Live Review - Clairy Browne & The Bangin' Rackettes

January 11, 2012 – Queen Victoria Night Market

Before I tell you all about Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes, I feel as though you need to know a little about the venue in order for you to understand just how strange it is that it is a gathering place for people to come together to shop, eat exotic foods and hear live music.  In fact, Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market has to be one of the oddest places in the city.  Established in the 1878, it is Melbourne’s oldest market and the only 19^th century market still in operation within the CBD.  It is also one of the city’s biggest tourist attractions selling many fresh groceries and gourmet foods along with various arts and craft stalls selling their wares.  During the summer months, the market holds night sessions every Wednesday night with live music and assorted entertainment and it’s on one of these nights that this gig took place.  However, while this might seem quite normal, what isn’t as well known is that the site of the Queen Vic Market was once the site of the old Melbourne Cemetery.  The rapid expansion of the city during the later half of the 19^th century meant that the cemetery needed to be moved.  A graveyard right the in middle of one of the largest colonies in Australia isn’t the most attractive thing in the world right?  When the bodies were being moved from one site to another it turns out that someone got lazy and while all the grave markers were moved to the new location, of the 10,000 people interred at the old Melbourne Cemetery, 9,000 still remain buried under the Queen Victoria Market car parks and shed stalls.  And it is in this very place, on a Wednesday night, that local band Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes took to the stage.

This nine piece band has been creating quite a buzz around town over the last twelve months, playing just about anywhere that would have them while recording and releasing two singles and their debut album, Baby Caught The Bus all in that time.  Their sound is the kind of straight up doo-wop/soul that was all the rage back in the 1950s with a few modern touches à la Amy Winehouse.  In fact, if anyone is fit to fill the huge shoes left by Winehouse’s untimely death (even though her last few years were relatively quiet in terms of her musical output), it’s these guys.  They are the complete package.  The band grooves away with energy and bombast creating the perfect backing for Browne’s booming voice as she commands attention whilst giving the impression that she doesn’t care whether you are listening or not.  It’s not an arrogance that she displays, but a confidence in her ability to win you over with what she has, and it is a confidence that is well founded.  But the true highlight of the band is the three women who make up The Bangin’ Rackettes, backing vocalists to Browne’s power.  Their harmonies are extremely tight, especially on the excellent love ballad Far Too Late and the delightfully bitchy She Plays Up To You.  They even manage to make standards such as Sonny Bono’s Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) and a cover of Salt-n-Pepa’s Whatta Man sound refreshingly new, injecting new life into them with their old school style.

I must say though, that Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes managed to do all of this with nearly every element against them last night.  The family friendly atmosphere of the Queen Vic Market meant that the band appeared to be holding back a touch, giving the impression that their normal live show would have a bit more oomph to it that wouldn’t have been appropriate for the children in the crowd.  On top of this, it was one of the coldest summer nights in recent memory and the wind often made a mess of the sound.  Despite these minor setbacks, Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes put on an excellent show, forcing people onto their feet to dance the evening away.  In fact, this band’s sound is so infectious I’m willing to bet that, in addition to all the people in attendance last night, the 9,000 permanent residents underneath The Queen Vic Market were also enjoying the entertainment, dusting off their bones and joining in with their own go-go dancing session.  I will definitely be seeing this band again.

Live Review - Beirut

January 10, 2012 – The Forum Theatre, Melbourne

Support: Pikelet (Aus)

Beirut’s music is difficult to classify.  It falls somewhere between the blurred genre lines of indie folk rock and world music.  Each member of the band covers a variety of instruments including drums, bass guitar, double bass, accordion, trumpet, ukulele, voice, glockenspiel, trombone, sousaphone and an electric piano to create a sound that is entirely unique, blending elements of gypsy, French folk and mariachi music.  Beirut is the brain child of Zachary Francis Condon (of Santa Fe, New Mexico) and since their 2006 debut they have built a very strong following as evidenced by their two sold out shows here in Melbourne over that last two nights.

Personally, I’ve always felt Beirut’s music to be missing that certain something.  While their sound is certainly intriguing and worth listening to, it just doesn’t do a whole lot for me.  As I’ve stated before, I usually only enjoy music if it evokes some kind of emotional response in me and Beirut tend not to do that.  However, their sound does interest me and it was this reason that drove me to go along to The Forum Theatre last to night see this band play to a packed house of adoring fans.

From the outset it was clear that Beirut are very good at what they do.  They have that quality that elevates them above the average band and makes a casual listener such as myself see exactly why they are well loved by their fans.  They were tight and played with plenty of energy.  They seemed to be enjoying performing as much as the audience appeared to enjoy watching it.  You got the distinct impression that even if they weren’t half way across the world, playing to a sold out crowd, they’d still enjoy exactly what they were doing if it was just to their parents and friends in their own garage back home.  It was this quality that made Beirut a joy to watch.

Particular highlights of the evening were fan favourite Postcards From Italy, hometown ode Santa Fe and a stirring rendition of Goshen from their latest album, The Rip Tide which began with a beautifully spot lit Condon at the piano as he sang the lament of lost love.  It was this particular track where I finally “got it”.  I wasn’t there observing a band I was merely intrigued by anymore. With that track they had forced me to become involved with the music and I finally understood the reason that all these people were there.  When a band can do that, make a casual listener stand up and notice, even if it’s just for one song, they deserve all the praise they get.  Beirut truly do have something special about them, and while that element may not affect me as often as it does others, I would have no hesitation seeing them again on their next tour.­­­

Thank You, Logo and Twitter

This is just a very quick post to thank everyone for the support shown so far.  The positive response has been truly appreciated.  

I'd also like to draw your attention to the new logo you can now see to the right of your screen.  It was designed and hand drawn by a very dear friend of mine.  Hope you like it as much as I do.

A twitter account has also been activated for this site so if you are a twitter user, you'll be able to get updates on when things get posted.

Don’t forget to check out my review of tomorrow night’s Beirut gig on Wednesday.

Song of the Day - Wonderful (The Way I Feel)

Artist: My Morning Jacket (USA)

Album: Circuital (2011)

 

You know a great song when you’re listening to an album in your car and once the song is done, you just keep hitting that button to start it again.  Such was the case of My Morning Jacket’s brilliant tune, Wonderful (The Way I Feel), today.  I’ve been listening to their latest album Circuital for a few days now and with each listen, it just gets better and better.  The way this band seems to come straight out of the 1970s is almost unbelievable in this day and age, especially in Australia where radio tends to be focused on the “indie pop made by arts graduates (or drop outs)” sound.  Correct me if I’m wrong, but My Morning Jacket seem to be quite popular in their home country, but here, they barely get a mention.

By taking equal parts from classic Pink Floyd, The Who and The Beatles tracks, My Morning Jacket have managed to find a sound that is not only out of place with current music trends, but also makes them appear timeless.  They manage to sound entirely different, yet familiar at the same time.  Never is this more evident on what is, perhaps, the most accessible track on Circuital.  Wonderful (The Way I Feel) is a gorgeous acoustic track full of beautiful vocal harmonies and soaring, but subtle, strings.  Lyrically, the song appears to be optimistic, speaking of escaping from an unsatisfying world to a place of true freedom.  The lyrical optimism seems to be undercut though by the melancholic nature of the music, appearing to lament the idea that the world is too far gone to become truly free and that this freedom can only be achieved within the mind of the individual.  Please be aware that this interpretation is wholly my own.  I’m a strong believer in the idea that a song’s meaning depends entirely upon the listener and where they are in their lives.  The fact remains though, that this is an outstanding song, and one that I have listened to many times today.  I honestly can’t wait to hear it live if they play it during their Bluesfest set in April and I hope you enjoy it too.

Live Review - Jim Ward

January 3, 2012 – East Brunswick Club, Melbourne

Support: The Smith Street Band (Aus)

The people who attended last night’s performance at Melbourne’s East Brunswick Club will not likely forget what they saw.  In all the years I have been attending shows, I know I have never experienced anything quite like it.  So, I’m sure you can understand when I tell you that there is a great degree of difficulty deciding where to begin.  Do I set the tone by telling you about Ward’s last solo tour just a few months ago where he played the same venue, unaccompanied, to a sold out crowd of adoring fans?  Do I start by just coming out and letting you know exactly why this show was a difficult one to enjoy?  Do I leave out the emotional context and focus purely on the performance knowing that the readers of this blog will inevitably conclude, for the most part, that this was an average gig?  I guess the only way to begin a review of this show, would be to start at the beginning and see where it takes us.

The night began with Melbourne’s own The Smith Street Band.  They hit the stage with energy and gusto, performing their hearts out for what began as a small crowd that slowly built up as their set went on.  It’s no secret that I believe this band to be one of the shining lights of the Australian music scene.  While their profile may be relatively small now, I certainly hope they are given the opportunity to do what they do for a very long time to come.  They have a lot to overcome given the, sometimes fickle, nature of the Australian music scene, but if anyone’s got the talent to pull it off, it’s these guys.  If you don’t believe me, get yourself a copy of their debut album, No One Gets Lost Anymore, and hear it for yourself.  They are always playing so check out their facebook page (under Wil Wagner & The Smith Street Band) for the latest gig details and go check them out.  You won’t be disappointed.

Half an hour later when Jim Ward took the stage, this time backed by a full band, something seemed off.  The performance was a little sluggish, voices were slightly off key and some of the timing was out.  Ward seemed noticeably distracted, singing low and mumbling much of his lines.  All signs were pointing towards this gig being one that would be forgettable.  This was an incredibly surprising situation given that I had seen Ward three times before (twice with his band Sparta and I was at the aforementioned solo show played a few months ago) and had never been let down by any of his performances.  He seems to be the kind of performer who gives his all, regardless of who he is playing to, humbled and grateful that he has the opportunity to play all over the world for a living.  After the second song of the set, Ward spoke to the crowd and revealed the reason for what the crowd was witnessing.

Through tears and a cracking voice, Ward informed the crowd that, 48 hours prior to this show, he and his band mate Gabriel Gonzalez had been informed that a close friend of theirs had been murdered back home in El Paso, Texas.  Ward told the crowd that they had debated long and hard about playing the show.  The next flight they could get home wouldn’t be until Thursday and that they were likely to catch that flight and cancel their Friday night show in Sydney.  So, with being forced to stay in Australia for the next two days, and because their friend would have wanted them to, they were now standing in front of us, trying to play while their minds were elsewhere.  Ward also revealed that his friend’s family had very little money and so, he was selling signed posters with 100% of the proceeds going towards helping the girl’s family pay for funeral costs.  Not a single person in the crowd would have blamed Ward if he simply called off the show right then and there and they offered up a huge, encouraging applause as the band worked through their grief doing the only thing they’ve known how to do for the entirety of their adult lives (Ward co-founded seminal post-hardcore band, At The Drive-In, when he was seventeen).

As the night went on, Ward apologised profusely for bringing the mood down.  Many of his songs, particularly the ones about his home town and the people there, were given extra weight and he struggled with the occasional line.  There was a turning point towards the end of the show though, where the struggle seemed to stop and the songs became a kind of catharsis.  Ward became more passionate and some of the weight seemed to be lifted.  The crowd was no longer witnessing a man struggling with his grief.  They were seeing a performer expressing it with every fibre of his being.  This was never more evident that during the closing song of the night, Mystery Talks, which was originally written about the death of his cousin, Jeremy Ward (former sound manipulator for The Mars Volta).

It’s difficult to express the feeling in the room last night with words.  After all, words are merely labels and labels can only give you a hint of what is inferred, they cannot actually make you feel the emotions they often falsely represent.  What I can tell you though is that the applause of at the end of the show was not your usual display of appreciation at having witnessed a good performance.  It was an offer of encouragement and support for Ward and Gonzalez during a deeply personal time that few people can truly relate to.  The large line that formed to buy the posters Ward spoke of earlier in the night furthered this sense of support and solidarity.

As I’ve already said, I have never quite witnessed anything like this at a gig before and, while the performances towards the end of the night were nothing short of brilliant, I hope the reason for them being so is never repeated.  If you, for whatever reason, would like to donate money to the girl’s family, Ward stated that he would set up a link to do so on his blog.  At the time of publishing this review, the link is not yet there, but keep checking back over the next few days.  My next reviews will come next week with Beirut’s Forum Theatre show, Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackette’s performance at The Queen Victoria Night Market and the opening show of Circles’ Eye Embedded east coast tour at The Corner Hotel.

Live Review - Arctic Monkeys

January 2, 2012 – The Palace Theatre, Melbourne

Support: Miles Kane (UK)

First of all, allow me to set the scene for you.  The second day of 2012 had brought with it the first day of the summer to reach 40 degrees (that’s 104 for those of you who are fahrenheit-minded).  Many people spent the day indoors as it was far too hot to go anywhere but the pool or beach, and failing that, a nice, cold bathtub. It was so hot in fact, that there were many people who were giving their tickets to the evening’s performance away…for free.  “Too hot,” was the standard excuse given.  I can’t blame them.  The last time I went to a show at Melbourne’s The Palace Theatre on a 40-degree day was back in 2008 when I saw The Prodigy play.  It was so hot inside the venue that I literally felt the sweat dripping down my arms and off my fingertips.  To add further concern to the heat, the performers for the evening were England’s mighty Arctic Monkeys, a band from a town whose average high temperature for this time of year is about 6 degrees (about 43F).  Needless to say, I had my doubts about this gig.  Would the crowd be sapped of energy and rob the show of a good atmosphere?  Would the inevitable heat prove too much of a distraction?  Or, more importantly, would Arctic Monkeys be prevented from delivering a show that stands up to their usual standards given the extreme temperatures they would rarely have to deal with?  I can safely say, that the answer to each of those questions was, “No”.

Arctic Monkeys have come a long way since I last saw them back when they were touring their second album Favourite Worst Nightmare.  That night they raced through their set at Festival Hall without moving around much or doing anything more than playing the songs as well as they could.  There was an intangible energy to that performance though.  A sort of edgy quality from a band that seemed to still be in shock from how quickly they had found success.  With minimal movement and between song banter, the crowd was still in a frenzy that night, testament to how good a band Arctic Monkeys really are.

The Arctic Monkeys that performed last night though, showed all the qualities of seasoned veterans.  From the opening of Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair they moved powerfully and with confidence through their set.  There seemed to be a newly found swagger to their show, a more fluid, comfortable manner, demonstrated best by enigmatic front man, Alex Turner.  Now with years of touring experience, Turner has become a master of ceremonies, able to extract the required reaction from an audience despite the crowd showing some signs of fatigue from the heat.  Where he use to stare at his shoes for much of the show, he now commands the stage moving from one side of the stage to the other like a true world class performer.  Particular highlights were his ability to get away with dedicating each of the encore songs (Suck It And See, Fluorescent Adolescent and 505) “to the ladies”, feigning the Macarena during the appropriate moment in Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair and raising the crowd noise to deafening levels during a sing-along of one of their most well known songs, When The Sun Goes Down.  Turner was so in tune with everything that was going on around him that he managed to demonstrate his cat-like reflexes dodging a stray drumstick from Matt Helders that would have had a lesser man taking a trip to the emergency ward for a few stitches.  This change, to me, seems to have come over night, having missed out on their Humbug tour and it was refreshing to see.  Of course, it has been the result of years on the road and learning what they can, and can’t, get away with.

But what about their set?  Well, they played just about everything the crowd wanted to hear.  The set list consisted mostly of songs from Suck It And See and Favourite Worst Nightmare with songs from their debut Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not not far behind.  However, with only two tracks from Humbug (Crying Lightning and Pretty Visitors) I couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed given that it is my favourite album by the band.  During the set, former The Rascals member and one third of Alex Turner’s side project The Last Shadow Puppets, Miles Kane, joined Arctic Monkeys on lead vocals for new song Little Illusion Machine (Wirral Riddler) and again on guitar for the final song of the night, 505.  All in all, there was nothing but satisfied faces all around as the crowds poured out of the venue.  I didn’t hear any mention of, “Yeah, but I wish they’d played…” or “The sound wasn’t very good during…,” all that I could hear were different variations of the phrase, “What an awesome show!”

Arctic Monkeys have always been a very good band with hints that they may become great.  If you’ve been reading this blog, you’ll have noticed that their latest album, Suck It And See, was one of my top albums of 2011.  That album, and last night’s performance showed that, while there still might be some distance to cover before greatness is achieved, they are well on their way and I look forward to what they do next.

On a side note, congratulations must go to whoever had the brains to install a decent air conditioning system in The Palace.  I will never need to worry about the heat at The Palace again.  With that, good luck to anyone going to Arctic Monkeys Festival Hall show tonight (a venue notoriously known as The Sweat Pit).  I will be at the East Brunswick Club seeing Jim Ward.  Stay tuned tomorrow for a review of that show.

The Year To Come - 2012

As you may have seen over the last few days, I’ve counted down my favourite albums of 2011.  It served as an introduction to what I intend to do with this blog.  I felt that, in order for readers to get a feel for where this may be going, it was important that they get a clear sense of my musical tastes and the things that I enjoyed about 2011.  I must say, however, that I feel 2011 was a disappointing year for new releases.  Many bands that I admire released material that did not live up to their previous work, or my expectations.  Or maybe it was a result of my growing older and my musical tastes not being in sync with the direction these bands wanted to take things.  Maybe, in the time to come, I will come to love the albums that didn’t do anything for me in 2011.  Maybe they will keep gathering dust on the shelf.  Who knows?

On the other hand, 2012, holds many things to look forward to.  So many things, that if I listed them all, you’d all get bored and turn away to facebook or whatever other site perks your interest.  So, let me try and be as brief as possible and let you in on the things that I am looking forward to most in 2012.

·      A new Pearl Jam album and a likely tour.  It’s no secret to many of my friends that Pearl Jam are, by far, my favourite band of all time.  I have however promised that I would try to keep this blog as neutral as possible.  However, I can’t hide my excitement at hearing new music by the biggest band of the 1990s, or seeing them live, yet again.

·      A new Tool album.  It’s been almost six years since Tool released new material (2006’s 10,000 Days) and the boys have been in the studio for quite some time.  Never ones to play by the rules, here’s to the return of Danny, Justin, Adam and Maynard joining as one and taking us on another epic, dark journey.

·      A new Mars Volta album.  If their recent Australian tour was anything to go by (where their set consisted almost exclusively of new material), Mars Volta’s new album should be a very interesting creature indeed.  What we heard back in August was a punkier, more direct, Mars Volta.  I’m almost afraid to say it, but it’s probably the closest Mars Volta have ever sounded to At The Drive-In.

·      Soundwave festival.  The 2012 line-up of Soundwave is, by far, the best that has ever been put together.  Just think – Machine Head, Lamb of God, Slipknot, System of a Down, In Flames, Devin Townsend, Dillinger Escape Plan, Thursday, Underoath, Steel Panther, Meshuggah, Hatebreed, Times of Grace and Dragonforce – all in one day!!  Bring it!

·      Byron Bay Bluesfest.  Although, for me, the line-up is much weaker than it has been in previous years, this is still my favourite festival to attend.  Nothing touches it in terms of organisation and atmosphere.  It doesn’t matter if you don’t like who’s playing, it’s just great fun to be there.  Besides, getting drunk and listening to The Pogues is all anyone really needs to justify a trip up to one of Australia’s most beautiful spots, right?

·      The return of Soundgarden.  On February 1^st, Soundgarden will play Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl in one of their first shows outside of the United States since their reformation…and I will be there.  I can’t tell you how much I’ve hoped this band would get back together and tour, and now it’s finally happening.  If it’s anything like Rage Against The Machine’s comeback in 2008, I’ll be a happy man.  Plus, as a bonus, Soundgarden will release an album of new material for the first time since 1996’s brilliant Down On The Upside.

·      Circles debut album.  Good friends of mine, Circles, have been working hard on the follow up to their successful debut EP, The Compass.  I’ve heard a bit of what they’ve been working on and, let me tell you, it’s a massive step up.  Can’t wait to hear the final product boys!

So, there you have it.  The biggest things I’m looking forward to about the year to come.  I hope you can join me on the journey as I discover more music and attend more shows (as well as see a few films, stand up comedy and theatre productions).  Thank you all, again, for reading this much and for this long.  It is truly appreciated.  My next post will likely come in the next few days and cover my thoughts on Arctic Monkeys 2^nd of January performance at The Palace.