Thursday, February 12, 2009

Simply Wonderful at the Palais Theatre

Band: Simply Red supported by Kate Cebrano
Venue: Palais Theatre - St Kilda
Date: 10th February 2009
Reviewed By: Espylyn

Tonight is like a double header act for the lucky punters who had tickets to a sold out show at the Palais Theatre. Kate Cebrano takes to stage amongst talented musicians and sings many of her own songs plus a few covers. Songs include Bedroom Eyes, Kiss me Passionately and more. Kate always puts on a great show, talking to her audience, wiggles her amazing body and smiling with passion and honesty. The seats are practically full for Kate.

Simply Red are an English band basing their music on pop, rock, jazz and soul. This tour coincides with their greatest hits cd and 2009 will be the last time we’ll see the band. After 25 years Mick says the band will end, basically saying that 25 years is enough.

The crowd tonight is very mixed. Many people have been waiting 20 years to see Simply Red, some received the ticket from their children as Christmas presents. The first part of the set is slower songs such as ‘Holding back the years’, ‘For your Babies’ and ‘Fairground’. As this is the greatest hits tour, we soon heard all the upbeat songs ‘Money too tight to Mention’, ‘Something got me Started’, ‘The Right thing’ and the night ended on ‘If you don’t know me by now’ which was a slow song to end on, I feel it would have been better ending on a upbeat song, but hey – I didn’t hear the audience complain. Plenty of patrons in the aisles dancing away and I overheard many people saying it was a fantastic show. Thanks Mick for coming to Australia and we missed seeing you at the Day on the Green tour (which was cancelled due to the bushfire threat in the Yarra Valley).

Melbourne Live’s thoughts are with the people who have lost beloved ones or animals due to the bushfires. This is a tragedy that has brought many people together at such a devastating time in life. Please donate to the Animal Aid in Coldstream

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Root! of money is the evil at the Northcote Social Club

Band: Root! with support from Lightning Dead and Austin Floyd
Venue: Northcote Social Club
Date: 6th february 2009
Reviewed By: Espylyn

Live music is vehicle to bring people together and Melbourne’s most unsexy band Root! bring a certain type together, whether it be the boot scooting variety, the poets, the unethical, the bogans and those who want a bloody good laugh.

The Northcote Social Club tonight takes on board Root! including two support acts. First off the base is Lightning Dead, who begin with guitar and drum which builds up with bass and electric guitar. Deep strong vocals and an impressive voice are what first hits you, then that great rock/indie alternative sound. Lyrics are story like and most songs build up their sound before they truly rock out. Their song Out Of Control has a slight twang to it whilst other songs sound almost punk like. Bit country, bit old school and a slight sound of New Order at times.

Austin Floyd are up next, a Melbourne country rock of the grunt variety band, which fits into the pub scene as though they are part of the furniture with a manner like Ian Rilen, that has that jive, boot scooting feel. They are a very fitting support band for tonight’s main act to follow. Murray Floyd is on vocals and rhythm guitar and sports a cowboy hat, pouting lips and an oozing raw gravel voice. To support Murray is Justin Rudge on lead guitar and backing vocals, Chris Pain on double bass and Roman Ceder on drums. The song Haven’t had a Woman since Johnny Cash died includes harmonica and the solid crowd thoroughly bakes in the song and then with the words "wham bam thank you mam, that is the end of the show"! how can we not agree that this band puts on a great rocking performance and the punters certainly know how to have a good time to them.

Curtains that were closed are now open and out come the band of the night, Root! All wearing hats and they head straight into a new song Groove from their new album titled Root is the money of all Evil, a talking style of song which is quickly backed up by their hit single Get Up Yourself with its great harmonies and a rap in the middle of it, this is a great song for the crowd to get into. Another newie titled Famous is more a cabaret and melodic song which was wonderfully sung and had sing-talking throughout which is what DC Root is renowned for. I Hang Out with the Guy’s in Jet (‘s Uncle) brought to the stage a striking presence that the crowd lapped up, all members zooming around the stage with utter delight and comfortableness. Henri, Barnaby, Doug Lee and Steve Root all bring a wealth of passion and zest to stage and complement DC Root’s style. The song Emo took on the darker beats which were taken upside down and around about with some happy undercurrents. This is one hell of a song full of rhyme. Next up was a treat - keyboard start then a poem recited by DC entitled Fuck I’m Dead with lines like “been waiting 25 years for a MCG membership but fuck, I’m dead”, and this erupted laughter from the near sold out crowd. Dark keys envelope the start of the next song which is a melancholy tune called Crown, about the casino, and sung in the tune of Hokey Pokey.
Uncle Vom Vom shows the strong vocals from DC and I still call Australia “HO” has great lyrical content (and DC wears an Arab style of hat). The band are very interactive with the audience and it’s something I feel the punters need. One comes to a Root! show knowing it’s going to be a fun evening with humorous lyrics and a singer who engages with his audience. The crowd tickler with wild guitar riffs I wish I was Tex Perkins has many punters singing and perhaps many agreeing “he eats roots and leaves”. A broken snare plagues the band but not for long before the band launches into Back to Mine then Orange (“don’t drink carrot juice”). Encore arrives but naturally the band comes back. Shazza and Michelle is the next treat with the hilarious bogan tune to make any bogan’s cringe. The night is finished with Pauline Hanson says there are Christian Muslims too and DC finds his way to the bar (then tells us this perhaps wasn’t the best thing as now he has a wet bum)!

Do I think the band is slightly funny? No I think the band is much more than slightly funny and everyone should know this is a country rock lyrical rap band worth exploring.




www.fasterlouder.com.au

Cold War Kids

Band: Cold War Kids supported by Bridezilla
Venue: The Palace
Date: 4th february 2009
Reviewed By: Espylyn

Tonight’s gig takes me on a adventure to the Palace Theatre in Melbourne to see one hot American band and another hauntingly hot band from Sydney. The later of the two is the first band of the night, Bridezilla, a young (some are still doing or have just done their HSC) five piece band that has been around since 2005. Fronted by Holly Sidewinder on gorgeous vocals and rhythm guitar, the band includes Pia May on guitar, Millie Hall on saxophone and keys, Daisy Tulley on violins (insane playing, like Warren Ellis), and the odd man out (or lucky) , Josh Bush. Bridezilla take to stage induced with violin and a single drum beat, enter haunting vocals that crawl into every crevice in the venue and add a grunty bass, some saxophone and you have a great start for a great act. Their outfits take on a more sombre feel than what I’ve seen in the past but that doesn’t mean they’re boring, not at all. Take the bassist, Pia, who intrigues me, tonight Pia wears a long dress whilst she cuts the chords, this is a sexy sight to see - include some bright red lipstick and swaying brown hair and there you have one chick that looks innocent and sultry at the same time! The crowd take a more responsive approach around half way into the set (also due to more arrivals). The tambourine finds a way to fit in to the music and when a large instrumental is before us, the crowd goes nuts. Easy to see why they are supporting tonight (a thought I wasn’t so sure about at first).Holiday’s voice is spectacular; she delivers the music with passion and conviction.
A short break and we’re greeted with dimmed lights and the crowd goes nuts, then lights and action, Cold War Kids rock the stage whilst a huge skeleton sets the scene as a back drop. A nearly sold out crowd in attendance for this American band who started in 2004 in historic Fullerton, California and whose music is inspired by Bob Dylan, Jeff Buckley and Velvet Underground.
Seven white lights are the only source of illumination on stage to begin with and it’s rather effective. Nathan Willett (lead vocals, piano and guitar) plays the keys and we’re launched into Mexican Dogs from their latest creation Loyalty to Loyalty and this takes the audience to a crazy level. Jonnie Russell (guitar, vocals, percussion) and Matt Maust (bass) are rather uncoordinated as they leap about the stage falling into each other, but the effect of 4 buzzing lads evoking the presence of the crowd sucks all tiredness out of the room to allow themselves to be lost in the music of Cold War Kids. Every Valley is not a Lake is the next song and Nathan jumps to the opposite side of stage to a different set of keyboards. Dynamic feel on stage with Matt Aveiro (drums) gaining momentum and complexity throughout the set. Nathan takes to centre stage for We used to Vacation and Dreams Old Man Dreams are from the highly talked about debut album, Robbers and Cowards. The band then launch into the highly popular song Something is not Right with Me which takes on a joyous cheer and the punters show the band what their made of by leaping around and moshing till they could mosh no more. Nathan’s vocals are crisp, raw and are combined with some sexy guitar riffs and a dark stage, then the song ends in the dark. But hey presto, flashlights are brought out and are waved around into the crowd as the mysterious song Robbers takes us on a journey. CWC show they don’t need to be hounded by huge light shows; the lights of this performance are perfect, even if one song is sung with flashlights! Maybe they are carbon footprint wary! Coffee Spoons (MySpace transmissions) follows then I’ve seen Enough. Next song needs no introduction but I’ll say it anyway, Hang Me Out To Dry, a huge crowd tickler and around the stage the band members zoom. One really needs to love a song sung around washing! Next takes us to a mellow land for a delicate song called Relief which is powered through and fills the room with exquisite noise and ends in stormy surrounds. The punters deliver rapturous applause and they launch into Cryptomnesia (Wikipedia -meaning memory bias whereby a person falsely recalls generating a thought, an idea, a song, or a joke) then it’s that sad time of the night where the encore takes a hold. Whilst we wait for the band to return, a female punter decides to jump on bar and give the crowd a bit of boogie action! Quickly the band bounce back and propel into Quiet Please to which the audience paid no attention to in the title, and then Nathan plunges with growling vocals into, Hospital Beds. Last song of the night is Saint John which has assorted vocals to begin with and is a great twisted yet structured sing-a-long tune. Fabulous choice to end on
This is CWC third time in Melbourne and I’m sure this won’t be the last.


www.thedwarf.com.au