Beauty Rich and Splendid

First of all I'd just like to say - Homebake tickets went on sale yesterday - did you get one? If not, they're STILL ON SALE so go and get one by clicking here.

Anyway where was I? Oh thats right. You're probably all starting to wonder about the absence of Splendour coverage (from a visual aspect) and I'm here to tell you that the vlog will be here... eventually. The last I saw of Dean, our video producer, he was sitting in a dark corner of his room on top of a pile of smashed up laptops wearing a pasta strainer on his head and muttering something about a spaghetti-monster from Zion. So yeah... it'll be with us whenever it's done, or whenever Dean is finally released from the penal system. In the meantime I'll probably write something here or there just to help sate your appetites, you hungry dogs.

Splendour brought a hell of a lot of acts out for 3 days of debauchery and it's hard to find an artist that didnt perform or at least deliver to expectation. The thing of note for me, however, and part of why I'm on this massive 'Homebake' kick, is because of the performance of our countrymen and women, the Australian acts on the bill. Some of you might slap me around the head and go 'duh, Aussie music rocks'. For the most part I agree but I don't share your overstated and physically painful enthusiasm. Australian music walks the line, as does the rest of it, but expecting me to take some sense of national pride in a band just because they come from the same place as me has never been my philosophy. Not only that, but we really have released some shit over the years.

"THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!"

The even better thing is that every single one of them, except for maybe one or two, has a new album coming either recently or soon and the chance to hear new music is always exciting. First of all must come a mention for the man that most of the country seems to be raising a glass to at the moment - Gotye. Playing in the McLellan, and on the back of 'Somebody that I used to know' (can someone just award him #1 in the hottest 100 NOW?) the place was packed. Wally deals affably with the crowd. Kimbra came out and sang the single, which was almost worth admission alone, so haunting. The new songs sound absolutely smashing, complementing the old stuff well and flowing seamlessly. One of the most brilliant performances of the festival, spine tingling, intense, enjoyable and emotional at the same time. Its taken a long time to follow up 'Like Drawing Blood' but it seems that it's been worth it.

Earlier that day we'd had the pleasure of witnessing Melbourne-based World's End Press opening up the Mix-Up tent. Really its an unenviable position, one you have to work for. You'll either help people keep walking to the further amenities or another stage, or you'll suck them in to starting their day earlier than anticipated and these guys have no problem embracing the second notion. In a tough slot on a beautiful first day it was going to be hard to keep people but they did, and they were a truly awesome outfit to start the fest with. Third time I've seen them and they just get better and better. If you EVER get the chance, go and see these guys. Festival or venue, you can be guaranteed an excellent show.

Bluejuice were another of those festival favourites that really turned it on for Splendour. Ive seen them so many times I can't recall but by the same token, no two shows I've seen have been even remotely the same. The songs might be from time to time but they're always bringing a new visual element, or a new element of crazy to their shows. At the Big Day Out it was the jumpsuits that were slowly removed amongst the giant animals on stage. At Splendour it was visually spectacular with suits made of glowsticks, instruments lit up, new members to the live ensemble and that typical, relentless Bluejuice crazy that always keeps them in the back of your mind as the festival closes. A band that I've never really seen miss live. They've turned it into an art form.

When you hear 'live music' and 'art form' another Aussie band that is never too far from anyones mind is The Living End - and they were up to their usual tricks at Splendour. There may have been no guitar solo with a VB bottle this time (and if you've seen them even ONCE you know what I'm talking about) but the setlist was picked for old and new fans alike. The new stuff sounds good but didn't leave as much of an impression as how old Chris Cheyney is getting. And in that moment where I realise that I also have to stop and acknowledge that I am ALSO getting quite old. Still, if you don't know what to expect from a Living End show, you've never seen them live, and that really needs to be rectified. Energy, showmanship and an all-round good time constantly ensue. I've never seen the Living End and felt worse for the experience. Neither will you. Unless you ingest a massive amount of Heroin before or something.

Muscles is finally back and god I've missed that guy. The fun and hilarity are enough to enjoy on their own before you include the dense synth. The set was well picked and the Koalas coming out from time to time certainly added to the enjoyment. The man himself seemed a little nervous initially but got better the more comfortable he got. Playing a guitar and such shows that diversity is on his agenda for the follow up to the first album. He pisses off pretty much everyone else that writes for this blog but I dig the guy immensely. When you've got Kanye pulling off autotune solos in the main arena its nice to hear someone comfortable with their own voice, even if he can't sing that well. I saw him in the gold bar bathroom on Sunday and wanted to thank him for the show but I was well wasted and also hadn't washed my hands yet. And I think he knew that...

One of the major surprises/discoveries/whatever for me was Children Collide. Some of you may wonder how that can happen given the hype and exposure. I guess I just dont listen to the radio that much. They were a band I thought I'd know a song or two for, and ended up knowing about half the bloody set. It was quite evident that the frontman was wasted but their energy and surprising tightness really caught me off guard. A band I'll be taking every chance I can to see live in future.


While not exactly Australian in terms of residence, Architecture In Helsinki are another band I was incredibly keen to see. I'm a massive fan of 'Places Like These' and 'Moment Bends' is really growing on me too. The set seemed to pretty much be drawn from the two albums and the crowd was huge. Last time I saw them the sound was disappointing but on the night it was perfect. Finally getting to hear 'Like It Or Not' live means thats another song off the bucket list.

The Grates delivered in spades to a large crowd. Patience was up to her usual high-energy antics and the contrast between old and new stuff was once again played well. I still haven't heard the new album but I look forward to doing so given the impression some of the new songs made. The new band members are pretty superfluous however. They could almost do what Tool do and stand behind a curtain with about the same impact. That being said though I'm sure thats a matter of the live ensemble finding its feet in terms of performance because they can undeniably play as a band. The songs themselves sounded great and its another new album to look forward to.

I don't know why, but I always seem to wrap up these reviews with PNAU. They didn't even play on the last night so I don't know why but oh well. My thoughts on PNAU's new ensemble and material were covered pretty extensively in the Big Day Out review back in January, but I feel a little more needs to be said. At the BDO they were uninteresting, poorly mixed and in general unimpressive (once again, given how many times I've seen these guys and how truly awesome they can be). At Splendour it was a bit of a different story. Perhaps having a cover over the top of them helps the sound, perhaps playing around for 7 months has helped them work the crud out of the new songs, because its all sounding a hell of a lot better. I still don't see myself as the biggest fan of the new stuff, as I was with the previous album, but it makes for a nice contrast and a certain amount of diversity live.

Before you start harrassing me with 'what about this aussie band? Or this one?' - I am but one human. I can't divide myself into copies to go out and catch every artist on the bill, as much fun as it would be to have clones for drinking with and eventual regrettable sex. There were acts I missed, sure, but I also caught a hell of a lot. These are just the Australian ones I caught.

So overall? Australian music is in good hands if bands like these are out there representing us. I'm sure some of you hate these bands, Im sure I hate some bands you love, but we're all in this together. With HOMEBAKE coming up you're getting the chance to see so many of these acts and more in a specifically Australian setting. I used to be like you, the one sitting at your computer now scoffing and thinking 'Australian music... pssht'. But consider myself a ghost from the future, telling you not to write it off. Because theres gold out there, underneath the Veronicas. And isn't that where we all want to be?

STAY TUNED! MORE SPLENDOUR STUFF COMING YOUR WAY.... EVENTUALLY!

Getting Baked

When it was discovered that Homebake wouldn't be on in Sydney in 2010 the disappointment was palpable, as was the fear that Sydney had lost another one of its festivals. Not only that, but one of its best. Whether you like the idea of a music festival that plays exclusively Australian music, its a great day out in wonderful surrounds while at the same time being in the heart of Sydney. With no Homebake last year I had to take all my festival drugs at Carols in the Domain instead. It really wasn't the same. When you're tripping balls and the Wiggles and Santa come out on stage its freaking terrifying.

Anyway if you're not aware, though most of you undoubtedly are, HOMEBAKE is BACK ON for 2011!

Thats right, same time of year, same place, with a killer lineup to boot. Presales have already come and gone to the best of my knowledge but tickets go on sale to the general public on MONDAY! Not only are they on sale soon but they're going for the absolutely ridiculous festival price of $95 plus booking fee! If that doesn't make you feel like you're back in 2001... perhaps you need to shave off your pubes.

With more announcements to come the lineup so far stands as such:
GRINDERMAN//LADYHAWKE//PNAU//GOTYE//GURRUMUL YUNUPINGU//ROCKWIZ LIVE//CUT COPY//ICEHOUSE PLAYS FLOWERS//DANIEL MERRIWEATHER//ESKIMO JOE//DRAPHT//THE TRIFFIDS//ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI//THE VINES//THE CHURCH//THE JEZABELS//KIMBRA//C.W. STONEKING//HUNGRY KIDS OF HUNGARY//ILLY//AVALANCHE CITY//UNKNOWN MORAL ORCHESTRA//PAPA VS. PRETTY//KILLAQUEENZ//KIDS OF 88//PASSENGER//NOAH TAYLOR & THE SLOPPY BOYS//VENTS

First of all you'll notice Gotye and Kimbra BOTH on the bill. This means you can be guaranteed a live version of the amazing song 'Somebody That I Used To Know'. I can tell you from getting treated to it at Splendour that this one song will almost pay for the ticket itself. Recorded its nice, live its another level.

And on top of that there are still a plethora of acts to be announced. Splendour this year showed just how good Australian bands are managing to become, and you can be guaranteed a good day. As long as theres no Wiggles or Santa I should hopefully be fine and I'll be seeing you there. Even if you live interstate, this is a festival worth going to. I don't write for tourism NSW but I can highly recommend it. Come on, we went to Queensland for Splendour. The trip makes it all the more enjoyable. You know you want to.

Homebake Website - Official

Get Tickets

It Takes Two To Get One In Trouble

Keren Ann is exactly like your little sister who gets everything she wants despite the evil intentions it seems only you notice. “My Name Is Trouble” sees Keren Ann perfecting the balancing act between good and evil, as she delivers a honey-sweet vocal she’s actually warning you of her manic fragility that will surely end in your destruction.

Like a modern day Medusa, she draws you in further with every carefully executed stare and shoulder roll. And by the 2:14 mark, she’s well and truly got you in her grasp. The clip features some charming dance moves that you would be best served to learn for your next weekend outing. Success with the opposite (or same) sex is guaranteed.

Her latest release 101 is out now through EMI.

Splendid fun in the Sun. The SUN!

Patience has some 'words' with a punter

That’s right we’re back from another delicious year of Splendour in the Grass. My awesome red pants are now a lovely shade of brown, and when I do up my shoe laces great plumes of dust erupt into the air. Memories of another awesomely dirty and sweaty festival. Sweaty because the sun was out! For the whole freaking festival! Something that's almost unheard of at Splendour. No mud, just shitloads of dust.

Was the cost of the ticket worth the three days of festivities, mid strength alcohol and exorbitant food prices? I didn’t pay for my ticket, so I’d say absolutely! I also had access to full strength alcohol for almost the same price as mid strength, so I was pretty happy with the outcome. However, I still ended up spending the same amount I would have spent on a ticket, on food, alcohol and other random junk (like the organic donuts. They are the most orgasmic pieces of organic deliciousness that could enter your mouth, and I would kill for another one. Kill. Blackberry Jam donut. Wow. It’s like there’s a party in my mouth... and everyone’s eating donuts).

Not the same store, but definitely the same delicious donuts

Even without forking out for the ticket, Splendour is a massive drain on the finances. With all the camping gear you need to get, plus food and drinks for the weekend, the little ‘extras’ such as merchandise, you can quickly burn through that cash in the pocket. Alcohol can’t be brought in either, so if you want to drink you’re at the mercy of the festival prices which, as you can imagine, are fair and equitable. Of course, you could just forego the purchase of alcoholic beverages for the weekend and save yourself a bucket load of money, but that would just be weird.

In the end though, with all the bands you see and the quality of music that was played, the cost is quickly forgotten. As soon as you enter the festival grounds and are hit by those persistent beats following you throughout the festival grounds, money is quickly forgotten and the excitement of the day quickly kicks in. Consumerism at its best.

No alcohol for this guy. Just lots and lots of drugs ( just to specify, the one on the right.)

There were some grumbles from people about a relatively weak line-up following the announcements, but I found myself a few previously unheard of musical gems through my wanderings that I never would have considered checking out from just looking at the list.

So, some highlights for me? Well Javid has pretty much spelled out my feelings on the Kanye show as well, so there’s no need to go any further on that. But there were quite a few standout moments for me over the weekend. There’ll be some videos up shortly of our Splendour experience, but there were two rocking bands that you must check out now. Right now.

Javid and I stumbled across US blues band, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears while we were waiting for Gotye to start at the G W McClennan tent on Friday evening. 

This is pure blues music, almost unheard of in this age of pop music and ghetto blasters.

They caught the crowd by surprise with their high octane, gritty blues tunes. It had all the right ingredients: fantastic solos, dirty guitar, trumpets and tenor saxophones, and a singer who evidently has a love of the early blues pioneers such as Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters. For the last quarter of their show, Joe Lewis introduced The Relatives onto the stage, a quintet of funky gospel singers from Texas all dressed in bright blue suits and yellow shirts. My God, these guys can sing. The crowd was already bouncing, but when these 5 men came onto stage and started singing their angelic harmonies to some beautifully gritty blues music, well that was enough to send everyone over the edge. By far this was one of the most surprising and entertaining acts of the festival, mainly because the energy and excitement was so high for the whole act. And the guy on sax was bouncing around on stage like Tigger on cocaine. It was quite a sight to watch. The fact he managed to keep it up for the duration of the set was quite a feat.

The other piece of musical deliciousness I stumbled across while walking past the Mix Up Tent was Fitz and the Tantrums, a six piece soul indie pop band also from the US. Their demands that people enjoy themselves were not particularly hard to accomplish considering how much fun the crowd was already having. With no guitar, a black guy on the tenor sax and 2 singers, one being singer/songwriter Noelle Scaggs, the soul just pours from the stage. Having never heard any of their studio produced material, I can still safely say this is a band you must see live. I’m sure their music would be outrageously funky on the CD, but to get amongst the sound and bounce around with hundreds of other excitable punters is where it’s at. They have a similar idea to Jack White and The Saboteurs by taking the fundamentals of blues and soul music, and adding modern pop techniques to create some 3 or 4 minute catchy little diddy’s. But naturally, without a guitar, and the addition of the sax, there's a whole new area of the music explored, and my God do they do it well.

There’ll be plenty more video reviews coming over the next week or so on all the bands we checked out over Splendour. Naturally all our favourites were fantastic. Patience from The Grates went absolutely crazy on stage, bouncing even more than usual and bantering quite a bit with individual members of the crowd before jumping in and crowd surfing for a few minutes. I’m sure there would have been a significant amount of ass and boob grabbing.

Pnau packed out the Mix Up tent and played a huge mix of old and new. While I still don't understand the point of the accoustic guitar, because you cannot hear it at all, they still put on an amazing show in typical Pnau style.

The Living End, as always, played a blistering show with all the biggest hits in there. There was plenty of stuff from the first album to keep the fans happy. And no beer swigging, VB, guitar sliding this time. Just Owen presenting his Double bass so Cheney could run up and bust out a solo from the top of it. I enjoyed it.

So to sum up, there’s not much that can be said against Splendour. The sound everywhere (minus Kanye with his music so loud it could almost induce brain haemorrhaging) was perfect and all the bands extremely tight. Sure the prices are exorbitant and the initial ticket price was massive, but these are things generally to be expected. It’s a massive weekend and requires a fair amount of saving up if you really want to get loose and spend without a care in the world. I have no idea how much it costs to run a festival so I don’t really want to comment on the cost of everything. No doubt the prices are a bit over the top, but as to how over the top they are in order to make a profit and run a festival with as much success as Splendour, requires a bit of investigation.

One certainty though is that Splendour is by far one of the best Australian festivals to attend. The flag waving red neck wankers are few and far between, and you are blessed by an absolute lack of talentless brain dead musicians, which are common place at other festivals like Future and Parklife.

Kanye wasn't really that popular anyway...

So you know now that next year’s Splendour will most likely be significant in cost. Prepare for it. Start saving soon. It’s a festival well worth attending… if you can afford it.

Imma Let You Finish, but...

WE'RE BACK! Thats right, Dean and Javid return from the depths of Woodford, covered in dust, moistness and fond memories to boot. Three days of absolute brilliance, with wonderful music, people and times. I'll go on in later entries. I literally just got home half an hour ago. Over the next few days and weeks we'll be hitting you with random reviews and opinions in both written and visual form but before it gets old (and it may well already have), we all need to sit down and have a good chat about Kanye.

I'll leave most of the nitty-gritty to the video stuff but some things need to be said. His production was spectacular, quite easily on a par with the likes of Rammstein (and I NEVER say that lightly). The dancers were haunting and breathtaking (for the most part. Assembling them the week before showed.. a little bit), the setlist was pretty much a winner from start to finish, and being the most packed I think that amphitheater has ever been, the atmosphere was truly incredible. I can put on 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' now and get chills, its freaking awesome and ultimately, the show was amazing. There were certainly alot of talking points but no one can really deny that the man did put on a great show, a show that could easily sell out a national tour........... BUT

There were three things about the show that kind of annoyed me. I will detail them for you shortly but first, to understand my point, you MUST watch this footage I took, regardless of video quality, and LISTEN to the VOCALS. Thats all you need to do. You can even close your eyes if you want, I was pretty far away.


OK so here we go.
1. THE AUTOTUNE - if you really DID watch the video you'll already get the gist of what I'm saying. When he opened with 'Dark Fantasy' he sang as badly as he does on the record - and I honestly didnt care. I think most people were too busy being stunned by the immaculate stage, the dancers, and the fact that Kanye came up on a tower in the middle of the fucking crowd. By the time he played 'Monster' he was doing autotune vocal solos. That clip there of 'Lost In The World' is not even a QUARTER of the solo that he went on. It was confusing for a number of reasons - if he had the autotune why wasnt he using it from the start? if he cut out the wanky vocal solos would he really need it given that he cant sing anyway? was anyone really there to hear a vocal solo from a rapper? Its a very strange situation and was definitely the biggest talking point back at the campsite. Did it diminish the performance? Not very much, no. But to be honest I wouldve been quite happy to put up with bad singing as well, at least then its sincere and raw. If I wanted to hear someone sound like a computer I'd go listen to a Stephen Hawking audiobook.
2. THE VOLUME - if you've had the pleasure of going to Splendour at the Woodfordia site, you'll be aware of the vast chasm that is the Amphitheater. It holds thousands upon thousands of people and you can see from anywhere. When it was packed that night it was truly an insane feeling. The mix however was inconsistent and, for the most part, absolutely brutal to the ears. There were moments where it suddenly seemed to be alright ('Golddigger went OFF and I think alot of that had to do with the fact you could hear it clearly) and it was never that you couldnt hear what was going on so much as it was your ears were fucking bleeding. Our neighbours in the campsite said they stood right at the back (which is a LONG way) and they were deaf. Being toward the back for Kanye was like being up the front at a metal gig. A little less volume would have been fine. If anything Kanye had the worst sound of the festival. It was still audible, but painful.
3. THE 'FLOW' - Kanyes set was divided into three 'acts' - why? What story did each act tell? What did it mean? I've got no freaking idea. If you ask me the set could have been better off without it as it added absolutely nothing to it. Oh, except at the start of act 2 he stood on a box for a while. The other problem I had with the flow was that, when many of the songs ended, you'd get a second of the next track before it was cut, giving away what song it was but then spoiling the momentum. That was probably the most unprofessional aspect of the show and quite annoying. Makes you wonder if all they really needed was the autotune guy and someone to press stop and play.

So there we go. I'm not a hater. I was wonderfully impressed by the production and it'll stay with me for a long time. I was there, and theres a good chance that you weren't. This is how it went down. The rest of the festival was great too, but we'll get to that later.

3 MC's & 1 amazing director.

By now you've probably seen the Spike Jonze X Beastie Boys vid, which combines two of my favourite things together in one amazing clip. If you haven't, well feast your eyes on this. It's not as amazing as the 'Fight For Your Right Revisited' clip but Spike Jonze could direct me vomiting after a big night and it'd still be a beautiful thing.

Well now for a measly $750 you can get your hands on the Bathing Ape X Beastie Boys collectors edition figurines. Yeah, pretty cheap huh. So cheap you should just pick me up some too. Or pay my rent for the month plus some.

via Acclaim Magazine

Pictures & Memories

 Cameras are exciting and from Sydney. I know those two descriptors even make me nervous after the let downs Van She and friends became. But fear not, we've grown apart from the world of Modular. "I Know" is a broody teenager who refuses to make up their mind about what they want to be.

Driven by the darkened echo of a piano, it reminds me of my Grandma's piano which sounded like the only remotely kid-friendly thing to amuse myself with in a house that was never home to toys, just old tallboys filled with pictures and memories no one care much for anymore.



I know nothing else of Cameras than this one song and with the way it draws you in, you like me are compelled to find out more.

Do so on these dates at these venues...

Sydney: Sat 6th Aug @ FBI Social, Kings Cross Hotel

Sydney: Wed 24th Aug @ Beach Road Hotel, Bondi (w/ Owl Eyes)

Central Coast: Wed 7th Sept @ The Entrance Leagues Club (w/ Sparkadia)

Melbourne: Sat 17th Sept @ The Evelyn

They have a full-length which is due out later this year.

R.I.P

Amy Winehouse - 14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011

"Now Amy Winehouse is dead, like many others whose unnecessary deaths have been retrospectively romanticised, at 27 years old. Whether this tragedy was preventable or not is now irrelevant. It is not preventable today. We have lost a beautiful and talented woman to this disease. Not all addicts have Amy’s incredible talent. Or Kurt’s or Jimi’s or Janis’s, some people just get the affliction. All we can do is adapt the way we view this condition, not as a crime or a romantic affectation but as a disease that will kill. We need to review the way society treats addicts, not as criminals but as sick people in need of care. We need to look at the way our government funds rehabilitation. It is cheaper to rehabilitate an addict than to send them to prison, so criminalisation doesn’t even make economic sense. Not all of us know someone with the incredible talent that Amy had but we all know drunks and junkies and they all need help and the help is out there. All they have to do is pick up the phone and make the call. Or not. Either way, there will be a phone call." - Extract from Russell Brand's statement taken from his website.

Splendour Selection #9 - Gotye

If there is one person that I must check out at Splendour this year, and therefore you should too, it's Gotye. I was a late comer to his music, only really getting into the album, Like Drawing Blood earlier this year. But I cannot express just how much I have attached myself to his music. Actually, I can. A lot.

As Pix said in his recent post on Gotye's new single which you can read about (and watch the clip for) here, I found it hard to detatch myself from what I heard on Triple J and really find Gotye on my own terms.
Until of course I happened upon his first album while in a friends car. There followed a moment of extreme sentimentality and suddenly it was as though all his songs were detailing the same turmoil that was going on inside my head. The songs just spoke to me. Yes, that's right. I'd somehow reverted into an angst ridden, suicidal teenager who'd had an epiphany and suddenly discovered that Adam's Song by Blink 182 was in fact their own personal obituary. Written by some 28 year old retards who still hadn't quite worked out they were no longer teenagers.

Fortunately for Gotye (and me) though, his music has slightly more depth to it. Many of his songs take you on a journey of reflection if you immerse yourself in them enough, which can get a little depressing. But the songs are so lovingly crafted that at times you can't help but get lost amongst the layers of many horns and strings.

While Gotye does have a distinct sound, it would be hard to pigeon hole him into a specific genre. His styles range from the soulful jazz ballads to orchestral style masterpieces, with spatters of blues and rock throughout.
Every style he attempts, he pulls it off flawlessly.

Having now seen Gotye live yet, I am very excited to check him out at Splendour. I have only read rave reviews about his performances and friends assure me he is amazing live.

He takes to the stage at 8:30 PM on Friday at Splendour, so be sure to check out what's bound to be an amazing performance.
If you're unfortunate enough to be missing Splendour, then he'll be playing at the Sydney Opera House on the 20th August and tickets are relatively cheap.

Exclusivity In The Grass

Splendour is less than 2 weeks away. I'm excited! The constant drudgery of my shit job is slowly meaning less and less as the thing I've been looking forward to this year approaches. Everyone needs a light at the end of the tunnel, perhaps you do too - and you can still get yourself one because tickets are STILL ON SALE! Despite my predictions (I guess seeing into the future IS a load of horseshit). With the lineup that was announced, and the amount of hipsters that have jumped on the Splendour bandwagon I am really, truly surprised that it has still not managed to sell out. In a way it excites me, the last festival I went to that didn't sell out was the second Sydney BDO this year and it was great. But it raises one question in particular for me...

Both Kanye West and Coldplay (like them or not, they have something to do with my point) are playing Splendour as their ONLY Australian show. I'm also pretty certain that Regina Spektor is also playing her only show of the year there. It makes me wonder why.. at who's behest were these exclusive deals negotiated? Artists like Kanye and Coldplay could easily sell out national tours, multiple nights in the major cities and yet all they're doing is playing an hour or two up in Queensland before buggering off again? When you sit back and look at it, the most logical explanation to me is that the Splendour organisers arranged this themselves (and if you ask me that must have taken some SPECIAL incentive). They were no doubt of the mindset that people would be less inclined to go to Splendour if they could see these acts somewhere else, and an exclusivity deal is undoubtedly the best way to get sales. But you must then look at the target demographic of these artists - and while there are credible people in there, there are also a significant amount of solely pop-listening and underage people who can't really justify paying a considerable sum for a ticket to a festival to see one act.

we just raped and robbed the wiggles.. take that Australia.. see you next weekend!

The website crash also undoubtedly affected sales. But when it comes to these things festival organisers have to retain a certain amount of accountability for the options presented to consumers, system failures SHOULD be anticipated. High volumes of online traffic should also be anticipated. When you crash and are unable to provide the consumer with what they want straight away, resentment starts to build on their behalf, but also thought and consideration take over from impulse and they start to wonder how they're going to justify spending alot of money. Perhaps releasing timetables early and selling tickets per day is an option to assess, because lets face it, the ticket price this year, on top of transport, accom, festival food & drink, etc is alot of money for the average punter. Worth it? I'm almost certain it will be, but uncertain economic times scare people too.

So what am I doing here, having a dig at Splendour? No. I can see why they went with the exclusivity and it makes sense. I suppose I'm just thinking out loud, as confused as anyone as to why this festival hasn't sold out. I've been told that the new site is great but perhaps moving an hour north of Brisbane, adding another few hours onto everyones trip is another factor too. Who knows. If you've made a specific decision to not attend Splendour this year I'd love to know why, so please shed some light. And if you're NOT attending Splendour but really, really want to, you mustn't know that tickets are STILL on sale! So go and get one! I will be there, not that thats any particular incentive.

Splendour In The Grass

Splendour Selection #8 - The Living End

So The Living End are back for Splendour 2011. I know what you're thinking. "God damn it Chris Cheney, just get a new party trick for your stage show. Awesome, so you can play guitar with a VB stubbie. I've seen it 4 times now! It's no longer impressive."

I was thinking exactly the same thing.

The Living End have changed about as much as Grinspoon over the past decade. The only difference is, The Living End actually know how to play their instruments. And music. And I have some respect for the band members.

But lets face it, since their debut album, they've never really been able to capture that same unrelenting, mischievous, don't-give-a-fuck, rockabilly sound they bombarded the music charts and Triple J's Hottest 100 with back in 1998. They just didn't explore any more musical ideas or genres and seemed to stagnate on the same sound, album after album. Cheney then got all 'deep' and tried writing lyrics about meaningful social issues, but just ended up sounding like a superficial prat. The mischief was gone.

Having said all that, no one can deny the energy these guys produce on stage. I'll be watching them at Splendour before cutting it short to head to Regina Spektor. But if you have not yet witnessed The Living End in a live setting, then I highly recommend you make your way to the Amphitheatre stage at 9:15 on Saturday night to see them play. The beer bottle trick will be entertaining. If you've only seen it once, it's still rather good at that stage, and Cheney will most definitely throw his guitar high into the air (that's impressive to me, because his Gretsch costs about $8000, is one amazing guitar and he throws that thing fucking high.)

The live stage is also where this band belong and no CD can ever really do them justice. They are all fantastically talented musicians who know how to work up an audience. For that alone, they're worth a look.

They have a new album coming out too, which means new songs throughout the set will no doubt be significant. A new single has also been released, which you can check out here.

It does start with a bit of a different flavour before moving back to familiar territory. Will this be the album that brings back the 'classic' Living End? Probably not. But they're cool nonetheless and down to earth. And unlike Andrew Stockdale, Australia's second biggest douche after Kyle Sandilands, they're not full of themselves either.

So go see them. Support some Or-Stray-Ans. Just don't bring a flag. Please.

Forget About Harry

As a boy I spent all my afternoons watching Tin Tin, life was never better. When I got a dog, I named her Snowy however I never befriended a wily old sea captain... where I'm from that's probably for the best too.

Steven Speilberg has put his name to this one and the cast that's been assembled is equally exciting. I don't think I could think of a better combination for Thompson and Thomson than Nick Frost & Simon Pegg.

So forget about Harry and all that shit, the only saving grace of the movie was Emma Watson but she better knock off those cutesy art-deco pixie haircuts. I only bothered with parts of the first movie six months ago and it didn't surprise me that the mediocre masses, dying for something to cling to between Twilights would love it.

I can only hope the movie lives up to the trailer and we have a franchise worth getting excited about.

Splendour Pick #7 - Love Muscles

Muscles has been known to the whiteboydancefloor community for a while. Apparently he made some scathing comments on one of the other guys posts back in the foundation years but hey, I wasn't there and instead choose to regale you with my own personal experiences with this man.

When Guns, Babes, Lemonade was released in 2007, Triple J were absolutely HAMMERING 'Sweaty' (as well as 'Ice Cream' and 'One Inch Badge Pin', but it was Sweaty they seemed to have the addiction to). Anyway, the first time I heard this song, and this is the honest truth, I switched to AM radio. I must have been in an electro-phoic phase at the time and the multiple, absurd vocal tracks were intense and spontaneous, another quality I don't really associate with electro either. Given that my old car only had a tape player it was with the radio I stuck and over the next few months I was slowly able to wean myself into the track, with the bassline and the unbridled fun of it all eventually taking precedent. Coming back from overseas later in the year I got a casual job at JB Hi-Fi and it was the first CD I bought with my delicious staff discount. So essentially, in the space of a few months, I went from HATING it with a passion to loving it and not knowing why exactly. The album itself if brilliant, surprisingly diverse, well told lyrically and just a whole bunch of fun. Next on the cards was to see the man live, which led to two great and different experiences.

While I caught him at Splendour in... 2007(?) and liked the set, we were WELL up the back and the atmosphere was a little bit lacking. It was a cautionary viewing and I liked what I saw. The next opportunity to watch him presented itself later in the year at Homebake. Attending with two good friends, one in particular who had become a fan like me, we got ridiculously munted on narcotic substances (ahh how I miss the good ole' days) and basically assimilated ourselves to the atmosphere. It was an hour of amazing fun which ended with a collective and completely unhomosexual removal of clothing to 'dance with our shirts off'. While that may lead many of you to go 'so? I take my shirt off at festivals all the time', and that says alot about you, due to my slight manboobage and general hairiness I try not to do such things in public. Undressing because you're caught in the music is definitely a FTW moment. Would I have done such without drugs? Yes.

That experience sold me on the man and his music, and the next opportunity I had to catch him was supporting Daft Punk as they came out on the Alive 2007 tour, supported by a bucketload of Australian acts like Van She, Cut Copy and, performing stuff from their upcoming album Apocalypso, The Presets. A tough bill to stand out on, and the shit weather really didn't help. Muscles came out onto the stage at the start of his set proclaiming 'Hi, my names Muscles and when I play the sun comes out'. It didn't, initially. The set was still great and all but then, upon closing with 'Hey Muscles, I love you', true to his word the Sun made its first appearance of the entire day, he pointed to the sky as it crept from behind the clouds and the crowd went absolutely bananas. It was truly one of the most memorable, magical moments of live music I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing. Given that Muscles doesn't have access to HAARP it may well have been entirely coincidental but its moments like that which will stay with me forever. And I've seen Rammstein from the front. AND I wasn't even on drugs, which I liked to do alot back then. A truly magical moment.

So why am I regaling you with all these stories about one guy? Am I a closet homosexual? Am I stalking him? The answer to those last two questions is NO. The answer to the first one is because Muscles is playing SPLENDOUR! Which means I get to see him for the first time in a loooong time. He's releasing new stuff and headed around the country again.

Muscles - Koala (2011) by musclesmusic

I've spent today regaling you with my awesome memories . My recommendation is that you go and see the man live and make some of your own.

Tickets for Splendour are STILL AVAILABLE. Get them HERE
You can also get your filthy mits on Muscles new 'Koala/I'll Follow You' DOUBLE A-SIDE single by following the link to his site - Muscles Music

A Tale Of Modern Heartbreak

Goyte has always had an eloquent way with his words. Arguably he's fallen short of world domination because of people like me who don't have the self control to properly peel away what they've heard or what Triple J has told them and discover Goyte on their own terms.

"Somebody That I Used To Know" is a slow burning tale of modern day heartbreak. The narrative weighs on you so heavily it's taxing to immerse yourself in it. Goyte has that knack of taking the most simple of the English language and turning it into poetry. Even as a jaded lover, Kimbra is angelic and her interjections turns this from something very nice into the rope stuck around your leg ready to drag you down and drown you in the depths of your oldest sorrows.


I can't sing the praises of "Somebody That I Used To Know" highly enough but I can thrust my flag into the earth and proclaim to finally being in tune with his genius. Rather I must thank joining the world of twitter and getting the hot tip from @Wil_Anderson.

Whiteboys at Little Red

 

So Javid and I - with I being me and me being Dean - went to see Little Red at the Metro a couple of weeks ago. But rather than just writing about it, we decided to film it.

I'm sure some forethought into what we were actually going to do would have been quite to our benefit. In fact, I'm certain of it. Nevertheless we managed to scramble together some bits of garbled, rambling information, a naked shower scene and some band footage to bring you our first video log in all its beta glory.

Unfortunately Little Red aren't attending Splendour this year so I can't place them as one of my Splendour Selections, but they'd definitely make the cut.

It was a much mellower set this time with many of their slower, harmonic songs taking precedence. Though this seemed to appease the hoards of screaming 14 year old girls, so perhaps this was the plan. But naturally they played a fun set, influenced heavily by their drummer's relentless intoxicating jubilation.

Worlds End Press are also a band to look out for if you want a healthy dose of disco funk. Finally a band that has a synth but doesn't use it to saturate their music in order to hide the truth, that is their own mediocrity. Naked and Famous?  No?

Their bass driven grooves pound out just enough bop to satisfy even the whitest 1950's white middle class male stereotype and their sweet jazz licks on the guitar gives the music that extra polish.

The way these guys dance on stage would be absolutely ridiculous if they didn't play such cool music.

And with only weeks to go now until Splendour, we'll be getting cracking with some more Splendour Selections, plus a couple more videos coming soon. Preparation might even be done! It's an exciting prospect.

Let's Battle!

Battles have once again proven how cool it is to be weird. Their new album, Gloss Drop, is the perfect cure for a bout of conventional. Fantastic collaborations dot the album (Matias Aguayo and Gary Numan most notably) which, although more digestible than Mirrored, lacks none of its shrieking pandemonium. It is such an enjoyable listen. Glass Drop gives you the impression that you have stumbled upon a band locked in a secret jam session, where all they are doing is fucking around with noise by throwing bits and pieces of sound against the wall to see what sticks. Virtually 100% of time, it sticks.

If you love your ears, but are showing them just the opposite by constantly beating them into submission with the latest Boy & Bear album (seriously, why even bother when you can listen to Fleet Foxes?), give them a little reprieve and listen to some Battles.

PS - In case you haven't seen it yet, the video for "Ice Cream" is very cool. It looks just like they sound - weird.

How The Mighty Have Fallen

If you're from anywhere else in the world apart from Australia, thinking of the word Sydney will probably conjour up images like the one above - the Opera House and Harbour Bridge making the place look nice, our NYE parties (that seriously do shit all over the rest of the country), and what is essentially Australias biggest city. The one that all the yanks mistake for the capital because no ones heard of fucking Canberra.

While I DON'T live, let alone work in the CBD, I've lived in the Sydney surrounds my whole life. I've also been a musician playing venues across the city, from East to West, for nearly a decade too and from the situation I have seen evolve over the years, Sydney is no longer what it once was. Whose fault is that? I'm not entirely sure, but let me regale you with a few stories.

Sydney and Melbourne have always hated each other. Melbourne hated us because we were awesome, and we hated Melbourne because... well.. we just thought we were awesome. And it rained there alot. Hell, the whole reason Canberra is where it is today (somewhere right between the two cities) is because the Free Traders and Protectionists from each city didn't want to let the others have the satisfaction of winning. Now we have a capital city in the middle of fucking nowhere. We had the Olympics (yes I know Melbourne did too but back in 1956 no one gave as much of a shit), we had the aforementioned Bridge and Opera House, Bondi, and a whole bunch of other stuff while Melbourne had... Frankston (and yes, that IS a dig).

Before you Mexican Latte-Sippers all get on your vespas and angrily proclaim 'to Daves house!' with your handbags in tow (another dig) calm down. Sydney is no longer the king, that seat quite safely belongs to Melbourne, and given that you've got nothing down there apart from ridiculous architecture, graffiti and places to eat its more a sad indictment on Sydney if you ask me. The gradual collapse of our state government and a complete lack of development with infrastructure as well as tourism incentives, despite Oprah coming here and all, has seen the last 5-7 years of Sydney's existence become a misery. Melbourne may be pretentious and annoying but it is an efficient and effective city. If you're from Sydney and you think we're still #1, sadly you are kidding yourself.

You're undoubtedly starting to think 'OK, this is all well and good but where is it going? this is a music blog you idiot' - and you have a point. Unfortunately the whole issue of 'status' is only one part of Sydneys demise.

traffic, capitalism and prostitutes - welcome to Sydney

I have been to a shitload of gigs in this city, from East to West. I used to be in a band that could have been considered relatively successful when we were teenagers. Every week we could play in a local venue and bring a well-sized crowd of people who were enthusiastic to support local music and enjoy a night out with their friends. I now play in another band, and while we're not gigging at the moment, we'd go through phases of doing multiple gigs in short bursts at various points throughout the city or west, and much of the game has changed. The responsiveness of the people there is generally commendable but its the number of people that has begun to dwindle. You could blame it on a variety of factors;

Poker Machines - When I obtained my RCG certificate I was hit with the alarming fact that, at the time (2004 or so), New South Wales had the second highest amount of Poker machines per capita in the world, second only to LAS VEGAS. I have worked in RSLs and been exposed to the horrors of gambling. Trying to sleep at night with the music still going in my head. More and more amazing venues in Sydney are having space sacrificed for the building of pokies, while more and more people would rather sit in front of it and waste their paycheck as opposed to watching a band.

Cost of living - Reports and studies, like THIS ONE from Charles Sturt University, have all concluded that Sydney is an expensive place in which to live. Comparatively speaking Melbourne is heavenly. Everything from the necessities to recreational means are more expensive in Sydney, another factor making it difficult for bands up here. Venues are reluctant to put on a show unless its going to be financially viable. At least with a Poker machine the profitability sells itself. You may notice on that fact sheet that the only thing cheaper is Beer. Why? If you've studied politics and society you'll know that this is just the age old tactic of keeping alcohol prices low to help keep the 'proles' quiet and ignorant of the fact that their lives suck.
Venues Closing - From the Kelts bar up in Blaxland in the early 00's to the impending sale of the Annandale, many of Sydneys primary venues are either closing, or being readjusted to something that doesnt cater so much for live music and moreso for pokies and a DJ. The battle is seemingly lost as more venues shut. I understand the fact that a business needs to make money and the sale, especially of the Annandale, poses the idea that maybe gigs just aren't viable in this town anymore. In the city that holds the Enmore (the best live venue in Aus as far as I'm concerned) that's so freaking depressing.

So what am I saying here? That its impossible for a band of any stature that isn't huge to play a successful gig here? No, not so much. I know people in bands that are doing alright, I know some that are doing well, I suppose the point I'm trying to make is that this isn't what most would consider a 'nurturing' environment anymore. I only started thinking of the whole idea, and wondering why, this year. When the BDO, and also Soundwave came out, the hesitance of certain bands to put on a sideshow in Sydney was noticeable, and some of the bigger ones just didn't put on a Sydney sideshow at all, while still playing in Brisbane and Melbourne. Lately I've had to witness all-ages shows, something I never really had to do before, so that bands could sell out venues. Meanwhile those same bands play in Melbourne and can afford to put two shows on, for both groups, and still sell out. Is it because of the factors above? Or just general apathy from the people of Sydney? I'm sure its a mix of both. The fact that the Sydney Big Day Out manages to sell out so quick all the time doesn't counter this argument when you look at the people who attend. To a majority of these people a Big Day Out is about seeing how many beers you can drink, pills you can swallow and people you can start a fight with, not about seeing great bands and enjoying a communal atmosphere with your fellow festival goers.

Our venues are being sold, the people are generally depressed, poor and retarded, and development is going nowhere fast - Sydney is really in a tight spot. While you Melbournians can sit there reading this, nodding your head approvingly and laughing quietly to yourselves, just remember that everything in life is cyclic. We will be back, or we will be destroyed, and the same will happen to you. Meanwhile I'll be over in Berlin, thankful of the fact I got out of here when I could.

So if you still want to be able to see a band play live in Sydney in 5 years without it being at an arena and $100 a ticket, if you still want to be able to go to the pub and enjoy seeing (or heckling, who cares, you're THERE) a band then stop going to these stupid fucking clubs every Friday and Saturday where its all about pretense and how you dress while paying shitloads for cocktails, and head to a bar or pub or one of the few venues we have left! See a band! Spend $10 on a ticket instead of throwing it into a Poker Machine. And drink some Beer knowing its the only thing cheaper here than in Melbourne. Your city, and your cities bands, need you.

Sydney Live Guide
Wots On
Metro Theatre
Enmore Theatre

Splendour Pick #6 - PNAU

PNAU have held a special place for me for a good few years now. When their LAST album came out (the insane, self titled one with the likes of 'Wild Strawberries' and 'Embrace') I had the pleasure of listening to many of the songs on Triple J as it was featured, despite still not being too keen personally on the whole 'electronic music' thing, let alone 'AUSTRALIAN electronic music'. The tracks from this album spoke to me and perhaps played a significant part in my foray into a wider spectrum of music. Subsequently seeing them live multiple times at various festivals around the land, and quite often on a significant amount of narcotics, I was blown away by the energy that these two guys could bring, as well as the various visuals and costumes they would make other people wear covering the array of interesting art and images from the album sleeve. Not only that, I ended up giving the self-titled album the PRESTIGIOUS honour of Javids 'Album of the Year' in whatever year it came out.. 2007 or something.. it seems so long ago..

Then Empire of the Sun happened, and PNAU was left on the backburner of Australian music while Littlemore toured with world with Luke Steele and they made an absolute motza on an admittedly spiffing, if repetitive effort. Nick left, seemingly to come back and work on the new PNAU album, while Steele kept on touring and wearing that freaking hat we all secretly know would look better on Jamiroquai.

After a long time between albums PNAU are back. My levels of excitement were palpable as I stood amongst thousands of people at this years BDO waiting for them to come out. When they did it was not the PNAU I remember. Two guitarists came out on stage with the band and played for every song, old or new. If you're asking me the old songs did not sound as good as they could have, and the new songs made no distinct impression. It seems the line between kooky rave-stuff and mainstream soft-electro has been blurred. By the end of their set much of the magic was gone and I wanted to go home. That being said I'd just had Rammstein blow myself and everyone away, perhaps I wasnt ready for the timidity of this adult-contemporary stuff...

At the end of this clip I'm pretty sure he's not even playing the guitar.

But anyway, I'm all for bands going down different avenues and I'm willing to give the album a chance when it comes out. There's a possibility that half the reason I didn't enjoy them at the BDO was because they're still working out all the music as an ensemble. Perhaps it was because that was the first time I'd seen them without the influence of the types of substances that make you do silly things and make music speak to you on a whole different level. For those reasons and more I'll be going to see them at Splendour, to give them another chance. If they don't do it for me, we'll always have 2007 I guess.

They'll be playing some shows up and down the coast if you'd like to go and judge for yourself:
26/07 - Billboard The Venue, Melbourne
27/07 - Enmore Theater, Sydney
29/07 - Splendour In The Grass

Thats right, contrary to my opinion of about a month ago, Splendour is STILL not sold out - go and get a ticket HERE - the time is PNAU...

Perfect Darkness

Before I say anything else, I have to acknowledge that Fink is an absolutely phenomenal artist. For some time I have had my musical equals proclaiming the quality of Fink however I’d never sought out his music with enough vigour to have an opinion either way.

Upon listening to Perfect Darkness, I was left impressed possibly even dazzled. There are great riches in the deep bubbling of his vocal that accompanies the harmonic laden guitar pieces so perfectly. The album title and opening track seemed very fitting.

I reported back to known Fink fans with great excitement, I finally got it. But their lack of enthusiasm over the new album tempered my excitement somewhat. In their eyes, Perfect Darkness was pretty nice but in light of his previous releases, this was just more of the same. As a teacher, you constantly want your students to improve and grow. If a student comes to you getting 98%, it’s your job not to except the 97%ers when you know their capable of even more. 

What I learned was every time you encounter music from Fink, the building tension he generates with his vocals and the synergy with his guitar is assured. The difference between Fink’s best and everything else is his ability to completely move you, change your mood and leave you speechless.

What I didn’t realise then that I do now is that what I was feeling before was moderate appreciation and what Fink is truly capable of can be captivating and definitive.