I Don't Believe in Ghosts

Photo by Boudist

Allow me to set the scene.

Monday Morning 7am.
Before going to waste horrid amounts of money on car registration and then go to work, I decided to sit on the computer and try and find some solace in the fact that it is 7am and I am awake, ready for a day of work. To my delight I discover that Kings of Leon are playing a DJ set down at Candy's along with some other interesting prospects. Immediately the call goes out to fellow whiteboy Chris. Upon finishing work at 5pm I discover my fellow whiteboy is keen as mustard and after some calls whiteboy Dj Albert is also in. The trio formed and a night at Candy's awaits.

Upon arriving at Candy's Apartment there is a modest queue of good looking people and being good looking also, we join.

The Vendettas were the first act that we saw and surprisingly it was the first time I have seen them perform. I wouldn't say they had me foaming at the mouth with anticipation from their track "Running" which I'd heard but Dom from Who the Bloody Hell spoke highly of them on a previous conversation at Candy's, so my ears were primed.

Ofcourse what caught my eye instantly was front woman Larissa Rate. Now with her angelic yet saucy figure standing in front of me I was further supported in my belief that anything you can do, Sydney does better. Move over Patience Hodgson, you may think you've got the sexiest yelp in music but your wrong, as The Vendettas got further into the set it, Patience became a distant memory in my mind and I remained on my tip toes for the entire show, eyes glued to Larissa Rate. If you add the style to the oodles of sexuality sparking from her body, you could ask nothing more. Rate knew exactly how to work the crowd and while the music did the talking, the moment Rate poured water down her chest and unbuttoned that little red cardigan, Life wasn't much sweeter. What a fucking front woman and what an amazing piece of ass. My only wish was that the Boudist man was on hand to capture her on film.

Promptly and confidently The Vendettas ripped through a set which didn't let up and it certainly made me take note that my previous opinions on the band we lacking. So I got informed and I loved what I saw... and heard.

Myspace: The Vendettas

The Instant were next on the cards and after riding high on infatuation from The Vendettas, I thought I was in for a good night. I thought. The Instant gave myself and my counterparts a perfect chance to sit down and honestly, after running on 4 hours sleep all weekend, they provided me with an ideal chance to take a much needed nap. That's right, I sat on one of those love lounge things and began to go to sleep only to have Larissa from The Vendettas stand not 5 metres from my person and begin texting away, whoever it was they are a lucky son of a bitch. I wanted to say something, but I was like a school boy, smelly and lacking in anything that would be epic enough to be memorable, hell I would have been shooting for anything that even sounded remotely normal. I remained

Now I don't like being harsh... or maybe I do but the point is that The Instant may very well be a half decent band, but they could of fooled me. They build this ellaborate first track and I thought yeh you're already boring me, then, I realise Ok these guys are not going to be pressing their voices against the microphone but STILL I keenly watched on awaiting the AHH moment where everything comes into place. But nothing. The front man if you will a.k.a the guy who moved around the most looked like the frontman of Walk the Earth and I couldn't tell you much else because of my nap time. They were as mismatched on the bill as they were forgettable. I know they are making some waves that a lot of kids are diggin and indeed I think there were about 5 people who actually got whatever this post-rock lullaby was aiming for.

Give me a pound of weed, fresh cookies and a night chilling with Surfjan Stevens, I might get whatever the fuck they were on about, but for me to change my mind on these ones, I am going to have to heard something, anything that is remotely moving. You want prog-rock instrumental, go see All India Radio, because quite frankly they shit all over these Newcastle boys.

I mean hey, I've heard rumours they are only young and people will say "oww Pix give em time", well when I pay 15 bux to attend a show at my favourite venue, I don't have four years for you to learn how to be interesting.

Myspace: The Instant

Photo by Boudist

The Ghosts were the next to part take in this smorgasboard of fashionable proportions and they had received a lot of blog time around the place. I myself was quite taken by the demo "Red" which resulted in quite a sense of anticipations.

They start of quite average, nothing overly special to report. I was saddened that the singer was not sporting the drew-carey glasses I had previously seen him wearing in promo shots. Now the set did travel along quite nicely, they were throwing out all the right punches but they were a bit lost on me. I'd love A) hear more than one of their songs on mp3 & B) give them a chance to sink in because I liked what I heard, but all the way through my mind is recalling how many amazing things I'd heard and to tell the truth they didn't deliver to the mammoth proportions I had hoped for. After talking them up to my fellow whiteboys, I felt alittle embarrassed and quite short changed.

The set did really flair when The Ghosts broke out into "Red" but it then dipped again I felt. Might of been an idea to play the one song everyone knows last instead of mid set. Now don't get me wrong they didn't do anything wrong but they played it mighty safe and visually were quite unstimulating.

Finally on The Ghosts, I am not sure if it was the vocalist or the sound girl but his vocals were as difficult to hear as good music on Stereogum. Improvement needed for me to give them anything more than that I'm afraid.

Now onto the biggest flop of the night, fucking Kings of Leon. Let me tell now I absolutely adore and idolize these fuckers. They would be without a shadow of doubt one of my most favourite artists and surely my favourite rock n roll band. My decision to attend my first Big Day Out was as much to do with Metallica as it was to do with Kings of Leon, they are simply a class act.

Foolishly after seeing some of my other favourites like Midnight Juggernauts, The Valentinos & Van She completely rip the dj set to the max. I was excited to think another favourite would be doing the same. However, the two boys (from my drunken haze I believe it was Matt & Jared) from Kings of Leon were totally fucking terrible. I have done a better set in my computer room on virtual dj.

There was not a single "mix" to be heard, nor did they even try. It was as if they just loaded up Winamp and pressed Automix. Needless to say Dj Albert was almost in tears to witness such a lack of respect for the Candy's crowd. These people are come of Sydney's finest and for the Kings of get up there and starfish it was both an insult and I guess it partly highlighted for me they know how good they are and they don't really care.

Then there was the song selection. Equally as fucking shit as the mix. The Datsuns "Harmonic Generator" & The Strokes. Sorry but it's not 2004 anymore you wankers. I mean seriously, while I don't expect them to rock socks like Valentinos or Van She who are actual Dj's and who live and breath that kind of stuff, I do fucking expect them to be tastemakers, they travel the world and hear a bucket load of music, surely they'd be able to get some of it fucking right.

In half an hour or so it was all over and they left, not to many sad farewells either. The crowd were forced to starfish it too because the Kings gave us all nothing to dance to AND as a final nail in the coffin, I don't think that the two fellas from Kings actually turned and twiddled any of the nobs.

I'd have to say the Dj (whose name I don't know) worked the crowd a millions time better than Kings of Leon. That dude with the curly black hair couldn't mix to save his mums life but his track selection was absolutely brilliant. Throwing up anything from "Burning" by Whitest Boy Alive to "Boom shake shake shake the room". He got the crowd going only to have the Kings clear out the place. To say I was disappointed wouldn't be accurate, to say that Kings of Leon shouldn't have even bothered turning up would be more appropriate because the rest of the night was good. Seeing Aussie bands is never a bad thing, even the ones I don't like.

After being royally fucked over by the Kings (irony), we decided to head for home. It breaks me to think Dj Albert came out all that way and didn't get to bust out his A-list moves.

Myspace: Kings of Leon

In summary, the night belonged to The Vendettas. Upon leaving I spied one of the guitarists and possibly some of the other members all piling into the one car in true rockstar fashion and I couldn't hold it in anymore. If I didn't have the balls to approach Larissa, I still needed to get my message across. My typical western sydney remarks I made then still sit with me now, "The Vendettas fucking shit all over those other wankers". Toots of there horn and a polite thankyou left me content I had atleast said something. Looking back now, I am never going to have any blogger mystique if I keep blurting my love out.

All in all it wasn't my best night at Candy's but it beats the hell out of Bloc.