Live review: The XX + Jagwar Ma – Brisbane Convention Centre – 9th April 2013

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Two million Facebook ‘likes’ – that’s how popular The XX are. Two million people the world over have been affected enough by their music to seek out a particular web page and give them their seal of approval with a single click. Until Tuesday, I was not one of those people. But only until Tuesday.

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I enter Brisbane’s Convention Centre and make the seemingly endless walk from the Melbourne Street entrance to where the action is, and am immediately presented with a dilemma – grab a drink from the bar and hoof it down me in the foyer (no drinks allowed in the auditorium!), or head straight in and catch the support. Thankfully I make the sensible choice and head in to see Jagwar Ma. From the very start, I like them; I’m a sucker for a band with the knack of mashing indie rock and dance beats together with such great results. ‘Come and Save Me’ is a top track, and the three-piece are full of energy throughout their set, even if the majority of this audience aren’t. The other track I recognise – ‘The Throw’ – is just as good, if not better, and I note more than a hint of The Happy Mondays and the production of Martin Hannett in the band. Bravo.

Brisbane Convention Centre is normally far from being the best venue to watch a band; the pristine carpets, middle-of-the-road alcohol policy, and office-like sterility don’t exactly lend character to an evening’s gig-going, but in some ways it’s the perfect place for The XX’s live show. The London trio’s music pulls fans of all ages to the gig, and the sparse stage lightning is perfectly suited for their dark and brooding tunes.

After a short wait the lights are dimmed and Oliver Sim, Romy Madley Croft, and Jamie Smith walk onto the stage, and ‘Try’ begins (anyone else think the beginning sounds like a car alarm?) Huge cheers reverberate around the Convention Centre and the track has all the ominous feel that’s on the record. Songs from their debut album and latest offering Coexist are blended seamlessly, including ‘Crystalised’, ‘Chained’, and ‘Reunion’ in quick succession before Oliver addresses the audience with “How’s it going Brisbane? This is the last day of the entire tour, so I not only want to thank you all, but I want to thank you as a country too.” Cue fervent, patriotic cheers.

‘Sunset’ is next, and it’s at this point I realise what a tight guitar player Romy is; she doesn’t miss a note all night and her riffs really stand out amongst the atmospheric haze emanating from the stage. ‘Missing’ follows, then ‘Reconsider’; a B-side off Coexist, then earlier track ‘VCR’.

A couple of songs later, and before the climax of a giant ‘X’ appearing on the stage amid a mess of white light and smoke, Oliver address the audience again. “Thank you so much Brisbane,” he says. “This has been our longest tour in Australia. We still don’t know what a bogan is, and we haven’t spent more than an hour on a beach, but we’ll be very sad to leave.”

I leave the Convention Centre and walk across the bridge towards the city with senses somehow more in tune with my surroundings. It’s a strange kind of bliss seeing The XX.

Live review: Papa Pilko & The Binrats + Jimi Beavis – The Joynt, Brisbane – April 6th 2013

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After leaving The Joynt last night at around 11:30 I turned to my mate and said “with the right amount of drinks and the right people, that could have been just about the best night out you’re ever gonna have,” and I wasn’t joking. What began as a casual stroll down to West End on a chilled Saturday evening finished with the realisation that it’s this sort of gig in this sort of venue that provides the most exciting, personal, and damn entertaining gig experience anyone could ask for. All that was needed was tonight’s headliners to be on form – and they more than delivered. More on that shortly.

Support for tonight is Brisbane’s own besuited blues troubadour, Jimi Beavis. Beavis and his band of three get the show off to a flying start with an entertaining, funny, and perfectly loose set; full of black humour and charm from start to finish. An early highlight is his song ‘No Job, No Prospects,’ which gets the audience singing along to the chorus of “no job, no prospects, just sitting here discussing aspects, of unemployment,” before a kazoo appears from somewhere and adds another dimension to an already great track. Beavis is an accomplished harmonica player, and his guitarist Brodie continually makes jaws drop and hips move with his bluesy riffs, as Beavis pushes him to front-and-centre for a deserved spot in the limelight. A cover of Blind Willie Johnson’s ‘Lord, I Just Can’t Keep From Crying’ and Beavis’s own ‘You’re Frisky When You’re Sloppy Drunk’ rounds out a fine set.

The boys from Papa Pilko and the Binrats have been sinking beers next to the bar all night, so there’s no grand entrance; they simply hop onto the stage and get the show started. Dressed in all black cowboy gear and an array of headgear, the seven piece provide an interesting spectacle, centred on manic frontman Cyrus Pilko. It’s hard to tell how much of his face-contorting, hip-swinging, arm-flailing, and sweat-drenched boot-shuffling is part of a character he has created or if it’s genuinely how he is, but the singer is one of the most entertaining, charismatic, and brilliantly ridiculous Australian front-men around right now; his style is simply infectious and watching him prance and thrash about onstage is worth the admission fee alone. His early admission of “If I hadn’t popped out kids in Sydney I’d move to Brisbane today” gets a loud cheer and roars of laughter.

By second song ‘Back Home’ the band is in full swing, and they sound tight across the board, and it quickly becomes clear Pilko likes to talk to the audience between songs. He deals with a drunken heckler with aplomb before third track ‘Some Kind of Evil’ and his anecdote about being scared in caves in the Blue Mountains tails off in a fit of laughter and confusion before ‘Into The Light’ is reeled off in fine fashion.

Fifth track ‘Bar Fight Blues’ gives the three-man horn section a chance to show their stuff, as the audience dances and swings in unison, before Pilko coaxes the crowd to join him in doing the Usain Bolt pose and relates a story about accidentally whipping his band members’ faces with a belt.

Seventh song ‘East Harlem’ ups the ante again as monumental amounts of banjo riffs echo around the Joynt, before Pilko breaks out a loudspeaker for the fantastic ‘I Demand Satisfaction’ and ‘Howling’.

At this point a string breaks on a guitar, so to fill in time while it’s replaced Pilko invites Terri from the Joynt’s staff onto the stage and they run through ‘Walking Through The Jungle’ with hilarious results. When the guitar is functional again the band kick into ‘The Gambler’, which is described as “being about pokies”, and is undoubtedly the highlight of the night and the Binrats’ best song; it’s a brilliantly bluesy romp with all the right amounts of sleaze and groove.

The final track is ‘I Can’t Be Satisfied’, after Pilko relates a story of how a girl in the front row likes to reach out and “tug his cock”. Several “thank-yous” and “have a good nights” later and the show is over. Out onto the street we go, and as I reflect on what just happened I make a promise to myself: that I will go to more gigs like this, in venues like this – they are the heart and soul of Australian music and something to be cherished. Thank you Papa Pilko and the Joynt for reminding me.

Record review: The Delta Riggs – Hex.Lover.Killer (2013, LP)

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Kim Fowley, maniac former manager of The Runaways, once said “rock and roll is a nuclear blast of reality in a mundane world where no-one is allowed to be magnificent,” and that’s exactly what this debut album from unashamed retro-rockin’ soul slingers The Delta Riggs is. The Melbourne quintet already have three EPs under their belts, and Hex.Lover.Killer is a barrelling, rip-roaring romp from start to finish.

Opener ‘Stars’ shows that while The Delta Riggs appear at first to be a fairly straight-forward rock band, there is diversity on this album to keep you entertained throughout, and for repeated listens. The bass-riff heavy track sets the pace, then the excellently groovy ‘America’ takes things up another notch. ‘Scratch Flower’ is another kick-ass rock track, and ‘Fiend*’ has shades of a Chili Peppers intro and ’70s classic rock behemoths Mountain. There’s even an instrumental track in the form of the four-minute ‘Save It Til The Morning’ – epic.

Single ‘Rah Rah Radio’ was the eighteenth most played track on Triple J last week – a pretty damn good result for a straight-up blues-rock band ploughing their way through an increasingly electronic and folk-heavy play-list on the airwaves. The album is rounded out by the Guns ‘N’ Roses via Free-esque track ‘Something Creeping’, which comes complete with epic guitar solo and appropriate levels of harmonica, and the dirtily funky ‘Better’. Rock ‘n’ roll is here to stay, and Hex.Lover.Killer is making it happen. Good luck not wearing out your repeat buttons. (Rah Rah Radio)

Pat Lundy of Funeral For A Friend: “We’re just going to show up, plug in and jam”

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FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND may be a post-hardcore institution, but drummer Pat Lundy will be keeping his feet on the ground for the band’s upcoming Australian tour.

“We’re just going to show up, plug in, and jam, it’s all we know how to do,” he says. “We’re not into any crazy production or anything like that; even at home we tour in a van and we do that because we choose to. Hotels are overrated, man. Bus touring, the smell of ammonia, piss, engines, and vomit; I kinda like that vibe. We just plug in and play, and get really sweaty in a bunch of kids’ faces.”

The band’s Australian tour will consist of ten shows in eleven days, and Lundy is excited by the prospect of the busy schedule.

“It’s the new dynamic of the band and it’s pretty normal,” he says. “I’ve just got home today from five shows in five days, so we’re into packing as many gigs as we can and playing to as many people as we can in whatever country we’re in. We wanna keep it busy man, and keep it punk rock! It’ll be a much more intense, more intimate vibe, played in places the band have never been to. I’ve only done Soundwave before, so getting to play the Gold Coast, Canberra, and places that we’ve never been will the best part of the tour I imagine. Now I’m home for five days, then I’m off for a secret Converse show in Berlin, then flying home for shows in the UK, then it’s the Silverstein tour, then our own headliners in Europe, then shows in Australia, then after that more shows in the UK and Europe. So, the whole year is a touring year for us.”

Lundy joined the band in 2012 after the departure of long-standing sticksman Ryan Richards.

“I joined a year ago this month,” he says. “I toured with the band a number of times with my old band. We supported them on four different tours and I knew their management really well. We were with the same management company, and we were always at the same parties and shit like that. They asked me not to join, but to audition, and I did that in March 2012.”

The band has just released their sixth album Conduit, and he reaction so far has been generally very positive.

“It’s a bit funny, when you work on something from inside it’s hard to tell,” he says. “I mean it’s hard to conceive that we have fans to be honest, and trying to guess how people are going to see our record is an alien concept. Even for the guys who have been in it from the start – we’re talking about Matt and Chris, obviously – for them I think it’s even harder to fathom how people are going to take it, but I can tell you for free at this stage that they don’t care. They’re just doing selfish music to make us happy, and the fact that people are vibing it is a really good buzz. We’re the happiest we’ve ever been as a band, and I can say that safely as we’re such a good line-up. It’s really nice and a rare thing when everyone engages musically; writing and playing is really exciting and it’s not work, it’s all fun, like when we were little and were in bands, kind-of like that vibe. It was slightly different for me, as the record had been recorded before, so I re-recorded the drums. I went in and took about three days to re-record my parts, and the producer is a really good friend of the band, so it all turned out really well, and at the end of it everybody was really buzzing.”

Despite having a wealth of material to choose from, the band won’t just be rolling out the hits on their upcoming tour.

“I think there are over 120 songs or maybe more, so to get that all into and hour and a half set means you don’t get the best demographic that you want to get off all your records, so we’ll play four or five songs off Conduit, and still leave room for all the classics and range of shit between; a great mix.”

FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND PLAY THE REV ON MAY 8th

Record review: Daughter – If You Leave (2013, LP)

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Londoners Daughter formed initially as the solo project of singer Elena Tonra before guitarist Igor Haefeli and drummer Remi Aguilella jumped onboard, and in the few short years since their 2010 conception the band have been impressively prolific, to say the least. Five EPs, one set of signatures on a contract with 4AD, and a short foray into the American market via an appearance on the Letterman show later, and the band is ready to release their debut long-player, If You Leave.

At times ethereal and haunting, If You Leave will carry the candle of the wistful and heartbroken everywhere. The band’s tunes are undoubtedly well-crafted and intimate and Tonra’s breathy and fragile vocals are at times measured and beautiful, but the sometimes contrived and suffocating atmosphere conjured by much of this album may make you want to shout “lighten up you miserable sods!” in the general direction of your speakers. It’s one of those albums that you can appreciate is a well put together piece of work, but leaves you thankful when it’s over. In short, it’s pretty hard work.

In saying that, Daughter do exactly what they set out to do, and do it well. Singles ‘Smother’ and ‘Still’ are highlights, and on ‘Youth’ Tonra’s vocals are more to the fore, instead of being lost amongst a haze of guitar tinkling and shadowy background noise.

The constant sorrow and wistfulness becomes draining by sixth track ‘Tomorrow’, but the final track ‘Shadows’ is all shimmery guitar lines and pounding drums, and is well worth hearing if you can make it that far. (4AD)

Record review: Thelma Plum – Rosie (2013, EP)

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Eighteen year old Brisbane folkie Thelma Plum doesn’t mess around. Despite being a complete unknown twelve months ago, the Brisbane Music Industry College graduate has bagged a Triple J National Indigenous Award, scored $10,000 worth of recording time from the Deadly Awards, signed with Brisbane’s Footstomp Music (home of Busby Marou and King Cannons), and now launched her debut six-track EP – not a bad effort for a young woman barely old enough to buy a drink. Hype and promise may be one thing, but backing it up with good music is something entirely different, but luckily Plum does it with apparent ease on this excellent release. Warm vocal tones and charming folk melodies throughout can’t hide the fact that she is quite the ballsy folk singer; lyrics like “la-di-da-di-da-di-da-da… fuck you!” on the otherwise upbeat and sugary ‘Around Here’ reveal her abrasive side. The colourful language doesn’t stop there, with more weapons-grade cussing popping up on ‘Dollar’, complimenting the infectious hand-claps and gentle Aussie twang to Plum’s engaging voice. The beautiful piano ballad ‘Breathe In Breathe Out’ slows the pace right down and the title track gives the young singer a chance to flaunt her impressive vocal range. The only drawback with this EP is knowing that there is an eighteen year old singer out there with more talent and accomplishments than you will probably ever have, but that can’t be held against her. 2013 and beyond is looking good for Thelma Plum. (Footstomp)

Interview: Tim Hecker

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Montreal’s Tim Hecker will bring his brand of ambient electronica to Brisbane this week for a free show as part of the Mono series.

What can Australian fans expect from a Tim Hecker performance in 2013?

Well it’s been a few years since I was last visiting, so there’s a lot of new music that has been made in that time and I’m part way through working on a new album, so I think there’ll be some new stuff in there that people might not recognise. I’m never sure where things are going to go really, so best to just leave it open in terms of expectations.

How much do you stick to the recording when performing live, and how much is improvised?

It’s a real mix for me, like I have elements of all the pieces that I can use, but they are never like the albums as such. It’s two different things in a way – what makes sense in one, doesn’t always in the other. Everything effects the live experiences I think – PA, room etc – so all that feeds into what I make when performing.

Do you consider your live performance a partial assault on your audience’s senses or a chance for them to get lost in the music, so to speak?

I’d say both and neither. I definitely employ volume as a tool to overload listeners at times. That means sometimes making things more pleasant, but it also means as much if not more about sometimes making things uncomfortable or awkward for listeners. I’m not really sure what my live efforts are going after at times, I kind of throw things out and see how they bounce off the walls, and go forward from there.

Is your writing process complicated, or a fairly simple affair?

Sometimes it’s simple, easily coming in short moments of clarity or improvisation on the spot. Other times it’s very labour intensive to push the sound into certain directions where it starts to take on a life of its own. That means transformation upon transformation of some motif or line that gets hammered and distorted and bent inside out.

You have been active since 1996. How or where do you find motivation and fresh ideas for new material?

Often it seems like I’ve been thrashing at some of the same ideas for at least ten years, each release a further addition to the catalogue of failures to properly realise those ideas or loose visions. But there seems to be an arc of transformation over that period though that might suggest my interests have changed somewhat. I would say making music is both a real pleasure but also something that I need to do to maintain my sanity.

This will be your first appearance in Australia since the Open Frame Festival in 2007. What are you most looking forward to about coming to Australia?

Actually, I’ve been down once between this and Open Frame in 2010. I’ve been looking forward to seeing a lot of friends there – that’s one of the upsides to festivals, it brings us together somewhere different. I’m also looking forward to spending some time at the beach – I have a short residency just south of Byron I will be doing while here… so that will be a pleasure no doubt.

TIM HECKER AND GERMANY’S LEGENDARY POLE PERFORM AT THE IMA GALLERY THURSDAY MARCH 21st FROM 7PM. AND IT’S FREE.

Record review: The Strokes – Comedown Machine (2013, LP)

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There are very few landmarks in music these days; sometimes it feels like every riff and rhyme has been done to death. Luckily long-time lo-fi indie darlings The Strokes still know how to make releasing an album feel like an event. Done and dusted in 39 minutes, Comedown Machine is the final recording in the band’s deal with long-time label RCA, which – coupled with recent internal conflict – has prompted plenty of speculation about the band’s future. Unlike 2011’s Angles, it was put together by all five band members in one studio at the same time, not via e-mail and express post. The album sees the quintet take a definite step away from the 1977 New York sound of earlier efforts and towards a more ’80s electronic pop kind of feel, as on catchy pop-noir opener ‘Tap Out’ and the mazy title track. That’s not to say they can’t still do indie guitar rock better than most others. Second track ‘All The Time’ sounds like all the best parts of 2003’s Room on Fire fused together in one song, and 50/50 spews snotty punk attitude by the bucket load. Later track ‘Chances’ has Julian Casablancas indulging in some questionable falsetto vocals, but that aside, this is a fine collection of songs. Whether there will be another Strokes album remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: if Comedown Machine is the final nail in the coffin of the band’s distinguished career, they are going out on a triumphant, all-conquering high. (RCA/Rough Trade)

Steve Diggle of Buzzcocks: “I nailed my colours to the mast and went out into the seas and experienced it all”

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SEMINAL PUNK VETERANS Buzzcocks may have been around for nearly forty years, but guitarist Steve Diggle won’t be tiring of playing live any time soon.

“You would think we might get tired of playing those songs,” he says, “but the nature of Buzzcocks songs is that they’re so catchy and well crafted in their own weird way, and they’re always such a pleasure to play. It just feels like you are playing a classic all the time. What I’ve learned over the years, is that a live show is about communicating with the audience; it’s about the atmosphere and the vibe. It doesn’t matter whether I play a bum note or the wrong chord; we can all be in this together, and in that way you never get bored of playing them. We can put a different life into a song each night because of the nature of the audience, as we’re feeding off the crowd every night, and I think that’s where the magic is, human beings connecting, you know? But fortunately they’re all pretty good songs as well.”

Coming to Australia to play the Hoodoo Gurus’ Dig It Up festival and headline their own shows is a double bonus for the band.

“They asked us to play there,” he says. “I think they’ve been big Buzzcocks fans over the years, and it’s nice to be asked to do it. I think it’s a good combination for us to do that. Obviously they’re fans, and we have mutual respect for each other, and I think it’ll be a great day. I’ve never met them, so it’ll be great to meet and connect. A lot of bands don’t get to meet, so being on the same bill is a great chance to do that.”

Whatever the size of the gig, Diggle is clear about what to expect from a Buzzcocks show.

“A selection of great classic songs, and a lot of excitement on the stage – that’s the nature of Buzzcocks music. Seeing it live is even better than the record, really. The bigger crowds bring that big sense of occasion, which is a great thing, but then the smaller crowds are more focussed intensely on the music. So it’s great to see a band in a small place as well; you can really get the essence of what they are. You can get more of a sense of a band and what they are about. But they all work, they all have their different merits. When I’m on-stage nowadays, it’s not what I’m playing, it’s about relating to the crowd. I’m more concerned about what the crowd are doing and feeling, and that’s always interesting.”

Buzzcocks are one of the few original punk bands to still be together since their formation in Manchester in 1976.

“When you’re living with each other all the time, on the road together, in the hotel together, it’s in some ways like being married to four people, and it’s bad enough being married to one sometimes! This is why a lot of bands split up. We split up for a while in the ’80s; we had a lot of success, we were on tour all the time, and all of those things take their toll. But when we got back together again we learned a lot from the break-up; to keep things in focus and in check, and now 35 years down the line we know how to deal with all that, and it helps us survive. By the time I was 30 I realised it’s really exciting to be in a band, because you do go through this period of “what’s it all mean?” or “how am I dealing with all this?” We started when I was 20, and a lot of success came to us quickly, but then I realised that rock ‘n’ roll is in my blood and I embraced it. Like Turner, I nailed my colours to the mast and went out into the seas and experienced it all. Some people start taking it all personally and cracking up, you know? We got over those things quite early on, and that helped us survive. It’s been a great journey.”

At first success came quickly for the band, but the thought of still doing it all these years later didn’t once cross their minds.

“At the time everything was just for the moment,” he says. “We thought it was great if we had a gig that week, and maybe one the week after – we never thought further that that. Like James Joyce’s Ulysses, we were Mr. Bloom for a day, but the day went on and on for about the last 37 years!”

Planning the trip Down Under is easy for the experienced and well-travelled band.

“I just bring two guitars and that’s it,” he says. “We always hire the back line. In the early days when we went to America, we took the whole of the back line with us, and racks of guitars on the planes; flying cases of equipment everywhere. Now we just turn up and plug in. The great thing about Buzzcocks is that we don’t need rows of effects pedals, it’s just a couple of guys with guitars, and that’s enough to make it work. We were in Bratislava a couple of days ago; we just flew in there, plugged in with no sound check, and away we went. It was fantastic – it was our first time there. We did some Buzzcocks songs on piano, and people loved it; it was a different look at our songs.”

“We’ve played China, Rio, but we’ve never played Russia yet. It’s always nice to go to new countries. Coming back to Australia is a little like coming home to us, in a sense, because we’re always well received; it’s like a great understanding we have. We know what to expect a little bit, and Australia knows what to expect a little bit, so let’s all get down to it.”

While a Buzzcocks show may be rooted in music from the band’s long career, Diggle is also very much looking to the future.

“I’m working on my solo record,” he says. “Pete lives in Estonia now, so it’s hard not being in the same country. It’s easy for me to do a solo record as I’m in London and the studio’s just down the road. I was rehearsing with my solo band just yesterday, so I just keep going with everything, you know? We will get a new Buzzcocks record at some point. In the mean time we’ve got about 150 songs which are great to play live. We’ve got a lot of die-hard fans who’ve been with us all the way, which is great, and there a lot of new kids that pick up on our stuff – our fans span three generations now. Our live experience has always been the best.”

BUZZCOCKS PLAY THE ZOO ON SATURDAY 20th APRIL.

Record review: Surfer Blood – Tarot Classics (2012, EP)

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Surfer Blood main man John Paul Pitts recently claimed he unwittingly became part of the lo-fi movement by virtue of his band recording their debut album on less-than-adequate equipment in his apartment. Clearly keen to avoid a repeat of releasing something of such perceived low quality, Surfer Blood’s second release Tarot Classics immediately shows itself to be a much crisper recording. In doing so, however, Pitts has changed Surfer Blood’s sound, dragged it kicking and screaming into high fidelity, and risked alienating some of the fledgling band’s fans.

A modest release at only 4 songs and 15 minutes long, plus two remixes, Tarot Classics hints at potential Smiths-cum-Weezer indie glory, but following a recent tour in support of the latter, Pitts should be more keenly aware of the importance of a pop hook to keep his songs memorable. The problem with this EP is, while the songs are enjoyable on first listen; they are too easily forgotten.

Opener ‘I’m Not Ready’ picks up where debut album Astro Coast left off. “I’m not ready to look the other way” sings Pitts, over a deceptively-intricate guitar line.

The pace is upped on first single ‘Miranda’, its chugging guitar powering the song along, with Pitts doing his best Morrissey impression with a lyric that wouldn’t seem out of place on a Weezer album circa 1995.

‘Voyager Reprise’ slows the tempo down, its piano opening hinting at something epic, punctured by Pitts’ somewhat morose vocal, again with distinct hints of the Smiths. A stylish synth break divides the song in two before a Strokes-esque guitar riff finishes the lengthiest track on offer at 4 ½ minutes.

Closer ‘Drinking Problem’ is Tarot Classics’ highlight, and possibly the least characteristic song yet recorded by the band. Pitts’ increasingly-assured tenor sings “at least I know who my friends are,” over a simple bass/drum riff, with excellent interweaving guitar work filling out the song.

Ultimately, Tarot Classics is a fun and welcome addition to any existing Surfer Blood fan’s catalogue, even if it is unlikely to win over any new fans. Here’s hoping they can make their next full-length release as hot as their native Florida. (Kanine Records)

Live review: The Bamboos + Axolotl – The Hi-Fi, Brisbane – July 2012

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I arrive at the Hi-Fi bar in Brisbane’s West End on Saturday night, fully prepared to be wowed by The Bamboos and ready to get my groove on. After a bit of a wait at the entrance, much miscommunication, and a brief discussion with the venue manager in which I find myself having to convince her that I’m not actually asking to be let backstage for any devious or sordid reason (apparently “Paul from AAA Backstage” is easily mistaken for “I want to go backstage”), I walk into the packed main hall of the Hi-Fi and catch the end of support act Axolotl’s set.

Dreamy folk music is the sound that greets me from the Melbourne three-piece; a pleasant, floating ambience centred on the vocals of Bamboos member Ella Thompson. They remind me slightly of the scene from Twin Peaks where Julee Cruise sings ‘Falling’ in the Roadhouse, although much less creepy, and with infinitely better fashion sense.

Axolotl leave the stage to polite applause and the heavy curtains close for some time, allowing the audience to fall back into comfortable conversation and sip on their beverages. Some time passes, and almost unsuspectingly the curtains suddenly whip open to reveal the nine-piece Bamboos, looking all kinds of dapper in their smart suits and colourful dresses. Frontman and songwriter Lance Ferguson and singer Kylie Auldist take the stage front-and-centre as the band launch into ‘What I Know’, while “We are the Bamboos, make some noise!” is the call. The sound is at once stylish, clean, and slick, and the band an engaging sight; there is just so much to look at and plenty of movement across all members.

By second song ‘Cut Me Down’ most of the audience is dancing along to the Bamboos’ mix of soul, pop, and funk, and ‘Now That You Are Mine’ and ‘Daydream’ follow. Auldist has one hell of a voice, Ferguson is the epitome of cool at this point, and I especially notice Graeme Pogson’s mastery behind the kit.

Ferguson introduces ‘Window’ as “a song I wrote for the late, great Amy Winehouse” and Auldist pulls it off brilliantly; she really puts everything into her vocals and leaves nothing in the tank.

Soon it is time for the unquestionable highlight of the evening, and as rumoured it is in the form of one Megan Washington. The Brisbane chanteuse is champing at the bit to get on stage as Ferguson introduces her, and she is looking fantastic dressed in all black, with dark lipstick to match. She throws her arms into the air and generally flails around as the band launch into Kings of Leon cover ‘King of the Rodeo’, which includes Anton Delecca absolutely killing the flute solo (words I would never have expected to say). Until now I generally considered flute solos to be about as cool as a punch to the lower spine, but this one is impressive in all kinds of ways.

Next up for Washington is a cover of James Blake’s ‘The Wilhelm Scream’ which she says is “a song about a junkie”, before saying hello to her dad, who is in the audience somewhere. Then her final song of the evening and contribution to latest album Medicine Man, ‘Eliza’, proves to be the best of the night, as Washington puts everything into her vocal, before leaving the stage to massive cheers.

How to follow such a performance from a much-loved hometown singer? The answer for the Bamboos isn’t easy to find, as the rest of the show slowly peters out and I retire to the bar area and watch one particular guy, who is steaming drunk, dance like a maniac. ‘You Ain’t No Good’ and ‘I Got Burned’ follow before an encore of ‘Like Tears in Rain’ and ‘Keep Me In Mind’ finish the show, and the Bamboos leave the stage to cheers and plenty of applause.

The Bamboos have taken giant strides forward with the song writing on Medicine Man and that comes across in the live arena. Overall it is a great night of soulful good times, with Megan Washington not only providing the best moments, but also strangely killing off the rest of the show as her performance can’t be matched. Advice to the Bamboos: only collaborate with people who are slightly less talented than you, lest they steal the show.

Live review: San Cisco + The Preatures + The Belligerents – The Rev, Brisbane – December 2012

/ Paul McBride / Leave a comment

At first I think I’ve set my alarm clock wrongly as I enter The Rev in Fortitude Valley on Sunday night, such is the expanse of fresh-faced youth blocking my way to the bar to get my milkshake – I mean beer – before a quick check that (a) it is actually dark outside and (b) I haven’t been able to pass for a minor since Britpop, reassures me that it is indeed the eighteen plus show I’ve arrived at, and not the earlier matinee version for the indie-pop-loving ankle-biters of Brisbane. Quite the relief.

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Doubts eased, I settle into a comfortable vantage point on the upper balcony, with a diet coke in my hand (the confusion obviously hasn’t totally cleared), just as Brisbane’s own indie-dance-pop party boys The Belligerents are stepping their set up a gear and making the kids down on the floor start to move. The five-piece are on great form; their track ‘Money’ sounds particularly strong tonight and there are some rather fine T-shirts on-stage, including the shit-themed one-two of Andy Balzat’s ‘I Heart Huggies’ and Konstantin Kersting’s ‘Pink Floyd’ number (I know this is how you meant it to be interpreted, fellas). The Belligerents are a top local band, and just need that one great breakthrough single to catapult them to the next level, but that hopefully shouldn’t be too far down the track.

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Next up is Sydney quintet The Preatures, who have already managed their own breakthrough single with ‘Take A Card’. It’s a top track, but there’s so much more to this band than catchy pop songs that take the piss out of, well… catchy pop songs (listen to the lyrics, kids.) Starting with an all-bloke jam before singer-keyboardist Isabella Manfredi takes to the stage and steals the limelight for opener ‘Pale Rider’, the band are tight and classy from start to finish, running through all five tracks from their Shaking Hands EP, and even throwing in a couple of new songs that maintain the hint of Americana present in their previous tunes while barrelling along with a welcome dose of rock; something that bodes well for their upcoming debut long-player. While the obvious focus is on singers Manfredi and Gideon Benson, I can’t help but be most impressed – yet again – by the less-is-more lead guitar work of Jack Moffitt.

And so to our hosts for the evening; Perth pop darlings San Cisco. After catching the band a few months back and thinking they needed to mature a little before being a true live force, I’m keen to see what influence their recent sojourns to foreign shores might have had on their stagecraft, and am far from disappointed by tonight’s showing. The quartet have a slew of pop gems in their arsenal, and a deft ability to write simple tunes with easily singable choruses and ridiculously catchy melodies; the sort of stuff to drive tonight’s audience wild. Starting with ‘Fred Astaire’, and running through ‘Golden Revolver’, ‘Hunter’, ‘Reckless’, and ‘Stella’ in quick succession despite some technical issues, it’s clear the band is tight and full of upbeat pop charm and good times. The necessity for The Preatures’ Isabella to join in on vocals for ‘Beach’, ‘Wild Things’, and ‘Awkward’ due to drummer Scarlett Stevens’ croaky throat only adds to the experience as the clash of styles works well and there is a collective losing of shit amongst the ‘Cisco faithful down the front.

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The encore for tonight is, quite simply, a wonderful thing, as once singer Jordie Davieson is done with his solo track ‘John’s Song’, the stage is invaded by a motley crew of hairy, bouncy folk for the final track ‘Rocket Ship’, as The Belligerents, The Preatures, and surprise arrivals The Jungle Giants jump into the action and crowd around whatever microphones are available. What is meant solely as a tour finale sing-along evolves into a bunch of usually too-cool-for-school musicians letting themselves go in the safety of the crowd; as they sing, dance, and bash tambourines like a bunch of demented monkeys. Yes guys; every one of you looked as goofy as all hell. And that’s why we loved it so much.

Record review: The Chemist – Ballet in the Badlands (2013, LP)

/ Paul McBride / 1 Comment

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The Chemist frontman Ben Witt once described his band’s music as being like a yo-yo: starting at one place and dropping down to another before returning back home. While genres are bounced around like a child’s toy on this excellent debut album, the Western Australian quartet’s tunes are underpinned by quality song-writing and dark lyrical themes throughout. Perth has been a veritable fountain of top drawer indie-rock talent in the last couple of years, and The Chemist are no exception; Ballet in the Badlands incorporates blues-y grooves, introspective pop, and melancholy folk in a slick collection of songs that reveals a little more with each listen. “The dress I hope she’s in is a shade of liquorice black, but if she sees through my charms her sister’s gonna take me back,” is a perfect example of Witt’s sharp lyrics on excellent opener ‘Heaven’s Got A Dress Code’. At no point do the band’s songs get repetitive; single ‘Silver and Gold’ is a catchy mix of creeping basslines, wailing guitars, and Gothic background vocals, ‘Sad Eyes’ is a soaring ballad, ‘Long Road Back’ is a short blast of dirty blues, and closer ‘Sparrow’s Shadow’ is a surprisingly jaunty pop number. There’s depth in these songs not present in many other band’s work, and perhaps working out where their eclectic tunes fit into an increasingly commercial music industry could be The Chemist’s biggest problem, but if they keep producing work of this calibre they will continue to draw people to their top-drawer indie-rock. (Dirt Diamonds)

Record review: The Gaslight Anthem – Handwritten (2012, LP)

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Despite probably seeming like a gift from the heavens, the move to a major label has been a poisoned chalice to many a band; it marked the beginning of the end of the Replacements’ career, and it could even be argued R.E.M. were never the same after they signed to Warner, despite the commercial successes of Green and Automatic For The People. Handwritten is the Gaslight Anthem’s fourth album, and the New Jersey quartet’s first for Mercury Records, but does the change of signature on the cheques mean a shift in style or sound for the blue-collar band?

The answer, thankfully, is no. The production is crisper and the sound bigger than 2010‘s American Slang and 2008 breakthrough The ‘59 Sound, but as Led Zep said, the song remains the same; in this case a straightforward, gritty, heartfelt mix of coming-of-age lyrics, heartache, and an unwavering conviction to playing good ol’ honest rock ‘n’ roll in the vein of their obvious influences Springsteen and Strummer.

Opener ‘45’ gets stuck in with a rowdy urgency and sees singer Brian Fallon asking “Have you seen my heart, have you seen how it bleeds?” in his trademark sandpaper-throated voice, which sounds excellent throughout the entire album. It’s a tight start that harks back to the best moments of The ’59 Sound and should have crowds bouncing on first listen. The title track follows, with guitar lines sounding not unlike those on The ’59 Sound title track, with added “wow-oh-ohs”, hummed harmonies and even some minor piano tinkling in quite a melancholy yet strangely rousing track.

‘Here Comes My Man’ is next and features some sneaky mandolin and a simple Thin Lizzy-esque “oh-sha-la-la” chorus, before ‘Mulholland Drive’ sees Fallon mourning lost love with cinematic grandeur and more than a whiff of aching nostalgia. While the Gaslight Anthem openly embrace the past in terms of musical influences, it seems that Fallon’s does little but haunt him.

Next up is ‘Keepsake’, which lowers the pace but not the intensity; this time it’s family history that’s the cause of trauma. ‘Too Much Blood’ follows – another slow burner with a Faces-style feel, before ‘Howl’ provides a mid-album highlight, as Fallon ponders his fading youth over a pounding, urgent drumbeat and frantically-scratchy guitars, asking “does anything still move you since you’re educated now?” with genuine conversational innocence.

The stomping ‘Biloxi Parish’ is the closest to a love song you’ll find here, while ‘Desire’ sees a return to the “oh-ohhh-oh” choruses and crunching guitars, before penultimate track ‘Mae’ brings the balladry and places Fallon’s perfectly-gruff delivery even more into the spotlight.

Closer ‘National Anthem’ is the quietest track on the album and tugs at the heartstrings in unexpected ways. With lines like “I never will forget you my American love, I’ll always remember you as wild as they come” over a gently plucked guitar and strings, this is the Gaslight Anthem doing early Dylan, and it works beautifully. The quality of the production again plays a part here, as each note sounds clear and crisp as the album comes to a mellow close.

Critics will say it’s more of the same for the Gaslight Anthem, or draw comparisons to what fellow New Jerseyan Springsteen achieved with his first four albums, but they’re missing the point. Very few bands can turn the mundane nature of everyday life into poetry, give it widespread appeal, and do it with integrity. Even fewer can even come close to being compared favourably with The Boss.

In ‘Howl’ Fallons asks “do you believe there’s still some magic left somewhere inside our souls?” On the evidence on show here, the answer is an undeniable yes.

Live review: The Art of Sleeping + Tourism + Palindromes – Oh Hello!, Brisbane – June 2012

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Queuing in the rain is never the best start to any gig experience, but that is what several hundred pumped-up students and I do before being welcomed into the garish, retina-burning interior of Oh Hello! nightclub. Pumping beats, two-metre tall He-Man cartoons on the walls, and multicoloured lamps suspended from the ceiling just about describes our surroundings for the evening. This is a student event, so free and/or cheap stuff is a must; the freebies coming in the form of popcorn and fairy floss, and the cheap stuff involving drinks promotions, helping us to forget the weather and anticipate a great night of music.

First on the bill is Sydney pop duo Palindromes, except… nothing happens. There is some movement of people on stage that looks to be them setting up, but not a note is played, and we left to contend with the DJ’s seemingly-endless supply of indie remixes. Time drifts by without a hint of the opening band, unless I was so absorbed in the adventures of our camp hero from Castle Grayskull and watching Arnie pump iron on the big screens that I missed them – in which case I’d appreciate anyone letting me know if they are any good, or indeed what the f… happened.

Over an hour after Palindromes are meant to start, Tourism take the stage and lift the energy level in the room immediately with their engaging blend of indie guitar pop and cheeky north-of-England attitude. Lead singer Joe sings in his distinctively-charming Derbyshire accent and his four-piece band play tight, quirky guitar tunes in the style of early Arctic Monkeys, with a hint of the melodies of cult Liverpool band The Las. “We don’t have to go to school tomorrow!” Joe announces to the guys and girls at the front, much to their appreciation, before guitarist Adrian vomits on his guitar without losing his massive grin. Tourism obviously weren’t thinking of Google when choosing their band name, but they are worth checking out if you can find their website among all the holiday promotions and flight offers.

It’s also at this point that one skinny tie-wearing hipster and I have the following exchange:

Hipster: Is this Art Of Sleeping?
Me: No, it’s Tourism.
Hipster: Who?
Me: They’re called Tourism, The Art Of Sleeping’s support band!
Hipster: Does the support band come before or after Art Of Sleeping?
Me: *palm face*

Thankfully The Art Of Sleeping step up and inject some class into proceedings and effortlessly provide the highlight of the night. The Brisbane five-piece’s dreamy, measured, folk-rock sound instantly demands attention, and they have the melodies, instrumentation, and great choruses to keep you enthralled until they decide they are done.

They fire off two up-tempo numbers to get the energy of the audience up, with second song ‘Voodoo’ sounding particularly fantastic before ‘Like A Thief’ slows things down and allows us to fully appreciate Caleb Hodges’ voice, before he thanks the home crowd for coming and tells us how great it is to be back in Brisbane.

Hodges then introduces the next song – a cover of Neil Young’s ‘Cowgirl In The Sand’ – by saying “this song normally has a twenty-minute guitar solo, but we cut it to eighteen”. They do the song justice, and guitarist Patrick Silver peels off a nice-sounding solo.

Penultimate song ‘Above the Water’ – The Art Of Sleeping’s most recent single – soars in all kinds of epic ways, before closer and Triple J favourite ‘Empty Hands’ ups the quality even more and provides the perfect finish. The grateful band show their appreciation and invite fans to speak to them after the show, before leaving the small Oh Hello! stage, and the DJ starts up again.

The Art Of Sleeping undoubtedly have the quality to make it, and deserve to be playing in bigger and better venues. Personally, I would love to see them headline somewhere like the Zoo or the Tivoli, with their own appreciative audience in tow. At their present rate of ascent we shouldn’t have to wait too long.

P.S. – Fellow AAA reviewer Kirsten was at the same venue last week, and mentioned the smell as being a strange mix of good and bad. The burnt sugar odour from one side of the room meets the acidic vomit stench from the toilets at the other, and joins with the normal beer-and-squashed-lemon-slice bar scent to form quite an eye-watering mix. This is probably more information than you need to know.