The Radiohead Experience (at last.)

If you're not a Radiohead fan or a Radiohead Fan fan, then this post is not for you! Be warned as I am deeply both of these things and the amount of fangirl harping will be greater than you can handle. 

Last November (freaking 6 months ago, thanks to being a Procrastinating Polly) was the time that Radiohead finally made their way to Australia after 8 years since their last Australian tour. The last time they were in Brisbane prior to this was 1998, when I had first began to take notice of them, thanks to the hype around 1997's 'OK Computer' and Triple J Hottest 100 Volume 5 Compilation. So, this tour has been a long time coming. I was so excited that I agreed to go down to Sydney to see their Monday (12th Nov) night show  after seeing their Brisbane gig on the 9th. One of my more expensive but better decisions. 


The Brisbane Entertainment Centre wasn't going to be pleasant, but I arranged to get there as soon as humanly possible, and with brother, sister, and friends in tow, had one of the
most exciting waits of my gigging life.
Support act Connan Mockasin was pretty decent for someone having to support Radiohead, and I ended up quite enjoying their set. Then again, I was in a pretty fucking good mood.

oh my fucking god its radiohead

So the actual show. I don't want to harp on, but fuck. Radiohead live up to their cult status and expectation as a live band worth seeing. This isn't blind fandom talking, this is legitimate and honest critique; they did everything perfectly. To the point that I weirdly felt like I was just listening to their recording and Thomas Yorkus and co weren't actually in the same room as me, which in a lucky way, prevented me from screaming like a little girl. Once I got over that I relished in watching each band member do their amazing thing, from serious Phil Selway's drumming (with Portisehead's drummer Clive Deamer lending a hand) to nonchalant Johnny Greenwood with his mop top bent down low. 

The Johnny  Mop

I got the same feeling at the Sydney show, although in some ways I enjoyed it more as an opportunity to just sit back and take it all in mindfully, rather than agonise over what they were going to play next. And there was a surprising shift between playlists, making a double viewing all the more worth it.

Ed O'Brien in perfect pose

They started off both sets with a different song from the new album 'King of Limbs', and there was quite a bit of the new one in the set; songs like "Feral" and "Bloom" taking on their own new vibe as each layer of melody and rhythm built up to its full execution. Each night had a different set of favourites (e.g. "Airbag", "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" and "The National Anthem" in Brisbane; "Lucky", "Planet Telex" and "Weird Fishes (Arpeggi)" in Sydney) which were a joy to hear live. It's impossible to pick a single highlight, but one overarching positive was how much better less preferred songs became in live form, helped also by the intense accompanying light show. The epileptic chaos of "The Gloaming "was spectacular in a way not conveyed on 'Hail to the Thief', as well as explosive "Myxamatosis", with Thom spitting out the words and throwing himself around the room like a punk. And I really hadn't comprehended the power of "You And Whose Army?" until the band, with Thom on piano, trickled it out into its dramatic climax. 

Lights and music and also Thom Yorke

The bit that gave me a bit of a tear was the signature segue between encores, where Thom sidled up to a keyboard to play a small solo excerpt of Unravel, a gorgeous song by Björk (and you all know how I feel about Björk). As a fellow fan-friend exclaimed/squealed/screamed in recognition, the song slowly became "Everything In It's Right Place", with "Idioteque" finalizing the encore. This was the same both nights (except the improvised Björk) but was just as powerful a second time. Other highlights were the huge bass drums played on each side of stage by Johnny and Ed for "There There", Thom's solo vocal looping in the haunting "Give Up the Ghost", my latest favourite "The Daily Mail", and also a new song "Ful Stop", a special treat in the Sydney set.  

An upside down dancefloor for 15 Step

Each time I left on an indescribable high. Little did I know, the night after the Sydney show, that my high was about to increase. It was at a geekvention that I caught wind that Thom Yorke was djing at Good God Small Club, a short walk from our hotel. Thus our wee group of crazy fans got to experience the tail end of the man in his little rat tail and black jacket, spinning some tracks, looking like he was having a ball. We got close enough to take a few sneaky pics, and notice celebs such as Toni Collette having a dance in the VIP section. On his exit, he surprisingly walked directly past all of us. I touched his back and said something dumb, probably "good job Thom", and my brother looked paralyzed at the proximity of his long time musical idol. We couldn't believe it had happened and didn't get to sleep for a while that night.

SNEAKY PIC!

Since November, Thom has released the Atoms For Peace album 'Amok', which I have listened to quite a bit since its release. It is a meticulously put together album with a lot of repeated listening value; like Radiohead, each listen uncovers something new. While it's quite a hauntingly cold and crisp world of music within this album, there are lyrics of warmth and emotional questioning, and the clip for "Ingenue" is a playful, enjoyable watch. By the way, Thom danced up a goddamn storm on that stage, true to his performances on that Atoms For Peace clip as well as that for Radiohead's "Lotus Flower". It must also be noted how pleasant Thom appeared onstage and how much he appeared to be enjoying himself at the dj set, something I'm sure he would have shied away from 10 years ago. This wonderful interview with Alec Baldwin, along with this pleasantly puzzling 'Ask a Grown Man' video with Nigel Godrich, is further proof of how Thom is enjoying himself at the moment, not quite as afraid of being seen around town as he once may have been. Usually when artists get happy they get stagnant, but Thom is able to be in a good place and still make amazing, sensually challenging music. I am only speculating all this and have no place to make these claims of Thom's wellbeing, but my respect for this man is pretty deep. 

RADIOHEAD AMIRITE? Rating? All the minotaurs in the world out of 10! The end!

POP NOISE VS NOISE POP GIG OFF: My Bloody Valentine (Tivoli, 20th Feb 2013) VS. Deerhoof (Zoo, 1st Mar 2013)

It's a gig off everyone! Who will win between two bands I don't know enough about: veteran adored noise shoegazers MBV and quirky noise pop tunesters Deerhoof? GUITAR SOLOS OF ANTICIPATION!

My Bloody Valentine

source: thequietus.com

Every indie music fan has to respect and hopefully love this band to have any credibility (it seems), since Kevin Shields and co. propelled the shoegaze genre with their airy, wall of fuzz creations. I've only listened to Loveless a handful of times and of course the song in Lost In Translation; all enjoyable listens, all with something to come back to. Shoegaze as a genre is something a tiny little lost on me, as repetitive fuzz is a little....repetitive and fuzzy, for me. Nevertheless, I was happy to see them for their first live Brisbane show in  a million years, joining my companion after a day of excess due to my uncle's wedding.
We arrived not long before the band came onstage, greeted by a Tivoli audience not as filled out as I expected. Kev and the Gang, all looking a little old and weathered but not distastefully so, started their set with the blaring feedback filled drones of "I Only Said". We were given earplugs when we went in, and I didn't really expect to have to use them as we weren't very close, but Great Odin's raven I came close. All I could really hear was the distorted reverberating guitars, and really not much else. Even as "When You Sleep" started, the only song I proudly recognised off the bat, I still could only imagine the vocals rather than actually hear anyone sing. I know MBV is a noise band and there was definite noise, and in that manner they delivered, but due to the distortion, whether you want to blame it on the Tivoli or the band, it was difficult for this casual listener to differentiate song from song. After a tiring day, I needed more to stimulate me than just blare. 
I kept my feelings quiet until my companion shared the same ones... and sadly, during the repetition of one thunderous note during "You Made Me Realise" which could only be described as eardrum rape, we caved into our feelings and made to leave a little early. Ahh, quiet bliss. I know it's what fans of the band probably jizzed over, and reading a few reviews suggest this last (apparently TWENTY MINUTE LONG) one note session called "Holocaust" was incredible and thrilling and 'had to be there' type stuff, but for me it was more like a real holocaust, which I assume is similar to what hell is like. 
Speaking of hell, I'm probably going to reviewer hell for this, but it definitely wasn't the most enjoyable show of my life. Unfortunately MBV you get like maybe one star for being so influential to begin with. 

Really too cool to give a fuck about what I think anyway.

V.S. !!!!!!!!!!!!

Deerhoof

It turns out I have had an album by Deerhoof on my itunes for a while, but didn't pay enough attention to know how I felt about them. Turns out, I would probably dig them. This time, said companion scored some free tickets from the shop The Outpost (Save all your money and go there sometime). We headed over in time to check out a little bit of support acts Primitive Motion and all of Blank Realm. I had seen Blank Realm at Black Bear Lodge a while back and really enjoyed their sonically shifting sound, and tonight was no different. Their set was warming and empowering, a great mood setter for the night ahead. 
Deerhoof are fronted by one of the cutest ladies to hold a bass guitar, Satomi Matsuzaki. Satomi with her sweet upbeat vocals and energetic jumpy stage behaviour, held a lot of the presence onstage. The jangly pop of the band was instantly attention grabbing, and got the crowd, again quite small, moving along in time quickly. Jovial, harmonic poppy numbers accompanied noisier synthy jams, with entertaining results. Deerhoof definitely have a distinctive style, and though there were some brief change-ups in the pace and mood, it was all of a similar high energy. However, the best way to tell if a band are any good live is if you can enjoy it without knowing any of their music beforehand, and in that way they were definitely a solid live act. Knowing that neither Satomi nor a few of the other band members had any real musical background before becoming Deerhoof, also makes me want to join a band more than ever... and in that way they were also inspiring. 
Listening back, the cutesiness of the Japanese-poppy voice of Satomi is a little overpowering, but they're a band I can definitely get into. Their live show is however something you really have to see, and I was disappointed to see so few people there. Having said that, the Stone Roses were playing that same night... a band I really wish I hadn't missed (look, I'm too poor). But another defining feature of the band is how much they seemed to really enjoy just feeding off each other onstage to put on a show for us anyway, which is another thing I didn't really get from MBV. So, for an unexpectedly excellent experience, Deerhoof gets 7.5 out of 10 flashing kanye sunglasses.

YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS! DEERHOOF WINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Oh nice, cheers Steph!

2012 Gigs: Too Many To Blog (A LIST)

If you're about to start uni and need something to procrastinate with during lectures or study etc. then this is the post for you! It is long, with lots of hopefully not boring anecdotes, about the gigs that occurred in 2012 that I have not blogged for you, and would like to just snapshot for you, now, here, today. It's one omission is Radiohead, which deserves its own post, and maybe a gif of me kissing Thom Yorke's lazy eye repeatedly in gratitude and fanatical obsession. But here it is, all the gigs I saw last year for your reading pleasure, plus some other experiences of note. It was a pretty amazing year for gigs, I have to say, and I am very appreciative of being able to see the cream of the crop. 2013 is shaping up to contain some memorable moments as well, and I hope I can get to as many as possible. No longer sharehousing however = not as many dollars in my pockets. But we'll see. Here's to a late but hopefully great list!

Ashley Naylor of Even

Even and the Fauves, The Zoo, Saturday 7th of July

The Fauves

I was a tired and cranky bitch for this gig, but had paid my money and was going to see all the bands. The Fauves and Even are both Melbourne bands who are still kicking along since their mid to late 90's heyday, in which I was a young radio listening fan. How good that they would tour together at the Zoo for my reminiscent pleasure! The Fauves were the opener, and played an extremely energetic, solid set. There were none of their slightly gimmicky pop song favourites such as "Dogs Are the Best People", "Bigger than Tina" or "Surf City Limits", that I remembered best. This was probably not a shame really, as it gave way for their more impressive creative and heavier moments. "Celebrate the Failure" and "The Charles Atlas Way" was thrown in for Triple J friendly measure. Even was next, and their lead singer Ashley Naylor won the crowd with his enthusiasm and charming nature, playing just as solidly as the Fauves. While I was pleased to hear tokens "Black Umbrella" and "Shining Star", I was pretty enthralled with the whole thing, as they bring that slightly Beatles-ish catch to all their songs, and remind you what a good asset to Australian music history they are. People need to remember these bands more! It should have been a sold out show that night, and wasn't.

Bright young chaps.

Herman's Hermits, Sherwood RSL, Sunday 2nd September (Father's Day!) 

It's not often you get to see a 1960's British pop group for $33 in the comfort of your parent's local RSL. But I did, father's day 2012, after completing the Bridge to Brisbane 5km run in 31 minutes 57 seconds (1 second longer than the year previous), and feasting on Sherwood RSL's fathers day buffet. This also happened after we had the world's oldest and worst jokes told to us by some old bloke as pre-show entertainment. During his jokes,I went through the wrong door for the bathroom, and promptly bumped into a Hermit, who looked a bit stunned and pointed me the right way. We learnt that they weren't really the original band, in fact only one of the musicians were there from the beginning (Barry Whitwam), but that didn't spoil the music, which was very well executed in such a weird setting. I also may have got a shout out when one of the band members said "A young lady walked into our dressing room earlier- but we haven't had groupies for years!" ... Oh god. They performed, smiling and blissed out to be there, not phased by the dining room venue, 4.15pm commencement time, and upper middle class aging audience, minus me and some hangers on. They did so many songs I recognised without having realised they were them, as well as a few cover medleys of songs around their time. The show became a really nice history lesson on the 60's, as well as a realisation that there were other bands besides all the The's - Beatles, Kinks, Who and Stones... and these guys were in the forefront. Well worth it. Also if you need a cheap drink and don't care where you are, RSL's are the shit, especially if your dad is a member.

Dexy's: Runnin'.

 Harvest Festival (Sunday 18th November, Brisbane Botanic Gardens)

John McCrea: Champion of the world

2012's Harvest weekend will always go down in history as a hugely memorable day, for many reasons. I'd just moved in with my boyfriend Tiptoes, in a beautiful house in Bardon (whee!), my friend was staying with us for the weekend amongst our moving of shit, and the weather was abso-fucking-lutely raging in freak hailstorm season. We all went along with tired but high spirits, and caught some of the best of what was on offer. Dexy's Midnight Runners were so cheesy it was sickening, but were clearly having a good time, and everyone danced to "Come On Eileen" no matter who or where they were. Dandy Warhols oddly didn't really suit the festival vibe as I expected, and choosing to play slowburners like "Good Morning" and "Godless" (while favourites of mine) probably didn't help get the crowd going. I still enjoyed them because I always will, but my group was bored. Liars were kind of weird and dark and brooding and slow, and I wasn't too enthralled, but may have been in a different context. Cake was fun and solid while they opened with "Frank Sinatra" and played "Never There" and ended with the "Distance". Lead singer John McCrea however ruined the fun by shouting at us all sorts of political statements more relevant to the US than here, during and in between songs. After I'd secured a great spot for Ben Folds Five, it was announced we were all to evacuate due to a hail storm and the entire festival found shelter at the QUT grounds, while bits of ice thundered down upon us. It felt apocalyptically weird! Only about an hour or so was lost however, and the show went on, except that I had to miss bits of both Ben Folds Five and Beck due to the new timing. 

Ben Folds Five

BFF were great, I have to say, although having seen Ben enough times solo, my focus was on drummer Darren and bassist Robert, who are fantastic musicians. It was amazing to share the experience with another once (or still) obsessed fan too, and to sing along with old favourites. But I had to scurry over to Beck, who was SO much fun. He played a weird amazing group of songs, lots from later albums 'Guero' 'The Information' and 'Modern Guilt', but also some gems from 'Seachange', and 'Odelay' favourites "Hotwax" (omg!), "Devils Haircut" and "Where It's At". Tiptoes and I danced our little hearts out. Beck had a weird, lazy, fun presence, so much better than his disappointing sickly presence at V festival in 2006 when last I'd saw him. 
The show wasn't over though, even though I was ready to go home, and we caught a captivating set of gorgeous melodies from Grizzly Bear, a bit of Crazy P, and most of Santigold's energetic, dancetastic set, which made me fall a bit in love with her. Then we walked around for half an hour to get a cab and collapsed forever. Another great year Harvest! Please be as promising this year.  

J Spaceman: photo by captainsdead.com

Spiritualized, Hi Fi Bar, Tuesday 4th December

This show crept up on me, on an exhausting day involving a massive heatwave, and I wasn't sure how I was going to enjoy it in the state I was in. Luckily it was the perfect kind of gig for such a mood. At a low capacity Hi Fi, Jason "J Spaceman" Pierce, was seated comfortably at his piano and/or guitar, with his other sombre band members astride, and a couple of backing singing ladies, supported by a projection of all sorts of Windows Screensaver-esque visuals. Together with the music, this set up created a very soothing, moving experience, gently rocking me into a peaceful state. Jason's voice was not much stronger than on the latest record (see my previous entry!), but it was forgiven as you contemplate what the dude has been through... years of drug and alcohol abuse, becoming critically ill with pneumonia (he stopped breathing twice) in 2005, and now being diagnosed with liver cancer and going through chemotherapy... a weaker voice seems fitting. Regardless, his presence and musical energy was strong, and the songs flowed freely. The sound grew better with the gig (or my ears adjusted?), from the seemingly distorted first song, "Here It Comes", on to a selection mostly from 'Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space' and the latest 'Sweet Heart, Sweet Light'. I enjoyed every moment, my highlight being the tug-at-heartstrings title track to 'Ladies and Gentleman', an ode to either drugs or love... transcribed oddly, but well to the live experience. 

Grimes + Dancers

Grimes, The Zoo, Friday 8th December

I have never seen so many young girls with hairs in high bunches, untweezed eyebrows, and bindies all over their forehead. Grimes played her hotly anticipated show at the Zoo, and i got to see what all the fuss was about... well I already knew, her album Visions is an exquisitely catchy piece of music, and worth the 40+ dollars. I was there with my sister and her friends, her first 18+ show since turning said age, which was to me an exciting achievement. I've never felt as old as i did this night, not only surrounded by teenagers I knew but those I did not. Since when did they get so damn cool? Why wasn't I that cool? What do you talk about with them these days? Ahh, youths. Anyway Lady Grimes (aka Claire Boucher) performed like the giddy school girls who adore her, giggly, bashful and babbling, and chuffed as anything to be there, flanked by dancers sharing her craziness. I couldn't understand a word she said or sang but the music was replicated wonderfully, and I felt like one of the kids in Skins for a few seconds if I tried not to remember what I looked like or who I was.

Devo: photo by Cam Ball

Simple Minds, Devo, The Church, The Models, Sirromet Winery, Sunday 9th December
(this was a loooooong week.)

The Church: photo by Cam Ball

I didn't think I would want to ever listen to Whip It again, due to having to sing it through, twice, at work, by a well meaning but mortifying team leader.... But once Devo came round at Sirromet, I was keen to see them in their ageing glory. We were a bit late for the event (yeah that was my fault) and had an awkward spot on the hill, but got to experience everything quite easily nonetheless. I only recognized a few songs by the Models, who seemed to play well but I did find to be a slight bore. The Church were more entertaining, playing strongly and replicating their hits with the passion of a younger band. It may just be that I'm a bigger fan though, as their presence really wasn't as strong as Devo's, who pretty much obliterated the festival, with costumes, video art, dance moves, and pure energy bouncing off the hills. As my family (naturally) agreed, lyrics were never their strong point, but goddamn Devo were, and still are, a fun band, without being the type of annoying that fun bands are resigned to these days. After expected classics such as "Girl U Want" "Whip It" (of course), and "Mongoloid", they ended on an extended version of "It's A Beautiful World" (or so it felt), with that weird baby faced masked boy thing singing the words. It was odd that Simple Minds closed, as they were by far inferior, with the lead singer hardly singing his words (leaving it to the crowd which is always a mistake), and the bands performance being solid but hardly excitable. It's hard to top the excitement of Devo, and after Simple Minds' signature "Don't You (Forget About Me)" we left to get a head start home.


OTHER THINGS I SAW

I went to Rockwiz for the.. third?? time, on Friday the 21st of September at the Convention Centre, which was of course laughs and music and the usual shebang. Bob Evans, Tex Perkins, Joe Camilleri, Vika, Linda, Marcia, even the guy from Even (Ashley). One day, one day.. I'll put my hand up to be a contestant on one of their tours. I could do it, I reckon, until they start asking about Dragon or Jo Jo Zep or even the Beegees... Hmm on second thoughts, I'm still too shy.

Exit? Yes please

I got practically dragged to Stereosonic on the 2nd of December thanks to a friend who works for a will-not-be-named company who gets free tickets to events so that she can check on music distribution licences (in a nutshell?). At the time I was like, a free ticket, why not! But as the day approached and I was unwell, it was the last place I wanted to be. I tried to enjoy myself during some of the dj sets (being most of the 'shows' on offer), but my god was it difficult to enjoy the same shitty, repetitive, blasting music shoved in my ears all day. Luckily my friend wasn't too fussed either, otherwise I would have been the worst company imaginable. Calvin Harris wasn't terrible, but I can kind of appreciate some of his things. Everything else was boring. I was gone before Major Lazer came out, which was probably the only thing that I would have really wanted to see. At least I can say I've been to a really shit music festival that the masses think is excellent.

Casey and Eric

Finally TIM AND ERIC came to the Tivoli on the 4th of October and it was a wonderful time. It wasn't what I expected however... sketches that we kinda had seen before (involving Casey Tatum, Spaghett!, and the Beaver Boys), interspersed with projections of favourite sketches, which the audience got to choose based on the loudness of cheering/clapping. It also seemed like a legit measure! The entire segments of "Just 3 Boys" was also shown to the audience via videoscreen. I thought using video footage was a bit of an easy move and not what we paid money for, but it was fun to watch as a group of fans of this fucked up show, and I will say there was some very interesting looking people in the crowd who will vouch for that. Also, an opening song consisting only of the words "Diarrhea", finishing tribute to Australia, and an encore involving a quiz of the show between 3 audience couples, made it all quite memorable. Also DJ DouggPound had some awesomely terrible opening jokes to kick it off. Follow him on twitter, now. Now Doug get off the track! STICK A FORK IN ME I'M DONE!

Lanie Lane @ the Hi Fi, 31st May 2012 VS Kirin J Callinan, Black Bear Lodge, 21st May 2012

VS 

BLOGFIGHT!

I've decided that part of the reason why I am so terrible at posting reviews on time is that I take far too many words to review them. Less is more, as they always say, and I don't necessarily have to take 1000 words to say something that can be better said in 500. So, concise.tight.reviews. is my plan. With that in mind, I'm going to review Lanie Lane and Kirin J Callinan in the same review, and I will decide which I liked better, and the winner gets more song plays from me! AND I'm going to be as brief as I can about both of them. 


Lanie (pronounced "Lannie", somehow) Lane, has won over Rockwiz viewers and general Australians, bad teeth and all, with her 1950's rockabilly country pop style, and all the fashion and hairstyle trimmings to accompany it. It's a selective genre, one I've not been very familiar with or really found an interest in. 
But for one parental birthday or another, I went along to the Hi Fi, Dad's favourite venue of choice (see 'Damned' review), to see her perform. Upon our arrival, the Rubens were already deep into their set, a band who is gaining a lot of momentum on Triple J at the moment. I really liked their effortlessly bluesy rock style, with a heartfelt croon which particularly stands out in their current single "Lay It Down". I even, almost, bought an EP.
Lanie was a happy, excitable young lady backed with a very exceptional band who accompanied her soulful voice well. She belted out her songs with emotion and thrill, playing guitar along with them. Throughout the tunes she threw in a couple of words about the songs, stories of love and loss, gentlemen and country livin', culminating in that one song I'd heard, "Oh Well, That's What You Get For Falling In Love With A Cowboy". Throughout the set I was very impressed with her talent and skill, and the way she and the band complemented each other so well. But I was sadly, and sorry to admit, a bit bored. The fact is, as I said, hers is not the type of music I'm that fond of, and it was really the style I was bored of. The only time it was changed up at all was during a duet with Lanie and her guitarist (Aidan Roberts), who sang a song about drugs that he had written. My parents thought it was a bit wanky, and as Lanie listed off a bunch of substances while backing Aidan's chorus, it kind of was. But it was also a very beautiful, stripped back song, that put the spotlight on Lanie's voice as well as showcasing Aidan's nicely. 
Despite my waning interest, there was a full crowd tonight, and her popularity is for good reason. The girl has talent in spades and is obviously beloved for bringing old fashioned country music to a mainstream(ish) audience. She's even supporting Jack White on his Australian Tour. So, great job Lanie, and I'm sorry I don't like you more.

Lanie: No fucks to give.

Then, a few weeks later on a Thursday night after a lovely dinner with a good friend, I accompanied my gig buddy/boyf to see Kirin J Callinan at Black Bear Lodge. I knew nothing about his old band the Mercy Arms, or himself, or what kind of music he performed (Triffids meets My Bloody Valentine was my reference point), but was happy to see something new... as I usually am!
After two support bands, one averagely ambient (DCM), and another much more entertaining and indie-licious (Nite Fields), we were both ridiculously tired. But thankfully, Kirin arrived with his super unique haircut: perfectly shaped black fringe with shaved head and very short straight mullet at the back of his neck. 
Already fans were urging him to take off his shirt, to which he replied smoothly "In time, in time". I'm not sure if it was necessary, but he kept to his word upon reminder. 
Anyway, to the music. I'm at a weird stage in my taste where I've discovered Rowland S. Howard, and now any angsty weird guy who sings with a deep voice sounds like him. I can't be objective enough to tell you if Kirin actually does, but he reminded me of Rowland anyway. Kirin had a band with him, all decked out in hospital masks, which he proudly told us he paid $2 each for. However, I'm not convinced they were necessary, as Kirin, his amazing, powerful, vibratoing voice, and his guitar that went from whispering to howling in seconds with hardly a strum, would have been enough. 
After a couple of songs (I can't tell you what they were called, and I doubt setlist.com will be able to help me), in which all ears and eyes were glued to the stage, Kirin took to a different form of entertainment: spruiking autographed framed pictures of himself. It was pretty amusing and if they weren't a bit creepy, and I had the money, I would have bought one for the heck of it. His stage presence was pretty incredible and he had a really professional, and comfortably natural way with the crowd, despite having an appearance about him that would suggest a more timid, troubled genius. 
His songs were confronting, heartbreaking, jarring, and shoegazey, and he conveyed so much with his voice, and accompanying facial expressions, it was easy to forget how tired I was and just watch the magic unfold. I was pretty well won over. They didn't have time to do a couple more as they had to drive back to Sydney, so it felt a lot shorter than it should have been, but very satisfying. 

"When I told her, I didn't love her anymore, she cried."

While his recorded stuff is good, he's really best to see live, so if he's ever around your way, do yourself a Steve Brule and CHECK IT OUT. 


Lanie gets 7 out of 10 Peggy Olson 1960 Fringes, and Kirin gets 8.5 out of 10 Kirin J Callinan 2012 Fringes. KIRIN WINS! A toast.


p.s. Ah Blogger, you were doing so well, and now you're doing weird random highlighting that I can't turn off. I apologise on behalf of blogger, readers.

Prince, Friday 18th May, Brisbane Entertainment Centre

above: probable reason why i didn't really get into prince when i was a teenager.

Prince is someone I only ever dabbled briefly in until last year, partly thanks to Dropbox (always thanks to Dropbox) and a very cheap Purple Rain cd at JB. It hasn't taken long for me to become a fan, the fan I never knew I could be. It would have been sooner had my parents ever played Prince when I was growing up, and mum could have also ended up with a ticket as well. But they DIDN'T, so I'm now one up on my parents... suckers!


Prince's tour was announced about a month before the show, leading to frantic ticket buying and yet another artist making me poor for a week, and I ended up with gold seated tickets (thx gig buddy!). The good part about a big ego musician annoyingly announcing a tour at the very last minute is that there is very little waiting to occur prior to the gig, and also meant I had 4 weeks to get familiar with as much Prince as possible. I think I did pretty well though, and in fact 'Purple Rain' has become not only a favourite so-bad-it's-good film but favorite all time album. Anyway, to the show! It was always going to be shit at the Entertainment Centre (BEC for short) but this nights show was really no exception. The parking was of course horrendous (and I still don't understand why they charge for crappy parking which isn't used at any other time) and we just made it in time for the show to start.


To start with, we were greeted with a man playing an amazingly intricate composition on classical guitar in the centre of the stage. At this point the huge video screens that were set up above the love symbol stage displayed him in pristine clarity. Then, as the guitarist switched his tune to an acoustic "Purple Rain", we noticed a hooded figure stand up at the end of the love symbol arrow and walk toward the guitarist, kneeling before him as he played, his hood leaving a long train behind him. Before our eyes, they both miraculously and gracefully disappeared underneath the stage. Where they go!? 

Not long after, the band appeared and began to play an energetic song I'd not heard (Thunderstorms??), and the music finally hit the audience with excitement racing. Prince was nowhere to be seen, until suddenly, we heard him singing and there he was, just out of nowhere, no fancy entry or anything. After such an elaborate introduction, this was not very Princey! They put on an excellent opener and then moved on from number to explosive number, not before Prince announced to the crowd.... "Hi Brisbane. I am here. Where are you." Yes, sir, you have achieved god-like status and it is well earned and accepted. Aaaaaand you know it. 


The songs were thick fast and absolutely brilliant, Prince sounding as good as he ever did, with back up singers supporting him with warmth, energy, and all sorts of interesting haircuts. I wasn't recognising much to start with, but as soon as soon as the words "Dearly Beloved.." were spoken, the audience went, well, crazy, along with me, masking his half said intro. Halfway through this superb live translation of "Lets Go Crazy", the band went brilliantly into "Delirious" and then effortlessly came back to finish off the initial song. "1999" soon followed, sadly concluding all of his songs off the title album. At this point one of my gig buddies said "THIS RIGHT HERE IS MY DREAM!", and it really was that kind of moment- hearing such a phenomenal signature song played and sang in the flesh by Prince himself in all it's ecstatic glory; it couldn't get much better than that. 

above: a medley of shitty instagram photos because prince wouldn't let me bring my camera. I 4give U tho P

After a couple more with the band, Prince went over to his piano, which had been set up with prerecorded backing tracks. He sat down and commenced a medley of bits and pieces of some of his best and most popular songs. "When Doves Cry", "Sign O the Times", "Hot Thing" and "Housequake" were included in this quick mix, as well as about five seconds of "Darling Nikki" until he stopped to say "I can't play thayat!". While it was nice to have just Prince playing around with us (hehehe), I couldn't help but feel cheated that we didn't get a big band rendition of some of my favourite songs. I also don't particularly like when artists get lazy and allow the audience to sing the chorus for them. Which he did. A fair bit. Some audience participation harmonies are fun, but I don't really pay stacks of money to hear a bunch of my neighbours yelling out a favorite line, to be honest.  


Luckily, Prince reintroduced the band for more full length songs, including the exceptional "Take Me With U", "Raspberry Beret", "Cream" (hey that's right! that song exists!), and even a Michael Jackson cover ("Don't Stop Til You Get Enough"). 

I couldn't wait any longer to use this bathroom and unfortunately left just as he took to the piano again and used its real keys to play some solo versions of songs. I missed "The Beautiful Ones", which I could hear from the bathroom stall and sounded lovely, but stopped short.  As promised, Prince finished on an extra long version of "Purple Rain" which lasted 16 minutes (not the predicted 19, how sad). He introduced it by getting the audience to start singing the 'oohs', which was difficult and high and I felt like a dickhead even trying. This didn't matter, as everyone else tried, and after a fair few minutes of broken audience voices, he lead us into the actual song. It was everything I wanted it to be, epic, tear jerking, harmonies crossing and Prince howling, huge bass drums, and a wonderfully drawn out finale. I just wish he did that one awesome riff towards the end of the song but you really just can't please me completely.

A couple of short encores followed, one involving a cover of "Everyday People" by Sly and the Family Stone, and the final encore being "Kiss". During his final moment, Prince let it all out, getting his super groove on. "Kiss" was the sexiest song of the mix he would allow, and he let himself be taken over with the song's sexiness. He was even lit up in a single spotlight ala his "rival" Michael Jackson, but instead of moonwalking, he finished on this ridiculously awesome (and, I'm going to say, better) butt thrusting dance, which momentarily made you forget he's probably well over 50. 
I have a feeling our encores were cut short, as that was that. True to BEC style, after the lights faded up we were snapped back to reality, reminding we weren't in 1984 glam city, we were in a poorly maintained, 90's built stadium building. 
I have to mention some criticisms here (other than those I've already mentioned). Firstly, the electronics were shocking. The lightshow was fun, but the spotlight was rarely on Prince and the video display (which had so much promise when the intro guitarist was playing), would either not be displaying Prince at all or have him half in shot. Sometimes it wasn't showing ANYTHING, just total darkness. I'm not sure if this was Prince's decision to avoid being photographed (I had to ditch my camera for this reason, and hence had to go back on Sunday to retrieve it, forgetting I'd done so) or BEC requiring some better cameramen (if that was the case, I could recommend about 10 right now). What a waste of technology. Secondly, as per normal BEC events, the sound could have been way, way better, and naturally was not. I need to just have a disclaimer before every BEC show to prevent the usual whinge..  oh GOD I really hope something changes for Radiohead in November. 



Despite its flaws, Prince was a lot of money well spent, and I regret snapping up a ticket for the next weekend, as well as being too tired /lazy/ movingoutthenextday to catch his magnificent after party shows at the HiFi and also at... um... Eaton's Hill. Someone better have shown Prince where the better parties are at while he was here.


A lot of whingeing, but a solid, memorable show, helping to escalate my newfound fandom. 8 phallic guitars out of 10. 

INDEPENDENT! LOCAL! BRISBANE! OVERSEAS! get into it!

Hi everyone. I have been going to a few things here and there over the year thus far that have been more social events than "OH MY GOD I AM GOING TO SEE THIS BAND TONIGHT" which often tends to happen when you're out and about and you end up seeing a local band play a drinking venue. The best part about going out to meet up with friends and seeing some music along the way is you often find yourself really enjoying the band and you get something extra out of your night. It's why I prefer to go to a gig than go to a club, and it's why you should too! Anyway I thought I'd discuss some of the local bands I've seen so far over the past six months, or that I've noticed on the radar and would like to see. Come with me. 

LOCAL

Please click the names for links to bandcamp or similar artist pages! I've thrown in a couple of videos which happen to have been directed by very talented people I know, and I know it may seem like a great big plug but I honestly also think they're excellent.


Astrid and the Asteroids
I saw Astrid and her fellow Asteroids at the Zoo months back, and have wanted to write about them since. Simply put, they are a goddamn talented crew of musicians (mostly Conservatorium graduates, so figures) lead by the enigmatic and vocally marvellous Astrid. Not only do they put on an energetic and powerful live show, decked out in out-of-this-world space costumes, but their music is catchy, infectious and brilliant, in it's brassy, groovy style. I had some super mad fun at this gig. 


Cub Scouts
Cub Scouts have been touring with the likes of Brisbane darlings Ball Park Music and getting quite the name for themselves. They have a very Holiday's feel to me, blissful jangly pop with sweet lyrical moments. I can see them becoming the next indie pop faves on the Triple J circuit and beyond, and it's not hard to see why. Try not to get their song below stuck in your head, I dare ya. 

videoclip directed by world's greatest housemate Sam Rogers

Tiptoes
Tiptoes is a one man band here in Brisbane who specializes in electro-post-pop with the essences of Pulp and Prince, mixed with some Microphones-esque folk. His subject matter is often psychadelic, existential and apocalyptic, with lyrics of depth and complexity hushed in a contemplative croon. His work is both unique and brilliant, and he can even play two far-apart synths at the same time while singing, as I had the priviledge of witnessing at a show at a Real Bad Music gig in February. I'm looking forward to the split single he is currently recording with fellow musician Perpetual Nervousness, and hopefully a 6" EP later in the year. 


Mindjar
I caught Mindjar at the Zoo a few weeks ago and was pretty impressed with their tight set, reflective of old school 90's and 00's alt-rock with dashes of metal-lite. Lead singer Corrie has a superb voice, belting out heartfelt lyrics, sometimes with a screech, others a whisper, and was completely immersed in his performance. The band itself is well in sync and with thumping drums and growling bass, play tight together- but this is clearly Corrie's avenue to shine, sliding himself around the stage like a good frontman should. 

Blank Realm
Blank Realm were part of the third annual Deadshits festival, held at Black Bear lodge, at which I was eager to see label mates Kitchen's Floor for my first time. However good they were, it was Blank Realm that stuck in my memory, so much so that I considered checking them out again at Record Store Day (but did catch some very good Jungle Giants before departing instead). Very electro-ambient, full of reverb and fuzz, but also with some infectiously gritty rock moments, they also managed to entertain me most with a positively charged set. I expect they're already 4ZZZ old hat faves.

Royal Zephyr
Royal Zephyr are a bunch of suave Brisbane gents (I should stop typing the word Brisbane. They're all from Brisbane. Gah) who I'm yet to see live, but they channel some serious 60's - 80's punk rock in their songs; drum fills, electric riffs and all. One track sounds like it could have been a long-lost Doors recording, another is like something Tame Impala wishes they'd created. Whatever their influences are, they have a very retro feel which I have a feeling will be a lot of fun live.


Skypilot
Skypilot is a very easy to enjoy alt-rock band, made up of a group of excellent musicians around Brisbane. They've been compared to the National and U2, and while I'm not a huge fan of either of those bands, they have a similar vocal and musical style.. while in my opinion, being much more enjoyable. They have an excellent range from slow burning lovely acoustic moments, to intensity building drum-pounding guitar-screeching energy. 

videoclip directed by world's best brother and girlfriend, Nic F and Lydia H. I'm also in it!

...

OVERSEAS

Additional to some excellent local bands, are some fantastic international (namely US) musical acts I have come across via internet befriending and some that have travelled. These are all independent, local artists in their area, unsigned and completely excellent. I'd encourage you to check them out and support original, independent artists, also they're just freaking good. 


Pocket Vinyl
This Connecticut piano-rock duo has some clear influences, such as Ben Folds, Beirut, but with a fresh and unique passion that makes them stand out. Their songs are beautifully produced and coupled with frontman Eric's brilliant emotive voice and lyrics. Their shows are something I would really like to see over here, in which Eric plays and Elizabeth paints to the music, always something beautiful and inspired (no Red Paintings jokes). They auction off the painting at the end of the show, so the audience may get even more than just a performance. They're also husband and wife too. It's cute.


Clotworthy
Clotworthy, a young musical genius from Philadelphia, makes music I wish I could make (but I'd have to be the female version). Clotworthy tells the familiar story of what it's like to be a dude, trying to make a life, get a girl, maintain a friendship, chase that neverending carrot that is success, but not always make it. Also, what it would be like to be Bill Murray. Along with the relatable lyrics sang with his excellent and unique voice, his synth-driven electro rock music carries you along, and is destined to stick in your head. 


The Uncle Steves
The Uncle Steves, from Illinois, seem to have taken Beck's "Mellow Gold" era and taken it to a whole other level, turning it into their own unique genre. They excel at mixing hip hop with gritty rock, harmonies, acoustic ecstasy and some excellent handclapping. The Uncle Steves style is infectious and powerful, and stays with you for days... There are moments of melodic bliss amongst moments of raw shoe gaze, and it all ties together brilliantly; with heaps to discover upon repeated listenings. 

Max Hay
Away from his home of Montana, Max actually toured Australia in April and played a gig at the Dowse bar as part of their Wednesday event 'The Round.' The Round involves 3 musicians playing a number of songs each, in a round as it suggests. While the other musicians, Brad Butcher and Sam Buckingham, were quite good, Max was the clear standout. His style could be described as Bill Callahan meets Henry Wagons (except less Australian of course), with a tongue in cheek sense of humour peppered in between. Tying together his deep voice with acoustic guitar, harmonica and DIY percussion, his live performance was pretty mesmerising, and I hope he makes the trip back again. 

I'm sure I'll write about many more artists to come! I hope you like them.

So... guess what my next review is going to be of? The motherfucking man in purple himself, Prince. Never thought I'd ever end up at a Prince concert, but there I will be tomorrow night, hopefully in some faux leather, frills and purple eye shadow. Can't wait.

A short and sweet Elbow Review: Saturday, 24th March 2012, The Tivoli.

I want to just briefly post about my last Elbow gig in March, as I've already reviewed them, and this performance was essentially song-for-song identical as the Enmore gig I first reviewed. Regardless, there are things to be said about this performance, and while I'm in danger of sounding like an obsessed and crazed band groupie, I have to tell you how good they were. 
I only caught the tail end of Bombay Bicycle Club, as gig buddy and I decided that the jazz band at Black Bear Lodge were good enough to sit through most of during pre-drinks. A little bit of research tells me they were the Low Down Jazz Quintet. They were really quite entertaining and their smooth sounds, coupled with the rustic feel of Black Bear, with corner tables and real candles, overlooking a bustling city, made me feel like I was in some 1950's lounge bar in New York. I also now want to be the singer of a jazz band. 

Anyway, Elbow. Oh Elbow. I was really excited to see them for the third time, and despite not trailing off the same setlist as last year's, they did not disappoint in the slightest. Frontman Guy Garvey was all charm as usual, perhaps telling the same stories as usual but with fresh spark and excitement to be there, and keeping us all amused. He also gave annoying hecklers (we heard you yell 'MANCHESTERRRR!' the first time) what for, not being afraid to tell them to shut the hell up. 
The weird thing about me and Elbow is I actually dearly love their earlier albums (especially 'Asleep In the Back', one of my favourite albums of all time), over their newer ones, while I do love them also. Over the past few years, none of these songs are touched on in favour of Mercury prize winning 'Seldom Seen Kid', and latest 'Build a Rocket Boys'. Remember, I love these albums as well, both are stunning pieces of work, they just lack the darker, more mysteriously complex and brooding side of Elbow that their first ones contain. Basically, Elbow are much happier lads these days and it shows. But what really helped me have the  ultimate best time at this concert, was that I am a much happier lady these days, and I can actually relate to the jovial, schmaltzier stuff that they are all about in their live show. It's of course not all love stories and 'today is grand!' moments, and those sweetly melancholic songs they go back to e.g. "The Night Will Always Win", and "Puncture Repair", are enough to bring a little moisture to the eyes. So ending on the uplifting "One Day Like This", is a necessary move, because it ensures their audience leaves with an ultimate high and smile on their face, and that they reflect on the night as a performance to remember.
I haven't even mentioned how GOOD the band is, how precise and delicate and moving their musical performance is, and how fucking emotive and delighting Guy's voice is. It's this, combined with their obvious love of performing, which completely gets me, and even if I'd probably die of joy if they played "Newborn" or "Asleep in the Back" from their debut, I'm still enamoured by their performance every damn time. They're not hip hop or indie rock or ambient-electronic aficionados go-to band by any means, but dammit they're probably the best live band I've ever seen and should be rewarded as such.
Anyway, here are some piccies!

'Mirrorball'. Schmaltz.

oh heavens.

'Weather to Fly'. Still much better than on record.

probably some audience participation bizo or whatev

If you love Australia so much why don't you marry it.

9... and a half... armpits out of 10.