Acoustic in the Esplanade

Band: Emma Wild (with Hannah Francis and Lincoln Maurice). Also, Patrick Carr and Cathy Field.
Venue: The Espy Front Bar
Date: Tuesday 30th October 2007
Reviewed By: Heather. Photograph by Lyn.



If I'm going to the Espy it's on a Sunday night, so fronting up on Tuesday was a little out of the ordinary. However, after being proposed to by a deranged woman (actually an actress, don't ask) it was fitting that I continued on to have a glass of red and listen to some live music at one of Melbourne's best historical institutions.

We arrived to find that Emma (who we had specifically come to see) had been bumped to later in the night, so I found a seat and listened to two other musicians first.

Patrick Carr played a decent set, unaccompanied on stage other than by his acoustic guitar. Unusually for the Espy the decibel level was actually reasonably low, so it was easy to sit and listen while chatting a little to some acquaintances, both old and new. In between conversation, Patrick's ballads interspersed with some feverish work on the guitar were enjoyable and his smooth voice was nice for a Tuesday night. His last song (Nightlife on Mars) was the standout for me, and since I found this morning that it's the lead song on his Myspace I'm guessing it's a popular choice.

Next up was Cathy Field, who had a rather clear voice that overshadowed the guitar, even when she was joined on stage by Gary Shephard with a second acoustic. She enunciated every word, and sang in earnest to tunes that would have been well at home in Tamworth. Some of the lyrics bordered on being a little sappy - there was a lot of talk of heavy hearts and lost loves - which was a little too much for my taste, but I'm sure her songwriting skills would not be lost on the right audience. Her guitar playing seemed fairly solid, and her voice was strong, with just a few minor missed notes popping up here and there. The highlights were definitely the harmonies between the two on stage, which were delightful. I did spend a large portion of the set wondering how on earth she sang under the lights wearing a coat - I was warm in the audience attired in much less.

Finally, to a slightly dwindling crowd (which I guess is normal for late on a school night) Emma and co. took to the stage. I had never heard her sing before, so I had no idea what to expect other than what I had heard on Myspace.

Emma, bathed in red light, began with a soft, breathy voice that quickly became strong. The violin blended beautifully with the acoustic guitar, and the drums did what they were supposed to do all night - kept things together and blended into the music. There were no showy solos at all, in fact - the musicians seemed intent on playing as a united group, which suited the style well.

When the electric guitar was plugged in, things got serious. Emma turned from seated and relaxed to rock chick in an instant, but in the switch never lost control of her voice, which made transitions in almost every song from soft and quiet to loud and almost aggressive. She played the angsty part well in Trainwreck and Punch Drunk and things turned a little country at one point, which is probably inevitable when blending guitars with violin. One point I noticed was the contrast on stage between Emma doing the rock thing with her electric guitar and Hannah looking like the funkiest member of an orchestra with her violin. Despite the appearance, the sound of the two was unexpectedly fused together.

After a little technical hitch, during which we were treated to an impromputu violin/drum musical interlude, things got back on track quickly with the acoustic guitar making another appearance. Yet another breathy start was followed by some frenzied guitar work in Head Furniture. My favourite song by far was Over & Over, which was very catchy and enjoyable. It seemed to be the crowd favourite as well from the level of applause it received. The set wound up far too early with Doin' the Do, which appears to be one of Emma's signature songs. I was impressed by the musicianship in this one - the instruments did a "John Butler Trio" and seemed to magically multiply on stage, sounding like a couple of extra guitars were hidden behind a curtain somewhere.

I headed out into the cool sea air a few minutes later well satisfied with the night out. Maybe Tuesdays at the Espy are something to be explored further.

Grinding with Nick Cave

Band: Grinderman and Nick Cave
Venue: The Forum Theatre
Date: 14th October 2007
Reviewed By: Lyn. Photographs by Mark Geisel.




We arrived at the Forum Theatre very early for a Sunday night to watch some of Australia ’s legendary musicians. Down we waltzed to stand near the front and very soon the masses followed suit. It wasn’t long after 8pm when Grinderman took to stage.

First entered Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey and Jim Sclavunos. Looking at these men, I almost thought I’d turned up to a ZZ top concert by mistake! All supported very long hairy beards and one punter commented that the band were wearing ‘f#$k off beards’! Lead singer Nick Cave entered not long after to thunderous applause.

Straight into ‘Depth Charge Ethel’ which was sung with high leg kicks from Nick. The sound for the first few minutes wasn’t the best but didn’t take long to sort that out.

Drummer Jim wore a pink suit which he got away with wearing rather well. Guitarist Martyn, with his cowboy hat, had a solemn expression each time I was watching him! Warren played violin, shakers, cymbals and more, always a gutsy performance by this man - one cannot help but watch Warren play the violin and be magically entwined with it. The setlist included 'Get It On', 'Electric Alice', 'Honey Bee', 'Set Me Free' and title track ‘Grinderman’ which was the highlight for me. The song ‘No Pussy Blues’ sent the crowd into a frenzy, maybe a lot of men can relate to Nick on this one! The show was a great performance for their first tour of Australia, and a great debut album to match.

I didn’t get a chance to come down from the performance of Grinderman as Nick Cave, Jim Sclavunos, Martyn Casey and Warren Ellis took to stage again.

Who can go to a concert and see the lead band supporting themselves in a different outfit! With a couple of wardrobe changes and maybe a quick deodorant spray or towel wipe and there they all were on stage again. Nick played the piano for many songs and to the dismay of the crowds around me, a music stand in front of us disrupted our view, which was rather annoying. So I moved back and had a much more comfortable view of Nick on piano as well as the rest of the band.

‘Love Letter’ opened the show which had the audience swaying, other favourites followed: 'Red Right Hand', 'Cannibals Hymn', 'Deanna', 'Weeping Song', 'Ship Song', 'Henry Lee', 'Mercy Seat', 'Tupelo', and 'Christina the Astonishing', which pleased the crowd. Warren again showing so much passion for his violin. The only low point was having disrupted view - so not really much of a low point. The stage was simple yet effective, sound was fantastic, and lighting was beautiful with many colours matching the songs. The night ended with one grunty edgy song called 'Jack the Ripper'. Nick even shook hands with front row fans to their utter delight.

So many more songs left off the list but really, can Nick play all night. We can only dream of the possibility. Nick and co proved they have still got what it takes to sell out the Forum for 5 nights, and Nick still has a voice glistening with musical notes.

The Cats Are Out To Play

Band: The Cat Empire and The Australian Youth Orchestra
Venue: The Iwaki Auditorium
Date: Friday 5th October 2007
Reviewed By: Heather






This is the gig I have been waiting for, and it certainly didn't disappoint. The second the tickets were released I snapped mine up, not knowing how quickly they would sell out the little theatre. There has even been news coverage for this one! Check out The Age's article.

Of course I'm talking about The Cat Empire with the Australian Youth Orchestra - a fantastic musical experiment that is the culmination of a week-long workshop. I was truly honoured to be a part of it.

I'm not even sure I can call this a gig. It was a concert in every sense of the word, with no dancing in sight, although at times my feet were itching to participate. Songs from the new album So Many Nights made up most of the setlist, with some musical interludes and a couple of older songs mixed in. The thing is, they weren't the same songs I heard two weeks ago at the Prince Bandroom. They were new, fresh, with an excitement and energy behind them that only a full orchestra can muster.

This will likely be the longest review in history, but bear with me because there are so many things that need to be said to even begin to do it justice.

Ollie, or as he was more aptly referred to in the program, Oliver McGill, began the evening with a beautiful piano overture that ended far too soon. Felix with his new haircut coupled with a suit looked suave as he took the microphone and breathed out the sexy All That Talking, after which they launched quickly into Fishies. The songs throughout the night were superbly arranged, the strings blending effortlessly with brass behind the band, and pushing each song forward as if on its own momentum.

Harry came to the fore to bring us Lonely Moon and Til the Ocean Takes Us All, with vocal gymnastics and a falsetto to rival the Gibb brothers. All was executed with perfect control and poise, perhaps testament to the conspicuous lack of beer that usually accompanies the Empire on stage.

Ollie - sorry, Oliver - was his usual musical genius self, a little more restrained than I have seen him before, perhaps also testament to the suit and lack of alcoholic beverage. However, he did seem to be straining at the leash a little, looking like he was holding himself back when he would like nothing better than to launch into a frenzied solo. Pure perfection still came from his keys, but we would expect nothing less.

Ryan, Will and Jumps seemed to take a step back, playing their parts well and with gusto, but leaving the stage clear for the orchestra to showcase itself.

Which brings me to said orchestra - The Australian Youth Orchestra, to be precise. A week with the Empire seemed to have taken its toll in a very good way. They were nothing short of spectacular. I am not a classical reviewer by any stretch of the imagination, so I can't really comment on the technical aspect of the music. However, each person on stage was a performer in their own right, and as much a part of the evening as Felix or Harry. Their music flowed through the small theatre, pulling the audience in with it.

The string section was absolutely superb as a whole, but the standout performance was by violinist Jonathan Ng in the interlude Poets and Concrete Lovers. Edwina Hookey was the star of the strings though - and she didn't even have a solo. She was shining, as her enjoyment of the music brought us with her through every note, which didn't just come from her instrument but was etched on her face as well. She played her violin as if she were making love to the the music that was exuding from her strings.

The brass section brought a rich depth to each song that is only possible to get from the beautiful mix of french horns, trumpets and trombones. They blended perfectly with Kieran of the Empire Horns.

I definitely can't overlook percussionist Holly Norman. Her relaxed demeanour and obvious skill fit perfectly with Felix and Will, and she looked like she belonged on the stage as she moved between instruments.

I have been racking my brain trying to find a low point to write about. It's a difficult task. If there is anything I could mention it's perhaps that the strings and sax during the solo saxophone interlude didn't quite mesh together. Guest saxophonist David Ades was fantastic though, and Ross Irwin kept things going with style.

Speaking of Ross - the night's greatest honours need to be bestowed on him. He conducted the performance, and together with Ollie wrote the arrangements. No longer simply one of the Empire Horns and frontman of the Ross Irwin Soul Special, he has brought himself into the limelight. His arrangements were gorgeous, he held everybody together flawlesslly and I humbly say that he has a thousand times more talent than I had ever given him credit for.

I sat through most of the evening in a combination of awe and excitement, and participated wholeheartedly in the very well-deserved standing ovations the performers received. That feeling came with me as I left the auditorium after what was very honestly the most amazing night of music I have ever experienced. Yes, it really was that good.

I can't discount any one of the members of the Australian Youth Orchestra, so I would love to name each one individually to finish off this review.

On violin were Imants Larsens, Louise Cottone, Edwina Hookey, Larrissa Weller, Liisa Pallandi, Hugh Middleton and Jonathan Ng.

On viola were Alice Buckingham, Nell Thompson, Michael Trauer and Aaron Wyatt.

Celloists were Dale Rickert, Alison Cook, Alistair Sung and Kim Worley.

Horns were played by Alexis Routley and Rosemary Savage, with Tristan Rebien on trumpet and Michael Ingle on trombone.

Rounding off the list is Holly Norman on percussion.

I can't say how glad I am to have had the pleasure of witnessing this performance. I noticed TV cameras around, so we can only hope that the ABC sees fit to air it, or at least release it on DVD.

Special thanks to Mark Geisel
for the photographs accommpanying this review.

Beastly Magic

Band: Beasts of Bourbon, supported by Rowland S. Howard
and Magic Dirt
Venue: The Forum Theatre
Date: 28th September 2007
Reviewed By: Lyn. Photograph by Narelle.

After almost knocking over Tex Perkins on the way in, we proceeded into the Forum Theatre awaiting a night filled with memorable bands.

First up was Rowland S. Howard, known for his time in the band 'Boys Next Door'. The crowd seemed to lap up his energy on stage with vigour. Although it was just he and his guitar, one could almost believe he had a band with him on the stage. Rowland played with much angst and love to a crowd who seemed to feel the same.

After a short break, Magic Dirt arrived, lead singer Adalita like a prowless on stage looking for a victim. Although the venue wasn't filled to capacity the strong crowd went off to the band and at the last song, a fan decided it was too much and spewed forth his dinner (or was it alcohol?!) into the front few rows. After a quick clean, myself and friends were able to get to front row without a fight! Thanks!

A dark stage and smoke provided an eerie back drop for the Beasts of Bourbon, but that could almost be perfect for the band known as The Beasts. Spencer wearing a funky shirt and his trademark hat was working with the crowd to entice them into his lair. Brian seemed to be having a good night and barely stumbled whilst sending out riff after riff. Tony and Charlie threw their love into each song and the front man Tex struted around the stage throwing his microphone as if it were a music producer who had ripped him off. Tex wearing jeans torn at the groin provided a crowd pleaser to those in the front few rows. The night started with 'The Low Road' and ended with the crowd pleaser about drugs and more drugs 'thanks'. We said no, Thank YOU!

Leaving the venue we were pumped with the night's performances and lapping up what might be The Beasts last gig for a long time...

Mark Seymour in the Gershwin Room

Band: Mark Seymour
Venue: The Espy Gershwin Room
Date: Thursday 27th September 2007
Reviewed By: Lyn

What a lovely venue for a special performance by Mark Seymour (frontman of the legendary Hunters and Collectors) in the infamous Gershwin room at The Espy. It was an early gig, starting at 7pm, and was recorded for a live DVD to be out at a later date.

Naturally late was the band, and unwelcomingly hot was the room. When Mark and co. finally entered, Mr Seymour welcomed us all to an uproar of clapping hands and cheers! Throughout the night the crowd were in their element, cheering on one of Benalla’s local boys and band.

A back catalogue of songs made an appearance, including ‘When the River Runs Dry’, ‘Do You See What I See’ and ‘Tears of Joy’, along with many new songs the titles of which I regret I didn’t catch. A packed Gershwin room included people from interstate, US and Sweden ! The show was stopped a few times by Mark, who wasn’t happy with a song or two and clearly wanted the DVD to be right. Nothing wrong with that - the beauty of the camera allows such moments.

After nearly two hours of songs and chit chat I left just after ‘Throw Your Arms’ which I thought was a fitting end to the night for me. On the way out I noticed many fans had left early, not unhappy but just content with what we’d all heard.

Signal Not Lost in the Hills

Band: Borne, supported by Matt Tonks and Goodbye Motel
Venue: Ruby's Lounge
Date: Friday 21st September 2007
Reviewed By: Heather & Lyn

Both of us getting to a gig together is a rarity, so for this particular review you can be treated to a melding of our opinions.

We arrived quite late, and so spent the last few minutes the support band was still on stage catching up as it had been a while since our last get-together. Consequently, we didn't get to hear too much of Matt Tonks, and I believe Goodbye Motel had already finished by the time we got through the door. Sorry, guys - next time!

Borne arrived on stage to a reasonable turnout, but there were definitely plenty of tickets left unsold. Fantastic for us, as we grabbed some choice seats on bar stools near the front and had a perfect, uninterrupted view of the stage with no wading through crowds for return trips to the bar. Well, almost uninterrupted - a very, um, passionate fan found her way onto the floor at the front for some solo dance action for most of the second half of the gig.

Cam's smooth voice powered out through the cosy room, every word audible throughout - kudos to Mr Sound Man. Interspersed between some old familiar tunes and some from the new album were very enlightening introductions with Cam explaining the whys and wherefores of his songwriting. Most surprisingly, we discovered that recent hit The Guide was inspired not by an amazing woman or a glimpse into the supernatural, but by a dog! A little piece of trivia for you.

In all a very satisfying performance. We left feeling like we had eaten a good meal - the product of the laid-back atmosphere, smiling staff, a good decibel level and of course some fantastic songwriting and musicianship.

Royalty - The Cat Empire at The Prince

Band: The Cat Empire, supported by Symbiosis
Venue: The Prince Bandroom
Date: Thursday 20th September 2007
Reviewed By: Heather

I have to admit my bias as a shameless Cat Empire fan here. Please don't hold it against me!

Arriving early paid off, as we took our places at the edge of the stage. An important detail for short people like us! A relatively short two-drink wait went by uneventfully as I scanned the quickly-filling room and chatted.

Symbiosis hit the stage first, taking a couple of songs to warm up the crowd (who were obviously mostly one-eyed Cat Empire fans) before the room started jumping. By the time they broke into Walk Your Walk everybody in our immediate vicinity was moving. In the end, the short time allotted for the warm-up set was over far too soon. I had never seen them live before, and I’ll definitely be back for seconds.

The crowd erupted at the first glimpse of Felix, Harry and the rest of the Cat Empire. Songs from the as-yet-unreleased album were scattered throughout some more familiar tunes. A welcome addition to the setlist was The Crowd, an anthem with St Kilda at its heart. Local interest always adds a certain energy to the room, which lifted the band too.

There was a guest timbale player, Nasrine Rahmani (a member of The Espy regular band Tumbarumba), who was amazing. A music battle heated up between Nasrine's timbale-belting and Jumps’ skratching, which had to be one of the night’s high points. Harry outdid himself when an improv session went a bit awry and he pulled things back together in the space of a few seconds. His music direction skills almost eclipsed his trumpet playing. It was great to hear The Wine Song too - one that seems to be overlooked in live shows.
The new single No Longer There was nice, but definitely not vintage Cat Empire. I am still not sure what I think of it, but it’s had some great reviews elsewhere, so I’ll shut up about that one.

I think the night in general was pulled down a little by too many unreleased songs in the setlist. The crowd began to get bored at one point, and possibly songs from the new album should be played live, but kept to a minimum – maybe three or four per gig rather than what amounted to about half. Now that the album has been released it should drive up crowd interest a bit.

Still, not enough to decrease my enjoyment. I have never yet been to a boring Cat Empire gig, and I hope I never will. Well worth the ticket price, as always!

Silver Ray in Northcote

Band: Silver Ray
Venue: Northcote Social Club
Date: 15th September 2007
Reviewed By: Lyn

There is something magical about Silver Ray. They are an amazing instrumental band who have been around for a very long time - and judging from the amount of people, they still have a large fan base.

I hadn’t seen the band for about 5-6 years so I was excited about what direction they had headed into over the years. During the course of the night, musician after musician came on stage bringing the 3 piece to a 9 piece! Julitha Ryan on keyboards still amazed me and I must admit part of seeing Silver Ray for me is seeing her enjoy her keyboards! Cam Butler was strong on guitar as ever, and Brett Poliness had a dramatic stage presence on drums.

The first half was old favourites and the second half was new material. I enjoyed the new songs although I did find overdubbing not to my liking for a first time listen. No doubt after a few listens that will change. The crowd lapped up the entire show and a packed room tells me Silver Ray have many more beats in them.

Mammal Instinct

Band: Mammal
Venue: The Evelyn Hotel
Date: 31st August 2007
Reviewed By: Lyn

Upon entering the Evelyn – rather late in the night I have to add – we were shuffled into the nearly full room to see the last song of the support band - a Japanese band that was very energetic. The name of the band escapes me, so if anyone knows it, email me so I can update this!

After a break and refill of the beer we waited in anticipation for mammal to arrive. It was January when I last saw the band, so I felt rather pumped waiting for their arrival.

Over the speakers echoed the words ‘I love the smell of evolution in the morning’ and enter mammal the band. Nick Adams on bass guitar, back and forth, side to side with enough energy to burn a light bulb. Great riffs with a mysterious amount of energy and lust for his bass and for the crowd. Amazing to watch.

Zeke, the singer, in excellent spirits. Pete Williamson on guitar, grooving with each song and the fuelled Zane Rosanoksi on drums - these musicians complete mammal.

Zeke pumped out tunes to the crowd who had a huge energy buzz around them and who sang many songs word for word.

Tonight was the launch of their live cd called ‘The Aural Underground’, which was recorded at the Evelyn in January this year.

Starting with a new song, and cruising into ‘Think’, they filled us with some more new songs like ‘Rich Man’ and 'Push and Shove’ and old favourites such as ‘Groove Junkie’, ‘New Breed Judas’ and ‘Hell Yeah’ – a crowd pleaser.

Include a glitter ball helmet which Zeke seems to wear with pride and some political banter ‘Whose streets? – Our streets!’, his power over the crowd was such he could even get a guy in the crowd to fix a light which seemed to have fallen by the wayside. This all created one fantastic gig by one fantastic band. Yes I am biased, as I’ve been following this band for over a year now, but hey don’t judge me on this, listen to the band and see for yourself!

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