Earlier this year, due to my increasingly dire financial situation, I told myself I would try not to attend too many gigs of bands I had already seen multiple times, in other words, those regular local bands. Now I think about it, these bands are the ones that need support the most and the reason they gig so often is to try and gain themselves much-needed fans, but hell, there are certain bands that I have seen multiple times in the last twelve months with very little obvious change to their set, sometimes nothing changes, and I think to myself, "Why am I still spending money on this?" HOWEVER! There's a certain band from Queensland that I have seen numerous times, and every time they come to town, I find myself going back, due to their consistent ability to entertain their increasingly-large crowds. And so it was that Dead Letter Circus rolled into Melbourne town once again, after a very successful 2010 and a well-received lap around the country at the beginning of 2011 with the Big Day Out festival. Opting for some slightly smaller venues than their last tour, possibly due to the "I've seen them before!" factor, the "sold out" signs nonetheless went up again! Along for the ride were exciting new supergroup Floating Me, and in Melbourne, theatrical progressive rockers [Me]. Now, I couldn't really say no to this!
The night got off to a grandiose start around 9pm, with local up-and-coming four-piece [Me]. Despite the unfamiliarity of the material, the crowd that had arrived quickly warmed to their bombastic brand of rock. Very heavy on the keyboards, and led by the impressive pipes of Luke Ferris, the band lived up to the expectation that many had gained from hearing past reviews saying that the band were taking their musical cues from acts like Muse and Queen. Personally, I found the Muse comparison a little lazy, and I thought Ferris's vocals (and the backing vocals of his bandmates) were a lot more Freddie Mercury than Matt Bellamy. Despite the obvious comparisons to their musical influences, [Me] put on a great show and injected plenty of their own style and originality into the tunes that filled their short set. Those that turned up at this early stage of the night seemed suitably impressed, and at the end of the night, I and the group of friends I was with were all leaving the venue with copies of all of their CDs they had on sale!
Up next was a highly anticipated performance for many in the crowd, despite Floating Me being relative "newcomers" to the scene, having formed just last year. However, although the name may be a new one, the individual musicians in the band are certainly familiar to those who have been following their Australian rock over the past 20 or so years - Andrew Gillespie (vocals), Antony Brown (guitar) and Tobias Messiter (keys) are all former members of 90s group Scary Mother, while the rhythm section of the new band is guaranteed to wow the younger crowd, considering it consists of Jon Stockman from Karnivool and Lucius Borich, formerly of Cog! The expectations were high, and Floating Me did very well to justify the amount of hype that is building around the new act. Gillespie perhaps could've interacted with the crowd a bit more, saying very little other than the obligatory "thank you" between songs, but there was certainly no faulting his vocal performance; his Jeff Martin-meets-Chris Cornell baritone is one of the strongest assets this band has. He was also helped out by the ever-versatile Lucius Borich, who surprisingly is still using his overhead swivel microphone that was such a trademark feature of Cog's live performances. Like [Me], the band had to work to win over a crowd who were unfamiliar with most of the material played (their album, although on sale on the night, hasn't been "officially" released yet), but they did have the advantage of well-known personnel, and they did get a very rousing response for Sugar, which was released as a single last year. The band finished off with a stellar Bezhumous, featuring an intense extended drum solo from Borich, and another song which I'm told was actually an old Scary Mother track. Can't wait to see more from these gents in the future, which is looking quite bright for them!
I had hopes that Dead Letter Circus would do something a little different for this tour, particularly an attempt to mix the setlist up a bit with some oldies that we hadn't heard in a while, or even a debut of Walk (which is the only song they haven't played yet from their all-round awesome album This is the Warning, despite now having toured it three times (four if you count the BDO)). However, with the familiar opening of The Mile, it was clear from the outset that the band were going to deliver a performance that would seem just a little bit "samey" to those who had caught the band four times since their album launch in May last year! The flipside of this is Dead Letter Circus are a pretty impressive live unit, and don't disappoint on a stage even if they are bashing out their old tried-and-true routine. I wouldn't have come back to see them again if they didn't blow me away on previous tours, and even though this particular gig wasn't one of their best, there was still plenty of spark to keep the crowd satisfied. On the second song of the night, Reaction, some extra cameras appeared in the photo pit and onstage, with vocalist Kim Benzie explaining that a film clip was being shot for an upcoming release, the news of which certainly excited the already responsive crowd! As the band worked their way through a collection of favourites from This is the Warning and their self-titled EP, the entire venue looked to be having a great night as usual, with enthusiastic pogoing and very loud singalongs becoming commonplace - Benzie didn't even need to ask! The encore of the set was a rousing rendition of the album's first single Here We Divide, before those extra toms appeared onstage and we all knew what was coming. As the introductory speech to album closer and title track This is the Warning played out over the PA, Benzie welcomed to the stage Sean Bailey of Sydonia, and of course, Lucius Borich from Floating Me. I was hoping that, well, because it's Lucius freakin' Borich, they were going to give him something extra to play in the way of drums, but disappointingly he was merely playing the floor toms, in exactly the same manner as Bailey, and toward the end of the song Benzie and live guitarist/keyboardist Tom Skerlj joined in. Sure, five people playing drums at the same time sounds pretty awesome, and looks damn cool as well, but when they're all doing exactly the same beat, and it's being done in exactly the same way that it was done on previous tours, one can't help feeling that it's losing some of its impact. As I said, Lucius should have been given something a little bit more interesting to do, as what he was doing was no more impressive than the performance of anyone else that's joined in this song over the past year. Nevertheless, as the band left the stage and the curtain onstage was pulled closed, the punters slowly leaving the venue were all wearing that post-gig "I'm exhausted but I've had a fucking awesome night!" expression on their faces. Because when Dead Letter Circus play a gig, there's really no other way to be.
SETLIST:
The Mile
Reaction
This Long Hour
Disconnect and Apply
The Drum
One Step
Cage
Alien
The Space on the Wall
Next in Line
----Encore----
Here We Divide
This is the Warning (with Lucius Borich of Floating Me and Sean Bailey of Sydonia)
(setlist actually taken from Sydney show. Looks good to me though.)
Showing posts with label Dead Letter Circus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dead Letter Circus. Show all posts
Monday, April 4, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
Explosions, stage invasions, fokken riddikolos South African hip hop, and Nick Cave! - Big Day Out 2011, Flemington Racecourse, 30/01/11
So, yet again, what I saw as an excellent lineup convinced me to break my promise to myself that I would be giving this year's Big Day Out a miss. Yes, the lineup may have been a little recycled, with two of the three mainstage headliners appearing at the festival only four and five years ago and not releasing any significant new material in that time (Tool and The Stooges respectively), and the Australian undercard was absolutely yawn-worthy (with a few exceptions). But I never really understood that "they've been here before!" argument for knocking a lineup - if the artist is a great live performer (as Tool and The Stooges UNQUESTIONABLY are), then why not go back and see them again? Anyway, despite the 40 degree heat doing its best to ruin it, another fantastic day was had at my SEVENTH consecutive Big Day Out.
A combination of misreading the train timetable and my own laziness saw me get through the gates a bit later than intended, then a friend arrived soon after I did so I met up with him. Unfortunately by then it was too late to go over and check out Super Wild Horses, who I'd heard good things about, and we instead made our way in the direction of the main stages so I could get my spot for Dead Letter Circus and he could go and see Little Red with some others. Within ten minutes however, said friend had joined me over on the Orange Stage side, finding Little Red boring, and indeed they were. One band that was not boring was Dead Letter Circus! Despite the sound guys doing a very average job - vocalist Kim Benzie was barely audible at the best of times, the guitars of Rob Maric and newish live member Tom Skerlj were completely overwhelmed by drums and the sampled beats and programming were almost non-existent - the band still threw themselves into their early afternoon timeslot with all the usual enthusiasm we see from them at live shows. As expected, the rapidly rising profile of the band saw plenty of keen punters arriving early to check Dead Letter Circus out, and the fans were more than happy to lend their voices to just about every lyric of every song! This time last year, DLC were a lot less well-known and were just starting to rise out of the "underground", yet the sudden success has clearly not gone to their heads. Benzie was genuinely thankful of everyone in attendance, preceeding One Step with a mention of their recent Hottest 100 success (the song made it in at #65), and later dedicating Lines to the fans who had been there from the beginning. Having always seen DLC at club shows with longer sets than the 50 minutes they were allocated today, I was expecting them to miss a few classics, but the setlist was actually quite satisfying, with a healthy selection of their amazing debut album This is the Warning, and three out of the six tracks from their debut self-titled EP making the cut. The set concluded in great style; as the introductory speech from This is the Warning played out over the PA, Benzie introduced Sean Bailey from Sydonia and Zane Rosanoski from Black Devil Yard Boss to the stage, to belt the floor toms in that middle section.
SETLIST
The Mile
Reaction
This Long Hour
Disconnect and Apply
One Step
Lines
Cage
Here We Divide
The Space on the Wall
Next in Line
This is the Warning (with Sean Bailey (Sydonia) and Zane Rosanoski (Black Devil Yard Boss) on guest percussion)
(Dead Letter Circus's performance was worthy of a 10/10, but unfortunately due to abysmal sound the overall set was an 8/10 at best. Not the band's fault though, I'm sure. They didn't even seem to notice a problem.)
It was then time for a bit of a wander and take-it-easy time. In this time I found myself pondering the appeal of Washington, when we tried to meet up with a few friends near a jam-packed Essential Stage. I mean, her music sounds... nice and easygoing and all, I'd even say it's good, but FIVE sold-out nights at the Corner Hotel good? I don't get it. Anyway. After staying there for a bit and finding ourselves increasingly bored, we headed over to the Boiler Room to enjoy the fact that it had a roof, and also to secure an early spot for South Africa's Zef hip-hop trio Die Antwoord. What a show! I didn't get the chance to have a listen to the music of MCs Ninja and Yo-Landi Vi$$er, and DJ Hi-Tek before the day, but I was expecting some extremely over-the-top rave-rap, and that's exactly what I got! As Ninja and Yo-Landi belted out vicious rhymes over Hi-Tek's bass-heavy beats, they were accompanied by some excellent visuals, one of which proclaimed "DIE FOKKEN ANTWOORD", which really summed up the mood of the whole show. The crowd was huge for such an early slot, and we all enjoyed this totally over-the-top display of Zef culture at its finest.
(Die Antwoord score: 9/10)
Up next in the Boiler Room (well at least, after a short half-hour interlude from DJ Perplex) were typically bonkers Canadian glitch-electro duo (with a bit of help on drums for their live show) Crystal Castles. The big story of this tour has been that vocalist Alice Glass had done some serious damage to her ankle at a recent show in Japan. Naturally, someone from BDO thought it a good idea to get the crowd amped up even more by declaring that Glass had been advised by doctors to cancel the tour. Pause for boos and shouts. "But she didn't want to disappoint you, so here she is!" How cliche. With a crutch under one arm and holding her microphone in the other, Glass and producer Ethan Kath whipped the Boiler Room into a frenzy in what seemed like a very short but intense set. The massive sound system in the stage did the band a lot more favours than their 2009 appearance at Parklife, and the crowd lost their collective shit to a handful of favourites from their two self-titled albums. Predictably, it was numbers like Baptism and Alice Practice that elicited the biggest response, but really, all went down a treat for the sweaty punters.
SETLIST (something along the lines of this, anyway. Doesn't seem to be up on setlist.fm yet and I couldn't be bothered doing my usual setlist-in-phone on the day.)
Fainting Spells
Baptism
Doe Deer
Crimewave
Air War
Alice Practice
Reckless / Through the Hosiery
Not In Love
(Crystal Castles score 8.5/10)
It was time to head the Main Stage again, and while waiting it out in front of the Blue Stage, I got to witness most of what seemed like just another John Butler Trio gig. I don't mean that in a particularly negative way; I used to be a pretty big fan and I found myself singing along (albeit a little quietly!) and nodding my head to some of the songs that he played during his set. Unfortunately there was quite a lot of material from last years' April Uprising album, which I never bothered to check out. But he did make up for it with the usual classy rendition of Ocean, showing his impressive talents with fingerstyle and percussive guitar playing. Unfortunately for those anticipating the next act on the Blue Stage, he decided that his last song Funky Tonight would involve an extensive percussion jam that stretched the set over-time. Poor form Mr Butler, especially considering that rock royalty was being held up!
(JBT score 7.5/10)
Seeing the mighty Iggy Pop fronting his band The Stooges in a reasonably far-off country like Australia could be considered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However, five years on from their EPIC performance at the 2006 Big Day Out, lightning struck twice and The Stooges would perform on Australian stages yet again. Since their last outing, they have tragically lost founding axeman Ron Asheton, and so as a mark of respect for their fallen bandmate are now continuing under the Iggy and the Stooges moniker, featuring the return of guitarist James Williamson, who played on the group's third album Raw Power. As one might expect, the material from this set was drawn mostly from this aptly-titled album, still performed with an intensity that most other performers at this festival struggled to match, despite the fact that the five members of the band probably have a collective age of greater than the rest of the festival put together! The backdrop behind the band was a simple PLAIN WHITE SHEET, perfectly epitomising their no-nonsense rock and roll attitude, in stark contrast to the two acts that would take to the stage after them. And at the front of it all was James Newell Osterberg Jr, better known as motherfucking Iggy Pop - running around on stage like a madman, knocking over those microphone stands foolish enough to stand in his way, screeching out those lyrics with all the fury he could muster, and even punching out a camera who got a little too close! Where does this 63-year-old man get so much energy?! Arguably the highlight of the 2006 BDO was the massive stage invasions that Iggy brought on during the anthem Real Cool Time, and of course history repeated itself this time around - the band didn't play that particular song, but four songs in, as Iggy introduced Shake Appeal, the chaos began and punters began spilling themselves over the barrier and onto the stage - I managed to get over the barrier pretty quickly, but the chaos of people scrambling to the stage made the next part quite a challenge, and security very quickly prevented any more people from climbing up! We remained on that side of the barrier for the whole song, until security eventually had to kick us out! The rest of the set was highly enjoyable, featuring a few more ditties from Raw Power, as well as the Fun House double of Fun House and 1970 (oddly played in that order) and a handful of tracks from the Iggy/Williamson collaboration Kill City. The set conclude with No Fun and the immortal I Wanna Be Your Dog as taken from their self-titled debut album, but after vanishing offstage for a bit, being the rock gods that they are, they were allowed to bend the BDO rules slightly and get an encore, which would be Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell. Iggy and the Stooges really showed up just about everybody else on this bill with a high-class performance despite their increasing age.
(Iggy and the Stooges score 9.5/10.)
SETLIST:
Raw Power
Search and Destroy
Gimme Danger
Shake Appeal (with stage invasion!)
Johanna
Kill City
Fun House
1970
Night Theme
Beyond the Law
No Fun
I Wanna Be Your Dog
----Encore----
Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell
Towards the end of The Stooges, I'd shuffled over to the other side of the D-barrier to the Orange Stage, where I was greeted by the side of a roof-to-floor black curtain, obscuring the stage set-up of German industrial metal legends Rammstein. It was a hotly (pun intended) anticipated performance for quite a lot of people on the day; after all, it's their first Australian tour in ten years, and in that time they've released FOUR albums. I think the method of covering the set-up time is a good tension builder, after all, you've got no idea what's going to happen until BAM, it actually does happen. And as The Stooges wrapped up, lights could be seen flickering behind the black curtain, and the familiar synthesiser opening of Rammlied, from the band's 2009 album Liebe ist für alle da, drifted out across the grounds. Still behind the curtain, the operatic voice of Till Lindemann began the song in fine style, before the opening chord blasts and chant of "RAMM! STEIN!" began the song proper. The black curtain fell to the floor to reveal a SECOND curtain, this time a massive German flag, before that too dropped, the first of MANY loud explosions went off, and the six German rockers became visible for the first time! After ten years away from this country, it's fair to say the fans were waiting a long time for this, and the band weren't disappointing at all. Now, it would be impossible to review this show without saying that THE STAGE SHOW WAS INCREDIBLE. After all, this was the only band on the bill today (and probably in BDO history) that boasted a licensed pyrotechnician for a frontman, and they put his skills to excellent use. Fireballs going off in every direction (including from above the band), flamethrowers wielded by band members, and even the occasional dazzling fireworks display, the band was so over-the-top you couldn't help but be amazed at their show. My personal favourite stunt occurred during Du hast, when the purpose of the wires running from the stage to the mixing tent became immediately clear; Lindemann fired a crossbow in their general direction, setting of a dazzling chain of explosions along the wires. There were some comical theatrical moments as well, such as during Ich tu dir weh, when Lindemann picked up keyboardist Christian "Flake" Lorenz and put him in a bathtub, before ascending high above him on a hydraulic platform and pouring fireworks down into the bathtub. After returning to the stage, Lindemann inspected the bath and pronounced Flake "dead", however as he returned to his microphone, Flake re-emerged, now in a sparkling suit and returned to the keys, continuing the rest of the set most amusingly on a treadmill! Then there was the "fan" being set on fire during Benzin! Stage-show, schmage-show, some of you might say. WHAT ABOUT THE MUSIC? Well, as some other bands have proven over the years (umm, Empire of the Sun?), blowing your budget on the visual side of things is pointless without a decent collection of songs to back it up with; thankfully, there were no such complaint's of Rammstein's material on the day. The band played a decent set of tunes, consisting as expected mostly of LIFAD tracks, but interspersed with a couple of favourites from across their career, even dating back to debut album Herzeleid, with Du riechst so gut delighting the hardcore fans in the audience. Elsewhere, third album Mutter got the next highest representaion, and one song from everything else was played, including, of course, Du hast, which certainly got the biggest reaction on the day. The explosions finally died down enough to allow the band to farewell the crowd with Pussy, but there was one final stunt to come and that involved Till Lindemann mounting a suspiciously-penis-shaped cannon on the stage and blasting foam out into a delighted audience. The only complaints about Rammstein's set that I think everyone had, were, 1) It wasn't properly dark yet, meaning the amazing stage show was slightly less intense than it should have been, and 2) THEY JUST WEREN'T ON FOR LONG ENOUGH. This was undoubtedly one of THE BEST performances in Big Day Out history; definitely my personal favourite since Rage Against the Machine's comeback in 2008, and over the seven years I've been, probably only second to that performance as well. Usually I don't like to include festival performances in my end of year top 10 gigs, but bearing in mind that they didn't do a sideshow, there is no way that this cannot make it at the end of the year. RAMMSTEIN SCORE 10/10!
SETLIST:
Rammlied
Waidmann's Heil
Keine Lust
Feuer frei!
Weiner Blut
Ich tu dir weh
Du riechst so gut
Benzin
Links 2-3-4
Du hast
Sonne
Ich Will
Pussy
After that, there wasn't a lot that Tool could do to impress me; going to a set of arty prog-rock after that, and staying in the jam-packed D, just didn't seem like the right option, especially seeing I was going to Tool's sideshow. So a good mate and I decided we'd head over to the Green Stage to see Warren Ellis, Martyn P Casey, Jim Sclavunos, and NICK CAVE in action, as wired garage-rock revivalists Grinderman. I'd seen the band perform at the ATP Festival a few years ago, but didn't really know their material at the time, so I was pretty keen to see them this time around. Naturally, the "other" three members came onstage first, then Cave himself entered to an extremely enthusiastic response. Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye Man, from the band's Grinderman 2 album, was a good choice for opening the set, as Cave chanted "We sucked her, we sucked her, we sucked her dry!" and howled out at the crowd. The band really were throwing everything into this performance, with Cave thrashing around the stage in a manner not dissimilar to Iggy Pop's earlier performance, taking out a few microphone stands with him. He seemed to have some sort of extension of the stage set up (I was a little far back in the crowd so I couldn't tell exactly), and utilised it frequently to get even closer to the adoring crowd, especially during Kitchenette where he screeched "I JUST WANNA RELAX!" repeatedly. The sexually-charged performance featured numerous cuts from both Grinderman and Grinderman 2, with highlights including a typically violent Get it On and No Pussy Blues. There were however the occasional moments of contrasting tranquility; Nick Cave introducing Palaces of Montezuma with: "Now, this next one's a love song, so if you're with someone you love... or even someone you hate, take a hold of them and let the sweet..." *long pause* *Sclavunos shouts something* "Yes, the sweet sentiments, thank you Jim, wash over you". After Bellringer Blues, Cave made to leave the stage, but stopped, saying "Apparently we've got one more," and so it was that the set concluded with a beautiful extended version of the eponymous Grinderman. (Grinderman score 10/10.)
SETLIST:
Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye Man
Worm Tamer
Get it On
Heathen Child
Palaces of Montezuma
Honey Bee (Let's Fly to Mars)
Kitchenette
No Pussy Blues
Bellringer Blues
Grinderman
Naturally, the Boiler Room was still kicking until the very end, with M.I.A. taking the headline slot, but the group I was with decided it was time to go, and after the excellent day I'd had already, I decided that I wouldn't be missing much to call it a night at that point. I was getting a little bit fed-up of the whole Big Day Out experience this time last year, but this time around I really did enjoy myself a whole lot, probably because of the excellent performance by those crazy Germans. So, I won't write this festival off just yet; if the lineup has enough goodness in it next time around, I may just return for an eight visit!
A combination of misreading the train timetable and my own laziness saw me get through the gates a bit later than intended, then a friend arrived soon after I did so I met up with him. Unfortunately by then it was too late to go over and check out Super Wild Horses, who I'd heard good things about, and we instead made our way in the direction of the main stages so I could get my spot for Dead Letter Circus and he could go and see Little Red with some others. Within ten minutes however, said friend had joined me over on the Orange Stage side, finding Little Red boring, and indeed they were. One band that was not boring was Dead Letter Circus! Despite the sound guys doing a very average job - vocalist Kim Benzie was barely audible at the best of times, the guitars of Rob Maric and newish live member Tom Skerlj were completely overwhelmed by drums and the sampled beats and programming were almost non-existent - the band still threw themselves into their early afternoon timeslot with all the usual enthusiasm we see from them at live shows. As expected, the rapidly rising profile of the band saw plenty of keen punters arriving early to check Dead Letter Circus out, and the fans were more than happy to lend their voices to just about every lyric of every song! This time last year, DLC were a lot less well-known and were just starting to rise out of the "underground", yet the sudden success has clearly not gone to their heads. Benzie was genuinely thankful of everyone in attendance, preceeding One Step with a mention of their recent Hottest 100 success (the song made it in at #65), and later dedicating Lines to the fans who had been there from the beginning. Having always seen DLC at club shows with longer sets than the 50 minutes they were allocated today, I was expecting them to miss a few classics, but the setlist was actually quite satisfying, with a healthy selection of their amazing debut album This is the Warning, and three out of the six tracks from their debut self-titled EP making the cut. The set concluded in great style; as the introductory speech from This is the Warning played out over the PA, Benzie introduced Sean Bailey from Sydonia and Zane Rosanoski from Black Devil Yard Boss to the stage, to belt the floor toms in that middle section.
SETLIST
The Mile
Reaction
This Long Hour
Disconnect and Apply
One Step
Lines
Cage
Here We Divide
The Space on the Wall
Next in Line
This is the Warning (with Sean Bailey (Sydonia) and Zane Rosanoski (Black Devil Yard Boss) on guest percussion)
(Dead Letter Circus's performance was worthy of a 10/10, but unfortunately due to abysmal sound the overall set was an 8/10 at best. Not the band's fault though, I'm sure. They didn't even seem to notice a problem.)
It was then time for a bit of a wander and take-it-easy time. In this time I found myself pondering the appeal of Washington, when we tried to meet up with a few friends near a jam-packed Essential Stage. I mean, her music sounds... nice and easygoing and all, I'd even say it's good, but FIVE sold-out nights at the Corner Hotel good? I don't get it. Anyway. After staying there for a bit and finding ourselves increasingly bored, we headed over to the Boiler Room to enjoy the fact that it had a roof, and also to secure an early spot for South Africa's Zef hip-hop trio Die Antwoord. What a show! I didn't get the chance to have a listen to the music of MCs Ninja and Yo-Landi Vi$$er, and DJ Hi-Tek before the day, but I was expecting some extremely over-the-top rave-rap, and that's exactly what I got! As Ninja and Yo-Landi belted out vicious rhymes over Hi-Tek's bass-heavy beats, they were accompanied by some excellent visuals, one of which proclaimed "DIE FOKKEN ANTWOORD", which really summed up the mood of the whole show. The crowd was huge for such an early slot, and we all enjoyed this totally over-the-top display of Zef culture at its finest.
(Die Antwoord score: 9/10)
Up next in the Boiler Room (well at least, after a short half-hour interlude from DJ Perplex) were typically bonkers Canadian glitch-electro duo (with a bit of help on drums for their live show) Crystal Castles. The big story of this tour has been that vocalist Alice Glass had done some serious damage to her ankle at a recent show in Japan. Naturally, someone from BDO thought it a good idea to get the crowd amped up even more by declaring that Glass had been advised by doctors to cancel the tour. Pause for boos and shouts. "But she didn't want to disappoint you, so here she is!" How cliche. With a crutch under one arm and holding her microphone in the other, Glass and producer Ethan Kath whipped the Boiler Room into a frenzy in what seemed like a very short but intense set. The massive sound system in the stage did the band a lot more favours than their 2009 appearance at Parklife, and the crowd lost their collective shit to a handful of favourites from their two self-titled albums. Predictably, it was numbers like Baptism and Alice Practice that elicited the biggest response, but really, all went down a treat for the sweaty punters.
SETLIST (something along the lines of this, anyway. Doesn't seem to be up on setlist.fm yet and I couldn't be bothered doing my usual setlist-in-phone on the day.)
Fainting Spells
Baptism
Doe Deer
Crimewave
Air War
Alice Practice
Reckless / Through the Hosiery
Not In Love
(Crystal Castles score 8.5/10)
It was time to head the Main Stage again, and while waiting it out in front of the Blue Stage, I got to witness most of what seemed like just another John Butler Trio gig. I don't mean that in a particularly negative way; I used to be a pretty big fan and I found myself singing along (albeit a little quietly!) and nodding my head to some of the songs that he played during his set. Unfortunately there was quite a lot of material from last years' April Uprising album, which I never bothered to check out. But he did make up for it with the usual classy rendition of Ocean, showing his impressive talents with fingerstyle and percussive guitar playing. Unfortunately for those anticipating the next act on the Blue Stage, he decided that his last song Funky Tonight would involve an extensive percussion jam that stretched the set over-time. Poor form Mr Butler, especially considering that rock royalty was being held up!
(JBT score 7.5/10)
Seeing the mighty Iggy Pop fronting his band The Stooges in a reasonably far-off country like Australia could be considered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However, five years on from their EPIC performance at the 2006 Big Day Out, lightning struck twice and The Stooges would perform on Australian stages yet again. Since their last outing, they have tragically lost founding axeman Ron Asheton, and so as a mark of respect for their fallen bandmate are now continuing under the Iggy and the Stooges moniker, featuring the return of guitarist James Williamson, who played on the group's third album Raw Power. As one might expect, the material from this set was drawn mostly from this aptly-titled album, still performed with an intensity that most other performers at this festival struggled to match, despite the fact that the five members of the band probably have a collective age of greater than the rest of the festival put together! The backdrop behind the band was a simple PLAIN WHITE SHEET, perfectly epitomising their no-nonsense rock and roll attitude, in stark contrast to the two acts that would take to the stage after them. And at the front of it all was James Newell Osterberg Jr, better known as motherfucking Iggy Pop - running around on stage like a madman, knocking over those microphone stands foolish enough to stand in his way, screeching out those lyrics with all the fury he could muster, and even punching out a camera who got a little too close! Where does this 63-year-old man get so much energy?! Arguably the highlight of the 2006 BDO was the massive stage invasions that Iggy brought on during the anthem Real Cool Time, and of course history repeated itself this time around - the band didn't play that particular song, but four songs in, as Iggy introduced Shake Appeal, the chaos began and punters began spilling themselves over the barrier and onto the stage - I managed to get over the barrier pretty quickly, but the chaos of people scrambling to the stage made the next part quite a challenge, and security very quickly prevented any more people from climbing up! We remained on that side of the barrier for the whole song, until security eventually had to kick us out! The rest of the set was highly enjoyable, featuring a few more ditties from Raw Power, as well as the Fun House double of Fun House and 1970 (oddly played in that order) and a handful of tracks from the Iggy/Williamson collaboration Kill City. The set conclude with No Fun and the immortal I Wanna Be Your Dog as taken from their self-titled debut album, but after vanishing offstage for a bit, being the rock gods that they are, they were allowed to bend the BDO rules slightly and get an encore, which would be Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell. Iggy and the Stooges really showed up just about everybody else on this bill with a high-class performance despite their increasing age.
(Iggy and the Stooges score 9.5/10.)
SETLIST:
Raw Power
Search and Destroy
Gimme Danger
Shake Appeal (with stage invasion!)
Johanna
Kill City
Fun House
1970
Night Theme
Beyond the Law
No Fun
I Wanna Be Your Dog
----Encore----
Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell
Towards the end of The Stooges, I'd shuffled over to the other side of the D-barrier to the Orange Stage, where I was greeted by the side of a roof-to-floor black curtain, obscuring the stage set-up of German industrial metal legends Rammstein. It was a hotly (pun intended) anticipated performance for quite a lot of people on the day; after all, it's their first Australian tour in ten years, and in that time they've released FOUR albums. I think the method of covering the set-up time is a good tension builder, after all, you've got no idea what's going to happen until BAM, it actually does happen. And as The Stooges wrapped up, lights could be seen flickering behind the black curtain, and the familiar synthesiser opening of Rammlied, from the band's 2009 album Liebe ist für alle da, drifted out across the grounds. Still behind the curtain, the operatic voice of Till Lindemann began the song in fine style, before the opening chord blasts and chant of "RAMM! STEIN!" began the song proper. The black curtain fell to the floor to reveal a SECOND curtain, this time a massive German flag, before that too dropped, the first of MANY loud explosions went off, and the six German rockers became visible for the first time! After ten years away from this country, it's fair to say the fans were waiting a long time for this, and the band weren't disappointing at all. Now, it would be impossible to review this show without saying that THE STAGE SHOW WAS INCREDIBLE. After all, this was the only band on the bill today (and probably in BDO history) that boasted a licensed pyrotechnician for a frontman, and they put his skills to excellent use. Fireballs going off in every direction (including from above the band), flamethrowers wielded by band members, and even the occasional dazzling fireworks display, the band was so over-the-top you couldn't help but be amazed at their show. My personal favourite stunt occurred during Du hast, when the purpose of the wires running from the stage to the mixing tent became immediately clear; Lindemann fired a crossbow in their general direction, setting of a dazzling chain of explosions along the wires. There were some comical theatrical moments as well, such as during Ich tu dir weh, when Lindemann picked up keyboardist Christian "Flake" Lorenz and put him in a bathtub, before ascending high above him on a hydraulic platform and pouring fireworks down into the bathtub. After returning to the stage, Lindemann inspected the bath and pronounced Flake "dead", however as he returned to his microphone, Flake re-emerged, now in a sparkling suit and returned to the keys, continuing the rest of the set most amusingly on a treadmill! Then there was the "fan" being set on fire during Benzin! Stage-show, schmage-show, some of you might say. WHAT ABOUT THE MUSIC? Well, as some other bands have proven over the years (umm, Empire of the Sun?), blowing your budget on the visual side of things is pointless without a decent collection of songs to back it up with; thankfully, there were no such complaint's of Rammstein's material on the day. The band played a decent set of tunes, consisting as expected mostly of LIFAD tracks, but interspersed with a couple of favourites from across their career, even dating back to debut album Herzeleid, with Du riechst so gut delighting the hardcore fans in the audience. Elsewhere, third album Mutter got the next highest representaion, and one song from everything else was played, including, of course, Du hast, which certainly got the biggest reaction on the day. The explosions finally died down enough to allow the band to farewell the crowd with Pussy, but there was one final stunt to come and that involved Till Lindemann mounting a suspiciously-penis-shaped cannon on the stage and blasting foam out into a delighted audience. The only complaints about Rammstein's set that I think everyone had, were, 1) It wasn't properly dark yet, meaning the amazing stage show was slightly less intense than it should have been, and 2) THEY JUST WEREN'T ON FOR LONG ENOUGH. This was undoubtedly one of THE BEST performances in Big Day Out history; definitely my personal favourite since Rage Against the Machine's comeback in 2008, and over the seven years I've been, probably only second to that performance as well. Usually I don't like to include festival performances in my end of year top 10 gigs, but bearing in mind that they didn't do a sideshow, there is no way that this cannot make it at the end of the year. RAMMSTEIN SCORE 10/10!
SETLIST:
Rammlied
Waidmann's Heil
Keine Lust
Feuer frei!
Weiner Blut
Ich tu dir weh
Du riechst so gut
Benzin
Links 2-3-4
Du hast
Sonne
Ich Will
Pussy
After that, there wasn't a lot that Tool could do to impress me; going to a set of arty prog-rock after that, and staying in the jam-packed D, just didn't seem like the right option, especially seeing I was going to Tool's sideshow. So a good mate and I decided we'd head over to the Green Stage to see Warren Ellis, Martyn P Casey, Jim Sclavunos, and NICK CAVE in action, as wired garage-rock revivalists Grinderman. I'd seen the band perform at the ATP Festival a few years ago, but didn't really know their material at the time, so I was pretty keen to see them this time around. Naturally, the "other" three members came onstage first, then Cave himself entered to an extremely enthusiastic response. Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye Man, from the band's Grinderman 2 album, was a good choice for opening the set, as Cave chanted "We sucked her, we sucked her, we sucked her dry!" and howled out at the crowd. The band really were throwing everything into this performance, with Cave thrashing around the stage in a manner not dissimilar to Iggy Pop's earlier performance, taking out a few microphone stands with him. He seemed to have some sort of extension of the stage set up (I was a little far back in the crowd so I couldn't tell exactly), and utilised it frequently to get even closer to the adoring crowd, especially during Kitchenette where he screeched "I JUST WANNA RELAX!" repeatedly. The sexually-charged performance featured numerous cuts from both Grinderman and Grinderman 2, with highlights including a typically violent Get it On and No Pussy Blues. There were however the occasional moments of contrasting tranquility; Nick Cave introducing Palaces of Montezuma with: "Now, this next one's a love song, so if you're with someone you love... or even someone you hate, take a hold of them and let the sweet..." *long pause* *Sclavunos shouts something* "Yes, the sweet sentiments, thank you Jim, wash over you". After Bellringer Blues, Cave made to leave the stage, but stopped, saying "Apparently we've got one more," and so it was that the set concluded with a beautiful extended version of the eponymous Grinderman. (Grinderman score 10/10.)
SETLIST:
Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye Man
Worm Tamer
Get it On
Heathen Child
Palaces of Montezuma
Honey Bee (Let's Fly to Mars)
Kitchenette
No Pussy Blues
Bellringer Blues
Grinderman
Naturally, the Boiler Room was still kicking until the very end, with M.I.A. taking the headline slot, but the group I was with decided it was time to go, and after the excellent day I'd had already, I decided that I wouldn't be missing much to call it a night at that point. I was getting a little bit fed-up of the whole Big Day Out experience this time last year, but this time around I really did enjoy myself a whole lot, probably because of the excellent performance by those crazy Germans. So, I won't write this festival off just yet; if the lineup has enough goodness in it next time around, I may just return for an eight visit!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Drumroll please! The best physical releases (now including EPs/singles/live albums) of 2010!
And here they are!
10. The Ox and the Fury - Guitars Die in Hot Cars
As I opened my Excel spreadsheet containing my list of albums and searched for all those released in 2010, this one took me by surprise when it came up, as it was released quite early in the year. And then I thought to myself, "Wow, this really is a good album isn't it?", and realised it was more than deserving of a place in the top 10. "The Ox" in this band is actually Melbourne musician extraordinaire Ezekiel Ox, who's certainly been involved with quite a few musical ventures in the past decade or so. In fact, by hearing his name, you're now probably thinking of arguably his most successful venture, the politically-charged funk rock quartet Mammal, who absolutely dominated the Melbourne live scene in the three years they were together, before abruptly cutting their career short in 2009 due to personal differences. Or maybe you thought of Full Scale, who rose to prominence in the wake of the late 90s/early 2000s "nu metal" explosion with a barrage of hard-hitting anthems lead by Ox's vicious diatribes about the state of the world as he saw it. However, I'd bet you didn't think of Ezekiel Ox as the frontman of a... country/folk band? As far as I'm aware (bio details on this lot are pretty scant), Ox got this project going around 2008, and after various musicians drifted in and out of the lineup over the next year or so, the lineup finally stabilised in 2009 with Ox on vocals and acoustic (YES, ACOUSTIC) guitar, Dom Italiano on lead guitar, Ox's old friend Ben Brennan on bass, and Lucius Borich (of the mighty Cog) on drums. And yes, it is country-tinged folk music! While it may be puzzling to imagine how such musicians came up with this style of music based on their other work, these talented blokes pull it off with remarkable ease. Indeed, the great thing about this album is you get to see a very personal side to Ox; rather than his usual politically influenced lyrics, he's actually singing about his own life and the relationships he has with the people in it. In the wake of Over-reactor, and perhaps with Borich having to commit some time to Cog and his new project Floating Me, The Ox and the Fury have kind of slipped off the map over the last few months, which is a great shame as this album shows just how great Ox is as a songwriter and they could definitely have taken this further in the future. Hopefully they'll revisit it soon.
9. Tame Impala - Innerspeaker
In which I join the legions of music fans and critics the world over who are falling over themselves to lavish praise on the debut album from Perth psychedelic musician Kevin Parker (who created the majority of this album himself) and his cohorts in trippiness Dominic Simper and Jay Watson. Psychedelic rock is a genre that needs to be approached with caution when one chooses to play it; the danger being that it's very easy to fall into the trap of making bland generic music. Any idiot on acid and who owns a flanger and delay pedal can make psychedelic rock, the trick is to make it not sound like a poor man's Beatles. And while there's undoubtedly a bit of Beatles influence in Parker's work here, there's also plenty of nods to other early jam-heavy rock bands such as Cream and Hendrix, and even some Kyuss thrown into the mix (that's what my ears are finding anyway). Rather than being just a blatant rip-off designed for long-haired bong connoiseurs still living in their parents' basement, Parker has quite faithfully recreated the sound of his influences and made it his own. With the dreamy vocals, fuzzed-out guitars and hypnotic rhythms, Innerspeaker is the sound of an artistic vision coming to life in truly great form, and I think we'll see a lot more of these guys in the future.
THE STAND-OUT: Jeremy's Storm
OTHER STAND-OUTS: Solitude is Bliss, The Bold Arrow of Time
8. Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky
This was certainly one of the most unexpected comebacks of the year - at the beginning of the year, Michael Gira, the enigmatic frontman of the disbanded Swans, updated their Myspace page to read "SWANS ARE NOT DEAD", in reference to their final live release Swans are Dead, which was released to coincide with their breakup in 1998. Of course, this clever pun was Gira's way of announcing to the world that he was indeed reactivating the beloved Swans name, and after self-releasing a demo to fund this album (featuring a few tracks that would later be released on the album), My Father... was finally released in September of 2010, the first Swans studio album in FOURTEEN years. And what an album it is; unfortunately I cannot compare it to the rest of Swans' legacy due to the fact that it's the first Swans I've ever listened to, but if this sounds anything like the rest of their material, then I'll be diving headfirst into their back catalogue at my earliest convenience! Gira and his band show an impressive dynamic range here, ranging from gentle acoustic-based ballads (see Reeling the Liars In) to noisy discordant intensity (see You Fucking People Make Me Sick or the opening intensity of No Words / No Thoughts). The question that's always asked when great bands like this "come back" or "reunite" after a long period of inactivity is, "Was it worth it? Is (new album title here) really good enough to stand up with the likes of (classic albums title/s here)?" I can only imagine in this case, the answer is a resounding yes.
THE STAND-OUT: You Fucking People Make Me Sick
OTHER STAND-OUTS: No Words / No Thoughts, My Birth
7. My Disco - Little Joy
I purchased this album on a little bit of an impulse a couple of months back, despite some initial misgivings over this band when I saw them live about halfway through 2009 - yes, they ARE REPETITIVE! Let's not deny it! But once you get past the fact that each song on this album contains a very small amount of riffs - sometimes only variations on a single main theme - it starts to become increasingly easy to listen to and even fun at times. The Melbourne trio have stated that minimalism in general was a big influence on the making of this album; I don't know much about the genre, but I can definitely hear it on some of these tracks. And yet, there's still a wealth of ideas on show here - from uptempo grooves such as Closer and epic single Young, to slow burners like Sunray and the almost-title track Lil Joy. I will now probably go out and buy this band's other two releases, even though they've evolved quite considerably on this album.
THE STAND-OUT: Rivers
OTHER STAND-OUTS: Closer, Young
6. PVT - Church With No Magic
Australian electronic experimentalists Pivot faced a bit of a defining moment in their career early in 2010, when an American band also called Pivot decided to launch a legal challenge for the name. Unfortunately, although Aussie Pivot are far better known to the music world, American Pivot had established themselves first, and so it was that Aussie Pivot had to change their name. Sneakily, they simply took out the vowels and became PVT, which the band state is still acceptable to pronounce Pivot! But it wasn’t only the name that changed, for when they started to release tracks from their third album, everyone was a little surprised at the new direction the band had taken. The most notable change of course, THERE WAS VOCALS. Not unusual in itself, but definitely unusual for these guys. Nevertheless, the new direction works quite well; “Church With No Magic” is a very fun, easily digestible collection of synth-driven tunes, still showing an experimental edge to them, but also finding a new dimension of accessibility. Not always a bad thing!
THE STAND-OUT: Light Up Bright Fires
OTHER STAND-OUTS: Window, Timeless
5. Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier
A Facebook status of mine when I first purchased this album read something along the lines of "Is this an Iron Maiden album? Yes. Do Iron Maiden make good albums? Yes." OK, so with the possible exception of the opening section of opening salvo Satellite 15... The Final Frontier, there aren't a WHOLE lot of new ideas on Iron Maiden's FIFTEENTH (that number is enough reason to pay them respect automatically), but really, if you were in one of the biggest heavy metal bands of all time, would you bother toying with your sound and risk alienating your fanbase just for a few experimental ideas? If it ain't broke, don't fix it! And yet, despite being very familiar sounding, on this release the legendary British six-piece are creating songs that show that the band are still firing on all cylinders and haven't lost the mojo that lead them to create such great albums as Powerslave and The Number of the Beast. Bruce Dickinson still has a set of lungs on him, Messrs Smith and Murray (and probably Gers somewhere, but who really knows when that guy's actually doing anything :P ) are still shredding away as ever, and that rhythm section will always keep your head rocking. Tis not long to go til songs from this album get their first airing in Australia, and I think that's going to be an excellent evening for all concerned!
THE STAND-OUT: The Alchemist
OTHER-STAND-OUTS: Mother of Mercy, When the Wild Wind Blows
4. The Chemical Brothers - Further
Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands will always hold a place in my musical heart; I have very fond memories of being a little seven-year-old and getting up nice and early on a Saturday morning to make sure I caught the Rage Top Fifty that week (the charts actually weren’t too bad in those days). And in that year, I remember frequently staring with wide-eyed wonder, and with delighted ears, at a little song entitled Setting Sun. Fast forward to my teenage years when I actually had the money to purchase such classics (yes, they really are) as Exit Planet Dust and Dig Your Own Hole and I realised that my love for The Chemical Brothers did not die at all... except, maybe it did, in 2007, when they released We Are the Night. What was it about that album? Well, I know what it was – THE SALMON DANCE. And in general, the overall direction of that particular album was one that alienated quite a few of the purist Chemical heads. Thankfully, the British duo took note of the (mostly negative) response to that album, and re-evaluated their approach to music when it came time to write and record this, their seventh album. Their first rule, and it certainly has made a difference, is that this album would contain ABSOLUTELY NO guest vocalists – no Noel Gallagher, no Beth Orton, no Q-Tip, no Tim Burgess, no Ali Love, and THANK FUCK, no Fatlip! The only vocals on this album come from a couple of well-placed samples, as well as, would you believe it or not, Tom Rowlands himself! In addition, early in the piece the duo stated that this album would be something along the lines of a whole album in the experimental spirit of their famed Electronic Battle Weapon series. Well, all in all, this album really lived up to expectations, as this return to their roots has produced a beauty. I am anticipating their live show in a few months with EXTREME anticipation.THE STAND-OUT: Swoon
OTHER STAND-OUTS: Escape Velocity, Horse Power
3. Pantha du Prince - Black Noise
Here's an album I found myself pleasantly surprised with; I first decided to check this album out on a recommendation from a friend of mine, bearing in mind he was playing at the Meredith Festival that I would attend later in the year. And I knew right from the first listen that this was going to grow on me quite a bit over the next few months. Pantha du Prince is the primary alias used by Hendrik Weber - he's from Germany, which is why it shouldn't surprise you that the music he makes is of the electronic variety. Black Noise is his third album, and even though it falls under the wide umbrella of "techno", this is not your average dumbed-down doof-fest that you hear blaring out of cars driving along Chapel St on a weekend. Rather, Weber places an emphasis on the importance of atmosphere; from the gentle chiming melodies in tracks like Lay in a Shimmer and Bohemian Forest, to the deep dark bass-heavy rumbles in Behind the Stars. And there's even some familiar vocals in there, with Animal Collective mainman Panda Bear lending his distinctive pipes to the very catchy Stick to My Side. Prior to his aforementioned Meredith performance, and in the wake of it, I have been listening to this album with increasing frequency, and it's noticeably jumped up to the pointy end of the top 10, and deservedly so.
THE STAND-OUT: Behind the Stars
OTHER STAND-OUTS: Bohemian Forest, Satellite Snyper
2. Birds of Tokyo - Birds of Tokyo
Even before it was released I was definitely expecting to give this a high ranking, as this Perth quartet have certainly released some impressive output in the past, especially 2008's stellar Universes disc. Ian Kenny, Adam Spark, Anthonny Jackson and Adam Weston decided that this album would be best self-titled, and really, that decision makes perfect sense when you look at the kind of record they've made here - it really is an album that just sums them up perfectly. This album admittedly does see them taking the foot off the pedal so to speak - I don't want to say they've gone "pop" or whatever, but then again, if an album sounds this good, then who wants to get pedantic with genre labels? There's catchy hooks, riffs that stick out without being challenging, hell, maybe this is a pop album! But who cares? With that voice coming out of the speakers, you can't not love this!
THE STAND-OUT: The Dark Side of Love
OTHER STAND-OUTS: Plans, Murmurs, Circles
1. Dead Letter Circus - This is the Warning
It certainly was a hotly anticipated debut album from this Brisbane quartet, who have been slowly but steadily building up a very loyal fanbase over the past 4 years, through a much-loved EP, a decent follow-up single and some very energetic live shows. Finally, the wait was over, and the fans responded in earnest, sending the album straight to NUMBER TWO on the ARIA charts! This is the Warning lived up to all expectations – the band took their time with this one, and it certainly shows, as all the tracks are of a very high quality. The traditional DLC sound that the fans know and love is epitomised brilliantly on this album, although there’s definitely some wonderful new ideas to keep things interesting; namely the flirtations with electronica and industrial music on tracks like “This Long Hour” and of course, the rave-tastic “Cage”. The one criticism I do have to make with this album is their decision to include “Reaction” and “Next in Line” – these songs are so bloody old now! But anyway. 2010 was a very good year for this band; in addition to the success of the album, the band embarked on several tours throughout the year, with many of the shows boasting “sold out” signs! In December they also had the honour of supporting Muse and Linkin Park! I'm quite happy to be giving these guys the number one position; its quality speaks for itself and I think people finally started to take proper notice of them this year!THE STAND-OUT: Cage
OTHER STAND-OUTS: One Step, Here We Divide, The Drum
So there we have it! It really was a stellar year for music, but then again I say that every year! ALSO, as I was going through my top 10, I noticed something that gave me great delight, and that is that an impressive SIX out of ten of these entries are Australian! Which speaks volumes for the quality of the acts in our own backyard, and is a timely reminder I think that we should ALWAYS support these bands by going to their gigs and by BUYING and not downloading their great music! Because if we don't do this, then what would be the point of their existence? (On a side note, the other countries represented in this countdown were the UK (two entries; The Chemical Brothers and Iron Maiden), the USA (Swans), and interestingly enough, Germany (Pantha du Prince).)
I'd now like to throw in a few honourable mentions, because sometimes ten albums just isn't enough to mention all the albums you enjoyed this year! These discs are all excellent in their own right, but may have failed to make the top 10 for various reasons - lack of consistency, or just not being as memorable as the others, for example.
(IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)
Armin van Buuren - MirageDelphic - Acolyte
Foals - Total Life Forever
Itch-E & Scratch-E - Hooray for Everything!!!
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez & John Frusciante - Omar Rodriguez-Lopez & John Frusciante
Over-reactor - Lose Your Delusion (both volumes)
Vampire Weekend - Contra
Top five EPS of 2010
5. Black Devil Yard Boss - Black Devil Yard Boss
4. Anna Salen - Anna Salen
3. Boy & Bear - With Emperor Antarctica
2. Twelve Foot Ninja - Smoke Bomb
1. Engine Three Seven - Atmosphere
(ALL AUSSIES! Well done!)
Top five songs of the year:
5. Boy & Bear - Rabbit Song
4. Gotye - Eyes Wide Open
3. PVT - Light Up Bright Fires
2. Birds of Tokyo - Plans
1. The Chemical Brothers - Swoon
(yes, you may note that some of these are inconsistent with what I said were the standout tracks on their respective albums, but I tried to stick to actual singles on this, and also just songs that had the ability to stick out by themselves rather than being part of the whole album)
Best live release:
Porcupine Tree - Anesthetize
Whew! If you read all that, well done!
10. The Ox and the Fury - Guitars Die in Hot Cars
As I opened my Excel spreadsheet containing my list of albums and searched for all those released in 2010, this one took me by surprise when it came up, as it was released quite early in the year. And then I thought to myself, "Wow, this really is a good album isn't it?", and realised it was more than deserving of a place in the top 10. "The Ox" in this band is actually Melbourne musician extraordinaire Ezekiel Ox, who's certainly been involved with quite a few musical ventures in the past decade or so. In fact, by hearing his name, you're now probably thinking of arguably his most successful venture, the politically-charged funk rock quartet Mammal, who absolutely dominated the Melbourne live scene in the three years they were together, before abruptly cutting their career short in 2009 due to personal differences. Or maybe you thought of Full Scale, who rose to prominence in the wake of the late 90s/early 2000s "nu metal" explosion with a barrage of hard-hitting anthems lead by Ox's vicious diatribes about the state of the world as he saw it. However, I'd bet you didn't think of Ezekiel Ox as the frontman of a... country/folk band? As far as I'm aware (bio details on this lot are pretty scant), Ox got this project going around 2008, and after various musicians drifted in and out of the lineup over the next year or so, the lineup finally stabilised in 2009 with Ox on vocals and acoustic (YES, ACOUSTIC) guitar, Dom Italiano on lead guitar, Ox's old friend Ben Brennan on bass, and Lucius Borich (of the mighty Cog) on drums. And yes, it is country-tinged folk music! While it may be puzzling to imagine how such musicians came up with this style of music based on their other work, these talented blokes pull it off with remarkable ease. Indeed, the great thing about this album is you get to see a very personal side to Ox; rather than his usual politically influenced lyrics, he's actually singing about his own life and the relationships he has with the people in it. In the wake of Over-reactor, and perhaps with Borich having to commit some time to Cog and his new project Floating Me, The Ox and the Fury have kind of slipped off the map over the last few months, which is a great shame as this album shows just how great Ox is as a songwriter and they could definitely have taken this further in the future. Hopefully they'll revisit it soon.
9. Tame Impala - Innerspeaker
In which I join the legions of music fans and critics the world over who are falling over themselves to lavish praise on the debut album from Perth psychedelic musician Kevin Parker (who created the majority of this album himself) and his cohorts in trippiness Dominic Simper and Jay Watson. Psychedelic rock is a genre that needs to be approached with caution when one chooses to play it; the danger being that it's very easy to fall into the trap of making bland generic music. Any idiot on acid and who owns a flanger and delay pedal can make psychedelic rock, the trick is to make it not sound like a poor man's Beatles. And while there's undoubtedly a bit of Beatles influence in Parker's work here, there's also plenty of nods to other early jam-heavy rock bands such as Cream and Hendrix, and even some Kyuss thrown into the mix (that's what my ears are finding anyway). Rather than being just a blatant rip-off designed for long-haired bong connoiseurs still living in their parents' basement, Parker has quite faithfully recreated the sound of his influences and made it his own. With the dreamy vocals, fuzzed-out guitars and hypnotic rhythms, Innerspeaker is the sound of an artistic vision coming to life in truly great form, and I think we'll see a lot more of these guys in the future.THE STAND-OUT: Jeremy's Storm
OTHER STAND-OUTS: Solitude is Bliss, The Bold Arrow of Time
8. Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky
This was certainly one of the most unexpected comebacks of the year - at the beginning of the year, Michael Gira, the enigmatic frontman of the disbanded Swans, updated their Myspace page to read "SWANS ARE NOT DEAD", in reference to their final live release Swans are Dead, which was released to coincide with their breakup in 1998. Of course, this clever pun was Gira's way of announcing to the world that he was indeed reactivating the beloved Swans name, and after self-releasing a demo to fund this album (featuring a few tracks that would later be released on the album), My Father... was finally released in September of 2010, the first Swans studio album in FOURTEEN years. And what an album it is; unfortunately I cannot compare it to the rest of Swans' legacy due to the fact that it's the first Swans I've ever listened to, but if this sounds anything like the rest of their material, then I'll be diving headfirst into their back catalogue at my earliest convenience! Gira and his band show an impressive dynamic range here, ranging from gentle acoustic-based ballads (see Reeling the Liars In) to noisy discordant intensity (see You Fucking People Make Me Sick or the opening intensity of No Words / No Thoughts). The question that's always asked when great bands like this "come back" or "reunite" after a long period of inactivity is, "Was it worth it? Is (new album title here) really good enough to stand up with the likes of (classic albums title/s here)?" I can only imagine in this case, the answer is a resounding yes.
THE STAND-OUT: You Fucking People Make Me Sick
OTHER STAND-OUTS: No Words / No Thoughts, My Birth
7. My Disco - Little Joy
I purchased this album on a little bit of an impulse a couple of months back, despite some initial misgivings over this band when I saw them live about halfway through 2009 - yes, they ARE REPETITIVE! Let's not deny it! But once you get past the fact that each song on this album contains a very small amount of riffs - sometimes only variations on a single main theme - it starts to become increasingly easy to listen to and even fun at times. The Melbourne trio have stated that minimalism in general was a big influence on the making of this album; I don't know much about the genre, but I can definitely hear it on some of these tracks. And yet, there's still a wealth of ideas on show here - from uptempo grooves such as Closer and epic single Young, to slow burners like Sunray and the almost-title track Lil Joy. I will now probably go out and buy this band's other two releases, even though they've evolved quite considerably on this album.THE STAND-OUT: Rivers
OTHER STAND-OUTS: Closer, Young
6. PVT - Church With No Magic
Australian electronic experimentalists Pivot faced a bit of a defining moment in their career early in 2010, when an American band also called Pivot decided to launch a legal challenge for the name. Unfortunately, although Aussie Pivot are far better known to the music world, American Pivot had established themselves first, and so it was that Aussie Pivot had to change their name. Sneakily, they simply took out the vowels and became PVT, which the band state is still acceptable to pronounce Pivot! But it wasn’t only the name that changed, for when they started to release tracks from their third album, everyone was a little surprised at the new direction the band had taken. The most notable change of course, THERE WAS VOCALS. Not unusual in itself, but definitely unusual for these guys. Nevertheless, the new direction works quite well; “Church With No Magic” is a very fun, easily digestible collection of synth-driven tunes, still showing an experimental edge to them, but also finding a new dimension of accessibility. Not always a bad thing!THE STAND-OUT: Light Up Bright Fires
OTHER STAND-OUTS: Window, Timeless
5. Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier
A Facebook status of mine when I first purchased this album read something along the lines of "Is this an Iron Maiden album? Yes. Do Iron Maiden make good albums? Yes." OK, so with the possible exception of the opening section of opening salvo Satellite 15... The Final Frontier, there aren't a WHOLE lot of new ideas on Iron Maiden's FIFTEENTH (that number is enough reason to pay them respect automatically), but really, if you were in one of the biggest heavy metal bands of all time, would you bother toying with your sound and risk alienating your fanbase just for a few experimental ideas? If it ain't broke, don't fix it! And yet, despite being very familiar sounding, on this release the legendary British six-piece are creating songs that show that the band are still firing on all cylinders and haven't lost the mojo that lead them to create such great albums as Powerslave and The Number of the Beast. Bruce Dickinson still has a set of lungs on him, Messrs Smith and Murray (and probably Gers somewhere, but who really knows when that guy's actually doing anything :P ) are still shredding away as ever, and that rhythm section will always keep your head rocking. Tis not long to go til songs from this album get their first airing in Australia, and I think that's going to be an excellent evening for all concerned!THE STAND-OUT: The Alchemist
OTHER-STAND-OUTS: Mother of Mercy, When the Wild Wind Blows
4. The Chemical Brothers - Further
Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands will always hold a place in my musical heart; I have very fond memories of being a little seven-year-old and getting up nice and early on a Saturday morning to make sure I caught the Rage Top Fifty that week (the charts actually weren’t too bad in those days). And in that year, I remember frequently staring with wide-eyed wonder, and with delighted ears, at a little song entitled Setting Sun. Fast forward to my teenage years when I actually had the money to purchase such classics (yes, they really are) as Exit Planet Dust and Dig Your Own Hole and I realised that my love for The Chemical Brothers did not die at all... except, maybe it did, in 2007, when they released We Are the Night. What was it about that album? Well, I know what it was – THE SALMON DANCE. And in general, the overall direction of that particular album was one that alienated quite a few of the purist Chemical heads. Thankfully, the British duo took note of the (mostly negative) response to that album, and re-evaluated their approach to music when it came time to write and record this, their seventh album. Their first rule, and it certainly has made a difference, is that this album would contain ABSOLUTELY NO guest vocalists – no Noel Gallagher, no Beth Orton, no Q-Tip, no Tim Burgess, no Ali Love, and THANK FUCK, no Fatlip! The only vocals on this album come from a couple of well-placed samples, as well as, would you believe it or not, Tom Rowlands himself! In addition, early in the piece the duo stated that this album would be something along the lines of a whole album in the experimental spirit of their famed Electronic Battle Weapon series. Well, all in all, this album really lived up to expectations, as this return to their roots has produced a beauty. I am anticipating their live show in a few months with EXTREME anticipation.THE STAND-OUT: SwoonOTHER STAND-OUTS: Escape Velocity, Horse Power
3. Pantha du Prince - Black Noise
Here's an album I found myself pleasantly surprised with; I first decided to check this album out on a recommendation from a friend of mine, bearing in mind he was playing at the Meredith Festival that I would attend later in the year. And I knew right from the first listen that this was going to grow on me quite a bit over the next few months. Pantha du Prince is the primary alias used by Hendrik Weber - he's from Germany, which is why it shouldn't surprise you that the music he makes is of the electronic variety. Black Noise is his third album, and even though it falls under the wide umbrella of "techno", this is not your average dumbed-down doof-fest that you hear blaring out of cars driving along Chapel St on a weekend. Rather, Weber places an emphasis on the importance of atmosphere; from the gentle chiming melodies in tracks like Lay in a Shimmer and Bohemian Forest, to the deep dark bass-heavy rumbles in Behind the Stars. And there's even some familiar vocals in there, with Animal Collective mainman Panda Bear lending his distinctive pipes to the very catchy Stick to My Side. Prior to his aforementioned Meredith performance, and in the wake of it, I have been listening to this album with increasing frequency, and it's noticeably jumped up to the pointy end of the top 10, and deservedly so.THE STAND-OUT: Behind the Stars
OTHER STAND-OUTS: Bohemian Forest, Satellite Snyper
2. Birds of Tokyo - Birds of Tokyo
Even before it was released I was definitely expecting to give this a high ranking, as this Perth quartet have certainly released some impressive output in the past, especially 2008's stellar Universes disc. Ian Kenny, Adam Spark, Anthonny Jackson and Adam Weston decided that this album would be best self-titled, and really, that decision makes perfect sense when you look at the kind of record they've made here - it really is an album that just sums them up perfectly. This album admittedly does see them taking the foot off the pedal so to speak - I don't want to say they've gone "pop" or whatever, but then again, if an album sounds this good, then who wants to get pedantic with genre labels? There's catchy hooks, riffs that stick out without being challenging, hell, maybe this is a pop album! But who cares? With that voice coming out of the speakers, you can't not love this!THE STAND-OUT: The Dark Side of Love
OTHER STAND-OUTS: Plans, Murmurs, Circles
1. Dead Letter Circus - This is the Warning
It certainly was a hotly anticipated debut album from this Brisbane quartet, who have been slowly but steadily building up a very loyal fanbase over the past 4 years, through a much-loved EP, a decent follow-up single and some very energetic live shows. Finally, the wait was over, and the fans responded in earnest, sending the album straight to NUMBER TWO on the ARIA charts! This is the Warning lived up to all expectations – the band took their time with this one, and it certainly shows, as all the tracks are of a very high quality. The traditional DLC sound that the fans know and love is epitomised brilliantly on this album, although there’s definitely some wonderful new ideas to keep things interesting; namely the flirtations with electronica and industrial music on tracks like “This Long Hour” and of course, the rave-tastic “Cage”. The one criticism I do have to make with this album is their decision to include “Reaction” and “Next in Line” – these songs are so bloody old now! But anyway. 2010 was a very good year for this band; in addition to the success of the album, the band embarked on several tours throughout the year, with many of the shows boasting “sold out” signs! In December they also had the honour of supporting Muse and Linkin Park! I'm quite happy to be giving these guys the number one position; its quality speaks for itself and I think people finally started to take proper notice of them this year!THE STAND-OUT: CageOTHER STAND-OUTS: One Step, Here We Divide, The Drum
So there we have it! It really was a stellar year for music, but then again I say that every year! ALSO, as I was going through my top 10, I noticed something that gave me great delight, and that is that an impressive SIX out of ten of these entries are Australian! Which speaks volumes for the quality of the acts in our own backyard, and is a timely reminder I think that we should ALWAYS support these bands by going to their gigs and by BUYING and not downloading their great music! Because if we don't do this, then what would be the point of their existence? (On a side note, the other countries represented in this countdown were the UK (two entries; The Chemical Brothers and Iron Maiden), the USA (Swans), and interestingly enough, Germany (Pantha du Prince).)
I'd now like to throw in a few honourable mentions, because sometimes ten albums just isn't enough to mention all the albums you enjoyed this year! These discs are all excellent in their own right, but may have failed to make the top 10 for various reasons - lack of consistency, or just not being as memorable as the others, for example.
(IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)
Armin van Buuren - MirageDelphic - Acolyte
Foals - Total Life Forever
Itch-E & Scratch-E - Hooray for Everything!!!
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez & John Frusciante - Omar Rodriguez-Lopez & John Frusciante
Over-reactor - Lose Your Delusion (both volumes)
Vampire Weekend - Contra
Top five EPS of 2010
5. Black Devil Yard Boss - Black Devil Yard Boss
4. Anna Salen - Anna Salen
3. Boy & Bear - With Emperor Antarctica
2. Twelve Foot Ninja - Smoke Bomb
1. Engine Three Seven - Atmosphere
(ALL AUSSIES! Well done!)
Top five songs of the year:
5. Boy & Bear - Rabbit Song
4. Gotye - Eyes Wide Open
3. PVT - Light Up Bright Fires
2. Birds of Tokyo - Plans
1. The Chemical Brothers - Swoon
(yes, you may note that some of these are inconsistent with what I said were the standout tracks on their respective albums, but I tried to stick to actual singles on this, and also just songs that had the ability to stick out by themselves rather than being part of the whole album)
Best live release:
Porcupine Tree - Anesthetize
Whew! If you read all that, well done!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
"Do you feel warm in your cage?" - Dead Letter Circus, Hi Fi Bar and Ballroom, 28-05-2010 - "This is the Warning" album launch
When Brisbane progressive heavy rockers Dead Letter Circus released their debut album This is the Warning a few weeks ago, it became apparent that this band was suddenly a very big deal. Shows on the album launch tour began to sell out quickly, and when the official ARIA charts for the week were released, This is the Warning debuted at NUMBER TWO. An astonishing achievement for a band that has remained a relatively underground force over the past four years, steadily amassing a loyal legion of fans through word of mouth and a pair of quality EPs. The album launch tour kicked off with a bang in Melbourne, to a sold out crowd at the Hi Fi Bar and Ballroom, and backed by two Melbourne scene favourites, Sydonia and Bellusira.
Bellusira had the unfortunate situation of opening the night at 8:30, meaning that most punters were content to just stand up the back at the bar - and that's only the ones who had even bothered to turn up yet. It was a shame for the band, because I know they had really been looking forward to playing the show and were hoping to get people turning up early to see them play. And they do deserve a good crowd, because they're really something to watch. The band name appropriately means "beautiful anger", which is a good way to describe their combination of aggressive riff-driven rock and strong female vocals courtesy of the ever-wonderful Crystal Ignite. Over the last month or so I've seen the band do a few rare acoustic sets in support of good friends The Ox and the Fury, so tonight it was good to see them doing what they do best - rocking the hell out! Despite the almost-empty floor in front of them, there were a few of the band's regular passionate fans up the front, many sporting Bellusira t-shirts, and the band still put all their trademark energy and fire into their short half-hour set. I have noticed their stage presence improve greatly since the first time I saw them early last year. They only had time for seven songs, but they made them brilliant, especially when Ezekiel Ox joined them onstage for a rendition of Change from their recent Enigmatic EP. After this show, they will be playing a farewell of sorts at Trash Nightclub Hawthorn in a few weeks, before they knuckle down to record what I'm sure is a long-awaited debut album for many.
SETLIST
Effect
One Second
(New)
Rolling Tide
Change (with Ezekiel Ox)
Wide Awake
(New)
Up next was something a little more intense, Melbourne's favourite percussion-heavy rockers Sydonia. The first time I saw this band was in this very room, supporting Mammal's sold-out single launch in 2008, but I really wasn't sure whether I liked them or not back then. But after a few more shows since and becoming a bit more familiar with their material, my doubts are gone, and tonight I was really looking forward to seeing them play. They opened with one of their more mellow numbers, No Woman's Land, but quickly got right into gear, following it up with the crushing 3 Tongues sending the metalheads in the room into a frenzy! The set certainly had its moments, but I found some of the newer songs to be a bit boring. The highlight of course was the ever amazing percussion jam Bateria, in which guitarist Sam Haycroft and bassist Adam Murray put down their instruments to bang some drums, while they were also joined by Dead Letter Circus's Luke Williams and Stewart Hill, as well as their merch guy (I think) making a hell of a racket, while frontman Dana Roskvist and Black Devil Yard Boss (and ex-Mammal) guitarist Pete Williamson made some feedback out the front! After that, the rest of the set seemed a bit dull in comparison, but of course the new track Sinner sounded amazing as ever, and Incoming at the end ensured that nobody left the venue without their neck hurting! (Geddit Sydonia fans?) A fundraiser gig for the band's second album is apparently in the works, and I will most certainly be there!
SETLIST
No Woman's Land
3 Tongues
Drag You Out (new)
Ocean of Storms (new)
Bateria (drums: Sean Bailey (Sydonia); percussion: Sam Haycroft, Adam Murray (Sydonia), Luke Williams, Stewart Hill (Dead Letter Circus), and "merch guy?"; guitars: Dana Roskvist (Sydonia) and Pete Williamson (Black Devil Yard Boss)
Enemy (new (this one was particularly fucking awesome!))
Serve the Dead (new)
Sinner (new)
INCOMING! :)
At around 10:45, the restless fans finally had their moment, when the Brisbane four-piece made their way onstage to a heroes' welcome, and interestingly enough, their set opened with The Drum. As one of the more experimental pieces on This is the Warning, it was always going to be interesting to see how this and some of the other songs translated to the live stage, but they pulled it off remarkably. Then again, it wasn't really hard to satisfy the crowd tonight; all DLC really needed to do was turn up, the atmosphere was that intense! There weren't many holes in the setlist either - every song off TitW bar one was played, interspersed with favourites from the still-amazing Dead Letter Circus EP, which the crowd absolutely loved. I've heard a lot of criticism for vocalist Kim Benzie's live abilities, but there was no faulting his performance on the night. As noted already, the more experimental/electronic moments for the band worked out very well in the live scenario - This Long Hour and especially Cage sounded absolutely fantastic. The fans' enthusiasm for the band was incredible - singing along to EVERY SINGLE LINE, even from the album that had only been out a couple of weeks prior, and on the floor, this riotous devotion lead to a moshpit so intense that I decided to seek some refuge on the step during the brief reprieve of The Design! The main set concluded with the title track from This is the Warning, and naturally, Sam and Adam from Sydonia made their way onstage to lend their percussive talents to the song. Heeding some very enthusiastic requests for an encore, the band made their way back out soon enough but unfortunately it wasn't Alien that was played, but rather the old favourite Lines. Still, nobody was really complaining, as the band had delivered all of what was expected of them, and left a very satisfied crowd at the end of the night. Truly deserving of the recent success that has finally found them, Dead Letter Circus can only go up from here! Best Australian gig of the year.
SETLIST
The Drum
This Long Hour
Big
The Mile
Are We Closer?
Reaction
Cage
One Step
Here We Divide
The Design
Disconnect and Apply
Next in Line
The Space on the Wall
This is the Warning (with Sam Haycroft and Adam Murray (Sydonia))
---Encore---
Lines
Bellusira had the unfortunate situation of opening the night at 8:30, meaning that most punters were content to just stand up the back at the bar - and that's only the ones who had even bothered to turn up yet. It was a shame for the band, because I know they had really been looking forward to playing the show and were hoping to get people turning up early to see them play. And they do deserve a good crowd, because they're really something to watch. The band name appropriately means "beautiful anger", which is a good way to describe their combination of aggressive riff-driven rock and strong female vocals courtesy of the ever-wonderful Crystal Ignite. Over the last month or so I've seen the band do a few rare acoustic sets in support of good friends The Ox and the Fury, so tonight it was good to see them doing what they do best - rocking the hell out! Despite the almost-empty floor in front of them, there were a few of the band's regular passionate fans up the front, many sporting Bellusira t-shirts, and the band still put all their trademark energy and fire into their short half-hour set. I have noticed their stage presence improve greatly since the first time I saw them early last year. They only had time for seven songs, but they made them brilliant, especially when Ezekiel Ox joined them onstage for a rendition of Change from their recent Enigmatic EP. After this show, they will be playing a farewell of sorts at Trash Nightclub Hawthorn in a few weeks, before they knuckle down to record what I'm sure is a long-awaited debut album for many.
SETLIST
Effect
One Second
(New)
Rolling Tide
Change (with Ezekiel Ox)
Wide Awake
(New)
Up next was something a little more intense, Melbourne's favourite percussion-heavy rockers Sydonia. The first time I saw this band was in this very room, supporting Mammal's sold-out single launch in 2008, but I really wasn't sure whether I liked them or not back then. But after a few more shows since and becoming a bit more familiar with their material, my doubts are gone, and tonight I was really looking forward to seeing them play. They opened with one of their more mellow numbers, No Woman's Land, but quickly got right into gear, following it up with the crushing 3 Tongues sending the metalheads in the room into a frenzy! The set certainly had its moments, but I found some of the newer songs to be a bit boring. The highlight of course was the ever amazing percussion jam Bateria, in which guitarist Sam Haycroft and bassist Adam Murray put down their instruments to bang some drums, while they were also joined by Dead Letter Circus's Luke Williams and Stewart Hill, as well as their merch guy (I think) making a hell of a racket, while frontman Dana Roskvist and Black Devil Yard Boss (and ex-Mammal) guitarist Pete Williamson made some feedback out the front! After that, the rest of the set seemed a bit dull in comparison, but of course the new track Sinner sounded amazing as ever, and Incoming at the end ensured that nobody left the venue without their neck hurting! (Geddit Sydonia fans?) A fundraiser gig for the band's second album is apparently in the works, and I will most certainly be there!
SETLIST
No Woman's Land
3 Tongues
Drag You Out (new)
Ocean of Storms (new)
Bateria (drums: Sean Bailey (Sydonia); percussion: Sam Haycroft, Adam Murray (Sydonia), Luke Williams, Stewart Hill (Dead Letter Circus), and "merch guy?"; guitars: Dana Roskvist (Sydonia) and Pete Williamson (Black Devil Yard Boss)
Enemy (new (this one was particularly fucking awesome!))
Serve the Dead (new)
Sinner (new)
INCOMING! :)
At around 10:45, the restless fans finally had their moment, when the Brisbane four-piece made their way onstage to a heroes' welcome, and interestingly enough, their set opened with The Drum. As one of the more experimental pieces on This is the Warning, it was always going to be interesting to see how this and some of the other songs translated to the live stage, but they pulled it off remarkably. Then again, it wasn't really hard to satisfy the crowd tonight; all DLC really needed to do was turn up, the atmosphere was that intense! There weren't many holes in the setlist either - every song off TitW bar one was played, interspersed with favourites from the still-amazing Dead Letter Circus EP, which the crowd absolutely loved. I've heard a lot of criticism for vocalist Kim Benzie's live abilities, but there was no faulting his performance on the night. As noted already, the more experimental/electronic moments for the band worked out very well in the live scenario - This Long Hour and especially Cage sounded absolutely fantastic. The fans' enthusiasm for the band was incredible - singing along to EVERY SINGLE LINE, even from the album that had only been out a couple of weeks prior, and on the floor, this riotous devotion lead to a moshpit so intense that I decided to seek some refuge on the step during the brief reprieve of The Design! The main set concluded with the title track from This is the Warning, and naturally, Sam and Adam from Sydonia made their way onstage to lend their percussive talents to the song. Heeding some very enthusiastic requests for an encore, the band made their way back out soon enough but unfortunately it wasn't Alien that was played, but rather the old favourite Lines. Still, nobody was really complaining, as the band had delivered all of what was expected of them, and left a very satisfied crowd at the end of the night. Truly deserving of the recent success that has finally found them, Dead Letter Circus can only go up from here! Best Australian gig of the year.
SETLIST
The Drum
This Long Hour
Big
The Mile
Are We Closer?
Reaction
Cage
One Step
Here We Divide
The Design
Disconnect and Apply
Next in Line
The Space on the Wall
This is the Warning (with Sam Haycroft and Adam Murray (Sydonia))
---Encore---
Lines
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)