As we all know, I attend a LOT of gigs. Some might say an abnormal amount. But whether it's an all-day summer festival in a dustbowl, a quiet free night at the local, an arena spectacular at Rod Laver or Etihad, or even an impromptu generator party held under Citylink (god those were/are? fun!), there's nothing I enjoy more than a good live music outing. And here are the ten gigs that I particularly enjoyed last year!
10. Coffins (Japan), at Hi Fi Bar and Ballroom, September 18. With a MAMMOTH support bill starring Gospel of the Horns, Cauldron Black Ram, The Day Everything Became Nothing, Clagg, Ignivomous and Whitehorse. WHEW!
What a night this turned out to be! I wasn't too familiar with the output of Japanese death/doomsters Coffins, but with a support bill like that I was inspired to just purchase a damn ticket anyway, and of course I would not be disappointed. Earplugs were MANDATORY as some of Australia's finest metal bands warmed the stage before a truly blistering performance from the Japanese visitors! And how could you go wrong with the encore - Scooter Williams from Clagg joined in for a cover of Eyehategod's classic Sister Fucker. BRILLIANCE.
9. Mumford & Sons (UK), at Palace Theatre, July 28. With support from Alberta Cross (USA) and Boy & Bear.
This really was a good night; Mumford & Sons were in the country only a few months prior to this show for the Laneway Festival, but with their profile expanding considerably since their Hottest 100 win, we were only too happy to welcome them back, especially considering they didn't play sideshows during the Laneway visit. What excellent supports too; this gig really kicked off my love of Boy & Bear!
Full review here
8. Silversun Pickups (USA), at Corner Hotel, September 28. With support from Papa vs Pretty.
Definitely very happy with this one, especially seeing no other state got a full headline slot from the band (they were merely curtain-jerkers for Birds of Tokyo). A great setlist from a very energetic and LOUD band.
Full review here
7. Porcupine Tree (UK) performs The Incident in its entirety, at Palace Theatre, February 7. With support (again!) from Sleep Parade.
Well, it's nice to see that after years of basically ignoring Australian fans, the British prog five-piece are making up for lost time, and hightailed it over here after their 2009 release The Incident, to play the whole damn thing from start-to-finish in the lovely surrounds of the Palace Theatre - and then delivering a quality second set filled with other favourites from their back catalogue. A very classy live act, these guys are indeed! Cannot wait to see what Wilson and co. have up their sleeves for their next album!
6. The Mars Volta (USA), at Festering Hole, January 25. NO SUPPORT.
Well, it's fair to say that last time Volta were out (2008, roughly June-July from memory) they were slightly disappointing - we all like it when they get into "the zone" and jam out for ages on certain songs, but when the whole two-and-a-half-hour gig consists of merely EIGHT songs, one of which went for FORTY MINUTES, you can't help but feeling they could've done better. This time around, they did exactly that - in spirit of the back-to-basics ethic that they adopted for 2009 album Octahedron, this gig featured them delivering a classy package of fourteen songs from across their brilliant career, including many old favourites we hadn't seen in a while, and just the right balance of jamming and playing SONGS. Indeed, some of us who didn't get the opportunity to go to Volta gigs in 2006 or 2004 got to hear some songs we'd NEVER heard before, which was most delightful. I knew I was going to see them at the Big Day Out the following day, but really, the promise of a full-length set was too good to resist! If all goes well, album number six from this wonderful band should land sometime this year, and I always look forward to seeing where they'll go next. So should you.
5. Faith No More (USA), at Festering Hole, February 24. With support from AFI (USA), Gallows (UK) and errr, Neil Hamburger (USA).
You have to laugh at the whingeing AFI fans who complained about Soundwave squeezing Faith No More onto this bill, due to the overwhelming demand for them to perform another sideshow. I mean, you're getting a FAITH NO MORE SHOW! With no disrespect to AFI band intended, this night belonged entirely to a show-stopping performance from Patton, Hudson, Gould, Bordin and Bottum, and how could it go any other way? Despite the group's absence from the scene for quite a long time, they came onstage and ripped through their amazing back catalogue that's become so well-loved and appreciated by many over the years, and they were no slouches on the live stage at all. This was well worth the impulse decision I made to attend.
4. Them Crooked Vultures (USA), at Festering Hole, January 22. With support from Sailors & Swine.
Ah yes. I remember being very excited in late 2009, when in a rather clever anticipation-building manoeuvre, Frontier Touring plastered the streets of Melbourne with a poster of "the" Vulture that we'd come to associate with this rock n roll supergroup, simply accompanied with the text "FOLLOW WHAT'S HEARD" and a website address. Said website simply featured a countdown, and when this countdown was up, as expected, touring dates for Them Crooked Vultures WERE ANNOUNCED! Now, it's funny that the tour dates (and indeed, a lot of other shows by this band) were announced before they actually released an album or indeed a full-length song, but then the album came in November and we didn't have to worry about the gig sucking any more! The lineup of the band is Josh Homme, John Paul Jones and Dave Grohl (and also features Alain Johannes in the live format) - now, really, need I say more?! This gig truly lived up to expectations, with the thunderous bluesy riff-rock of their debut album translating very well to the live stage. Let's have more of them!
3. Muse (UK), at Rod Laver Arena, December 14. With support from Biffy Clyro (UK).
There was a little bit of disappointment in the air when Lees and West didn't give this British powerhouse a run of headline dates when they were here in January for the Big Day Out, but then again, their reasoning for doing so was acceptable - Muse were GUARANTEED to return later in the year, bringing their full (and quite over-the-top!) live production with them! So Muse fans said, "OK!", enjoyed them at the BDO nonetheless, and then bought tickets to this. And for doing so, we were rewarded with giant towers, an intense laser show, and a quality set jam-packed with plenty of songs from across their five-album career - and indeed, "jam-packed" it was, the band breaking into several classic riffs throughout the evening. A solid show this was!
2. Cynic (USA), at Billboard the Venue, January 3. Technically, this show was headlined by Edguy (Germany), but quite a lot of the crowd, including myself, left after this truly amazing performance!
I couldn't begin to describe the emotions I felt back in 2009 when the Just Say Rock team announced the lineup for their New Year's Eve and Day extravaganza in Sydney, which they dubbed "Screamfest". There were plenty of quality international acts on the bill, including Ensiferum, Dark Funeral and Rotting Christ, but above all, one name stood out for me and many others, and that name was CYNIC. In 2006, Paul Masvidal announced plans to revive his long-since disbanded progressive-fusion metal project, and with the band actually playing shows in 2007, and recording an album which was released in 2008, the dream of seeing this wonderful band live began to seem not so hopeless after all! After a fantastic show on New Year's Day at the aforementioned Screamfest, plenty of Melbournians couldn't help themselves and thus, we all got ourselves down to Billboard on a Sunday night for a second helping of Cynic. Of course, the setlist was a little different; delighting those that had been disappointed by the absence of said songs in Sydney, the band even ripped out Focus classics Veil of Maya and Textures. It was truly inspiring to see such talented musicians playing in Melbourne after all this time, and they looked genuinely happy and appreciative to be doing so. They even did us the honour of hanging around at the merch desk after the show, more than happy to speak to and take happy snaps with their grateful fans. I don't know why I'm bothering to write about this show; words cannot explain its magic.
But at the end of the year, there was one gig that clearly stood out above the rest, and what a show it was. That honour goes to...
1. Om (USA), at Hi Fi Bar and Ballroom, July 16. With support from Lichens (USA; he also played in Om), Blarke Bayer / Black Widow and Breathing Shrine.
Even though the legendary Sleep have reformed, owing to financial constraints I still rate my chances of actually seeing them slim-to-none, so when this gig was announced I jumped at the opportunity to be in the same room as the MIGHTY Al Cisneros. Om's performance on this night really showed that you don't need a massive stage/venue or a flashy lightshow to deliver the goods - sometimes, all you need is a bassist, guitarist and drummer to just play to a medium-capacity room and let the music do the talking. Which it certainly did - the bass-heavy drone-y stoner metal reverberating through the room and pleasing the ears of all in attendance. Just a simple yet powerful performance, delivered with a surprisingly great live mix. I really enjoyed this one.
Well then, that just about covers it! 2010 certainly did have some beauties didn't it? 2011, you've got a lot to live up to!
NOW PLAYING: The Mars Volta - Festival Hall bootleg. I thought it appropriate!
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