An Horse
Kate Cooper, aka An Horse, and band member of Iron On, kicked things off for the night with a nice relaxed set. An Horse joked with the crowd and performed somewhat nervously. At one point she even admitted to only writing a song a couple days prior and apologised in advance in case she stuffed it up. The performance all in all was interesting and I probably wouldn’t have seen her otherwise, but it’s always nice to experience new things. There were a few technical problems such as feedback.
Performance 6.5
Technical 5
The Gin Club
The Gin Club were fantastic as always live. The Gin Club share the love, all the 5 guys up the front swapped guitars and each had a chance to woo the crowd with their vocal greatness. Even though The Gin Club was a support act they played a full set, to the crowd’s delight. The set was plagued with technical problems, mainly a very uncomfortable feedback problem. The Gin Club persevered and their overall performance prevailed.
Performance 9
Technical 4
One thing I should have mentioned earlier is how long this concert was. Doors opened a 8:30pm, with the first act starting at about 9:00pm and Bluebottle Kiss concluding their encore act at 1:30am.
Bluebottle Kiss
Bluebottle Kiss have been on the Australian music scene for some time now (since the mid 90’s). Bluebottle Kiss in its full greatness has 13 band members including, 2 drummers, 4 backing vocalist, 1 trumpeter, 1 trombonist, 1 saxophonist, 1 bass guitarist, 1 lead guitarist, and 1 second guitarist. It was an extremely tight fit on the small stage at The Rev. This combination adds extra depth to the music that Bluebottle Kiss produce. Unfortunately, just as The Gin Club battled with technical problems, so did Bluebottle Kiss, main problem being feedback again. Songs which I enjoyed the most was when all 13 band members where on stage, these songs just carried a lot of depth and the mastery required to compose such pieces is outstanding.
So, why haven’t Bluebottle Kiss made it big? This was a question that we tried to answer as we walked back to our cars after the gig. A friend of mine suggested that it might be because Bluebottle Kiss are just too much rock for the average person to handle. I tend to agree, and I am not saying that they should tone it done to get a big fancy record deal. Bluebottle Kiss has a lot to contribute to the indie music scene just the way they are. A stellar performance and the long awaited encore personified the band well.
Performance 8
Technical 4
Sunday, 27 August 2006
Saturday, 19 August 2006
Augie March with Jolie Holland, and David Ford (10/08/06, The Tivoli, Fortitude Valley)
David Ford
The mood at the start of this gig was very relaxed. The crowd gathered on the main floor and sat down, which was nice. I along with most others had not heard of David Ford before tonight, which is sometimes the best, no expectations. David Ford came out and played his first song just his unique vocal sound and guitar. During his second song we became aware of his real talent, when part way through he stoped playing his guitar but it didn’t stop, then he moved to the piano, then to the tambourine, (etc.) all playing in loops, with perfect timing. The number of layers that he could add to the music was endless. State of the Union, ended in a big way, I lost count of the number of samples/loops that he had towards the end. There was so much going on, a massive build up of vocals, with some in canon.
David’s vocal talent (range) alone should see him go far, but as a complete one-man-band, his performance was incredible.
Performance 9.5
Technical 9.5
Jolie Holland
Personally, I would have hated to be the act that followed David Ford, especially after the crowd really got into David’s performance. I was informed that Jolie Holland had a somewhat large following. I think I am being a bit harsh here, but Jolie Holland didn’t really fit in with the feel and flow of the concert. David built the crowed up nicely, but Jolie Holland couldn’t maintain the interest and enthusiasm. The music was good, just out of place between David Ford and the headlining Augie March. (In my opinion a better order would have been, Jolie Holland, David Ford, then Augie March.)
Performance 6
Technical 8
Augie March
One thing I can definitely say about Augie March is that they are even better live. They have a slightly different sound live when compared to their CD recordings, more rock when live. The guys have a good amount of banter both with the audience and with each other and leads to a few good laughs, why they change guitars, tune, rest, etc. Augie March is definitely a band on the up and up.
Performance 9.5
Technical 9.5
Did I mention that I really like The Tivoli, and hence why the technical marks are all of such a high standard. YAY, for The Tivoli, my favourite live music venue.
The mood at the start of this gig was very relaxed. The crowd gathered on the main floor and sat down, which was nice. I along with most others had not heard of David Ford before tonight, which is sometimes the best, no expectations. David Ford came out and played his first song just his unique vocal sound and guitar. During his second song we became aware of his real talent, when part way through he stoped playing his guitar but it didn’t stop, then he moved to the piano, then to the tambourine, (etc.) all playing in loops, with perfect timing. The number of layers that he could add to the music was endless. State of the Union, ended in a big way, I lost count of the number of samples/loops that he had towards the end. There was so much going on, a massive build up of vocals, with some in canon.
David’s vocal talent (range) alone should see him go far, but as a complete one-man-band, his performance was incredible.
Performance 9.5
Technical 9.5
Jolie Holland
Personally, I would have hated to be the act that followed David Ford, especially after the crowd really got into David’s performance. I was informed that Jolie Holland had a somewhat large following. I think I am being a bit harsh here, but Jolie Holland didn’t really fit in with the feel and flow of the concert. David built the crowed up nicely, but Jolie Holland couldn’t maintain the interest and enthusiasm. The music was good, just out of place between David Ford and the headlining Augie March. (In my opinion a better order would have been, Jolie Holland, David Ford, then Augie March.)
Performance 6
Technical 8
Augie March
One thing I can definitely say about Augie March is that they are even better live. They have a slightly different sound live when compared to their CD recordings, more rock when live. The guys have a good amount of banter both with the audience and with each other and leads to a few good laughs, why they change guitars, tune, rest, etc. Augie March is definitely a band on the up and up.
Performance 9.5
Technical 9.5
Did I mention that I really like The Tivoli, and hence why the technical marks are all of such a high standard. YAY, for The Tivoli, my favourite live music venue.
Sunday, 13 August 2006
Artic Monkeys with The Grates (06/08/06, The Arena, Fortitude Valley)
The Grates
I am going to be upfront about this and say, I don’t really like The Grates. It’s mainly the style of Patience’s singing, which I am fully aware is a big part of The Grates overall style. Even though The Grates are not my cup of tea I will try to be fair in reviewing their performance. John and Alana both performed exceptionally well, and I personally immensely appreciated the music behind the vocals that they produced. Patience added a lot of energy to The Grates performance and really got the crowd going, jumping and dancing around the stage. Patience’s singing was not being helped by all that jumping around. As a result in my opinion the best song she performed all night was their last song of the set “Science Is Golden”, simply because she was not jumping around and could actually sing. There were no major technical hitches that I picked up, and the lighting was fantastic.
Performance 6
Technical 8
Arctic Monkeys
To be honest I was undecided about the Arctic Monkeys, and this concert was either going to lead me to like them or just be impartial towards their music. The crowd completely packed the dance floor in front of the stage. Forming an intense mosh pit, which had some crazy sideway movement even before there was any sign of the Arctic Monkeys. The lighting really set the scene and contributed to the concert, giving it plenty of rock status. The only thing which I am unsure whether it added or took away from the overall performance was how drunk Alex was (he was pretty smashed). Alex in between song banter was in a mumbling British accent, which he apologised for. (HAHA) I recommend keeping an eye on these guys, future shows should be a real treat once they have another album or two out. I hope to see a second album from them soon.
Performance 8
Technical 9
I am going to be upfront about this and say, I don’t really like The Grates. It’s mainly the style of Patience’s singing, which I am fully aware is a big part of The Grates overall style. Even though The Grates are not my cup of tea I will try to be fair in reviewing their performance. John and Alana both performed exceptionally well, and I personally immensely appreciated the music behind the vocals that they produced. Patience added a lot of energy to The Grates performance and really got the crowd going, jumping and dancing around the stage. Patience’s singing was not being helped by all that jumping around. As a result in my opinion the best song she performed all night was their last song of the set “Science Is Golden”, simply because she was not jumping around and could actually sing. There were no major technical hitches that I picked up, and the lighting was fantastic.
Performance 6
Technical 8
Arctic Monkeys
To be honest I was undecided about the Arctic Monkeys, and this concert was either going to lead me to like them or just be impartial towards their music. The crowd completely packed the dance floor in front of the stage. Forming an intense mosh pit, which had some crazy sideway movement even before there was any sign of the Arctic Monkeys. The lighting really set the scene and contributed to the concert, giving it plenty of rock status. The only thing which I am unsure whether it added or took away from the overall performance was how drunk Alex was (he was pretty smashed). Alex in between song banter was in a mumbling British accent, which he apologised for. (HAHA) I recommend keeping an eye on these guys, future shows should be a real treat once they have another album or two out. I hope to see a second album from them soon.
Performance 8
Technical 9
Saturday, 12 August 2006
Mogwai with The Red Paintings (12/07/06, The Zoo, Fortitude Valley)
The Red Paintings
Simply, I really like The Red Paintings (TRP). They have great stage presents, the performances by all the musicians was of a high standard, each adding their own unique layers to each song. The show was fun and visually stimulating with the great use of costumes, make up and props, all standard affairs for TRP. The overall technical aspect was good, my only criticism was a few problems with the mixing from time to time, mainly it was with the violin and cello, as they became a bit buried under the multitude of layers that TRP have in their music.
Performance 8
Technical 8
Mogwai
This was the first time I had seen Mogwai live, and it was fantastic, monumental even. Mogwai did what they do best, rocked and rocked loudly. No criticism from me at all. Just to prove that Mogwai is about being the best that they can be, below is a quote taken from Trach’s Journal on The Red Paintings website. (http://www.theredpaintings.com/v2/tashjournal.htm)
“Mogwai had replaced all the venues gear with all new equipment and there was lots of it. The sound system, the desks even the fold back desk was just incredible what was even cooler is that they let us use it all and well it just sounded so so big and crystal clear too (of course this is Mogwai so you would only expect the best) much thanks to Mogwai.”
It's a pity the scale only goes to 10!
Performance 10
Technical 10
Simply, I really like The Red Paintings (TRP). They have great stage presents, the performances by all the musicians was of a high standard, each adding their own unique layers to each song. The show was fun and visually stimulating with the great use of costumes, make up and props, all standard affairs for TRP. The overall technical aspect was good, my only criticism was a few problems with the mixing from time to time, mainly it was with the violin and cello, as they became a bit buried under the multitude of layers that TRP have in their music.
Performance 8
Technical 8
Mogwai
This was the first time I had seen Mogwai live, and it was fantastic, monumental even. Mogwai did what they do best, rocked and rocked loudly. No criticism from me at all. Just to prove that Mogwai is about being the best that they can be, below is a quote taken from Trach’s Journal on The Red Paintings website. (http://www.theredpaintings.com/v2/tashjournal.htm)
“Mogwai had replaced all the venues gear with all new equipment and there was lots of it. The sound system, the desks even the fold back desk was just incredible what was even cooler is that they let us use it all and well it just sounded so so big and crystal clear too (of course this is Mogwai so you would only expect the best) much thanks to Mogwai.”
It's a pity the scale only goes to 10!
Performance 10
Technical 10
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