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past gigs jihad against america vs mr hyde & the jekyl, roo
shooter & teen wolf loud. very loud. but then the town hall isn't that big a place. and i forgot my earplugs...first up was teen wolf - nice name! they're a three piece and then had henry wagon join them on guitar as well. loud. guitars. singing (not that i could make out any of the lyrics but i don't think that's the point). just loud. actually all the bands were loud on the night...next up was roo shooter - another loud one. then the band i was curious to see if they really are bad - jihad against america. chick on vocals, guys on guitar and casio, the female twin (towers) on back up vocals and chick on drums. not bad but very funny actually - i quite like the singer - sh'e agressive and loud and i can't make out anything she sang but it was fun watching her yell at the crowd and make bad new zealander jokes. after 4 songs they swapped with my hyde and the jekyl - 4 piece of ugly men - who did 4 four songs and then swap again - you get the drift? the action between the two singers of these bands was interesting - one poured beer over the other and then they spat back at them - classy stuff! if you like it loud and rough well this was the night for you! i stood back on the sidelines and tried to avoid all the physical contact and just tried to observe. and they seem to encourage insults as well...
givegoods i don't think the givegoods have been around for that long and have just put together their first album - but the members have been around the oz (mostly sydney) music scene for quite sometime with the band featuring tom morgan on guitar (smudge, sneeze), andy calvert on guitar (whopping big naughties), tom van heest on bass (half-miler) and john crow on drums (crow). i managed to get into the venue eventually - there was a door list even though it was advertised for all welcome - and there were free drinks, sweet! it was pretty much an industry gig but i was glad that a normal punter like me could get in anyway...i took my camera and stood up the front to witness the rock on stage. ok not quite all rock, some nice pop/country/blues/rock tunes were heard with vocal duties shared between tom m and andy. all in all in was a great night. and i shook tom morgan's hand. cool.
deloris, the devoted few & tucker b's i'd never been to the green room before, which is nicely hidden near the corner of elizabeth st and flinders lane. i turned up late and missed tucker b's, a perth band who i've yet to see live. the devoted few played their set on the stage to a couple of dozen people (and it didn't get anymore that that for the rest of the night) nice stuff with some new songs thrown in as well (apparently they're going to record another album - cool!). next up deloris, with their guitarist celebrating a birthday and sporting new mowhak do...they played some old stuff and new stuff and it was all good really...some nice rocking stuff amoungst the quiet stuff. god i'm a shit reviewer!! anyway it was good but just disappointing at the turn out...
warped, riff random, dynamo & spod another weekend of gigs at the same venue two nights in a row...mmm...anyway what a difference between the night of pop i had the night before to the night of full on rock tonight! missed dynamo and got there just at the end of riff random's set - nice to see the spice girls t-shirt again. good stuff. then spod - who i had heard of and now fully witness that which is spod. on stage with his backing tape (or cd...whatever) he takes the mic in his hand and raps along - word. he paid his respect to some evil homeboys at the start and gets on with the action. halfway throught the all singing all dancing spodettes come on in matching tennis dress outfits and join the spod-man action. it was just bloody funny! interesting to have on a night of all rock action but nice to see none the less...and then the big boys of rock appeared and blew our ears off! i was in the middle of the room with earplugs and i still couldn't handle the loudness...had to run to the back of the room to enjoy any of it...lots of new stuff and some old thrown in towards the end...which kinda meant that i didn't get into it as much...but then i was pretty tired and trying hard not to fall asleep standing up (i'm going to perfect that one day).
klinger, groundswell & the suits i get to see the suits for the second time and it justm reinforced how much i like their stuff - good clean melodies, nice harmonies and rock out moves. i've only seen groundswell a few times but their bloody good! and i just love their pop tunes. klinger up next and played a good set including billy brags 'new england' (which has been in the set for most of this year) and boy they do a great cover! all in all it was a good drunken night of pop/rock tunes...
crayonfields @ 161 & screamfeeder @ the duke of windsor i tonight i saw two bands at two different venues...why? why the hell not! first i started at 161 and saw crayonfields - have seen them once before but was slightly drunk so i wanted to see them again to see if i really did like them - and i do! nice guitar sounds, erratic and grungy (can i use that word?). then i ran across the road to the duke to see screamfeeder - who i've never seen before ever - how wrong is that!!! and they were fantastic, playing a mix of old and new stuff...definitely one of the most underrated bands in this country.
deloris, faker & minor ache got there early and saw minor ache for the first time, really nice stuff, good guitar sound, nice vocals, 3 piece guitar/bass/drums...really liked their stuff. i saw faker a couple of months back in sydney at the hopetoun with klinger. they do nice stuff but tonight was not their night as guitars kept breaking strings again and again and again...i ended up leaving before the end of their set cause i just got really tired! plus being a school night was not good as well...so unfortunately i missed deloris - who i was actually there to see! well there will be a next time...
gerling, the sailors & the outfits i been a while since i've gone to a gig at the corner...turned up in time for the sailors who i had heard of before and a couple of tunes...i couldn't keep a straight face the whole set - they so funny! basic rock/blues back beat with two guitars, keyboard and drums and very interesting lyrics about fists and dicks and cocks and cum. there a band who are entertaining for their on stage banter as well as their lyrics...not sure if everyone got it though...then the outfits played the second of their sets - hadn't seen them before either - 4 piece guitar, bass, drums and cigarettes, er sorry vocals. i liked it, simple rock, good beats, but i wish the singer would, er, actually sing. ah gerling...been a year since i lst saw them live and well they did the same crazy shit they always do - though they're more rock...again...more use of guitars and drumkit and less of the gadgets up front of the stage...there were even some brave souls who jumped on stage - some chick in bad 80's gear (get over the 80's already it was wrong the first time!) and a couple of lads - all having a good time and maybe annoying the band members...well they had a bit of a laugh...i think...and there was an interesting mix of people in the crowd.
the suits, her majesty's finest, the fallouts &
replica i have had heared about the suits for only a couple of weeks and this was the first time i had managed to get to their gig - yes i wasn't impressed that i had to pay $12 for the pleasure and sit through 3 average bands but it was worth it in the end... the first band replica - four piece, 3 guys on guitar, bass and drums and chick on vocals - she has a great voice too. but not really my style of music - kept thinking of late eighties rock...the fallouts were next - five piece, 2 guitars, bass, keyboards and drums, had a queens of the stone age crossed with nirvana sound - not bad and i tapped my foot along...her majesty's finest i have seen before - four piece, two guitars, bass and drums. actually sat through the whole set (there was no where to hide really). they did a you am i cover (and not that well either) and i thought they were average really - nothing really struck out at me unfortunately, some you am i influences and that was it really...and then there was the suits...don't know if it was the vodka i had drank or the hype i had heard but i was quite impressed! they were energetic to say the least, perhaps slightly drunk and just played their hearts out. i was very entertained and took a few shots as well. sound? well i could hear some beatles in there and nice harmonies and pop/rock tunes...4 piece with vocals shared between the 2 guitarists plus there's bass and drums. all good.
mid state orange, treetops, smallgoods & blessington i hate going to revolver - band members have told me they love it, but as a punter and photographer i hate the place. but i still managed to treck across town to the lovely chapel st establishment to see four bands play...first up was blessingtion - i think i've seen them before but i can't pick where or why - nice stuff and i enjoyed it. smallgoods up next and i'd been hanging out to see a full set by this band as i'd always only caught a glimpse...loved it - i thought they were really good, nice pop sounds - all good really. next up treetops and i have to say this wasn't the best performance i've seen by the lads - but it was still good, harmonies all worked out well and some new stuff as well. by 1am mid state orange were on - i was about to fall a sleep standing up but i managed to get through the whole set. i had a word with someone about lighting between the smallgood and treetop set because the lighting was all too low and man it was slightly better but shit don't blind the guys on stage! such simple instructions but anyway what this meant was that the lighting was even worse for mid state orange but good enough for me to get some pictures...so i'm sorry! they were good and it was nice to have the trumpet section...can't recall much cause i was trying to stay awake but it was good...picked up two eps on the night - smallgoods and mid state orange - and went home to bed...
david mccormack & the polaroids it was weird going to the same venue two nights in a row...i wondered if i left my stamp on the wrist from the night before is i could get in...but they're too smart for that! er i don't remember who the supports were - i don't think i paid much attention - this is bad i know, but besides the first band who i didn't see, the other two bands did nothing for me - too subdued for mccormack support slots really - i think someone has given up on their supports cause they've been - not the greatest match? if only they could get skippy to support again...the place filled nicely and there was dave's stable fan based there to watch the boys go through the motions - no covers this night all stuff off the album as well as new stuff their going to record for the next album - though one was a cover but of a brisbane band (sorry can't remember the name) who haven't realesed it yet i don't think - so it's not known of anyway...the only fault was that they didn't come back for an encore - their perogative really but when the set come in under an hour...well enough said. oh and plus one highlight of the evening was when sometime fifth member andrew was on the cow bell and proceeded to walk off the stage into the crowd and outside the front door down the street - to which dave had to fetch him. love it.
mrs pinkwhistle & the incredible dead goons &
person things i got their during the dead goons set - they were alright but i didn't pay much attention unfortunately - too busy drinking i think...but the night was for mrs pinkwhistle who were having their cd launch (nice work by the way). the place was packed and the boys put on a good show - despite the singer having a broken leg - ouch! they played old stuff freom their 'demo' and off the new ep. and they had paper apples and bananas and peaches and...let me grab that cd again...pears! hanging off the ceiling...good work lads...
grandview & smallgoods acoustic i got there just at the end of the smallgoods set so didn't really catch much of it unfortunately...grandview (who don't play in melbourne often enough!!) played a good set - stuff off the album mostly...nice, quiet (well there were maybe 20 people there) and being a school night i was hoping they'd finish early so i could get to bed - is that bad? anyway they finish early morning sometime and i dragged myself off back home to bed...but it was bloody worth it!
the datsuns, sahara hot nights & riff random i shouldn't leave gig reviews so long to write...from what i remember i got there in time for riff random who put on a good show with a few punters up the front. i loved the spice girls t-shirt! sounded good and glad i got there to see them...then came sahara hot nights who i was curious to hear and see what they were like only having heard a couple of songs on the radio. they were bloody good and i was quite impressed - four chicks playing good old rock and roll no glam about it just the basics (plus i think they gained a few males followers too - i too was taken by chicks playing instruments grrr). good stage presence, good tunes, top stuff, i prefer their style to that of the donnas...and then the datsuns lads entered the stage - phwar! boy they have perfected their live act since travelling around the world. it was a bloody good show - the guys have their stuff down pat and put on a great performance as well as playing super gyration!!! (which by the way was released a couple of years back on 7"). took the camera and got great shot (which is up already). plus they trashed the place at the end of their set trying to give away dolf's guitar to the crowd as well as mic stands, mics, bloody anything they could...but the security jumped in and grabbed it all back - though after a bit of a struggle! cheeky boys...
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hrisoula©2002:2003
