Melbourne in January

Melbourne in January is a good thing.....not only are we enjoying summer in our land down under, but also we have a constant stream of great bands arriving on our shores.

The New Year kicked off with a beautiful show from José González on the 2nd. He played a fairly subdued, but beautiful gig. (featuring a particularly killer version of fold which completely bowled me over.)

Unexpectedly the next night I found myself at The Go! Team playing HiFi bar in the city. Not usually a band I'd go and see, but that kind of attitude would have been my own loss. It was a tight, energetic and extremely fun set.

Seeing these two acts back to back was an interesting thing. I wouldn't say before that I was the biggest fan of Go Team! and their second album did not (for me) reach the heights of Thunder, Lightning, Strike. However, the energy of their live gig and the connection they made with the sweaty, but appreciative crowd at HiFi Bar really won me over. It was just a really fun musical night out, and it made me want to go home and listen to them again. José on the other hand, whilst singing gorgeously and performing impeccably, did not quite live up to the expectation that Veneer and In Our Nature had instilled in me. There was just something missing....maybe the lack of connection with the audience, maybe it was just all too perfect and precise. It seemed at times not like a live performance. So is this a bad thing? Is he to be faulted for being flawless? Of course not. On the whole the concert was like I said, gorgeous, but it did leave me wanting a little bit more, a little bit more of him, his self, his humanness.....which is not entirely what going to a live music performance is about, but it does definitely leave an impression.

At any rate, this is a small quibble. The year has started off well, and there are many many more gigs filling up the calendar. Highlights of the next few weeks will be Sufjan Stevens, The National and Arcade Fire ....and that's just the beginning!

Stay tuned for a gig filled summer

Arcade Fire is on

Yes after all the rumours and speculations it has finally been confirmed. Arcade Fire are to perform some sidelines to the Big Day Out gigs in Sydney and Melbourne.

Shows are:

Tuesday 22 January 2008
Enmore Theatre, Sydney
$69 + bf

Tuesday 29th January 2008
Forum Theatre, Melbourne
$69 + bf


TICKETS ON SALE WEDNESDAY 12 DECEMBER

Great Line-up at Bar Open tonight

For all you guys in Melbourne - a great night planned at Bar Open tonight (29th November)

AUSTIN

LIZ STRINGER & JORDIE LANE

TOM WOODWARD(ACT)

VORN DOOLETTE(S.A)

For lovers of the thriving local roots scene in Melbourne this would have to be one of the line-ups of the year, and a not to be missed event. Most notably it's Liz Stringer who has been carving it up in this town, with her commanding vocals and often deeply reflective lyrics, not to mention her unbelievable instrumental chops on Banjo, Lap steel, and Guitar. Stringer will join Jordie Lane on stage as a duo, gracing the audience with their powerful harmony's and emotive songs. Mr. Lane has been a busy boy since performing at Port Fairy in March, playing 120 shows, most recently supporting Aria winner Gotye and Jeff Lang, and an East Coast Tour with The Basics. Headlining the night is Austin. A performer whose reputation as an outstanding and unique musician is growing rapidly since he hit the local scene. He is currently touring his just released live cd. Also rounding out the bill are interstate troubadours Tom Woodward from Canberra who has been described as 'the product of a DNA experiment between Dylan and Nick Cave', and Vorn Doolette from Adelaide, who's Sinatra-like voice and song-writing skills have been a major draw-card for festival organisers around the country, including Melbourne's own Queenscliff Music Festival, which he shall be appearing at this November.

Doors 8pm $5 + free glossy poster for the first 50 payersa

Stars are coming too!!

Very exciting news just announced -

Stars are heading over on their first tour of Australia in the new year. Two dates have been officially announced, and they are sure to be added to the Laneway Festival lineup which I have already mentioned recently! How positively awesome will that be??

Confirmed dates:

Feb 27 - Spectrum, Sydney
Feb 28 - East Brunswick Club, Melbourne

Tickets for both shows go on sale Wednesday December 5th at 9am. (thanks to Sean at The Reminder for the info - great news!!)

St Jeromes Laneway

Very excited to have secured my tickets to the festival and looking forward to the lineup. Not only do we have Fiest, Kevin Drew, Okkervil River and Clap your hands say Yeah!, but also a great list of Australian talent. I recommend that you click on some of the names below to check them out:

- Gotye

Still riding high on his 'Best Male Artist' at the ARIAs - this has certainly been Wally's year

Have a listen to this remix from Mixed Blood

Gotye - Heart's a Mess (remix).mp3

- The Panics

The latest album Cruel Guards from this talented WA band is out now

The Panics - The feeling is gone.mp3

- The Presets

(new single My People out December 18)

The Presets - Are you the one.mp3

- Little Red
- The Devastations
- Bridezilla
- The Holidays

For more information on The Laneway festival in your part of Australia - click here

Noise Bar 16-02-07

my lovely flatmate Jason is the drummer extraordinaire in two Melbourne bands - The Happy Endings and Back Phat 5, so I figured I owed it to myself to get down and see them. on the bill also was relocated Brisbane band Elephant Mojo (who seem to have a loyal little following down here as well) and some other bands who I missed due to losing my way in Brunswick. the gig was in the noise bar which is where they record Noise TV for local channel 31. it's an old school pub with great seating outside - a nice place to grab a beer and listen to a bit of live music. it was a good night, with all the guys rocking out and putting on a pretty rockin' show - everyone particularly liked it when The Happy Endings went all metal on us to finish up - a great note to end on boys!

Local music rocks!

this is why I could never live anywhere else in Australia again. Melbourne really does have a great music scene and allows you to find new talent any day of the week - whatever you are into.

The Rob Roy is just up the street from my house, so when I found myself on a Saturday night with not much to do I figured a trip to the Roy was in order. on the bill this particular night were Howl at the Moon, Young Lovers and The Mad Feeling. All represented themselve more than ably (although the sound could have been lowered a little in Howl at the moon to preserve what was left of my eardrums) but it was the catchy rock/pop stylings of the Young Lovers that really brought a smile to my face. These guys are having fun and it's contagious.

Check 'em out if you get a chance.

neko case - spanish club 01-02-07

After bringing out one of my albums of the year in 2006, I was excited to see Neko Case on our humble shores this February. I managed to bag one of the remaining 20 tickets to her gig at the Spanish Club and I have to say it was more than worth the effort.

It was a bit of a night for 'girls and guitars' at the Spanish Club - with local songstress Emily Ulman starting off the night with a collection of her own well crafted songs. Her voice is sweet and silky (reminding me quite a lot of Taasha Coates from The Audreys) and the lyrics are beautiful, but there's still a step up to make in the arrangement before she becomes amazing. The crowd, whilst appreciative, let her slide very much into the background, which is probably not where she belongs.

In contrast Neko Case is not someone who can/will ever disappear into the background. From the moment she opened her mouth with Widows Toast to the final notes of the encore she captivated the audience with 'that' voice. Together with her band (and the honey voiced Kelly Hogan) Neko filled the room with beauty and strength. The mood was upbeat, jokey and fun - despite the soaring temperatures in the small room. Even the buckets of ice they were brought couldn't have made things easier for the guys up on the stage, but they soldiered on regardless without losing any of the energy that makes them so fun to see.

There was ample space for favourites old and new - letting her amazing vocal range show itself in full glory. Neko is a petite and unassuming woman but the sound that comes out of her mouth is so powerful and enveloping that you can't help being taken away to another place. Every song was amazing, but everyone has their favourite so I was particularly happy to be treated to wonderful renditions of Teenage Feeling and Hold on, Hold on from Fox Confessor and the gorgeous Set out Running from Furnace Room Lullaby (a song which retains a special place in my heart

The only thing I fear is that the opportunity to see Neko in such an intimate space will soon be lost. It really is only a matter of time before everyone jumps on this bandwagon and realises what a amazing talent this woman is.

Josh Ritter 12-12-06

I try never to miss the opportunity to see Josh Ritter live - wherever in the world I may be. Apart from the fact that I enjoy his music (The guardian recently listed him along with Will Oldham and the like as one of the modern 'poets of pop') his live performances are always full of warmth and fun. My preference would really be to see just him and a guitar without the theatrics and the band, however he still provided a lively and entertaining show. Josh has a huge following in Ireland (in fact at times the gig felt more like a giant love-in than a concert, but that's not really a criticism) you can't help but be pulled into the group hug and find yourself smiling along.
The set was a mixed bag with hits from all of his albums which I think managed to keep old and new fans happy (if indeed there were any new fans - these guys seemed like they'd all been in for the long haul and able to sing along to everything he turned out). He got everyone going with a rockin rendition of Hello Starling, right into my favourite from the last album- 'Good Man' then back to 'Me and Jiggs' from Golden Age of Radio. 3 great songs from 3 great albums - it was definitely a good sign of things to come.

Mostly he kept the mood uptempo except for a few choice solos including a beautiful rendition of 'Bone of Song' where he ditched the band and reminded everyone of the beauty of his words and his voice. All my faves were there (although I nearly missed the absolutely amazing 'Kathleen' whilst wasting time at the bar - sheesh) and a few others as well - it really was a great night!

check out more about Josh Ritter

here and here