music

Record review: Andrew Stockdale – Keep Moving (2013, EP)

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Andrew Stockdale

In a recent interview Brisbane rocker Andrew Stockdale suggested that while Wolfmother has been put on the back burner in favour of solo ventures, fans can rest assured that the band will possibly get back together “when the time is right”. For now, Stockdale is performing under his own name, and has released this four-track EP that precedes an album of the same name to be released later this year. If you’re expecting the change of moniker to bring a shift in sound and style for the singer/guitarist, then think again, as the overall feel is one of big rock riffs, monster choruses, and raw production. It’s Stockdale’s trademark ’70s hard rock sound that is the main ingredient in the sixteen-minute, four track EP. Opener ‘Long Way To Go’ begins with a riff that could have been lifted directly from Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti (listen to ‘Custard Pie’ off that album and try to spot the difference) and second track ‘Keep Moving’ is heavy on riffs in the vein of Stockdale’s buddy Slash, with lyrics that could describe Stockdale’s career outlook since the demise of Wolfmother, while closer ‘Everyday Drone’ is an interesting mid-tempo track that features a neat harmonica riff but ventures a little too closely to Oasis territory for comfort. While it seems odd for Stockdale to release an EP and album so close together and with the same name, if the quality is generally this good it shouldn’t be a problem. (Universal)

Interview: Ilias

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ilias portrait 2

Hi Ilias, tell me a little about where you grew up, your first memories of hearing music, and what music you listened to growing up?

I grew up in many places: Brazil, Algeria, France, and Indonesia before moving to Australia a few years back. I think my first memories of music are of my mum listening to and loving the Bee Gees very early. I remember being into guitars quite early too. Movies played a big part of my life as a six year-old; I used to watch The Blues Brothers over and over and I remember wondering why John Lee Hooker was in the movie but not on the soundtrack! What kind of six year-old worry about that? Tim Burton’s Batman soundtrack by Prince – I wore that tape out, and I was also obsessed with Sergio Leone’s The Good, The Bad & The Ugly and was hooked on Ennio Morricone’s score for this movie when I was seven or eight. I was probably way too young to be watching that movie!

On your debut album, Somewhere In Time, you wrote, played, and recorded everything yourself, taking several years to do so. Tell me about your writing and recording process; is it something you enjoy or something that can prove difficult?

Writing music is a fairly natural process; I love music and see sounds as colours when I hear it. Music is a refuge, it comes to me at night in dreams sometimes, and it’s always in me. Lyrics are a completely different and fairly excruciating process. Making words fit a melody while still having impact and meaning is the biggest challenge. I read that Burt Bacharach used to obsess for weeks over one syllable fitting one particular note, so I am glad life’s also tough for true geniuses like him. He’s so smooth, I love Burt! I also seem to have a habit of taking ten years to complete certain songs, like ‘Loving You’ or ‘Regret’ from last year’s EP. I wrote those lyrics in 2003 but then I rewrote the melody last year. The demos were sung with a French accent back then!

All recording for this album was done alone. I used various approaches, but I mostly tried to adopt a hypnotic/trance-like state of mind when it came to what was captured. The stuff you hear in old soul/R&B, blues & jazz records, the mysterious aspects of improvisation, how fresh it sounds decades later – that’s what inspires me. It’s something that is seriously lacking in modern music. My songs were composed, but all the guitar solos, bass, piano parts, weird noises, and some of the vocals were improvised on the record. You can really hear that improvisational, jazz/blues inspired approach on ‘If I See You’ and ‘September Memory’.

Which artists have had an influence on your music?

My biggest influences as a singer are Smokey Robinson and Dionne Warwick; their voices are pure magic. I also love ’60s vocal groups like The Ronettes, The Temptations, The Miracles, and The Delfonics. Growing up, my favourite artist was Prince; I dug his guitar playing, his productions, general craziness, and bad attitude. The idea to produce everything and play all the instruments myself for my album is pure Prince madness. Prince and I are not on speaking terms anymore however, I am just hoping he picks up the phone and asks me to produce his next album. Do it, Prince!

From a compositional point of view, I really love & study the music of Burt Bacharach, Brian Wilson and Brazilian greats like Tom Jobim, Joao Gilberto, and Caetano Veloso. I am fascinated by the musical connections linking these specific artists. You can hear that influence on ‘Never Utter The Word Never’, ‘Sometimes I Wonder’, and mostly on my acoustic 2012 EP Somewhere Down The Road. As a young guitarist, I was a huge fan of John Frusciante, Johnny Marr, Jimi Hendrix, Mark Knopfler, and Radiohead, but my heart will always belong to underappreciated soul/R&B/jazz cats and Motown guitarists like Robert White, Marv Tarplin, and Wah Wah Watson. My favourite jazz guitar player will always be Wes Montgomery. His playing was pure, effortless, unsurpassed genius – another smooth cat!

How does it feel to have your album finished and in the public domain after all that time?

It’s a strange feeling, and it will always be. These songs are so personal and I guess only I know the true meaning and inspirations behind them. It’s a thrill however, when people give me their interpretation of a song, and how much it means to them. I love that.

What has the reaction to your album been like so far?

The album has received praise from a few journalists, mostly overseas and here at home to some extent. It’s been mostly lauded for the originality and uniqueness of it’s sound and compositions, as well as instrumental and vocal prowess. I wish more people could hear it, but being independent & alone, it’s a tough task in today’s overcrowded music market. The album has quite a few complex musical layers and is very different to what’s being put out there today; I think it takes some time to grow on you. People have a fairly short attention span today so it’s a challenge. Still, it seems that most people who take the time to listen to it, end up really falling in love with it, to the point of addiction! I hope it gets discovered by more people in the future. It’s an album that needs to be listened really loud or in the dark, with eyes closed and a good pair of headphones. And also a box of Kleenex!

What is the most prized guitar you own? And which would you like to own the most?

I have a big Gibson acoustic that I got from Texas last year that I love, and a twelve-string Rickenbacker from Brighton, England, but my Gretsch White Falcon is probably my most prized axe. I remember watching ‘Going Inside’ by John Frusciante and Vincent Gallo on MTV back in the day, seeing that wonderful guitar and telling my uncle, one day she’ll be mine! The Gretsch guitar is all over the album and the artwork. It’s a great sounding and inspiring instrument. It can go from jazzy, smooth, and delicate to a rocky growl and rip your ears off. I really love how crystal clear it sounds on ‘Regret’. I still dream of owning a Gibson L5-CES; also known as the king of jazz guitars, but with a starting price of $US10 000, I better become quite famous before I can afford that one. I’m willing to accept all donations!

If you could share a stage with one artist, living or dead, who would it be?

Well, I’ve already shared a stage with Neil Finn of Crowded House twice and he was pretty high on the list. I’ve also been on stage with Prince on French TV when I was 18, but that was just dancing. I am thinking of a beautiful voice; Aaliyah, God rest her soul. If I could also hook up with Minneapolis funk masters The Time, that would be one hell of a jam session. I would just be shaking my money maker all night! In my dream band I’d have James Jamerson (Motown) on bass, and Hal Blaine (Phil Spector, The Beach Boys) on drums. On guitars would be Teenie Hodges (Al Green) and Spanky Alford (D’Angelo/The Roots), and on piano I’d have Lisa Coleman (Prince & The Revolution) with Lisa Germano on keys/violin/vocals. I will also steal Maxwell’s amazing backup singer Latina Webb, and you have the grooviest band ever assembled. It would totally work!

How do you rate the current scene in Australia for musicians like you? What could be done to improve it, if anything?

I am probably the worst person to ask this question. I don’t belong in any scene here. I guess I am just happy doing my own thing musically and being a reclusive freak. Personally, I am not a fan of the macho posturing in some of music out there nowadays. Perhaps it would also be great if new acts spent a few more years honing their skills and discovering and learning about great music before stepping into the spotlight so quickly. There is great energy in some of the music out there today, but I sometimes can’t help but feel that it lacks a bit of musical sophistication and a feminine touch.

What are your plans for the future? Any gigs or recordings in the pipeline?

In the distant future, I would love to step more into a strictly producer role, or even write for a great woman’s voice like Feist. In fact, I am on the way to New York now, where I will produce the next Mary J Blige record (in my dreams!) Movie soundtracks are something I am also interested in working on. In the immediate future, I would like to play select music industry showcases and festivals, both here and overseas. I am looking for a label or management, so I can focus fully on creation and recording. Any special gigs, events, future plans will be announced on my Facebook (http://facebook.com/tamalocal) and Bandcamp (http://ilias.bandcamp.com). Peace.

Kim Wilde: “I seem to remember a thrash metal version of ‘Kids In America'”

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kim wilde

EIGHTIES pop siren Kim Wilde is back in business and promises to send audiences into nostalgia overdrive in an upcoming run of shows with Nik Kershaw.

“Nik and I are good mates and there will be a lot of good energy flying around,” she says. “He’s going to start by singing a handful of his most famous songs, and then I’m going to come on with my band and rock through all the songs people remember me for, and a few surprises. It’ll be very rocky, and a night of reminiscences; a lot of people get a lot of memories coming back when they hear these songs again, so it’ll be a very special night. I like to chat a lot with the audience between songs too, but the main focus is on having a real rock ‘n’ roll night.”

The choice to tour with a fellow eighties heart-throb was an easy one for the rejuvenated Wilde.

“We’ve been on the same record label before, back in the days of MCA,” she says. “He’s always been a bit of a reluctant pop star; it never sat easily on his shoulders. It’s only in recent years that he’s been able to come out and sing his songs again, in a kind of retro set-up, but I think he’s surprised himself with how much he’s enjoyed it. He recorded a new album in recent years and he’s still looking ahead as well as playing his old stuff. He’s sung on a couple of albums I’ve recorded in recent years, so he’s become a good friend and feels like part of our extended family.”

This will be Wilde’s first headline tour since 1994; something that the singer wasn’t initially comfortable with.

“It’s something I’ve got used to gradually,” she says. “I left the music business to get married and have kids, and when I came back to music it was to do eighties retro tours in the UK initially. I was happy to find myself in a list of people and not to have a fuss made over me; somewhere in between A,B,C,D, and Heaven 17. I still didn’t see myself as headline material at that point, but as the last few years have gone by I’ve got myself an amazing band and we’ve got a really good setup and a great reputation for our live performance. My early career in the eighties was all promotion and videos, and now it’s all about cutting it live, and that’s totally transformed me. So, headlining now feels much more like something I can take on; I feel like I can really make it work.”

Many of Wilde’s tracks are iconic enough to earn attention from a wide range of bands wanting to ‘re-imagine’ them.

“There are always good and bad covers,” she says. “I seem to remember a thrash metal version of ‘Kids In America’, which I think captured the spirit of the song, but there have been a lot of bland remixes too. There has been some good work done with ‘Cambodia’, and it’s always great when someone is inspired enough to have a go at reinterpreting your music, but some have been better than others – that’s the way of life. I’m looking forward to writing new tracks – we’re just putting to bed a twelve-track Christmas album which will be out this year, and I’ll be starting to write some pop and rock tunes for an album next year.”

KIM WILDE PLAYS THE TIVOLI OCTOBER 16

Record review: Iggy & The Stooges – Ready to Die (2013, LP)

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Never one to shy away from controversy, Iggy Pop is now 66 and appears on his band’s latest album cover semi-naked and strapped up with explosives in a gunman’s crosshairs; not the most tasteful of artistic choices given recent events in the US. Thankfully, music-wise, the influential frontman is nowhere near being ready to die, and still puts as much of his heart and soul into his music and performance as he did when The Stooges formed in the mid-sixties. Incredibly, this is only the band’s fifth album in that time, and it’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect from the proto-punk pioneers. Opener ‘Burn’ is dark and sludgy and sets the tone for what follows. “You’re taking over as the world turns, I’m on fire with a reptile, burn burn,” grumbles Pop, who’s in a pretty miserable mood throughout the whole album. ‘Gun’ sees him ranting “If I had a f**king gun, I could shoot at everyone” with typical Pop venom over a barrage of buzz-saw guitars, and ‘DD’s’ is a pretty ridiculous ditty about – you guessed it – massive breasts, reaffirming Pop’s determination to never grow up. Guitarist James Williamson is on top form throughout, having only picked up a guitar again in 2009 after a twenty year career in the electronics industry. There are a couple of clunky ballads to offer a bit of variety to the sounds on offer, including the downbeat ‘Beat That Guy’ on which Williamson solos like it’s 1975 all over again, and overall this album will feel very familiar to fans of The Stooges. (Fat Possum)

Record review: The Preatures – Is This How You Feel? (2013, single)

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I’m not going to lie. For the first fifteen seconds of my first listen to the new The Preatures track ‘Is This How You Feel?’ I caught myself thinking oh fuck… what have they done? For those first few anxiety-filled moments, as those retro-fuelled guitar lines crept their way out of my speakers, I foolishly wondered why the Sydney quintet felt the need to change their ‘sound’.

But just as quickly I moved on to wondering what exactly is The Preatures’ sound? The “baby be mine” pop melodies of ‘Take A Card’? The dark country-rock of ‘Pale Rider’? The smooth soul of ‘Young Brave Me’? Thankfully, I quickly came to the conclusion that The Preatures have such a variety of good musical vibes to offer that each of their songs should be judged as entirely separate entities, and not parts of a single greater being. Once Isabella Manfredi’s super-smooth vocals kicked in my doubts were eased, and by forty seconds in I was sold. Thank you, The Preatures, for an initially stressful but ultimately pleasurable half-minute.

‘Is This How You Feel?’ is the first single from The Preatures’ upcoming EP; the band’s third release, which follows on from the breakthrough success they achieved throughout 2012, centred on their excellent single ‘Take A Card’. Bright and funky with their signature girl/boy vocal dynamic and more than a hint of rockabilly guitar, it’s another seemingly effortlessly cool and sleek release from the young Sydneysiders, and bodes well for the band’s future. Mandredi takes the limelight vocally, with Gideon Benson contributing a few lines mid-song, as plenty of ’70s feel comes through from start to finish. In short: it’s a damn fine track.

Being the tour supports of choice for bands like Deep Sea Arcade, San Cisco, and Hungry Kids of Hungary has helped win The Preatures new fans around the country, and ‘Is This How You Feel?’ should continue to do the same. Anticipation builds for the EP…

Record review: Papa Pilko and The Binrats – Howlin’ (2013, EP)

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Papa Pilko

Having recently seen these guys at The Joynt in Brisbane, heard many of their new songs played live, and been blown away by their musicianship, style, and outright ridiculousness, I had a strong feeling this EP was going to be good; and I was right. There’s an exciting and fascinating group of new bands across the country ploughing the furrows of a fantastic blend of country, rock, and blues genres – Graveyard Train and Quarry Mountain Dead Rats to name but two, but Papa Pilko and the Binrats (lead by the star of the show, frontman and vocalist Cyrus Pilko) could be the best of them.

If you aren’t familiar with this banjo-twangin’, hard-drinkin’, rockin’ ‘n’ rollin’ septet from Sydney, drop whatever you’re doing and go buy a ticket to one of their shows, and I mean now – GO! Failing that, get onto iTunes and get your filthy mitts on this EP – the band’s second after last year’s eponymous debut. That release had the excellent ‘The Gambler’; a song which got considerable national radio play and helped gain the boys a bit of attention, but it’s on Howlin’ they come of age.

Opener ‘Back Home’ starts off with some brilliant comedy banjo, guitar, and harmonica to kick off a stomping, barrelling track. Pilko’s ale-soaked vocals tell a story about his woman leaving home and taking his baby, which would sound like a load of nonsense and cliché if it wasn’t so catchy and fun.

Next up is ‘Some Kind of Evil’, which introduces the bluesier side to the band, and there’s even a hint of jazz amongst the horn lines and Pilko’s vaguely ominous lyrics about being overcome with “some kind of evil that comes over me, can’t you see?”

‘East Harlem’ is another banjo, horn, and double bass-led tune that shows Pilko to be quite the storyteller, even if you don’t always know what he’s going on about. Never mind, just “put a feather in your hat, and feed a bird to the old black cat”, as the man himself says.

‘Boardwalk Blues’ swings nicely and ups the tempo before the finale and title track, which sees Pilko letting loose on some solid harmonica blowin’, in between growling about road signs, altars, and night time in a fine finish.

To get the full Papa Pilko experience you really need to see them live, but this EP is the next best thing. Don’t let it pass you by.

HOWLIN’ IS OUT NOW VIA ITUNES AND BANDCAMP

Album review: Parquet Courts – Light Up Gold (2013, LP)

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parquet courts

Hype can often be fatal to new bands, but New York slacker-rock four-piece Parquet Courts are probably too stoned to care. Being labelled by some sections of the music press as the hottest unsigned property knocking around this year’s SXSW festival lead to the band being snapped up by Create/Control and their album being released in Australia. But is the hype justified, or all a bit of the usual industry shenanigans?

In the case of Parquet Courts, the attention and praise lavishly heaped on the band is more than understandable. Light Up Gold is fifteen tracks of a new brand of lyrical slacker-rock; funny, sharp, at times smart, and at times bonehead dumb. In short: it’s fantastic.

The shoddily lo-fi recording quality of Light Up Gold is somehow totally appropriate for this collection of songs – these four guys would probably spit in the face of the idea of a polished record. Opener ‘Master of My Craft’ is a great way to kick off, with singer Austin Brown proudly exclaiming “Socrates died in the fucking gutter!” over a barrage of frantic strumming and simple percussion.

There’s more than a hint of early Clash throughout – before they learned how to play, especially in the brilliant ‘Careers In Combat’, which sees Brown sharing life advice like “there are no spots left for park rangers, because there are no bears left to save you from, but there are still careers in combat my son,” and with a majority of songs under two minutes on length, this is a band that doesn’t give a damn about virtuosity or showmanship. Why would you, when you’ve got so much disaffection and contradiction barely restraining itself in your starving, college drop-out guts? And why not write a song about donuts with an intro that sounds like a Michael Jackson track circa 1985, as on ‘Donuts Only’? Fuck it.

It will be interesting to see where Parquet Courts go from here, and if they have the stomach or desire to toe the industry line, but this album is a damn exciting piece of work.

LIGHT UP GOLD IS OUT NOW VIA CREATE/CONTROL

Record review: The Black Angels – Indigo Meadow (2013, LP)

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black angels indigo meadow

Austin’s – nay, North America’s – finest proponents of drone-drenched psych-rock The Black Angels are prolific, to say the least. With an album released at least every other year since 2006, the Texans can fairly churn out the jams, and are back with their fifth full-length effort, Indigo Meadow.

While their bio may describe them as “experimental”, The Black Angels’ music has always been the psych-est of shadowy psych-rock; and fans of the band can rest easy in the knowledge they haven’t tried to change the formula in 2013. Fuzz, drone, crushing riffs, and brooding lyrical themes are the backbone once more.

The subject of the title track and opener appears to be a girl who has “been a problem since the moment I met ya” and who singer Alex Maas tells “you always cause unreal friction,” reinforcing the fact that this is one bunch of cats who don’t do love songs.

Middle-eastern-tinged ‘Love Me Forever’ starts off being equal parts The Byrds, John Lennon, and Page & Plant in their Egyptian phase, before unleashing a crushing riff that devastates everything before it. ‘Always Maybe’ sounds closest to ‘Bad Vibrations’ off Phosphene Dream, while one listen to the start of ‘Don’t Play With Guns’ is enough to induce sudden outbursts of air guitar or a blast of enthusiastic fist pumping if you’re that way inclined.

While in many ways it’s more of the same for the quartet, the songs are generally shorter and sharper, and while it could be argued that Indigo Meadow won’t win the band any new fans, it’s another epic chapter in the career of one of the mightiest psych-rock bands of the last few years. (Blue Horizon Ventures)

Record review: Ilias – Somewhere In Time (2013, LP)

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Sydney-based Algerian/Australian multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and producer Ilias may have taken ten years to write and six months to record his debut album Somewhere In Time, but when you compose, play, and produce everything yourself, you can afford to go at your own pace. The result is an impressive eleven song collection of jazz-tinged folk and indie pop tunes that is as original as it is refreshing. The white Gretsch guitar on the cover gives a hint at what lies inside; as deft, understated guitar licks combine with Thom Yorke-style vocals and harmonies in a laid-back and effortlessly smooth affair. With opener ‘Never Utter The Word Never’ Ilias sets out his stall as a musician who values melody and feel above showmanship, and on ‘Loving You’ his vocal range is allowed to shine. The ethereal and dreamy pop aesthetic is a strong point throughout, and on riff-heavy mid album tracks ‘This Life’ and ‘September Memory’ Ilias’s guitar playing comes to the fore in hypnotic fashion. A string-shredding solo could take these songs to another level, but would also probably detract from the humble and heartfelt nature of the lyrics, which tend to focus on the heavy subjects of love and loss. The overall feel of this album is one of velvety bar room vibes, complete with a level of polish not often found on independent releases, and these songs would probably best be enjoyed played live in an intimate, inner-city basement venue. Hopefully it won’t take ten years for a follow-up. (Independent)

Kings Konekted: “A lot of things dictated who stood where and by whose side”

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kings koneketed

Brisbane hip-hop collective Kings Konekted are about to launch their new EP The Campaign, and it’s set to be a real landmark release for the group. DJ/producer Stricknine and MC Culprit explain how much it means.

“It feels great to have it finished,” says Stricknine. “It was all done at Class A Records and it was an absolute pleasure working with producer Trem.”

“We always love recording,” explains Culprit. “We would do it every day if we could. When writing we usually start with a beat first, and we can ponder on that for days or weeks, and from there we’ll either decide if it needs a theme or a message, and Dontez might write some verses to it. Generally the writing process starts with the beat, and the beat dictates where the writing of the track is going to go for us. It might all three of us or just two of us working at any one time. Dontez really controls the boards; the computers and the programming. I don’t do any of the computer work, but once we load the beat in we work out the layout of the song, and whoever is going to rap first does their part. The choruses tend to get done at the end, after we get our verses out over the beat and have a listen. If there’s something that’s going back and forth then the process changes a bit where we might switch things around to make sure we get it out effectively.”

Serbian/Australian Culprit and Indigenous Australian/Italian Dontez forged their friendship and musical bond from a young age, growing up in the crime-infested streets of the western suburbs of Brisbane, before joining forces with elder statesmen Strickine, Prowla, and Trem to make The Campaign.

“There was a lot of segregation in what we call the 4300 postcode area,” says Culprit. “It’s a working class area and unfortunately there’s a bit of crime. You could call it a low socio-economic environment if you wish, and a lot of things in the lifestyle – things like graffiti, things like music, things like sport – dictated who stood where and by whose side. And unfortunately fights are pretty common out there. But most cities across the world – wherever you go – have riff-raff; it just happens to be a bit more common in that area, and we bring it all to the table. It’s not a negative view or a positive view; we’re not saying it’s good that there’s fighting or it’s bad that there’s fighting, we just want it to be known. It’s our life, our story, and what we’ve seen, so we want to portray that. But it’s each to their own. We don’t think you have to come from that sort of background to be a hip-hop artist.

The Campaign is the group’s first release since 2009’s Trails To The Underlair, but fans won’t have to wait as long for the next, with a full-length album planned for late 2013.

“It’s going to be called Corrupted Citizens,” says Culprit. “We wanted to put out the EP as a taster to give something to the fans and to thank them for waiting so long as we’ve been working on this since 2009. But that’s not to say the quality on the EP isn’t as good as what the album will be.”

When asked about what the local hip-hop scene and what could improve it, Stricknine is quick off the mark.

“More Kings Konekted!” he says. “Nah, the scene in Brisbane has its moments. There’s plenty of stuff out there that would make me want to go and see it. But there’s a lot of stuff out there that’s labelled as hip-hop that isn’t. We try to make music that can be recognised as hip-hop the world over, so someone in New York can listen to it and know what it is, not just someone from Australia. Some hip-hop artists are together for only a couple of years and put out an album, and it shows in their music, whereas we started in 2007 or 2008 and the guys were together for about ten years before that.”

‘THE CAMPAIGN’ IS OUT APRIL 19th FROM WWW.CLASSARECORDS.COM

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

/ Paul McBride / 1 Comment

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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)

/ Paul McBride / Leave a comment

delta riggs

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)

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

/ Paul McBride / Leave a comment

daughter

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)

/ Paul McBride / Leave a comment

thelma plum

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)