Supported by Sand Pebbles
I never thought I'd get to see Galaxie 500 but now I'm not so sure I need to, an actual Galaxie 500 reunion would have a hard time topping the show I saw last night. Dean Wareham plays Galaxie 500 was everything I could have hoped for. What a guy.
This is the first gig I've recorded in several years but I think it turned out very well. There's some chatter during the first song but otherwise a very polite crowd.
Setlist:
1. Flowers
2. Pictures
3. When Will You Come Home
4. Snowstorm
5. Decomposing Trees
6. Strange
7. Summertime
8. Don't Let Our Youth Go to Waste
9. Blue Thunder
10. Listen, The Snow Is Falling
11. Tugboat
12. Fourth of July
13. (break before encore)
14. I'll Keep it With Mine
15. Hearing Voices
16. Temperature's Rising
17. Ceremony
Length: 1:23:31
MP3: http://ul.to/x5hich82 [171MB]
FLAC: http://ul.to/6nj3ejd3 [276MB]
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Mushroom Giant @ Evelyn Hotel, 24/09/2011
So, I was pretty hungover from attending another gig (and subsequent shenanigans) the night before and I got to the Evelyn about ten minutes before Mushroom Giant started their set. THANK GOODNESS. This band always impresses me live, even if they are only playing support/mini-festival slots where they don't get nearly enough time to play! Anyway, this was another really good set from the Melbourne four-piece. I've said it before and I'll say it again; I could not be more happy with their decision to ditch their vocalist and become an instrumental band again, because this is where they absolutely shine. Unfortunately there was quite a bit of talking among the audience, which is especially noticeable because this is a band with lots of quiet moments. Also, there's a song I've never heard before at the end of the set, so I asked guitarist David Charlton if it was a new song. He informed me that it's actually a very old song that they never released, but it will probably be on their next album. And speaking of that next album... where is it?! I am really looking forward to hearing where they'll go next. So yeah, all in all, a very good set. Nice to hear Pigeons again, and also I did laugh at Simon's little blunder regarding a single of theirs that sold out years ago.
SETLIST:
400 and Falling
Drake Equation
Pigeons
Graven Image
Scars
DOWNLOAD MP3 HERE
The other bands on the bill were Quiet Child and The Khyber Belt, unfortunately I didn't record either. Quiet Child's first few songs were a little too slow and lacking in the requisite "zing" required to wake me up after the previous night, so I had to leave to go and get some caffeine. As for The Khyber Belt, it was nearly 12am by the time they got onstage, and the crowd was way too sparse and I would've felt rather awkward with microphones on. They're a good band, though.
SETLIST:
400 and Falling
Drake Equation
Pigeons
Graven Image
Scars
DOWNLOAD MP3 HERE
The other bands on the bill were Quiet Child and The Khyber Belt, unfortunately I didn't record either. Quiet Child's first few songs were a little too slow and lacking in the requisite "zing" required to wake me up after the previous night, so I had to leave to go and get some caffeine. As for The Khyber Belt, it was nearly 12am by the time they got onstage, and the crowd was way too sparse and I would've felt rather awkward with microphones on. They're a good band, though.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Sheriff @ Pony, 16/09/2011
So I was sitting at home looking for something to do on Friday night and after checking a few potential gig Facebook events, I was surprised to find out that some good friends of mine were playing a gig at Pony. They were only the opening act and so didn't really advertise it much but I decided to head along anyway, as they're always a lot of fun to see live, and I had nothing better to do. I might be biased because they're friends of mine, but I think they're a really good live band. And you should go and see them one day. They're called Sheriff, and here's their brief but awesome performance from a typically loose Friday at Pony. I thought the sound in the venue was pretty average but it's actually turned out alright. As you can hear Jimi explaining before What You Want, they shot a film clip for that song a couple of days later, and without a doubt it was one of the most fun things I have ever been involved with. Can't wait to see the finished product.
SETLIST:
Gig From Hell
Mary
Your Mother's Daughter, Your Father's Son
Creep and the Sicko
You're Not Too Cool (So Baby Dance With Me)
Simon Young
What You Want
DOWNLOAD MP3 HERE
There were other bands on the lineup of course, but I was only really interested in recording Chico Flash. And then by the time they got onstage it was really late and I was a little bit drunk and I couldn't be bothered. In hindsight I do regret that. It was a really interesting performance featuring a guest appearance from some saxophone player known as the Blowfisch. It was all completely improvised and some bits didn't quite work, but on the whole it sounded pretty good. Or maybe that was just because it was nearly 2 in the morning and my sense of judgement about such things was a little bit skewed. Anyway.
SETLIST:
Gig From Hell
Mary
Your Mother's Daughter, Your Father's Son
Creep and the Sicko
You're Not Too Cool (So Baby Dance With Me)
Simon Young
What You Want
DOWNLOAD MP3 HERE
There were other bands on the lineup of course, but I was only really interested in recording Chico Flash. And then by the time they got onstage it was really late and I was a little bit drunk and I couldn't be bothered. In hindsight I do regret that. It was a really interesting performance featuring a guest appearance from some saxophone player known as the Blowfisch. It was all completely improvised and some bits didn't quite work, but on the whole it sounded pretty good. Or maybe that was just because it was nearly 2 in the morning and my sense of judgement about such things was a little bit skewed. Anyway.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Dead Letter Circus @ Hi Fi Bar and Ballroom (24/08/2011)
In the past 12 months I have seen Dead Letter Circus five times, and I think this will be the last for quite a while. I don’t mean to sound too negative but this is probably the performance I enjoyed the least out of the eight times I’ve seen them play. They’re a great band and all but I think they could put a bit more of an effort into ensuring that fans who see them multiple times aren’t subjected to damn near identical performances each time. That and the fact that I don’t really like the Hi Fi Bar as a venue and the support bands were average, meant that this particular DLC gig wasn’t anything to write home about.
The supports were Wolves and Closure in Moscow. You know what’s worse than having a support band that you expect to be bad and they are? You guessed it – having a support band that you expect to be good, but they’re not. Wolves started out pretty bland but their last few songs were marginally more interesting. Also, they were a classic case of “band that has a slightly unusual instrument (in this case a violin) but has it way too low in the mix to actually make a real difference”. I guess this might not have been the band’s fault. And it improved toward the end of the set. I’m willing to give these guys another crack as they showed some promise. Closure in Moscow really threw me – I’d heard comparisons to The Mars Volta thrown around and I was looking forward to what they’d do. They seemed pretty cool – until the singer opened his mouth. The rest of the band is actually very talented and interesting to watch, but I found myself wishing I could just listen to instrumental versions of their songs, not have some half-whiny emo vocals over the top of it. And what the fuck was he wearing?! I’m glad I didn’t record these guys. So Wolves and Closure in Moscow failed to score points, which was really disappointing as I’ve usually seen some really good bands support DLC – Sydonia, Rook, Black Devil Yard Boss, [Me] and Floating Me, namely. And just to rub it in, the rest of the tour has Jericco on the bill.
Anyway, so DLC came on and did their thing and that was pretty enjoyable, except, like I said, not much setlist variation. Moving around one or two songs does not constitute rotation. And they’ve even dropped The Drum this time around, which is a little disappointing. Oh, right, they played Tremors for the first time in ages. That was actually quite enjoyable, although it seemed like way too many in the crowd didn’t know what it was, which always annoys me at gigs. Towards the end of the set, it looked like they weren’t going to play Alien like they had on most other shows on this tour. That’s cool, I thought. I’ve seen it before, and they’ll probably do something else cool that they didn’t do elsewhere. Oh, an unplanned drum solo! NICE! ...Until I got home and looked at the setlist from the Geelong show. Alien AND a drum solo! Yeah. We actually got one less song (or piece I guess... a drum solo’s not really a song) than Geelong. Great. Also listening back to the recording, perhaps it wasn’t as spontaneous as I thought. Kim says “Did someone say drum solo?” but all I can hear is requests for Alien... hmm. It was quite a good drum solo though! The rest of the set was pretty standard stuff; This is the Warning as a closer is getting a little over-done. Someone from Closure in Moscow did the floor tom, but on the fifth tour since the album, that’s really lost its impact. I think they need to do something a bit more creative with it, instead of just sticking to the EXACT same rhythm that’s on the CD. What’s the point in that? Anyway. I know it sounds like I didn’t enjoy this gig at all, but I genuinely did. It was just the same-old same-old and I won’t be going to see them again until their tour announcement declares that they’ll play new material. Nevertheless, it’s a reasonable recording of a band I’ve always wanted to have a performance of.
SETLIST
(The Mile intro thing)
The Mile
Reaction
This Long Hour
Disconnect and Apply
The Space on the Wall
One Step
Tremors
Cage
Lines
Drum Solo
Next in Line
----Encore----
Here We Divide
This is the Warning (with Mansur Zennelli of Closure in Moscow)
DOWNLOAD MP3 HERE
(The Mile intro thing)
The Mile
Reaction
This Long Hour
Disconnect and Apply
The Space on the Wall
One Step
Tremors
Cage
Lines
Drum Solo
Next in Line
----Encore----
Here We Divide
This is the Warning (with Mansur Zennelli of Closure in Moscow)
DOWNLOAD MP3 HERE
Saturday, July 23, 2011
sleepmakeswaves (album launch) @ East Brunswick Club, 22-07-2011
Alright, here's a late one, but a good one. One certainly can't accuse Australia of having a lack of high-quality post-rock bands around at the moment, and on this chilly winter's evening, four amazing acts did their thing at the East Brunswick Club. The headliners were well-respected Sydney four-piece sleepmakeswaves, launching their highly-anticipated debut album - something that their small but loyal and steadily increasing fanbase have been excited about for quite a long time now. They were supported by a great collection of likeminded acts from around the Melbourne scene, namely This Is Your Captain Speaking, These Hands Could Separate the Sky, and Lunaire.
So Lunaire kicked things off; I'm surprised to find that these guys are from Warrnambool, as it isn't exactly the kind of area you'd expect post-rock bands to come from. Then again, these guys proved to be a little more uptempo than the other bands on show tonight; they delved into My Bloody Valentine-esque shoegaze on some numbers, complete with the constant whammy bar strumming action that Kevin Shields was so known for. All in all, Lunaire's sound was a pretty enjoyable start to the evening, albeit slightly unfocused. They seem like a pretty young band who haven't really found "their" sound so to speak, but what was on show tonight was pretty promising. I do regret not recording them. Oh, and they were giving away their demo for free, which is always nice. Well worth checking out, and I think/hope we'll see a lot more of them in 2012.
sleepmakeswaves... wow, what can I say? I remember this whole night like it was yesterday. I remember being so excited to hear these tracks for the first time (though it was the album launch, the album itself was only available the day before, so yeah, I hadn't heard it yet). I remember being even more excited during the week when Tim Charles from Ne Obliviscaris announced that he would appear with the band during their set to reprise his amazing violin parts on their immortal song one day you will teach me to let go of my fears, which I, being a newish fan of the band, had never had the opportunity to witness before. But most significantly, I remember hearing some really sad news from two friends who rocked up just before sleepmakeswaves got onstage, and that cast a really emotional shadow over the whole evening. And then when they played one day..., fuck. Such an intense set from the Sydney post-rock gods; probably my favourite Aussie gig of the year. I really must apologise for my inebriated friends conversing during some of the quiet bits.
SETLIST:
our time is short but your watch is slow
a gaze blank and pitiless as the sun
(hello) cloud mountain
to you they are birds, to me they are voices in the forest
now we rise and we are everywhere
we sing the body electric
in limbs and joints (with vocals!)
one day you will teach me to let go of my fears (with Tim Charles)
DOWNLOAD MP3 HERE
(recordings of These Hands Could Separate the Sky and This Is Your Captain Speaking to follow... when I can be bothered...)
So Lunaire kicked things off; I'm surprised to find that these guys are from Warrnambool, as it isn't exactly the kind of area you'd expect post-rock bands to come from. Then again, these guys proved to be a little more uptempo than the other bands on show tonight; they delved into My Bloody Valentine-esque shoegaze on some numbers, complete with the constant whammy bar strumming action that Kevin Shields was so known for. All in all, Lunaire's sound was a pretty enjoyable start to the evening, albeit slightly unfocused. They seem like a pretty young band who haven't really found "their" sound so to speak, but what was on show tonight was pretty promising. I do regret not recording them. Oh, and they were giving away their demo for free, which is always nice. Well worth checking out, and I think/hope we'll see a lot more of them in 2012.
sleepmakeswaves... wow, what can I say? I remember this whole night like it was yesterday. I remember being so excited to hear these tracks for the first time (though it was the album launch, the album itself was only available the day before, so yeah, I hadn't heard it yet). I remember being even more excited during the week when Tim Charles from Ne Obliviscaris announced that he would appear with the band during their set to reprise his amazing violin parts on their immortal song one day you will teach me to let go of my fears, which I, being a newish fan of the band, had never had the opportunity to witness before. But most significantly, I remember hearing some really sad news from two friends who rocked up just before sleepmakeswaves got onstage, and that cast a really emotional shadow over the whole evening. And then when they played one day..., fuck. Such an intense set from the Sydney post-rock gods; probably my favourite Aussie gig of the year. I really must apologise for my inebriated friends conversing during some of the quiet bits.
SETLIST:
our time is short but your watch is slow
a gaze blank and pitiless as the sun
(hello) cloud mountain
to you they are birds, to me they are voices in the forest
now we rise and we are everywhere
we sing the body electric
in limbs and joints (with vocals!)
one day you will teach me to let go of my fears (with Tim Charles)
DOWNLOAD MP3 HERE
(recordings of These Hands Could Separate the Sky and This Is Your Captain Speaking to follow... when I can be bothered...)
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Overground 2011
This is the second year running I've attended the mini festival held inside the Melbourne Town Hall which is part of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival.
Overall I think I enjoyed last years slightly more but it was still a great event.
Most of the recordings are complete sets, some are not. Yep.
Nic Tammens, Marco Fusinato, ZOND - 23:10
Scott Tinkler, Oscar Noriega, James Rushford - 11:57
Blank Realm & Andrew Tuttle - 17:23
Time Berne, Anthony Pateras, Gareth Thompson - 17:19
Yoshida Tatsuya, Clayton Thomas, Lloyd Honeybrook, Angus Leslie - 10:56
Shags Chamberlain, Laurence Pike, Jean-Herve Peron - 6:48
Nekrasov - 19:20
Will Guthrie, Lucas Abela, Emma Albury - 9:21
Fabulous Diamonds & Naked On The Vague - 21:24
Sean Baxter, Jerome Noetinger, Faust - 7:16
Tony Conrad & Chris Abrahams - 37:55
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Two rounds of Floating Me...
Well, last year it wasn't a good year for Cog fans, with that giant question mark over the band's existence seemingly answered in the negative by the end of the year. However, as a small consolation prize of sorts, later in the year we got the formation of a brand new band by the name of Floating Me, which involved former Scary Mother members Andrew Gillespie (vocals), Antony Brown (guitar) and Tobias Messiter (keys) joining up with Jon Stockman of Karnivool, and of course, Lucius Borich of Cog. With a lineup like that, it was fair to say expectations were set pretty high even before the group released any material, but when debut single Sugar hit our eardrums, the result was quite pleasing indeed! The band's debut album was released in April this year, and I highly recommend buying yourself a copy, as it's pretty damn incredible. Anyway, Floating Me have been hitting the touring circuit quite a bit lately, and in the space of a month, I saw them supporting Dead Letter Circus's April tour, and then their own headlining show in May.
02/04/2011 - Corner Hotel, Richmond (supporting Dead Letter Circus)
So, first off it's the first Floating Me show I ever saw, at the Corner Hotel supporting the mighty DLC. As expected, I was mightily impressed by their efforts on the night, even though I had no idea what half the songs were - their album was only onsale at their shows at that point, and I'd obtained a leaked copy only two days before, which of course wasn't enough time for the music to sink in. But they were still awesome. The band were really tight and there was good chemistry between the members. Watching Lucius Borich was of course a real highlight, check out his epic work on Bezhumous. At the end of their set, they paid tribute to their past and did a Scary Mother cover, which I didn't record because, well, at that point I decided to head to the bar for some refreshments before the main event :) Anyway. At the end of this show, I was thinking to myself that I didn't mind the loss of Cog so much if this is what we're getting as a replacement. Also, this was my last ever show recording on those slightly dodgy mics. It's not the best recording; there's a bit of the old crackle which unfortunately shows up most prominently during the best song! But as Chris says, any recording is better than none.
SETLIST:
Piano
Deathless
Spirals
Narke
Sugar
Breaking to Breathe
Bezhumous
Tai Laeo (Scary Mother cover; not recorded)
DOWNLOAD MP3 HERE
Pretty soon after that show came the announcement of a headlining set at the Northcote Social Club. Despite the distance of that particular venue from my house I was still very keen to give them another go, especially with a solid month between the shows to fully absorb their new album. By the time May rolled around I'd been enjoying the album a whole lot and with Sleep Parade supporting I was willing to make that epic journey to Northcote to check out Floating Me again. AND I HAD NEW MICS :) How appropriate that from the last gig I recorded on the old mics, my first outing on the new mics would be the same band.
05/05/2011 - Northcote Social Club, Northcote (first headlining tour!)
Sleep Parade, hmmmm. I'm not quite as interested in this band as I used to be; they've just taken too long to get a new album out there, and some of the songs that they've been playing live just haven't done it for me. Plus it's kind of distracting that they seem to change lineups every second show or so. I wasn't sure whether they were going to be good or bad this time around. Turns out they were actually quite alright. Red Black from A State of Flux was doing his thing on the second guitar and keys again (apparently he's not a permanent member of the band anymore), so whenever he plays it's always a better show. As usual, due to the lengthy nature of Sleep Parade's tuneage they could only squeeze five songs into a half-hour set. But they were good ones. The two newest songs (Collision and Home) were better than some of the others I've heard at their last few shows. I just wish they'd finish their album already; they have so much potential as a band.
SETLIST:
Mr Identify
Everyday
Collision
Home
Weeping Walls
DOWNLOAD MP3 HERE
So, with the album pretty much dominating my earspace over the ensuing month, I had a lot of expectations for this show and I'm happy to say they were met. The band played every track except one off the album and of course, the Scary Mother cover again, which went down pretty well with a few crowd members. Apparently there are still some hardcore Scary Mother fans out there that have made the transition to this band. The band looked a lot more comfortable on the stage this time around and Andrew Gillespie seemed like he wanted to interact with the crowd a bit more than last time. When one punter shouted "LORD OF THE FLIES!" (another Scary Mother track), Gillespie wasn't bothered, simply saying, "Maybe next time, we'll have to practice that one!" The sound wasn't the best but I'm pretty sure that's because this venue's never been known for being amazing in that department. Anyway, the band did their best and their best was more than enough to satisfy a packed bandroom. Bezhumous was a highlight again; Lucius Borich is just amazing to watch. Also, Across the Gulf is an amazing song and it worked so well as a closer. In summary, I suggest you should all see this band the next time they come to your part of town, which will be in July on the Thousand Reasons tour with Thousand Needles in Red. I see a bright and exciting future ahead for them. ALSO, if someone reading this knows where I can get a copy of Scary Mother's album, PLEASE let me know. I'm very curious to give them a listen.
SETLIST
(Intro on recording)
Deathless
Spirals
Narke
Xtoto
Sugar
Short Cuts to Feeling
Piano
Breaking to Breathe
Bezhumous (with epic jam)
Tai Laeo (Scary Mother cover)
Across the Gulf
DOWNLOAD MP3 HERE
02/04/2011 - Corner Hotel, Richmond (supporting Dead Letter Circus)
So, first off it's the first Floating Me show I ever saw, at the Corner Hotel supporting the mighty DLC. As expected, I was mightily impressed by their efforts on the night, even though I had no idea what half the songs were - their album was only onsale at their shows at that point, and I'd obtained a leaked copy only two days before, which of course wasn't enough time for the music to sink in. But they were still awesome. The band were really tight and there was good chemistry between the members. Watching Lucius Borich was of course a real highlight, check out his epic work on Bezhumous. At the end of their set, they paid tribute to their past and did a Scary Mother cover, which I didn't record because, well, at that point I decided to head to the bar for some refreshments before the main event :) Anyway. At the end of this show, I was thinking to myself that I didn't mind the loss of Cog so much if this is what we're getting as a replacement. Also, this was my last ever show recording on those slightly dodgy mics. It's not the best recording; there's a bit of the old crackle which unfortunately shows up most prominently during the best song! But as Chris says, any recording is better than none.
SETLIST:
Piano
Deathless
Spirals
Narke
Sugar
Breaking to Breathe
Bezhumous
Tai Laeo (Scary Mother cover; not recorded)
DOWNLOAD MP3 HERE
Pretty soon after that show came the announcement of a headlining set at the Northcote Social Club. Despite the distance of that particular venue from my house I was still very keen to give them another go, especially with a solid month between the shows to fully absorb their new album. By the time May rolled around I'd been enjoying the album a whole lot and with Sleep Parade supporting I was willing to make that epic journey to Northcote to check out Floating Me again. AND I HAD NEW MICS :) How appropriate that from the last gig I recorded on the old mics, my first outing on the new mics would be the same band.
05/05/2011 - Northcote Social Club, Northcote (first headlining tour!)
Sleep Parade, hmmmm. I'm not quite as interested in this band as I used to be; they've just taken too long to get a new album out there, and some of the songs that they've been playing live just haven't done it for me. Plus it's kind of distracting that they seem to change lineups every second show or so. I wasn't sure whether they were going to be good or bad this time around. Turns out they were actually quite alright. Red Black from A State of Flux was doing his thing on the second guitar and keys again (apparently he's not a permanent member of the band anymore), so whenever he plays it's always a better show. As usual, due to the lengthy nature of Sleep Parade's tuneage they could only squeeze five songs into a half-hour set. But they were good ones. The two newest songs (Collision and Home) were better than some of the others I've heard at their last few shows. I just wish they'd finish their album already; they have so much potential as a band.
SETLIST:
Mr Identify
Everyday
Collision
Home
Weeping Walls
DOWNLOAD MP3 HERE
So, with the album pretty much dominating my earspace over the ensuing month, I had a lot of expectations for this show and I'm happy to say they were met. The band played every track except one off the album and of course, the Scary Mother cover again, which went down pretty well with a few crowd members. Apparently there are still some hardcore Scary Mother fans out there that have made the transition to this band. The band looked a lot more comfortable on the stage this time around and Andrew Gillespie seemed like he wanted to interact with the crowd a bit more than last time. When one punter shouted "LORD OF THE FLIES!" (another Scary Mother track), Gillespie wasn't bothered, simply saying, "Maybe next time, we'll have to practice that one!" The sound wasn't the best but I'm pretty sure that's because this venue's never been known for being amazing in that department. Anyway, the band did their best and their best was more than enough to satisfy a packed bandroom. Bezhumous was a highlight again; Lucius Borich is just amazing to watch. Also, Across the Gulf is an amazing song and it worked so well as a closer. In summary, I suggest you should all see this band the next time they come to your part of town, which will be in July on the Thousand Reasons tour with Thousand Needles in Red. I see a bright and exciting future ahead for them. ALSO, if someone reading this knows where I can get a copy of Scary Mother's album, PLEASE let me know. I'm very curious to give them a listen.
SETLIST
(Intro on recording)
Deathless
Spirals
Narke
Xtoto
Sugar
Short Cuts to Feeling
Piano
Breaking to Breathe
Bezhumous (with epic jam)
Tai Laeo (Scary Mother cover)
Across the Gulf
DOWNLOAD MP3 HERE
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Sydonia @ Ding Dong Lounge (2011-05-06)
I said last time I saw Sydonia (at Rock the Bay Festival) that it wasn't the most enjoyable set I'd ever seen from them. I still can't explain why, but I'm sticking to my reasons as being tired, somewhat intoxicated, and displeased with the setlist. I suppose in this way Sydonia gigs are a bit like the old Mammal shows - when they're on their game, they're fucking awesome, but sometimes there's just nothing that makes it stick out from the last show you went to, and you wonder whether it was worth going. All week I was sort of in two minds as to whether to attend this show, as I can't even really afford many good shows at the moment, so what if they had played a bad one? Well. They opened with Adornment, good sign. And the rest of the set just went up from there! A brand new song that finally has the additional percussion in full flight, plenty of old favourites, new favourites, a good crowd, it all went Sydonia's way tonight. Even a few technical difficulties (that infamous Ding Dong speaker crackle that, if I remember correctly, has happened on more than a few nights I've been there) couldn't ruin another great show from Melbourne's finest. Oh, and Taste More LIVE! I've seen Dana play it at a solo show, but at a Sydonia show... WOW. You can hear someone singing during it, whoever it is sounds pretty bad. I have a feeling it's me; I need to remember that such things are inevitably going to end up on a bootleg blog that I contribute to :) on the other hand though, I was standing right behind Jack... Anyway, this was a pretty tops Sydonia show. Didn't even matter that they didn't play Incoming or Bateria, although if they had've made it in this would have easily been the best Sydonia gig ever.
SETLIST:
Adornment
Ocean of Storms
Shame
No Woman's Land
Crash Here Tonight (FIRST TIME EVER! ...Well, apparently not. I've been informed by a good friend of mine that they actually played this at Rock the Bay 2010. But this is most likely the only time since then.)
Taste More
Here (with Zack Murray)
3 Tongues
(in between here there's a bit of a speech from the dude whose birthday this gig was celebrating)
Elbow
Rubber Bullet
DOWNLOAD MP3 HERE
SETLIST:
Adornment
Ocean of Storms
Shame
No Woman's Land
Crash Here Tonight (FIRST TIME EVER! ...Well, apparently not. I've been informed by a good friend of mine that they actually played this at Rock the Bay 2010. But this is most likely the only time since then.)
Taste More
Here (with Zack Murray)
3 Tongues
(in between here there's a bit of a speech from the dude whose birthday this gig was celebrating)
Elbow
Rubber Bullet
DOWNLOAD MP3 HERE
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Engine Three Seven and Twelve Foot Ninja @ Esplanade Hotel (2011-04-23)
A free Saturday night in the front bar at St Kilda’s famous Esplanade Hotel always gets quite a big turnout, but when the two headlining bands are Twelve Foot Ninja and Engine Three Seven, there’s guaranteed to be good times ahead for all concerned! These acts have found their way into the hearts of many Melbournians since they released their first EPs in 2008, first appearing at live shows alongside other more established acts, and then gradually making their way to the point they’re at today, where they can easily hold their own at small-medium sized venues. Hell, if this gig had have had an actual price tag, I’m sure they still would have got just as many punters through the door!
Here’s a unique oddity in the history of my recordings (and I’m assuming probably in FMR’s history) – a recording of a gig where I wasn’t actually present! To cut a long story short, I was actually at the Arthouse watching Frenzal Rhomb while Engine Three Seven’s set was taking place; I’d planned to hopefully be back in time for E37 but this turned out not to be the case. Luckily, I’d given my magic box to a friend so he could record the set anyway, and he was actually very lucky on this evening to have permission to plug into the mixing desk! Thus, this is quite a good quality recording. Listening back, I can tell I missed quite an awesome show, although this band never put on any other kind! I can’t really say much more about a gig I wasn’t even at, however, there’s something VERY special at the end of this set. During the St Kilda Festival earlier in the year, the guys put on a special acoustic show in the Gershwin Room. In the leadup to the show, drummer Shane Evans broke his foot, I’m not sure when exactly, but it was obviously close to the show and he was of course unable to play. So what did the guys do? They brought in a large couch, sat down in suits, and played the acoustic set, including the first live performance I have ever seen of Retrospect, a Pearl Jam cover featuring Tim McMillan, and at the end, frontman Casey Dean delivered a song by himself, saying he was hoping to do a solo album in the future. It was quite a special moment and one that I thought would never be repeated, at least in the near future, as I assume his commitments to E37 are quite strenuous these days. However, when I arrived at the Espy about five minutes before Twelve Foot Ninja were due on and got a quick rundown from my mate about E37’s set, I was delighted to hear that Casey had done the song again! Anyway. Here it all is. Enjoy.
Here’s a unique oddity in the history of my recordings (and I’m assuming probably in FMR’s history) – a recording of a gig where I wasn’t actually present! To cut a long story short, I was actually at the Arthouse watching Frenzal Rhomb while Engine Three Seven’s set was taking place; I’d planned to hopefully be back in time for E37 but this turned out not to be the case. Luckily, I’d given my magic box to a friend so he could record the set anyway, and he was actually very lucky on this evening to have permission to plug into the mixing desk! Thus, this is quite a good quality recording. Listening back, I can tell I missed quite an awesome show, although this band never put on any other kind! I can’t really say much more about a gig I wasn’t even at, however, there’s something VERY special at the end of this set. During the St Kilda Festival earlier in the year, the guys put on a special acoustic show in the Gershwin Room. In the leadup to the show, drummer Shane Evans broke his foot, I’m not sure when exactly, but it was obviously close to the show and he was of course unable to play. So what did the guys do? They brought in a large couch, sat down in suits, and played the acoustic set, including the first live performance I have ever seen of Retrospect, a Pearl Jam cover featuring Tim McMillan, and at the end, frontman Casey Dean delivered a song by himself, saying he was hoping to do a solo album in the future. It was quite a special moment and one that I thought would never be repeated, at least in the near future, as I assume his commitments to E37 are quite strenuous these days. However, when I arrived at the Espy about five minutes before Twelve Foot Ninja were due on and got a quick rundown from my mate about E37’s set, I was delighted to hear that Casey had done the song again! Anyway. Here it all is. Enjoy.
SETLIST
(Intro on recording)
Easy Graceful Descent
Automatic Everything
Over Capacity
Adults Only
Atmosphere
Cops
Have it All
Hysterical Hysteria
Lady Luck (Casey Dean solo)
(Intro on recording)
Easy Graceful Descent
Automatic Everything
Over Capacity
Adults Only
Atmosphere
Cops
Have it All
Hysterical Hysteria
Lady Luck (Casey Dean solo)
Well, luckily I had arrived with just a few minutes to spare before Twelve Foot Ninja got onstage and did their usual. I realised it’s actually been a bit longer than usual since I’ve seen the guys in action (about five months between shows actually can be considered a long time for a band that gigs with such frequency) and I was looking forward to see what they’d deliver. Turns out the answer to that was, “A DAMN GOOD SHOW!” They managed to play everything they’ve recorded and even a couple of songs that they haven’t. However, I was a little bit turned off at the whole “heavy” thing – I really enjoy them as a band that balances out their rock with the odd reggae verse and all that, but with the crazy strobe lighting, the relentless crashy-cymbal pounding beat thing and the crowd behaving the way they were, they just seemed to lean a little too far toward the “metal” side of things on this occasion. I like metal, but Twelve Foot Ninja are better off when they keep things balanced. Anyway, the crowd loved them and the band were getting into the spirit of things so I guess that’s the important thing. It was still enjoyable. The sound on this one could be better, despite the fact that it's a desk recording! Could use a little less vox and more guitar. But oh well.
SETLIST:
Mother Sky
War
Molotov Brother
Apocolypstik
Beneath the Smiles
Child With No Enemy
Manufacture of Consent
Portrait #1
Endless
Clarion
F.E.A.R.
Portrait #2
----Encore----
Dark Passenger
DOWNLOAD MP3 HERE
War
Molotov Brother
Apocolypstik
Beneath the Smiles
Child With No Enemy
Manufacture of Consent
Portrait #1
Endless
Clarion
F.E.A.R.
Portrait #2
----Encore----
Dark Passenger
DOWNLOAD MP3 HERE
Friday, April 8, 2011
Gareth Liddiard @ East Brunswick Club (2011-04-07)
For the uninitiated, Gareth Liddiard is the frontman for widely acclaimed Australian band The Drones. Following the album launch tour in November, another run of shows around the country was announced earlier in the year. Having missed shows at Thornbury Theatre, there was no way I was going pass up another chance (after having always seemed to miss his semi-regular solo performances at the Annandale Hotel when I lived in Sydney).
The banter before, between and after songs is almost as entertaining as the songs themselves. The obvious comparison he draws in this regard is another bearded stringed instrument player in a Melbourne based band, Warren Ellis of the Dirty Three. His bitter ramblings rarely miss the mark and in the odd instance that they do, they always provide a laugh.
To the music, there isn't a whole lot to fault. If you've listened to last years Strange Tourist, you know he's just as power and poetic without the backing of his fellow Drones. And there lies the only (minor fault). After hearing that the album launch tour was the LP start to finish, it was to be expected that he would change it up a bit. But I was still a little disappointed to only hear half of it live. What makes this minor more so is the fact that Strange Tourist closer, The Radicalisation Of D, was still includeded in the setlist, on of the most powerful songs I've ever had the privelege of hearing, both live and on record.
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