas Jarvis Cocker... Yeah I can't explain it really).
Anyway their encore was very predictable, finishing up on non-album track "The Saboteur", their radio friendly "Junk of the Heart (Happy)", and then said singalong "Naive", rather an excellent way to end things really.


It was all very good, and as gig-buddy put it, a pure full bodied rockshow, but as far as memorable gigs go, this wouldn't be one of them. I don't think it had anything much to do with their talent as musicians or showmanship, you couldn't fault them on that, but really just the fact that their music is as samey as samey gets. And, as a result, I really haven't listened to their music since. Granted, that is probably half due to the dying down of my Watch the Throne phase, and focus on the plethora of gigs that are coming up for me in the next two weeks (Fleet Foxes, Arctic Monkeys, tune-yards, the Damned, and Asa, not to mention the festivals!).

So I give the show 7.5 but minus a point for being a little uninventive as a band. Not that I could do any better. 6.5 David Bowie references out of 10.