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. 

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.

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). 

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.

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.

Favourite Songs of the Year + Screamfeeder @ Woodland, 1st December, 2011

Hello friends, I'm on holidays. I've spent a lot of time doing very little and sleeping in. It has been terrific. What this also means is more blog time! Not only shall I briefly mention my last gig but there is also ANOTHER LIST FOR YOU! Don't you love them?

MY FAVOURITE SONGS OF THE YEAR AKA WHAT I VOTED FOR IN THE TRIPLE J RADIO HOTTEST 100

No surprises this year actually, for my top 10 songs of the year. I am usually a pretty dedicated Triple J listener and poll contributor, but this year, I was pretty terrible at keeping up with what was hot. I only just read about Lana Del Ray. Nevertheless I managed to come up with a shortlist of 21, narrowed down to what you see here. Most of them are also from my favourite albums of the year, surprise surprise. I gave myself rules: One song per artist, Must be in the pick list that Triple J, but must be genuine favourites. Cannot just vote for Björk because she's Björk.

Arctic Monkeys- The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala

What a great way to sum up the year with the lyric "sing another fucking shalalala". There were ups and downs to 2012, so many important figures died, so much of the music scene was considered dying, and throughout all this, the Monkeys were reviving britpop. Perfect.

(Piledriver Waltz was not in the list :( )

Ball Park Music - All I Want Is You

A sweet, heartwarming tune professing the comforting qualities of having a loved one by your side as your day turns to absolute shit. I found this one stuck in my head during a great proportion of the year, and I didn't mind it being there one bit.

Björk - Crystalline

Luckily, this song is pretty amazing, otherwise based on my rules I could not have voted for it. With thumping bass beats that hark back to Homogenic and a singable chorus line, the super highlight is when everything is lost in a massive house/techno/trance drum explosion at the close.

Cut Copy - Need You Now

An album forgotten from my top list this year, sorry Cutters! They redeemed the dancefloor with this album and their title track gets you right in the mood, slowly building up so that by the last "I KNOW WE'RE GOING CRAZY BUT I NEED YOU NOW" you can't stop your feet moving.

The Horrors - Still Life

Surprised that it was only this one or "I Can See Through You" on the Triple J pick list. Nonetheless, this was the sleeper hit for me of the year, such a slower, pulsing track on their album but so addictive and with such a comforting message; "Don't hurry, give it time, things are the way they have to be".

Jay-Z and Kanye West - That's My Bitch

I could only choose one? Who made these rules anyway! Luckily this was my favourite AND on the list and an easy selection. The opening drum sample combined with the grinding bass and the chorus chant by ... La Roux? perfectly combine with said ridikulus lyrics. And who said I couldn't find something to like about La Roux?

Radiohead - Lotus Flower

Amazing beat, fantastic lyrics, completely bizarrely timed handclaps which somehow work, and Thom's brilliantly weird dance. WHAT IS NOT TO LOVE

St Vincent - Cruel

A song I've really got into over the past few months, from an artist I've always wanted to check out but never got around to until around the same time. It's a ridiculously catchy tune, without being particularly contemporary or predictable. I also loooove the filmclip.

tUnE-yArDs - Bizness

I think I've ranted enough about Merril Garbus' tUnE-y-ArDs project, but this song is absolutely amazing and I really hope it make the 100 this year, as it damn well DESERVES TO.

TV On the Radio - Second Song

A perfect opener to Nine Types of Light and completely worthy of any party soundtrack over this summer. I love how the beginning is so completely different to the end, with signature TVOTR brass the icing on the cake.

I am ashamed at my lack of local artistry in my list! A couple that were on my shortlist included Emma Louise and Last Dinosaurs who are much beloved at the moment. I couldn't say no to the 10 above however. What's special about those two songs is that a few of my friends worked on the pretty rad filmclips for them. I also didn't vote for Gotye, but I'm not worried, everybody else has.

SCREAMFEEDER @ WOODLAND - 1ST DEC 2011

3-piece Screamfeeder et. al.

I had decided it would be totally wrong of me not to swing by Woodland on a Thursday evening to check out Brisbane's beloved Screamfeeder, who were also playing with Tape/Off and Violent Soho on this eve as part of Screamfeeder's 20th Anniversary of being a band. So I did, just in time for Violent Soho to be getting into their set. I have seen Violent Soho more times than I can even begin to remember, probably more than any other band I've seen, but this was the first in quite a few years. As it appeared, they still 'have it' (not that they could ever lose it), and their handful of new songs I heard were quite pleasing, signifying perhaps a return to the studio? A la Trail of Dead who they supported years back, VS were the band to rock out to and I enjoyed a little bit of a jump to old hits "Jesus Stole My Girlfriend", "Love is a Heavy Word" and "Bombs over Broadway". The sound was actually really good, which was not usually a high point of any of their shows; distortion, screaming and excessive feedback taking precedence over clear sound. I realised later that this clarity was probably assisted by having stood right next to the sound deck. Perhaps this is the key to good sound at Woodland?

Screamfeeder took a while to come on and when they did it was reasonably easy to stand myself right at front. Front man Tim Steward found this lack of mosh uncomfortable and asked everyone to come forward, so I could have leaned out and touched bassist Kellie Lloyd's awesome tights (but didn't).

rad tights

Being out the front however meant I had to make way for the 2 or 3 photographers that wanted every angle, which I hadn't ever found to be an issue before this night. The music commenced, and as mentioned earlier, the sound did turn out to be a bit distorted, but I would have been crazy to move. They opened with the classic "Above The Dove", and continued on with a bucketful of their songs. Many of them I didn't recognise and a few were hard to discern due to the sound issues, but I was happy to hear the ones that stuck in my head over the years; for example the fantastic "Hi C's", accompanied by Dean Shwereb's sticks-on-fire drumming, emotionally charged "Ice Patrol", and finishing with the upbeat "12345". It was a very, very long set, which was made even longer by some technical problems a third of the way through- it appeared that neither Kellie's bass nor Tim's guitar were working, and it was a good 5 to 10 minutes before they were on their way again. It was nice to hear so much of their signature guitar work, harmonies and drum patterns in one night though, and I was happy to be a little tired for work the next day.

Before their closing song, Tim got a few people up on the stage, including Violent Soho and Tape/Off, Seja from Sekiden, and apparently a member of Pavement (see first pic). They played "You and Me", a joyful singalong that put smiles on everyone's faces, even while singing the lyrics "hey now, the devil's at my feet".

It was a great 'last' (or at least last for a while) performance, complete with a giveaway of a Tym's Guitars pedal, a very deliberate and graceful destruction of a guitar by Tim (simply by bending it upright on the stage), and final hugs and high fives for most of the audience members (I got a high five!).

RIP guitar

It was a gig that left me in a good mood and humming their tunes for a few days. Screamfeeder gets 7.5 out of 10 Tim/Tyms.

please stand still when you're high-fiving Tim.

HAPPY NEW YEAR BLOGREADERS! May your 2012 be as music filled as you want it to be. In my case, PACKED!

John Waters: Looking Through A Glass Onion, Concert Hall (South Bank), Friday 25th November, 2011

One day, a man called John Waters was a playschool host. He was in lots of other acting and musically based things, but I don't remember any of them, I only remember PLAYSCHOOL.

Then after various acting roles, musicals, etc., he decided he was going to recreate the work of John Lennon into a stage show. This was apparently so long ago that it's not funny (1992) and he is still doing this thing, when he's not being a double father on Offspring. Oh and by the way, he is not the director of Pink Flamingos. That's THIS GUY.

Panda courtesy of clotwo

On this Friday night, I wasn't sure what exactly I'd signed up for, but I knew it involved said dad from Offspring and some John Lennon covers. I'm not going to explain who John Lennon is. I knew there would be some value in the evening as I assumed some of my favourite songs would be played, so off I went with the usuals for old-people fare (the parents and godmother) and had the usual too many wines.

(This is where I rant about QPAC'S bell ringing to make people sit in the auditorium and rush people of all ages while they threaten to close un-openable doors. I'll move on.)

Not long after we sat down the stage went dark and centred on a pianist on the left, Stewart D'Arrietta, who turned out to be damn amazing. He began playing a short interlude, before the band launched into "Day in the Life". The band as a whole were instantly identifiable as very, very good. I'm so used to hearing crappy covers of classic songs that I was a bit surprised at how well they played them. They had paid well attention to each little detail, to recreate it with a splash of uniqueness. And I was very satisfied with the drum fill after "He blew his mind out in a car". Thus thankfully, my Beatles snobbery was taken care of.

So as of this moment I felt I knew what was going on. Ok, covers of Lennon's best penned/co-penned tunes. Starting with the best and moving down the hierarchy? ... Cool.

But then, after the first chorus, the music stopped, all lights focusing on John on the microphone. Without a beat, he launched into a Lennon quip in a quite impressive imitation of a Lennon Liverpudlian accent. I'm not Liverpudlian but I thought it was pretty accurate, and he certainly seemed to channel the ghost of Lennon through it, with little nuances and hand gestures throughout his speech to make the character come alive. I suppose he has it down to a fine art, through years of practice. From then on the format of the show was set. Cover song; at times full songs, like the title tune, at times excerpts, like the beautifully arranged 'Isolation'; and then a snippet of dialogue from John/John, and so on. At times Stewart on piano would accompany John's dialogue with background music, depending on the subject matter.

The dialogue roughly charted John's life, from his schoolyard clowning to his rapid rise to fame with his Beatles band mates, his friendship with Paul, and the death of his mother (where a beautiful rendition of "Julia" followed). The first half ended on "Strawberry Fields Forever" (quick! run to the bar! Hurry up old people in front of me! Quick, guzzle it down! Quick, have a quick pee! Quick, find your seat again!)... and began with "Steel and Glass". I didn't know this song, which made me shameful. The next half focused more on his struggles with fame and search for meaning, and the discovery of it through Yoko, and how he transferred his new found meaning and love over to his lyrics. A lot more of his solo songs

were featured here, such as "Woman", "God" and "Watching the Wheels". It was rather lovely to hear the dialogue reflecting the context behind the songs, and then hearing said song, which brought new appreciation to the songs. There were hints throughout the dialogue of him having some insight into what would happen next: that his life was running short, and his unavoidable neglect for every fan's attention would be his undoing.

Wrapping up the performance, as "Isolation" was revisited once again, it came to the bridge, and suddenly all lights centred squarely on his head surrounded by black. John sang those last affecting lines, which finished with the sound effects of two gunshots. Lights went down. The stage was silent for a time. While we figured out what was going to happen next, the opening piano chords of "Imagine" started up slowly. After such a journey with John as John, the effect of this moment was a little tear inducing. I'm a tough cookie though. "Imagine" is such an overplayed, over-loved, overdone song, that has lost its meaning through repeated listens, however when played in this context, it's popularity all made sense. It is a song reserved for 'fucking good' status.

John Lennon was not just an arrogant rockstar who stumbled upon the greatest band in the universe, winning him life in the spotlight and fans and groupie sex and drugs. Like every other rockstar. The difference with John Lennon, apart from being one of the greatest songwriters of all time (OF ALL TIME), was that he tried to use his fame and art to say something other than telling stories. In his cynical Lennonish way, he invented things like Bagism and planting acorns and Bed-Ins for peace, to get people noticing him for the message it brought, not the thing itself. Which is why people still remember him as one of the most prolific ambassadors for peace. Sure, if he had died 10 years or even 5 years later than he did, perhaps we wouldn't remember him so fondly... and perhaps his family life would be more on the table (poor Julian). But I do think his campaign would still be remembered as one that actually did something, inspired people, got people thinking about the reality of a peaceful world.

No one is really doing or has really done that since. This may be because it is now a much more common thing for most musical artists to stand a bit more for something other than just the art. Whether it be amnesty or veganism or disability awareness or political disdain, a lot do have some kind of backing behind their art. Which is great. But we the young people (yeah, until I'm 26 I still think I can still call myself a young person), of today, do not have the leader for peace that John Lennon tried to be. Granted, we're not in Vietnam times. But there is still a war or two going on that people do tend to forget about. While John Waters has been bringing this show around the country and overseas for many years, earning him not only moolah but the opportunity to act and play as his idol, it's a good way to remind us of this fact. And while it'd be impossible to kill, it's nice of him to keep the Lennon spirit alive. So, it was worth going for that, and I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't. I just wish I had posted this a few weeks earlier to commemorate the anniversary of his death! RIP JOHN.

7 and a half bent back tulips out of 10.

And a happy christmas from John and Yoko.