Big Day Out 07 Review Part 2

A day like Big Day Out is full with more splendours than can be crammed into one post, so to make it slightly easier to digest such a large sampling of musical acts, here is the second installment of the whiteboydancefloor 2007 Big Day Out experience.

Diplo
Aside one of the most influential producers in the world, Diplo is also one of the most astute tastemakers around. For some reason his arrival in the Hot House caused the dancefloor to thin out considerably, which in no way was an indication of how good this guy is. His site went though two phases, beginning with more mainstream electro/house tracks then slowly moving towards more edgy Baile Funk tunes, a style he has trumpeted successfully and has assisted in its explosion. No pretension and superficiality here, this guy is all about substance and love for the tunes he is playing and entertaining the crowd and not himself. Diplo = great - Chris

Hot Chip
Hot Chip’s performance in the Hot House seemed to take forever to arrive, aided by technical difficulties, but once it came it disappeared all too soon. Fronted by one of the geekiest looking men I’ve seen front a band, the band lined up side by side in front of a big crowd armed with synthesisers and drum machines and were about to show why they are the most talked about act in electronic music. Hot Chip live is certainly a different experience than on record, and their incredible version of ‘(And I Was) A Boy From School’ reminded the punters that this show wasn’t going to be a Warning carbon copy. Equal parts dance party and intricately constructed aural journey, the performance was punctuated with old favourites and new tracks that I’m sure will make their next LP just as impressive as their last two. ‘No Fit State’ was by far the highlight, sounding even more stark and unsettling than on record. - Chris

The Streets
I only caught the first half of the set from Mike skinner and co
and whilst i have to say it sounded a million times better than '05 on the
green stage, it was still disappointing. These lads (a.k.a Chavs) need to learn that if
you're gunna record some choruses with melody and singing in them you should
make sure you can sing live. he did drop in 'dont mug yourself', 'weak
become heroes' and 'lets push things forward' in the first half so his
selection was ok but pretty unconvincing in whole. - Javid

The biggest disappointment was The Streets who sounded so drunk and monotone I thought Kamahl had downed a few and come up to have a sing after his little romp with the Spazzys earlier in the day. - Dean

Muse
So that i'd be able to add some more persepective to this review i
caught muse instead of justice and despite the fact i saw them the night
before they were once again absolutely stunning. A set full of sing-a-long, dance-a-long numbers, visual amazing-ness and a perfect sound made them the perfect intro for headliners, Tool. -Javid

Tool
I've been a fan of Tool for many years, but I've never been enough of a
fan to fork out the money and go see these guys live. I might have this year
had they not been on the same night as Muse but good lord.. blame the drugs
if you will but this band put on an absolutely mesmerizing show. The intense
brutality of 'Stinkfist' kicked it all off and with the closing notes of
'Aenema' you stop and wonder where that bloody hour and a half went, let
alone where the hell you are. If you went and saw The Presets you possibly
made the wrong choice (and I love The Presets).. but with Maynard's closing
words 'see you in December' I can safely say that I will be back for much,
much more of one of the most mind-blowing bands in the world. Spectacular. -Javid

Justice
Parisian duo Justice were THE buzz producers of 2006, remixing the likes of Franz Ferdinand and Simian, were remixed by Erol Alkan and dropped their own tracks, most notably the dancefloor powder-keg 'Waters Of Nazareth'. The track bookended an equally pummeling and inconsistent set, where at times they played some cutting edge tracks from purveyors of the current nu-rave/electro-house movement and ruined it by unnecessary pausing and chopping that made it seem as though there were mulitple power failures at the venue. Where Diplo dropped an AC/DC track into his set, Justice continued this strange trend dropping 'Thunderstruck' towards the end of their set to the delight of many. Nitpicking aside, they got the crowd moving and played some incredible dance tracks so they got my thumbs up. - Chris

The Presets
The ultimate in homecoming for a duo who have seen very little of home soil during 2006 since the international release of Beams (2006). Keep in mind this is the same band with the same songs that Chris, Javid and myself had seen the previous year at a staggering midday slot. Their return was nothing short of inspiring. Despite being on the same time as Tool, The Presets packed the boiler room with far better looking people than the Tool crowd. Several reports indicated that many made a dash for the boiler room as the Tool sound did transfer well to a stadium setting. What makes The Presets even more amazing is that this is just two homos from Sydney, with a synthesizer and drum kit, but what it translates to is nothing short of a true guilty pleasure. The Presets roared through almost all the tracks of their debut and came home with a wet sail performing Down, Down, Down & I Go Hard I Go Home back to back. The Presets dazzled and left us with the proposition either go hard or go home. These funboys, went home. - Pix

So tell us whiteboydancefloor readers, what does it for you? Tool or The Presets?

To be continued....

Big Day Out 2007 Review Part 1

Another year, another Big Day Out. Its the mecca for alternative (or not so alternative according to some but that argument is for another day) music fans in Australia and New Zealand and the WBDF crew were there for the Sydney leg as always to give you our view on the day.


The Spazzys
I inadvertently caught them because it was the time of the day we chose
to use the main arena to do our exercise routine (See bottom of post for more on this 'exercise routine'). boring songs, no personalities, should probably be shot. Should give kudos to Kamahl for doing
a song, not even with them, with his own backing tape and he shot them down. - Javid

Suicide > Spazzys - Pix


Trivium
Solid musicians but certainly nothing that hasn't been done before
by much bigger and much more successful bands. The fact that they played
'Master of Puppets' had me wondering if I was going to see a band today that
WASN'T going to do a cover. One of the better sounds to start the day off
with, a perfectly legible mix. Chosen over the butterfly effect and probably
the right call. - Javid


Lily Allen
It was all about spunk, attitude and slagging off the drummer from Jet when Lily Allen took the stage in the Boiler Room. Clad in yellow Ksubi and sneakers, Lily sent the crowd into raptures, opening with ‘LDN’, backed by a tight rhythm section brass and all. Despite roaring and snarling her way through tracks such as ‘Knock em Out’ and ‘Alfie’ which showed off her lyrical prowess and charisma, front row sound quality was hard to come by with the speakers at times creating an ear-massacring din in what Javid described as an ‘an eardrum-piercing cacophony’. However despite this she was superb, proving she is the real deal and reiterating why I was horribly wrong to ever doubt her. Now we know that Chris from Jet has a small knob…and a cut up face courtesy of a Lily Allen glass. - Chris

Luciano
This year the BDO took a different take on the lilypad with a much
bigger area, a crazier stage and a higher quality of acts. the only one i
was interested in was Luciano - although at the start of his set with a
small crowd it seemed no one shared my enthusiasm for reggae. but then with
the soothing jamaican sounds the crowd flowed in. The greatest thing about
reggae is the fact it gets everyone moving, and has not one single ounce of
a bad vibe in it. The man opened with the only song I knew (Give Praise)
before taking the crowd on a soothing journey of dub and acoustic riddims.
Needless to say the whole place smelt like weed, but the vibe here was
easily one of the best i felt throughout the day. I'm glad I took a chance on
this man. - Javid

Peaches
A Veteran of the Big Day Out by now, Peaches was as filthy as she was faultless. Blending the old set seamlessly with tracks from her latest release "Impeach my bush" the set oozed between Peaches the saltry rock bitch and Peaches the electro slut face. Thankfully she only got down to the dominatrix corset and no further but I guess there is always next year. - Pix



Spank Rock
After Chris discovered the heart breaking news that MC Spank Rock had not made the journey to the Brisbane Big Day Out, it was still worth a brief look to at what DJ XXXchange could offer. Or was it? With the help of b-grade replacement MC Pase Rock, Ken West and his communist cronies thought they would pretend nothing out of the ordinary was occurring and another token black guy could be mistaken for MC Spank Rock. Think again Ken West, admirers of Spank Rock are not that stupid you hack. Needless to say Dj XXXchange ripped out a capable set but nothing that didn't prevent him from finishing early and allowing Diplo to blow everyone up. - Pix

John Butler Trio
Knowing the Boiler Room would probably be packed for
peaches and being with the people I was with at the time I ended up managing
to catch the John Butler Trio as they busied themselves reminding everyone
in the crowd why they are one of Australia's finest original acts. The sound
was absolutely perfect, the setlist was beautiful and when it all ended with
'Funky Tonight' (dedicated to our asses) there was not one person on the
floor of the arena that wasn't shaking it with the best of them. A highlight
of the day. - Javid

"I was immersed in the sound" - Dean.


Front Row: Keiran (Jens), Pix (Pepe'), Chris (Ruudi).
Top Row: Shane (Dante), Luke (Klaus), Javid (Diego), Dean (Ziggy), Clint (Boje)

As the above image demonstrates the whiteboydancefloor crew (Pix, Chris, Javid & Dean) were out in full force sporting their funboy monikers, exercise routines and of course some seriously handsome good looks.

Big Day Out 07 belonged to the funboys and you'll be able to see our interview which Channel [V] were begging us for when the Big Day In roles around, provided we didn't do anything too inappropriate which might warrant them to cut the fun, Channel [V] can be pretty un-fun can't they.

To be continued....

Muse @ The Horden - 24/1

The night before the Big Day Out is always an exciting one although its not one I can say I often spend at other gigs as Im normally establishing supplies, my vast wardrobe and witty comebacks to dumbshits for the day after. But this year I had the pleasure of being at the Horden Pavillion (again) to see one of the bands that has changed the way I listen to music - Muse.

Now you can say what you want about this band. You can like them or not like them and thats perfectly fine with me but calling Muse over-dramatic is like having a whinge about a Mars Volta song going for over 10 minutes. Its to be expected. Tonight was the second consecutive show for the band and the first time they'd played two nights in a row on this leg of the tour and that always means its time to mix the setlist up a bit - which the band had yet to do.

First and foremost I'd like to say that this year Im starting to realise the importance everyone else in the crowd can hold when it comes to your own good night and thankfully everyone was in high spirits today. I also have to say that it was one of the WORST smelling crowds I've ever had the pleasure of being in.Ground Components opened up the festivities and while they sounded good they had the charisma of a cactus. They were tolerable and even a little funny but you could hear everyone around the place collectively checking their watches.

After what seemed like an eternity after they walked off stage, the house lights dimmed and the deafening screams filled the place. Before the lights even came on the intro for 'Assassin' starts up and the show begins in a frenzy of strobelights and a wall of sound that knocks your brain to the back of your skull. As this was one they hadn't yet played in Australia anticipation was high that this show would have a few surprises.

To back up the music the visual set was just as epic. The stage was like a massive spaceship from a Flash Gordon wetdream and, while maybe not to the calibur of Tool, the visualisations that popped up on the dual screens added an extra dimension to the music. From the dancing robots in 'Supermassive Black Hole' to the karaoke-esque chorus of 'Knights of Cydonia'.

'City Of Delusion' was another song that made its Aus live debut to a rousing reception from the crowd. Another thing to say about Muse is that they dont talk to the crowd very much, with drummer Dominic doing most of the conversing and it never being much longer than a sentence or two, primarily consisting of 'Whos going to the big day out tomorrow?'.



A few songs later and the piano that sits next to the drums is brought to the front of the stage for what looks like a few quiet numbers. 'Feeling Good' ran as candidate for song of the night with an incredibly sexed up version that made you want to.. well.. touch somebody and 'Sunburn' represented the first album before the piano went back. 'Time Is Running Out' brought the house down before 'Plug-In Baby' saw massive confetti filled balloons fly through the crowd, bursting at random moments and showering everyone. The set ended and the wait began for the encore.

Im not even sure if I should start a new paragraph for the encore, so short was the wait but the crowd got what they were after with 'Starlight' inducing some arm-over-the-head claps before my personal favourite 'Stockholm Syndrome' brought me to the edge of an audiorgasm.

So how would I sum up my Muse experience? Absolutely breathtaking. Vocally not a single note was missed all night, and for Bellamy to go out there and sing like that, every night, and show no sign of wear is absolutely amazing. His guitar improv struts along the the right side of that thin line between majesty and noise and the sound was absolutely impeccable. Truly professional, and true showmen. A rock show to never forget - 10/10.

Setlist:
Assassin
Butterflies and Hurricanes
Map of the Problematique
New Born
Supermassive Black Hole
City of Delusion
Forced In
Hysteria
Sunburn
Feeling Good
Invincible
Time is Running Out
Plug In Baby
Knights Of Cydonia
----------------
Starlight
Stockholm Syndrome
Take A Bow

photos provided by Australian fans - 24/1 - mircocuts.com

No Spank Rock, One half of DFA1979 re-emerges

I am going to have a whinge, so if you don't want to listen, skip past this part of the post. Basically I have been rorted for two consecutive years re: the Big Day Out. Last year Mylo was to be my highlight, with the promise of a live show featuring Myles and a full band exciting me and many other dance music fans. However he and his band pulled out, which was no fault of his own due to an ear condition that prevented him from flying. Now MC Spank Rock, one half of and arguably the most important part of the Spank Rock entity, has apparently not made the trip down under for the Big Day Out and sideshows, according to fans who were present for the Gold Coast show and a presenter on FBI radio who's name has escaped me. So basically one the artists who I and many others were extremely excited to see after releasing one of the best albums of 2006, have pulled the pin. I want an explanation as to why, and no one has given one. That is all the fans ask. I bought a ticket with the knowledge Spank Rock would be performing live and not some half assed DJ set. To Ken West et al, you have damaged your credibility enough over the past couple of months in relation to ticketing and the flag fiasco, so the least you can do is give your paying customers an explanation. If there has been an announcement, please feel free to correct me and direct me to such an announcement and I will no longer remain bitter...but the BDO has already commenced and fans have already been left high and dry.

/end rant



On a lighter note, Sebastien Grainger the vocalist and drummer from the late Death From Above 1979 has returned and to my surprise the results are better than Jesse F. Keeler's MSTRKRFT project. Grainger has a new band and has recorded some killer new tracks that are certainly a change from the trademark DFA1979 sound. Out with the pummeling drum and bass blitzkrieg, in with smoother low end grooves, distorted snares and handclaps and fuzzy guitars. Its pretty melodic and takes a much more subtle approach than his previous band yet still has an element of danceability to it, albeit in a much less blood-spilling manner.


MP3: Sebastien Grainger - The Rhythm Method
MYSPACE: Sebastien Grainger

No one listens to Klaxons anymore

Ok so it is the start of 2007 and I need to start the year a fresh as the taste of 2006 is becoming sour. In the electronic/dance music department, Nu-rave sucks, electro tracks are being played at bogan westie clubs all of a sudden and if I see one more Klaxons remix posted on a blog my head is going to explode. So here are some random alternatives.



Techno is back, and I couldn't be happier. Swede Aril Brikha of Kompakt records fame is doing it efficiently, ensuring that setting your watch to his music is akin to setting it to GMT. Cool and sophisticated, his sound is so very European with precise synths and perfectly weighted melodies. One for the headphones.

MYSPACE: Aril Brikha




I think dancefloors will become a little more bloody and with bands like Crystal Castles and Justice bringing a little more mayhem, its bound to happen sooner rather than later. Krazy Baldhead will also be responsible for such chaos. It is horribly filthy Hip Hop turned up to about 17 and put through a blender also set to 17. He recently dropped the Dry Guillotine EP full of seriously crunkable, electronically altered tunes. Coincidentally as I was typing this post I found that another blog had got on the Krazy Balhead bandwagon so it's good things ahead for this follically challenged Frenchman.

MYSPACE: Krazy Baldhead



It has been way too long. Disco-punk-electro-clash-whatever cannot be done better than by New York's !!!. If you cannot pronounce their name by now, go away. Myth Takes, their latest album is out at the end of the month and judging by the many mp3's floating around the web, it is going to be pretty special. Hearing the organic sounds of guitar and sax on the dancefloor is always a nice change, and I expect this new album explode.

MP3: !!! - Heart Of Hearts



Chromatics are also a viable alternative to those other forms of electronic/dance music that are so 2006. Atmosphere and horror abound here, as vocoder and synthesiser do battle in an DOS based haunted mansion. They are from the US, which is surprising in the way that Scissor Sisters are. Tracks like 'In The City' combine distant feminine vocals and sharp synth blips whilst 'Healer' ticks hypnotically like a beating heart. I like what I hear.

MYSPACE: Chromatics

Tenacious D @ The Horden

You're probably aware from my previous entry that I consider myself quite the fan of the JB/KG duo that is Tenacious D. So it'd come as no surprise that I found myself part of a 6 person entourage headed to the Horden last night to catch them live in action with a mix of music, theater and adult humour. And I was not to be disappointed.


We showed up relatively late and hence missed the warm up act of T'n'T - the Tex Perkins/Tim Rogers combination that copped a few mixed reviews from seeing people we knew. I didnt see them however, so you will, in turn, hear nothing about them. After a nice frisking and seeing everyone get bag checked we made it through the gate, and we then walked inside at about 850 because we were informed that the D were to be on stage at 9 o clock. I generally dont have a problem with crowds at gigs, whethter it be standing in them or navigating through them but it turns out there are alot of people that DO have a problem. My say? If you bought a fucking ticket and dont want your view disturbed, get off the floor and go sit down. That way you might sweat a little less you fat bastard. And take your girlfriend with you. Do I care that she cant see? No. And whats she doing with the massive handbag, didnt you see the cloak room you douche? Needless to say a few of the lines I snuck on the end of to move further to the front had some of their leading patrons involved in shoving matches and verbal duels with people who obviously dont go to gigs very much and think that its their god-given privelidge to watch the show with an unobstructed view the whole time. While what? I just go watch from the back? Suck my balls.

But anyway the lights suddenly went out, the cheer from the crowd was deafening and the curtain was drawn. What lay behind was a set, like a theater production, based in a living room with little more than a matress on the floor, tv, couch and a bong. Being high myself it took a while to figure out what the hell was going on but then from under the covers on the matress poked the heads of the two men who would take us on an adventure for the rest of the evening. The two tubby minstrels took us through a few songs by themselves, like Kielbasa and Wonder Boy before their biggest fan and best friend Lee entered through the back door. The lads had a sesh and then continued into Lee's title song featuring breakdancing and beer spillage and pandemoneum. After a few more Black makes the call to the crowd - 'Its time to go electric!' and brings out an absolute monstrosity of a guitar with power cables for strings. Needless to say KG is completely against the idea and after some general crowd banter JB pulls out a massive cord for the guitar. No amp - just straight into a power socket. Thanks to some sound effects, strobe lighting and physical acting the duo then proceed to die. The lights go out and the organ plays..

Up next comes a short film and we find out where the D are - in hell. Or maybe its heaven (as JB likes to think - 'Maybe heavens just really hot! High Five!'). But nevertheless its time to find some musicians to form a backing band. Some shredding guitar kicks in from the distance and the boys find who else but Jesus (aka the Anti-christ) playing some killer riffs. They have a chat and ask him if he'd like to play - and he's in. He takes them over to meet Colonel Sanders (drums) and Charlie Chaplin (bass) and the band is complete.

The screen then drops to reveal a hell-like setting with a full band setup and the five of them march out and straight into Kickapoo before a chat about where they are, what they're doing there and the fact that Lee still has a key to the backdoor. Kyle quits and returns just in time for JB to fight the next character of the evening - The METAL! (also Lee, in a suit). After the duel they all dance around, I didnt quite get it but god it was awesome. A few more songs off the new album including Car-Chase City which involved flinstones-esque running cars, and big bright dancing mushrooms, and the antichrist asks if his Dad can have a jam with the band (you mean Satan?). While KG/JB are discussing the few pro's and many cons of playing with the devil he emerges from the side of the stage telling the band they have to play, and we find out a few years ago KG signed a deal with the devil to ensure their success. Instead of being pissed off JB thanks Kage for signing it, adding that its just a pity it didnt seem to work out for KG anywhere near as well. The final showdown begins with bone-crushing metal before the D prevail in their duel with the dark side.

Double Team is the song that closes the set including a massive jam at the end, where the band are all introduced personally before soloing. Its at this stage that I notice the man playing Charlie Chaplin all evening looks remarkably like Kevin Pietersen, and not only that but his solo is absolutely horrible. I thought he did a good job during the set, played solid and had nice fills, but yes - dont let Chaplin solo. Up next is Jesus who crucifies (geddit?) the crowd with a face-melting solo before the Colonel kicks every arse in the building with one of the best drum-solos I've ever seen from a dead guy. JB closes with saying 'Theres someone else very special I'd like to thank, and I dont really do it enough' before thanking - himself. The band leave the stage but we all know that the shows not done yet.

The usual darkness and crowd chanting goes on until the lads walk out one last time. 'We were just about the get in the chopper but then we heard the crowd must have more' says JB as they kick into the contemporary love song Fuck Her Gently before the band comes out too to kick into Tribute which brings the house down. To be completely honest with you I have no idea what the last song was, and judging by those around me they didnt know it either but I'm going to assume its a cover and sure it was cool but they still had a few more songs to choose from that couldve ended it better.

So in summation what can be said about my night with the D? Absolutely amazing. A stage show, highly entertaining and absolutely hilarious, a vast array of characters and a setlist that almost couldnt be flawed. Not to mention an absolutely superb backing band and a glorious sound and you've got yourself one of the best damn gigs I've ever been to. If more bands took a theatre-like approach to their live performances it certainly would not be a bad thing. The setlist was as follows:

Scene I
Kielbasa
History
Flash/Wonder Boy
Dio
Lee
Saxaboom Solo
The Road
Scene II
Kickapoo
Karate
Dude (I Totally Miss You)
Kyle Quit The Band
Friendship
The Metal
Storm The Gate
Car-Chase City
Papanegu (He's My Sassafrass)
Master Exploder
Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown)
Double Team
-------------------
Fuck Her Gently
Tribute
???

And there you have it. Stay tuned for Muse on the 24th followed by WBDF's massive BigDayOut review to end them all. Oh, and go and see Apocalypto!

Until next time

Rock n Roll Aint Noise Pollution

After 2006 only further re-instated why the Foo Fighters are getting worse with every album, it puts my mind at ease to know there are still a devoted few who produce great rock music. I've got a confession for you Dave Grohl, stop playing music with Alanis Morrisette rejects like Taylor Hawkins & Chris Schifflet.

While at times it seems like blogging is the endless pursuit of what's unique, unheard of, uber trendy or Brazilian, there is nothing more warming that hearing genres done well.

I have no doubts that anyone who considers themselves even remotely interested in music would have a packed schedule or at the least extensive wish list with the plethora of summer festivals and sideshows. However, the enjoyment of being surprised by a band you've never seen before is still one of the ultimate guilty pleasures we all enjoy (as the whiteboydancefloor crew did with The Mountain Goats).



The Vital are a four piece tour de' force from Sydney who are giving into their guilty pleasures and makin some 'heads nod' along the way. The No frills rock n roll that The Vital parade across the ever dwindling, but soon to be growing live stages of Sydney sits nicely with a cold draught beer and your best toe tapping threads. The Vital don't mix words nor over complicate them and on a personal note that's a characteristic that sits nicely with this blogger. Enjoy a good ol fashion rock n roll adventure free from the hype of Jet or ball scrunching fashion of The Casanovas.

Infectious hooks, brain washing hooks and slicing solos, added with a very capable singer, you've got yourself some pub rock heaven with an added pinch of integrity and common decency. Dust off you flannelet shirt, convert those black emo jeans to their original status as bogan rock attire and come check out a blistering rock n roll set compliments of The Vital. Ego's, Chavs, Emo's and bullshit not welcome. Sorry Penrith & Melbourne, that rules you out.

You can catch The Vital playing 20th January @ Annandale Hotel supporting The Lime Spiders!

Download Mp3's @ The Vital's Triple J Unearthed Page.
Highly Recommend: Addicted to Change


Live music: IT's XQUABED!



And finally another gig of the essential and under rated fashion is funk rock cowboys, Xquabed featuring whiteboydancefloor's very own Javid Van Der Peipers on drums, jokes and back ups. We've already said plenty about these fellows so without repeating ourselves, head on down to check these guys present you all with a very polished, comedic and rocking live show. Whilst being blown away, witness a band from Western Sydney who remind us all we don't need to stand arms folded in our favourite 'band shirt', not only is it ok to throw your best rock improvisational moves out on the dancefloor, it's encouraged as bass man Mick will be leading the charge.

In describing the joys of witnessing Xquabed live, anonymous punters (a.k.a band members) have been quoted as saying "Wow.. I just creamed my jeans" & "If you've got a hole I'll stick something in it! See this band!"

Check out Xquabed LIVE 27th January @ Arncliffe Hotel. Supports include: SONORCAST, NUNCHUKA SUPERFLY & SIRENS OF IO

This is one of Xquabed's first headline spots and after you check them out live, it is not going to be a surprise when they are doing those every week. So get out there and nurse that BDO hangover by gettings your ears punched and bellys poked to the sounds of Xquabed.

Myspace: Hear Xquabed's Sounds.

Looking into the future....

This my first post for the year that isn't a live review so I thought I'd use this opportunity to throw out there some of my predictions for 2007.




Crystal Castles will become your new favourite band in 2007. You may not know this yet, but I can guarantee they will blow up this year. Their electronic 8-bit freak-outs should be making their way to good dancefloors pretty soon, if your local DJ is also bitten by the Crystal Castles bug, which I hope they are. They are Canadian, which is always a good thing, and they sound like 1989 and 2007 simultaneously, also a good thing.

Winterkids will be the new Arctic Monkeys. Their jangly sound sounds somewhat similar to their UK brethren and they have the NME hyperbole to back them up. Quality wise they are in the same ballpark, which doesn't augur well for Winterkids.

Shoegaze will return and take over the indie music world once more and Kevin Shields will collaborate with Asobi Seksu on a new album.

!!! and LCD Soundsystem will release the best albums of the year to dance to, with the new Arcade Fire album being just as pretentious and utterly pointless as their last and Pocket Symphony will be Air's best ever release, even better than Moon Safari. The new Metallica album will sound like Master Of Puppets, under the instruction of their lawyers and Ryan Adams will release a Hip-Hop album.

Daft Punk will tour Australia as pigs have discovered their feet can actually function as wings.

Kitsune and Ed Banger are the new Modular with Paris being the new Sydney, with attractive hipster girls and skinny white boys crunking to Busy P. and Uffie instead of The Presets and Klaxons as Modular will be come so passe apparently.

2007 is the year everyone will become a DJ, meaning it will no longer be cool to be a DJ, therefore making it cool to be a DJ once more. Electro will become even more mainstream with more ubiquitous Austereo play and DJ's trying to be edgy will be playing minimalist Techno and Kuduro. RSL clubs and VL Commodores will be the only location where you can hear a DJ or stereo play House music, as House music is now the new Trance, while Trance can only be heard at Bloc and Sublime from now on.

This will not be the last Big Day Out ever.

2007 will be a great year.

So Long, Farewell..

Hallo everyone! Javid here with the first innings of my knock on the whiteboydancefloor team. For those who arent aware I'm the guy who writes the tactless attacking comments to vent my own personal frustrations but on the other side of the coin I'm also the one who penned the timeless slogan 'come lose it all on the whiteboydancefloor'. I enjoy music, but then again we all do. I also enjoy weed so take that in mind when you think anything I post is completely nonsensical. Anyway, lets get started;

A long time before all of this, before even becoming associated with this crew I knew Chris from playing under 9's cricket for Colyton/St Clair on the same team as him. Cricket is a magnificent and glorious part of our culture and last week we lost two players who will go down in Australian folklore, and Justin Langer... But yes Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, for keeping our team unbeatable, for inspiring kids all around the country to take up a game and develop a passion and for just being awesome - we at WBDF salute you.

But now onto the music..

Tenacious D's recent release 'The Pick Of Destiny' has pretty much copped a thrashing from 'reviewers' all over the land. The album has been described as mediocre and lacking the class and originality of their self-titled debut.

What do I think? Im glad you asked

Alot of these people seem to be forgetting that this is not so much a studio album as it is a motion picture soundtrack. The movie 'The Pick Of Destiny' has still not been released in Australia and hence the album makes a bit less sense out here. Through the wonders of YouTube it has become apparent that pretty much every song on the CD will be featured in the movie - nay, musical. If it isnt released this week I've got no idea when the hell it will be, and it makes little sense as the band kick off their Australian tour next week, playing at the Horden Pavillion on Tuesday the 16th.

And dont you worry - WBDF will be there to cover all the action.

Finally for those who'd love to remenisce over last years finest releases and have your say on what was the best, voting for Triple J's Hottest 100 is now open. You can go and check it out by simply clicking here

Until next time..

We thought we'd be polite and give you a reprieve from the endless amounts of live reviews. So fear not illiterate people like myself, reading glasses not required for this post (as much)!

Festival News: The St Jeromes Laneway Festival has dropped its second announcement of acts. Since we are a Sydney blog I am really only going to be concerned about the Sydney acts however most of the dates in other cities follow the same line up also.

Sydney Sun March 4: The BellRays, Gerling, Snowman, Gersey, Bumblebeez, Holly Throsby, Dan Kelly, The Shaky Hands, The Crayon Fields, Dappled Cities Fly, Expatriate, My Disco, Uber lingua DJs.

No real surprises that the line up was laced with Australian artists but non the less there is some quality in there. A bit of a Blogger's delight with regard to almost every act on that line up, none more so than Dappled Cities Fly who are piggy backing plenty of festival dates from their impressive "Granddance" album. I wouldn't say the announcement threw me into fits of excitement, but for a festival that already boasts Love is All, Camera Obscura, The Sleepy Jackson & Midnight Juggernauts, there is enough value for 82.50 + bf.

Head to the St Jeromes Laneway Festival Website for more details.

• Also just on a side note, probably the most average festival of the season, The Big Day Out has released its festival timetable and not surprisingly all the quality acts are sprawled everywhere to try and avoid congestion at the larger stages.

My only difficult decision. Tool or Presets? What do you guys reckon?



New Music: Operator Please have been getting some very generous play on FBI radio and also grabbed a spot in Triple J's Next Crop with an infectious little ditty called "Get what you want". Other great acts who snagged a spot in the Next Crop include The Ghosts & I Heart Hiroshima, Dardenelles, & Soft Tigers. Good to see Triple J reads the sublime opinions of Aussie Bloggers.

Now anything that comes out of Brisbane has me quite reticent as they are the same state responsible for Powderfinger (the good time(s) and the bad) and The Veronicas. But Operator Please whilst sounding a little 2004, can't be denied. It's commitment free pop rock, I don't know why but this track gives me good times like B-52's give me good times. It's all in the trashy keyboard.

Operator Please are playing a string of festivals to bring in the first half of the year.

Jan 21 2007 11:00A	Big Day Out (Gold Coast)	Southport
Feb 11 2007 8:00P	Good Vibrations Festival (18+)	Gold Coast
Apr 8 2007 8:00P	Great Escape Festival	Sydney

(stolen from their myspace)

Mp3: Operator Please - Get What You Want

P.S If i hear one more non Japanese band that makes references to Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nagasaki or anywhere, they'd better hope they rock socks, or else!!!

Mountain Goats @ Metro Theatre, Jan 6

The reckless arrogance that the Whiteboydancefloor crew rolled up to this gig with was something we would end up being ashamed of. In a nonchalant manner, we joining the line up outside the Metro, ticket-less and little to no anticipation of whether we got in or not.

I would go as far as saying the Whiteboydancefloor crew were more excited flippin’ cds in Chris’ beastly 06 Holden Commodore (Chris’ dads) than we were for The Mountain Goats. Part of me wanted to see them and another part of me just wanted to give more live gig reviews to the Whiteboydancefloor readers.

In ensuring my introductory lead up doesn’t drag on like the CSS review, we lined up at the eleventh hour and got tickets in a snap.

The only disregard comparable to that we originally had for this gig was for the supports Dj Dodger (I believe that was his name) and John Vanderslice. To warm it up DJ Dodger was reminiscing tracks from the anything’s before 1980 and once you allowed his unique schtick, choreography and more DJ equipment than he did do actual mixing or DJing, he was firmly etched in the crowd’s heart. Chris likened him to that goofy uncle we all have who thinks he is ‘da bomb’. Yet for all his uniqueness, his two sets were both met with mountains of cheers and appreciation from one of the most accepting audiences I had been apart of for a while.

Skeptical indie kids need not apply.

Following on then was John Vanderslice, an act we expected to produce slumbering acoustic ballads of yesteryear. However he turned out to be quite something else. While I must admit the tales of magnolias and love lost in the fall was not quite sinking into my heart strings, his endearing and grandurous (yes I made that up) tone made him the perfect support for The Mountain Goats.

After obliviously standing next to Peter Hughes (Mountain Goats bass player) for the good part of 3 songs, my suspicions that he was in the band arose as he was the only audience member capable of singing along to Vanderslice’s warm storyteller. My keen detective work was validated when he joined Vanderslice on the stage for the set closer “Pale Horse” which was without doubt a highlight for everyone, including Vanderslice & Hughes it seemed. As an appreciative Vanderslice said his farewells and began an acoustic far less dark rendition of “Pale Horse” the crowd burst into a feverish clap which I think surprised even Vanderslice in lasting for the entire song.

With Vanderslice complete it was time for the second installment of the now iconic Dj Dodger, spitting out mostly tunes I wasn’t familiar with. The what appeared to be drug induced yet dazzling dance moves Dodger would without warning erupt into had the crowd not only warmed up for The Mountain Goats, but caught up in a mutual love affair with the ackward man that was Dodger. He was definitely a pin up boy for Whiteboydancefloor, and if we can get a hold of him, a future feature at one of our 07 parties.

Now for the main course, that’s fancy restaurant talk for the headline act, The Mountain Goats. The set did not start in fits of outrageous hook or melody but rather with a subtle and delicate John Darnielle capturing the silence of the crowd with a whisper so light you could have heard more noise at a library. Vocally it doesn’t come much more mercurial than Darnielle. I’ll be the first to admit I am not overly familiar with schools of The Mountain Goats’ songs, It did not diminish my enjoyment of the whole experience. In fact, I could only imagine what the euphoria would have been like for someone actually familiar with every song, every lyric and every ounce of melody.

Darnielle’s relationship with his audience was like a father and son, remembering his good times at The Annandale last year and showing his gratitude for what seemed like almost a packed house at a larger venue. He was as hilariously funny during song as he was in his between song banter. Taking the audience on a real journey of what it is share in the experiences of John Darnielle.

Not to be outdone was the extremely integral bass work of Peter Hughes, often creating the hook or melody almost as much as Darnielle’s vocals did so, even at times adding more to the song than Darnielle’s constant strumming did. However this was not one out doing the other, this was all for one and one for all. When Darnielle dropped the guitar and the bass was the only instrument providing music, the songs were still floorless, methodical yet so personal to both artist and audience. It was like everyone reliving something, but collectively. I think that is something really sets the Mountain Goats apart from other artists, they emplore you to give apart of yourself to the whole experience.

A brief three song visit from John Vanderslice was fantastic, Vanderslice absolutely lapping us his time shared onstage with these amazing musicians. If you didn’t like Vanderslice’s music, you could certainly commend him on his love and passion for The Mountain Goats. You could see from Vanderslice's face just what it means to be in the presence let alone performing with The Mountain Goats. While not stealing any of the spotlight (which is near impossible in Darnielle’s presence) Vanderslice looked right at home complementing The Goats as they mesmersized the masses more and more with each song. And if I can just go off on a tangent quickly, Darnielle’s voice is something you must hear to believe. Note perfect the entire way through, never missing a beat, so fragile yet at times then forcefully charging out catch phrases like “I hope you die” with the finest form of sarcasm known to mankind. Darnielle is truly without question a class act and one of the greatest sights I have or will ever experience live. I would by no stretch call myself a die-hard Mountain Goats fan.

After what seemed like endless but definitely called for encore performances, The Mountain Goats gave the crowd what they had screamed for endlessly, “No children” then followed it up with personal favourite "California song". And with that, Darnielle and Hughes bid the crowd a humble and extremely appreciative farewell before reminding the audience they had almost run out of songs (as if). I can’t stress enough that with only 2 instruments and vocals, this duo created such varied, intreuging and breath-taking music I’d experienced. Hell, U2 have got four musicians, countless synthesiers, instruments and whatevers and they would sooner send me to sleep or go buy a hot dog.

Now finally let’s get one thing straight. John Darnielle is without question the nerdiest looking individual in the music business. The difference between John and The Decemberists or Death Cab for Cutie is that people with a semblance of what is musically talented overlook the later and focus on King John Darnielle.

Organic would be an understatement for this duo. Little to no light show, no other instruments other than voice boxes, bass guitar and acoustic guitar, The Mountain Goats came with what are like caveman tools in todays technologically advanced musical realm and what they made was magic.

It sounds cliché but without a shadow of doubt in my mind, I have never and probably will never invest 40 dollars in a more rewarding experience. Within a week I have seen both The Mountain Goats & CSS, 2007 better step up if it is to keep up with that kind of quality.

We've all heard The Mountain Goats tracks, so it is pointless me posting them unless I want 40,000 hits off Hype Machine, but rather I point you in the direction of the equally enjoyable John Vanderslice.

Website: Click here to get aquainted with John Vanderslice.

I suggest "Pale Horse".

Blog: Head over to Oceans Never Listen for setlist and a far more intuned review than my own.

CSS @ Bar Broadway

2nd Jan: CSS, Teenagers in Tokyo (sorta) & Ro Sham Bo Dj's

As Tuesday Night rolled in like the proverbial monkey leeching on every indie kids back, the hangovers and sleep deprivation were put aside, Cansei De Ser Sexy were in town. Many of the faces were backing up from a big New Years as they were backing up from a big Field Day experience, but none the less, Cansei De Ser Sexy were in town. In a manner probably too wreckless for double demerit season, I feverishly looked for a park as 9pm quickly came and past. From the outside of Bar Broadway, you could have been forgiven for not realizing CSS were in town, there was initially no queue or crowd of excited people, just your usual trendys ensuring they got a spot close to windows so everyone could see just how fly their t-shirt was.

Brandishing a Touch N Go shirt representing the 2000 and something band Chris and myself are still in but have only recorded one song, I walked into Bar Broadway aware that I was better than you, and so was my band.

By the time I had got to Bar Broadway a queue had began, however still quite subdued. Did they realise they were seeing CSS? Judging by the lack of enthusiasm outside the venue, I could have been mistaken for turning up to just another Eskimoe Joe concert.

Once inside I had sadly missed CSS’s Australian little sisters, Teenagers in Tokyo. After hearing so much about them I had only just began to bop to their musical stylings when the last note rang and they said their farewells to the stage. Quick as a flash the Ro Sham Bo DJ’s (hope I spelt it right) jumped into an excited set, this was their time to shine and it wasn’t half obvious they had emplored all their friends to come down and wave at them with that ‘I know the DJ’ swagger. None the less Ro Sham Bo weren’t here to tell you how cool they are, they were here to make some noise and their selection of music was at times a little safe with M.I.A mash ups & “My Love” but overall quite in tune with what the people wanted and what the people didn’t know they needed. While they didn’t romp the floor Van She Tech style, they certainly did the most with a fleeting set in DJ terms.

With my parking set to expire at 12pm and my car to be impounded at Bar Broadway shopping centre, I didn’t have luxury of letting the anticipation and mystique of being kept waiting for 40 minutes the time to set in. However if it were not for my girlfriend Amanda and bestie (yeh I said bestie you dicks) Val, the show may not have gone on at all as unbeknownst to Amanda & Val, the little brazilian honey who was short on toilet paper was indeed the Love fox herself, Lovefoxxx. Anyways, someone gave Ro Sham Bo the cut it signal and they did, light roars followed.

Cansei De Ser Sexy came out and go straight to the point. Lovefoxxx set the tone that anyone with motion sickness was not welcome and should leave before she sent them into convulsions. I was expecting Cansei De Ser Sexy to be a lot of things, but a racous, at time feverishly rocking and others dirty, gritty electro was not entirely on my list.

The satirical CSS Suxxx was the first cab of the rank, while a tad predictable it couldn’t have fit anywhere else in the set and the simplicity of the words meant everyone could join in and to kick start the rest of the set CSS started off with the comparatively slower electro grooves before stunning me with a display of impressive gritty rock n roll type performance. The old cliché chick rock stuff can be confidently thrown out the door and maybe I’m just a fool for expecting them to be soft (all the girls go ‘sexist male prick’) but I almost forgot, these girls are from Brazil and the only thing soft about these good looking ladies is their token fat friend who was pretty keen on interrupting Lovefoxxx when she was talking.

Month Day 10 was a highlight of the early parts of the set with the dance Lovefoxxx got the crowd to get into not only being so cool and simple, but really cool and simple! I can’t really describe it but it involved some hands in the air followed by two quick air pushes to that bit with the atmospheric synth (bad phonics: be now noew deda deda dedu).

While the singer from the Vendettas has had me from hello, my excitement at seeing Lovefoxxx was not as high, however once again, another amazing female frontwoman has stolen my heart. As a psychology student this could suggest my infatuation with dominant women, and I guess a psychodynamic approach would probably insist is has something to do with my mother, but who really knows. Maybe I am just a nob (clinical term is nobious ignoramous).

My point being, CSS really turned it on for the ground and it was clear for me to see that CSS have cut their teeth as a band; whatever happens in recording was a superfluous addition to their already impressive credentials.

The set had the obvious finale of Let’s Make Love & Listen to Death From Above which they adapted to Lets Undress & Listen to CSS and it really just instilled a great sense of appreciation and increased love for a band already very close to my heart. I felt they lived up to the hype, but didn’t concern themselves with poxy moves or over the top grandeur; they just rocked it the best way their little brazilian asses know how.

Sadly I couldn’t tell you if there was or was not an encore performance as I had to make a respectable dash for the parking lot. But they had gone through almost all the songs on their debut so the only thing I could think they would have dropped was their Madonna cover “Hollywood”.

Rough (probably wrong) Setlist
CSS Suxxx
Alala
Fuck off is not the only thing you have to show
Meeting Paris Hilton
Month Day 10
Alcohol
Patins
Off the hook
Art Bitch
Music is my hot hot sex
Let’s make love and listen to death from above

Field Day @ The Domain, Sydney 1/1/07

My summer festival season officially kicked off on New Years Day as I attended my very first Field Day, held at the Domain in Sydney. I was hung over and tired and I'm pretty sure many of the 25000 other kids on hand were the same, but no one cared. The music was hot, the weather was hot and the punters were hot also.



The morning and early afternoon consisted of moving between stages, which are surprisingly very close together making it easier to see mutiple acts who are playing simultaneously. Illya, Tim Sea, Hybrid and Crazy Penis got me amped with their varying styles of jazzy house and electro-rock starting off the day well. Tom Neville was the first of my must sees and he spun a set full of electro-house that got the crowd on the smaller Killer stage moving. Sure he played his signature hit 'Buzz Junkie', but that was probabaly the worst song he played which shows how good his set was.





Finally I was blessed with the company of Mylo, after he pulled out of the Big Day Out last year and left us without a decent Boiler Room headliner. He did not disappoint, playing his own tracks such as 'Drop The Pressure' and 'Otto's Journey' and dropping many others including Van She Tech's fantastic mix of Klaxons awful 'Gravity's Rainbow'. Mylo showed me that he is not only an incredible producer, he also know how to work that Powerbook on stage also.




This is where the day gets a little hazy, as I consumed many litres of alcohol at this stage, however I do remember Ajax and his predictably fantastic set full of mashed-up, chewed-up and stepped-on electro. It was filthy, and I loved every second. I think.



Jamie Lidell emerged sometime later with various synthesizers, laptops and effects units with a one man band show that was pummeling and groove-worthy; not what I had expected but it worked for me. His voice in a live setting is pretty amazing also and with the rain beginning to tumble as night had somehow moved in at a rapid rate the crowd seemed to love it, even the ones who retreated for cover were still dancing.



To anyone who is into electronic music and didn't make it this year, I suggest attending in '08. It makes New Years Eve seem like a non event and it was a nice change for me from the usual rock festivals I have attended in the past. Thanks to my buddy DJ Albert (the dude in the white glasses, who the bloke in the singlet is I have no idea) for the pictures of the day, and sorry about poking your eye out haha.

Birthday Time!

Whiteboydancefloor had its first birthday when the new year was brought in with cheers, making out and fireworks. Without getting to melodramatic, it is hard to imagine the year that we had. When it all started we were chuffed about getting 15 hits, most of which were those blog spammers telling of the great penis enlargement treatments there are to offer... It was just great to have options.

Aside from the insane shenanigans that occurred at the Whiteboydancefloor party with resident whiteboy DJ Albert a.k.a Sheng, a massive highlight of 2006 would without doubt meeting all the other fantastic bloggers with their sublime musical tastes and ideologies about music. You need go no further than our links list to find some of the finest blogs on the planet and it has been a pleasure to experience that with them all.

Now onto 2007.

Chris & Myself are hoping to make 2007 even better and with it we are going to ever so slightly shift the direction of Whiteboydancefloor. When Chris first conjured the idea of a blog, his idea was very broad, encompassing multiple aspects of popular culture. However it seems as time has progressed our passion for music was dominating everything that we did.

In 2007 we are going to be expanding our endeavours to include still predominantly music but also film, literature and a sprinkle of social commentary all topped in our ridiculously opinionated, arrogant sauce.

Obviously to do all this isn't going to be simple and a large short comming of Chris & myself is our lack of time to attend live events (most namely our constant missing out on the bloody awesome Sandwich Club parties) and our university lack of finances prevents us from frequenting the movie theatres.

So that means the Whiteboydancefloor family needs to get bigger, and bigger it shall get!

Introducing...

Dayve

"Keeping the bastards honest" would be the phrase that sums up Dayve in a nutshell. Some might recognize the name from his scathing comments regarding some of our posts. An accomplished musician with tastes that are often polarised from the other Whiteboy tastes, it should prove beneficial to have another perspective on board. Dayve won't stand for bands that fly soley on uber cool indie cred.

Dayve's Myspace

Dean

Bringing a wealth of experience to the mix, musician and qualified journalist Dean will definitely be a handy acquisition to the whiteboys. Never before will Whiteboydancefloor have seen this level of integrity or punctuation. Former host of his hit local radio show and hopefully returning to his radio jaunts very soon, Dean might just take Whiteboydancefloor to the airwaves.

Dean's Myspace

Jess

That's right, She's a lady! Whiteboydancefloor is proud to accept our first White girl into the rotation. Jess joins us as the resident white girl film critic however don't be surprised if she shares some of her unique musical tastes with you also. Russell Crowe & beware, this girl will be ruthless! Whiteboydancefloor has never been so good looking.

Jess' Myspace

So there they are. And what better way to get to know someone that by having a good ol squiz at their myspace pages.