Black Mountain (27/2/2009)

The corner hotel is one of the big guns on the Melbourne live music scene... even though the venue isn't particularly grand. As a pub, big thumbs up, but venue... meh. There's a big ass friggin pole dead set in the middle of the dancefloor in front of the stage. And the air con was on mighty high and it was chilly. But the quality of tunes more than makes up for it 90 percent of the time.

Son Hawk

Kind of sounded a bit like Neil Young most of the time, with the exception of one Triple-M sounding rock song which I wasn't really into. One song I noticed in particular was 'Wishing Well'.... long sprawly guitar song... it was fun. Definitely set the mood for what was to come. Very cool.

Lady Strangelove

You know how most prog-rock songs have slow bits and fast bits, quiet bits and loud bits etc. (pretty much the elements that define them as prog rock), well Lady Strangelove are a prog-rock band without the slow bits. From the first beat to the last it sounds like the most ridiculous part of a Mars Volta tune.... which is good for the first two songs... but by the end of the set I was getting a little... not tired, but weary... of the non-stop rockin. They sound a lot like Wolf and Cub, but with a lot more practice (see previous Wolf and Cub review)... can't really complain about them, if I had of heard one song they'd have been amazing, but a whole set is almost too much of a good thing.

Black Mountain

What better way to cap off the amazing Feburary of gigs, with Black Mountain. I swear, no shit, my hairs on the back of my neck stood up about 8 times... and it wasn't just the air conditioning. The songs are fantastically written, the band can perform stunningly without an ego in sight, and a 16 minute encore is just what a band needs to do to get me to use the words amazing, stunning and fantastically. 'Angels' is a future classic, 'Don't Run our Hearts around' was stupid fun, and the moment where the chick belts out that one line in 'Tyrants'... wow. It's a feeling even better than finding out you were still intact after you had thought you'd been castrated by a sociapathic teenager, but they only used a bulldog clip and some ice (I just watched Hard Candy... didn't actually happen to me). I love Black Mountain.

Shit review I know, but I can't put it into words... it a whole lot easier to write about something that is horridly bad than stupendously good.

A Planet in Space @ The Laundry (26/02/2009)

The Laundry
Great place: damn cheap beer ($10 jugs), excellent tunes upstairs (zappa, stones...), free entry(might not have been free for everyone), brilliant bands (payed $20 to see the same line up a couple of weeks ago), decent sound.
Would definitely return for some good cheap fun!

A Planet In Space
These guys were awesome again, in fact I did a bit of research before rocking up tonight and listened to a bit of their music on JJJ unearthed website. They have some great original tunes, that also have a decent longevity. Seeing them live tonight was an eye-opener as to how awesome they play their gigs, their live versions are typically 150% the length of their recordings, with many songs perfectly meshed together.
The lead singer/guitarist broke a string 1 song into the show, and without so much as signalling to his band mates to wait up, he put down the guitar, jumped off the stage, strolled over to a guitar case on the ground, grabbed a new guitar, came back to the stage, changed the strap, tuned up, moved the broken string guitar out of the way, then got straight into a song with the other guys whom in the meantime had been jamming with a bongo focus - flawless execution of improvisation.
I cant praise these fellows enough, great performance ethic and an awesome sound to back it up!

My Disco (21/2/2009)

A real first for 100 gigs... tonights performance was an all ages gig with no beer. I could almost hear my liver rejoice!

The setting was the RRR performance space for what was to be My Disco's second last gig in Melbourne before going overseas (their last being at Golden Plains... please don't get me started). I had been attempting to see these guys since I got my hands on their latest cd 'Paradise', and due to a variety of factors, had missed them every single time. But before I could enjoy their tunes, the support acts vied for my affections. 

Kes Band

I only saw the last few songs of their set... which was still more than what I saw of them at Laneway. The main dude, Kes, has somesort of bizaar charisma about him that I just can't put my finger on. The tunes have a great jive to them (the ones I saw anyway), and combined with this undescribable showmanship that Kes seems to have, I really started getting to it. Will check out again, properly so I can review them properly. 

Naked on the Vague

By the time Sydney duo NOTV hit the stage, a lot of the crowd had made themselves comfortable on the floor, looking really relaxed. Nice lady singer suggested we get relaxed now, as the tunes were going to possibly make us feel a little uneasy. Uneasy was the right word... for the next forty minutes we were treated/subjected to a combination of Horror Movie soundtrack and 'Homemade tape by a kid who just worked out how to create feedback using two tape recorders'. Strangely through all the noise a lot of it stuck, some nasty drum beats cutting through the mess made the whole thing really hypnotising. I imagine when David Lynch takes a girl home and she says 'I'm just going to slip into something a little more comfortable, why don't you put some music on', and then she goes in the other room... David puts on Naked on the Vague. Then they come up with Inland Empire. 

In between bands, the inhouse system was just playing RRR (which made sense), and they played a fantastic cover of a Suicide song by Bruce Springsteen called 'Dream Baby Dream'. It's the second time I've heard it and for some reason I think it's terrific. But I digress...

My Disco

From the moment the music started I knew I was in for a great show. I've actually sat in front of the screen trying to descibe the whole thing for about 5 minutes now and haven't come with anything. Go to the myspace and hear the tunes. Then think of how great it'd be live, with almost earpiercing guitar, and a rythm section that could drive slaves to build the pyramids (?!). It was like pounding techno music but not, and heavy metal but not. When the band bashed out the main riff to 'An Even Sun', there was an amazing silence for a quarter of a second after each line... a silence that was like a punch in the face. Amazing. During ' You Came To Me Like A Cancer Lain Dormant Until It Blossomed Like A Rose' (sounds like a band that would play at Soundwave), some young'uns jumped the stage, and one dude, totally outdoing my Girl Talk experience, was handed the guitar and invited to supply the noise for about 30 seconds. Smiles all round from the band, the jumpers, the audience and most importantly me. During one of the song breaks someone shouted out 'Don't Go'.... and that is totally my feeling. It's like falling in love with a girl the day before she has to leave on a rocketship to Mars because she's in a top secret space program. But at least I can tell everyone about this. 

Roar Sounds (19/2/2009)

When someone says there are a bunch of bands playing at the Melbourne zoo, a few incredibly witty replies will come. The Animals? The Monkees? The Shitty Beetles? Well, on this summer evening, we were entertained by Tame Impala, Eddy Current Suppression Ring (not that animal-ish, but a full nerd name), and Lions eating Goat Halves (Not actually a band... more of a performance troop).

The zoo was a great venue for tunes... there was good food available, it was BYO, and there were really odd birds flying around. The catch was that it was kind of pricey, however, I won tickets so poo poo to you I guess.

Tame Impala
Still an excellent band that actually do live up to all the hype that surrounds them. The crowd chilled on their picnic blankets as they played all the songs that I know but can't remember which is which. I'm pretty certain Skeleton Tiger is my favourite, as I've mentioned previously, there's a moment when this crazy drum rythm drops in and I totally lose my shit every time. Their EP does it no justice. It was also interesting to note there was a second guitarist on stage... I have no idea who it was or why he was there. Perhaps the 3 have become 4?

Eddy Current Supression Ring
I had briefly seen these guys years ago before they sort of blew up, and to be honest... I thought I had read somewhere that the whole band were disabled. I don't know why I even thought this, I'm wrong, and I apologise to the band, and anybody that was offended when I called them the Steady Eddy Current Supression Ring.

These guys tore the place up. While the crowd was relaxed and comfortable during Tame Impalas set, as soon as ECSR hit the stage everyone was on their feet. They ripped through tune after tune, few which I recognised, and by the time the sun had set... there was the most energetic mosh pit I had seen since year 12 in my High School gym. Crowd surfing, stage diving... awesome. The tunes were really good, proper rock music. Singer Brendan Suppression has a real Aussie twang, which really works with the riffage supplied by the other dudes. If you get a chance to see these guys, take it, I'm annoyed it took me this long to get into them.

I also invite pat to explain what the hell an Eddy Current Suppression Ring is... I looked it up, but Pat knows about that kinda stuff so he'll explain it better. Maybe.
(All I know is: the spiral path an incompressible fluid takes upon passing a solid object is an Eddy (current), like gasses make vortices. This expression is also used to describe an electromagnetic effect in circuits - or rings? - and suppression something that be done to an interference signal. Overall I'd say someone in this band had studied a bit of physics, or has a keen interest in electromagnetics and thus produced an awesome band name!)

Was this review any good? The event was BYO so I had a lot to drink... my review was based on some fuzzy memories.

The Espy (14/2/2009)

Feburary 14th. I challenge you to find me a man who likes this date. Those tied down in a relationship are caught in a web of flowers and chocolates, and those who are single have a trying time getting people together who are both single and not trying to kill themselves for being so lonely. On this Valentines day I was in the latter category, and me and my esteemed companion headed to the Espy for a night of unadulterated tunes. 

Phil Para

This guy is quickly becoming a bit of an Espy institution, I'm pretty certain he's there every week, warming up the crowd. It was bogan central. Which is groovy. Playing a buttload of covers and possibly an original or two, this guitar nutbar, along with drummer and bassist, managed to turn the Espy into what I imagine a Biker Rally social night looks like. The crowd lapped it up as he played covers of I think every old song on Guitar hero 3 - Crossroads, Black Magic Woman etc. He did it all exceptionally well, adding to the songs while remaining very faithful to the original. If all cover bands were like this group I'd be a lot more inclined to head to the countless Irish Pubs around town... but then 100 gigs wouldn't exist, and that would be sad. I think there may have been an original or two as well... but I could be wrong... my knowledge of 70's hard rock is surprisingly limited. 

The Cheats

Ah great, another drum and guitar duo... how many of those have we seen already. While to some people it might mean 'We don't need a bass, we can rock it on our own', I read it as 'We don't have enough friends to make a proper band'. But the Cheats may have very well changed my mind, because they were the SHIT. Like Pat has mentioned, there's something in the air this Feb, because the quality of bands has gone a bit crazy. With a stage lit up with Christmas lights, these two guys played some rockin tracks, with a crowd participation cover of Ballroom Blitz exceptionally great (That was me on the Tamborine). Look out for their debut Album in a couple of months... as well as more reviews on this site... these guys are better that free cake on Wednesdays.

Dead River Deeps

Maybe it was the fact that it was Valentines day and I wasn't covered in chocolate, or that the Cheats rocked it hardcore, the Dead River Deeps failed to get my attention. It was two guys,  they could play well, there was a saxamaphone on some songs, but they came and went without me even nodding to the beat. I don't like their name either. 

EDIT:

I was completely wrong , a lack of proper research led me to write the whole above paragraph about the wrong band! Thankyou for pointing it out mystery reader! The actual band that played was the Cayn Borthwick Band. My feelings are the same, although I guess his name isn't too bad. It's the Bassist from the Dardanelles, who I quite like. I'm sure I would've enjoyed the set more if I had of really got into it, slouching at the back of the Espy isn't really a prime gig spot. So apologies to the Dead River Deeps, who I haven't heard. But I still don't like their name. Also apologies for the Cayn Borthwick band... last time I ever write a review after drinking from a box. 

DOUBLE EDIT: 

Apologies to Dardanelles too, who I called The Dardanelles. The Dardanelles is a body of water that separates Turkey. Cayn Borthwick is not Turkish... as far as I know. 

There were plenty more bands on this night, but feeling groovy, I headed elsewhere for some dancy dance. Unfortunately, the chosen location had no power, so I drank MB tinnies in the dark. Yay!

East Brunswick Club (13/2/2009)

-By Pat

What is the deal with February? We are struggling to find a bad show at the moment!

East Brunswick Club

We returned once again after last weeks great experience, especially after reading a poor review of one of our new favorite venues in Inpress. After seeing another show here I still think it has excellent sound, in particular the equalising/mixing, it is much bassier than most venues. Jim and I appreciate this but maybe that's because we're going deaf from seeing too many gigs, however seeing more gigs probably makes our opinion more valid than Inpress'. Something negative I can say though is just that the fans at this place are really noisy between bands and quite chilly on a cold night.

A Planet In Space

Absolutely awesome. Like The Mars Volta bring Latin style to progressive rock, these guys have brought Reggae with a fantastic result. Their songs were fairly long; playing 6 songs in 45 minutes. They are a Melbournian four piece featuring a guitarist, a bassist/electronics operator and 2 awesome drummers. I estimate they played roughly 6 songs and 2 drum solos in they're 45 min set. They are all incredibly talented and highly technical musicians. I think the only thing holding them back from exploding into the industry is their image, not that I care about such things - they were awesome.


Matt Kelly and The Keepers
A bit too much like old radiohead/jeff buckley to sound very original. Also a bit pretentious to have that style band name when the whole band writes the music but I found out this guy is some relative of Paul Kelly and apparently has a case of egocentric-frontman syndrome. They were a bit boring after the previous band, soo boring in fact I'm writing this review while matt is whining and I admit it, I just heckled them.

The Reefs
The Reefs are a reggae band with a bit of a rock taste thrown into the mix. Again as was the case with the previous band they were overshadowed by A Planet in Space for me, even though they were the headline act. They had some good live moves and they looked a bit more experienced than APiS (hahaha). They also succeeded at making us bop and enjoy ourselves, so cant complain about that. Good night overall.

Primal Scream (8/2/2009)

My ears are bleeding....

Having never been to Billboard before, I must say my expectations were low. It's a nightclub... and a poor one at that from all accounts. But after descending the stairs under Russell street you're greeted with a sight that looks like something from Blade Runner. Neon lights are friggin everywhere... all different colours. It's kind of bizarrely charming even. What was not charming was having to drink bottled beer out of plastic cups. No beer taps... epic fail. But a big stage and plenty of room made up for it.

Wolf and Cub were the supports tonight, and had changed a lot since I first saw them 4 or 5 years ago. While back then they were a bunch of young kids making a whole bunch of noise, now they're older and hairier, making some more organised noise. Two drummers give the band a real kick (gettit) and the bass has an awesome tone to it... some real bitchy fuzz during one song was da coolest. Then the guitarist/vocalist yelps about some crazy stuff while playing catchy little riffs. Should have been awesome, but was let down by what appeared to be a lack of teamwork between drummers and the fact that nobody looked like they were having any fun. A smile goes a long way fellas.

The first thing I noted as Primal Scream kicked of with Kill all Hippies was how fercuckin loud it was. It was also the second, forth, eighth, fifteenth, sixteenth, twenty-third and forty-second thing I noticed. Kind of unnecessarily loud (I was fine with the volume - no thanks to QOTSA - up until the big finish with 6 solid minutes of loud noise, quite unnecessary! PAT). But as loud as it was, it didn't detract from the quality of the sound... every instrument was perfect in the mix. The band played a bunch of new stuff, old stuff and everything in between from their 20 year career... going from their Stonesy songs (Rocks was clearly the crowd favourite), psychedelic jams (Burning Wheel was intense) all the way through to their real dance stuff (Swatstika Eyes was my fave song of the night, it was nigh impossible to dance during that baby). Most importantly, the band looked like they were having fun... smiles between band mates and true acknowledgement of the crowd... I hope Wolf and Cub were paying attention.

I'm not actually sure if that whole review made any sense... it's hard to concentrate with all this ringing....