Ball Park Music w/ City Riots and Millions

      Millions are a fucking cool band. The Brisbane garage-pop-whatever band have risen from the ashes of several defunct bands (Comic Sans, Moonfleet, Stature::Stature) and have taken no time at all to place their indelible stamp on the scene. Saturday night at Alhambra saw a tight performance from the boys, pulling out songs like Citrus and Those Girls which already feel like old favourites, probably due to all the Triple J love. Dominic's voice has got real character, charm, swagger and all that other jazz that makes a good singer so damn good, and the other boys go all right too. The bass was sounding sweet, especially in Those Girls where it gets a chance to shine, the electric guitars were mixing to create that brilliant indie sound everyone loves of late, and James Wright was rocking out on the drums as usual. It was a great warm up show for these guys as they prepare to rock out at Splendour this weekend, and we wish them all the best!

      Next to grace the stage were Adelaide band City Riots, who've been trekking about with Ball Park Music for the whole of their tour. Busting out some poppier rock songs, I wouldn't be surprised if I saw these guys making it in the mainstream world. The second half of the set started to warm up when they got to 'the business end of things' playing us their singles and more refined tracks. The crowd was lapping up the music, and it looked as though they already had quite a few fans in the crowd singing along to their songs. After a good, fun set, the climax came when Brisbane boy Dan James (Drawn From Bees) was invited to the stage to share in the vocal duties for a cover of Bruce Springsteen's Dancing in the Dark. It was legendary, and topped off an awesome set from the Adelaide boys. It also didn't hurt that they continuously stated how much they detest their city and lavished praise on our town instead.

      Most of the crowd was there of course to see the amazing Ball Park Music, and considering the gig eventually sold out, it's no wonder the floor suddenly started to fill up. Launching straight into their first big hit iFly, it was obvious we were in for a treat. If you were to spot lead singer Sam Cromack in the audience earlier in the night, he would come across as being quite tame and unassuming, but the second he takes the stage he lets it rip. Charisma oozes everywhere as he spends half his time crowd surfing, and might I add, he does an admirable job of singing at the same time. With spot on harmonies and a bit of fun trombone every now and then, Ball Park Music put on a show to be remembered that got the crowd jumping. Newest single It’s Nice to Be Alive and another few newies show how promising their upcoming album is going to be, but as the finale, Ball Park Music finish with Sad Rad Future Dude. It was a ridiculously fun performance. The audience screamed their lungs out matching word for word even when Sam Cromack stopped the song just to repeat the second verse, ‘cause it’s that fucking awesome. I fucking love you, Ball Park Music. x

Rave Magazine 20th Birthday Gig

Friday the 15th of July was a night to be remembered, with Rave Magazine putting on an amazing show at The Zoo to celebrate their 1000th issue and 20th birthday!

An eclectic lineup was on the cards and each band delivered, starting with the enigmatic Velociraptor. A healthy dose of guitars, guitars, more guitars and finally a touch of attitude kicked off the night perfectly. Jeremy Neale and his boys proved the buzz surrounding this band is well deserved.

A bit of a genre change occurred next, and we were treated to the dazzling tunes from everyone's favourite folk/pop outfit, Inland Sea. Although they were lacking in the cello and violin department, they performed with as much gusto as usual, possibly because it was bass player Steele's birthday as well as Rave's! The 5 part harmonies were spot on. Staple songs off their EP, such as the song Traitor, were as beautiful as ever, and there were some newer, rowdier songs that worked a treat on the audience.

After spying a Noonan in the crowd (Katie), all eyes in the building turned to Dave McCormack and The Polaroids. They were having that much fun up on stage that it became pretty infectious, and the older patrons in the crowd were partying like it was 1999. Dave McCormack is one of Brissy's best, and the Custard hits went off.

So onwards and only upwards we went, to The Brisband Experience. Featuring Katie Noonan (George, Elixir), Dan James (Drawn From Bees), Caleb James (Rhubarb), Thomas Murphy (The Bloodpoets), Ben Dalton (HKoH), Tony Garrett (The Boat People) and Steve Pope (Transport, Kate Miller-Heidke), plus a bunch of other guests, it was clear from the get go this set was going to be a good one. Katie Noonan started it off and had us reliving the wonderful George days. Comprising of a bunch of each member's songs mixed with some covers, it was the version of Savage Garden's To the Moon and Back that was the set's highlight. Dan James put on a fantastic show on vocals and it only took a few seconds before the whole audience decided to give in, and sing along.

The mystery headliner turned out to be Regurgitator, just as most predicted. A stunning show put on from the second they walked on stage, opening with crowd favourite I Will Lick Your Arsehole. People walking by must have been a bit frightened by the chorus of voices carrying that lyric out into the street. Thanks to catchy songs like Black Bugs and the slick pop hit Polyester Girls to songs like My Friend Robot and Kung Foo Sing, the overruling opinion of the night was that Regurgitator rock. Despite always being attributed as a 90's band, Regurgitator are still going strong and in the past 2 years they have put on some of my favourite shows. Long live the 'gurge.

Sunday July 17th - playlist

Songs are not in any exact order, they are listed as closely to when they were played from 8pm - 12am.

Tennis Party - Mr. Maps
In the Cloud - Sunrise Beach
Sleep - Pools and Trumpets
Time and the Goat - Shady Bliss
Beautiful Prison - Veralyn (Live Wello Washup)
Fine Lines - Veralyn (Live Wello Washup)
The Deep - My Escapade (Live Wello Washup)
Rest of Me - My Escapade (Live Wello Washup)
Hey Suzanne- Velociraptor
Hot Trash - Tin Can Radio (Feature Artist)
Mayan Dawn - Greenthief
Skeletons - Tin Can Radio (Feature Artist)
Gnarly Army - SEALS
Third Complex - Tin Can Radio (Feature Artist)
Forever Ago - Tin Can Radio (Feature Artist)
The Gun - Aisle 101
Love Tunnel - Tourism (Thanks for the chat Joe!)
I Believe in Love, Kid - Oh Ye Denver Birds
Soldier - Ca Va
Of Seas - Bixby Canyon (Feature Artist)
Summer - Matt Hickey
Seed - Bixby Canyon (Feature Artist)
Red, Yellow, Blue - Dan Acfield
Lucred - Bixby Canyon (Feature Artist)
Empty - Bixby Canyon (Feature Artist)
Esso - Boss Moxi
Tuesday - Camels in Croatia (Feature Artist)
Breaking the Silence - Yo Yo Ma
Aeroplane - Camels in Croatia (Feature Artist)
Mind - Grape Soda
El Grande Lesbos - Camels in Croatia (Feature Artist)
The Do - Hannah Macklin and the Maxwells
Last Boat - Montpelier
Lonely Hearts - Eyes of Azure
Slip - Dunsinane
Good girl - Goldentones
Untitled track - Marcy Prospects (Let us know if you have a good name for this track!)
Down the Doorway - Kennigo
Jungle - Emma Louise
Half of it - Yes You


Thanks to our feature artists - Tin Can Radio, Bixby Canyon, Camels in Croatia and also to Joe from Tourism for a quick chat.

Tune in from 8pm next Sunday on 100.3FM for another batch of great local music.
D & K

Sunday July 10th - Track Listing

Songs are not in any exact order, they are listed as closely to when they were played from 8pm - 12am.

• I believe in love, Kid - Oh Ye Denver Birds
• Waking Up - Marcy Prospects
• All I want is you - Ball Park Music
• Holograms - Founds
• Citrus - Millions (Feature Artist)
• When I get home - The Belligerents (100 songs project)
• Those girls - Millions (Feature Artist)
• Somewhere Better - Vasy Mollo
• Cruel - Millions (Feature Artist)
• Blacklisted - Epithets
• Time and the Goat - Shady Bliss
• Aurora - Desert Ghost
• Breaking the Silence - Yo Yo Ma (Feature Artist)
• Satellites - The Benedicts
• Telepathy Needed - Yo Yo Ma (Feature Artist)
• The Gulf - Surface Paradise
• Bells will Ring - Yo Yo Ma (Feature Artist)
• Esso - Boss Moxi
• Tuesday - Camels in Croatia
• She's a Dreamer - Grand Atlantic 
• Half of It - YesYou
• The End of Me - The Secret Whisper (Feature Artist)
• I wrote a novel - The Trouble with Templeton
• Remember When - The Secret Whisper (Feature Artist)
• Lightning - After Opening
• Pretend - The Secret Whisper (Feature Artist)
• Cops & Robbers - The Secret Whisper (Feature Artist)
• No Silliness - Moonfleet
• Mayan Dawn - Greenthief (Feature Artist)
• Salad Days - Greenthief (Feature Artist)
• I Don't Want To Get Old - Massai
• Goodbye Gemini - Elephant
• Slip - Dunsinane 
• Mirrored Walls - Friends of Ben (Live)
• A.S.A.P - wheeleR
• Mechanical Love - My Escapade
• Strangers - Veralyn
• Strangers - Rawr Vanity
• Mr Polite - The Jungle Giants
• Morning Light (Softwar remix) - Mitzi

Tune in next Sunday from 8pm on 100.3BayFM for another cracking line up.  Again thanks to Millions, Yo Yo Ma, The Secret Whisper and Greenthief for being our lovely feature artists!

Tinian’s Boy w/ Oceanics and Locus Wimple

Saturday night, oh Saturday night. If only I could have split in half, or better yet, split into about 6 pieces - there were that many great shows happening I would have loved to be at. The Zoo won out though, with Tinian’s Boy there to launch their latest film clip and kick off their east coast tour.

Unfortunately the crowd didn’t come in waves, but this didn’t stop Locus Wimple from putting on one of their best shows yet. You wouldn’t expect lead singer Matt Powell to have such a great voice, but he does, and he effortlessly lead the way through a set of awesome indie songs. Locus Wimple’s EP was recorded solely by Matt in his bedroom, and it wasn’t ‘til later that the band members were found to fill out the live show. The EP has an amazing sound, and Locus Wimple measured up on the live front. Apparently, their drummer had only been with them a week, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell this as he was firing on all fronts. The bass was pumping, and the synth added that extra needed layer atop of Matt Powell’s electric guitar.

Oceanics came next, and they brought with them 4 dedicated fans who stood in front of the stage, recognising what a treat was about to be unfold. Although these guys are quite a young band and had to resort to playing two covers to finish off their set, they have a very, very, well-polished sound happening. One thing these guys have plenty of is talent. I was impressed with each of them at one stage during the set, but you can’t go past Elliot’s soulful Kooks-esque singing and Jackson’s guitar solos, which there were plenty of. Their track Romancer is a gem, the highlight of their EP, and the one that makes you think yeah, these boys are going places. It’s a shame they hadn’t brought along more fans to fill up the floor and groove along to their danceable tracks.

Enough time passed for Tinian’s Boy’s front man Adam Stonehouse to suit up, and then they were on stage. Not a moment was wasted before they dove head first into a set of energetic rock songs, the enthusiastic performance from the whole band taking the audience on an hour long ride. The highlight of the night was watching Adam Stonehouse as he roamed the stage with his microphone, jumping around, rolling onto the stage, breaking two tambourines, and nearly breaking a cowbell. I felt tired just watching him, but his energy infected most of the audience who were like putty in his hands. The Sea Orchids, a real sing-a-long track, shone amongst the otherwise heavier songs, and Animal was another standout. Midway through their set, we got a look at the clip for Animal, which was shot on the legendary Red One Camera (Social Network, District 9). And it looked fucking amazing! Watching people smash televisions to bits is always fun. They finished off their set with just as much gusto, and even had the crowd begging for an encore. It’s a shame the crowd turn out was smaller than usual, but props to the boys for giving it their all regardless - it was a hell of a show. They’ll be back in Brisbane to play one more show to top off their tour. Be there!

 x

End of tour party - Brisbane


6th of August @ x&y

Support from BigBozza Band + Smiles, Lies and Gunfire

FREE ENTRY

Seals w/ Tin Can Radio and The Jungle Giants

So yeah, this one took me a little while to get to. Oops...

If we rewind the clocks two weeks back, the boys and I were at Seals’ EP launch/going away party. It was a massive night, partly due to the outstanding support acts also gracing the zoo’s stage. Unfortunately we missed Moses Gunn Collective! Big apologies there, but there was a buzz in the room when we arrived shortly after they finished.

The next band however, were amazing. The Jungle Giants made it into the studio for an interview with us a little while back, so as usual it was a pleasure seeing these guys putting on a stellar show. It’s not often you see a girl playing lead guitar in an indie band, but yep, The Jungle Giants had that covered. The drummer got right into it as well, and so did the energetic bass player. Front man Sam Hales delivered a tight performance as usual, hitting all the notes as they played through a high energy set. No One Needs To Know and Mr Polite are true indie pop gems and they sounded fan-friggin tastic played live.

Then came Tin Can Radio. These guys had their headline show here only a month earlier, and although the crowd wasn’t quite as big this time, they still managed to feed off the crowd’s energy and get on with it. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again - these boys are something special. They’ve taken things up a notch since the first time I saw them a year-or-so ago, and the crazy synth, trumpet, and saxophone solos have never sound better. Playing songs off their album Chase the Sun, Hold the Night, the crowd had no chance ignoring the infectious fun happening down the front, and plenty of people started dancing and singing along to the catchy choruses. It’s a shame they didn’t have a longer set as it was definitely over far too soon.

We finished the night with a fun show from Seals. The three boys were decked out in matching red sweaters, and palm trees on the stage matched in with the beachy vibe their latest track Long Slow Summer sends out. In my mind, there’s nothing too fancy about Seals’ music, no bells and whistles to get caught up in; It’s just good indie rock stuff, something I would imagine stumbling onto a few years back. All of their songs are pretty catchy, and on the night their set was just a rollicking bit of fun. Nick, Euan, Dimity and Andy played well together, feeding off each other to put on a cracking show. There were even some guests who joined them on Trombone and Violin that were a stunning addition to their sound. What a great way to kick off for our weekends! They’re off to conquer the UK now, so hopefully they’ll be in Brisbane to play again soon.


x

Blame Ringo + Skipping Girl Vinegar w/ Charlie Mayfair

After being swooped by plovers whilst running through a pitch-black New Farm Park, I eventually made it to the Powerhouse in time for Blame Ringo's final night as residents. I regret being late though, because fuck, they're awesome.

This month has seen an altered line up and a bunch of new tunes from Blame Ringo,  and the new dream band put on a punchy gig of shameless pop songs. You may have heard these guys before (they're the dreamworld band) and you'll definitely be hearing more of them, I guarantee it. There were catchy hooks left, right and centre, a tonne of harmonies, a Johnny Cash impersonation and a special guest appearance by the bald, bearded Danaj, rapping about having his face on a t-shirt. Wow. Keep your ears open for Blame Ringo in the future.

                                                  Here is the said t-shirt by the way:

                                     

Part II of the night took place at The Old Museum, where Skipping Girl Vinegar were putting on a show for the release of their new album Keep Calm, Carry the Monkey.

The first act was Colleen Hixenbaugh, wife of the sort-of famous Ron Sexsmith. She dropped some big names such as Ray Davies (The Kinks) - whom she recently bumped into - and who also once complimented her husband, saying he has a great voice. Nevertheless, fame and fortune aside, the Canadian singer seemed like she'd be better suited to a quirky book shop opening. Songs about ladybugs and Christmas seemed a bit out of place, but her music still had it's charm. Maybe some of the younger kids at this all ages gig found her more appetising.

Then came Charlie. Brisbane locals Charlie Mayfair have been making waves with the release of their latest song, Tell Her, and deservedly so. It rocks, and so too did their set. We heard quieter songs, which let Dave and Hannah show off their amazing voices, along with a lot of their newer, edgier work. The token 3 part harmonies were spot on as usual, and along with plenty of floor toms, sleigh bells, and even a bit of electric drum sampling at one point, they had everything that was needed for an enjoyable and fast-paced show. The new direction these guys are heading in is exciting to say the least, so get along to a show if you have the chance!

Skipping Girl Vinegar were the last to grace the stage, and they'd decked it out in fairy lights and gold stars to enhance the mood. I hadn't heard much of these Melbourne folk before, other than the odd play on the radio, but by the end of the night I was feeling pretty warm and fuzzy inside. That may have been the beer of course. Although the lead singer looked neither like the folk singer you'd expect, nor the sailor he was apparently dressed as, his voice was perfectly suited to the wonderful, upbeat, folk music that Skipping Girl Vinegar play. The highlight of the night was when the band unplugged for a good ol' sing-along of their song River Road. Oh, and the lemon slice they baked! One bite was definitely not enough. x

Unconvention Brisbane

Unconvention Brisbane, 2011

Last weekend saw us immersing ourselves in Brisbane’s very own music conference, Unconvention. And boy, was it awesome!

This independent, not-for-profit conference was a blast; we spent two days at panels, workshops, alcohol-fueled networking events (yes please) and generally just had a good time.

The panels covered a broad range of topics, from the Kellie Lloyd-led Sustaining the Chaos to the very interesting Music Geekery with Jaymis Loveday. Now, we’re not usually up and about by 10 o’clock on a Saturday morning, but we made it to the first panel nice and early, and we weren’t disappointed. The first discussion - which was all about failure - turned into an interesting talk about what defines failure, and it was a credit having people such as Leanne De Souza (manager of The Medics), Rick Chazan (manager of The Boat People, Emma Louise) and local muso Edward Guglielmino, among others, there to impart interesting personal stories. The great insight these presenters provided continued throughout the whole weekend and set up the conference to be a success, not a failure.

Saturday’s lunch time show (what good music conference doesn’t involve live music?) started with Hannah Macklin & The Maxwells, whose brand of soul lifted the mood on such a dreary, overcast day. Then came Velociraptor. After hearing front man Jeremy Neale talk on one of the panels the next day, we’ve decided to give him and his band a touch more respect - but at the time... we weren’t really fans. About 8 out of 12 ‘velociraptors’ turned up on the day, and I’m kind of glad they weren’t all there. It basically seems like Jeremy Neale asked his friends who wants to start a band and then didn’t have the heart to say no to the 9 or so guitarists who put their hands up. We probably had more fun watching the guitarist from Hannah Macklin’s band jumping around in a Spiderman suit and tackling one of the drunk/high guitarists. Props to the band for not giving a shit though. They sure looked like they were having fun, and in an indoor venue with a better sound setup, their garage/brit rock sound would probably hit the spot!

The heat turned up at the next panel, which saw a discussion on Documenting Brisbane Music present different viewpoints from the eclectic presenters, one of whom was music critic Everett True. It was an awesome discussion from him and the other panelists, but lets just say we decided not to go to his workshop after hearing what he had to say. Instead we popped in to learn about How To Run Your Own Venue with Annie Te Whiu. Much valuable networking was done, and a bottle of red was shared. Cheers Annie.

The highlight of the weekend was had at the networking drinks on the Saturday evening. Along with good music from Jhonny Russel, Potato Masta and Pear and the Awkward Orchestra, we quite enjoyed the free booze. A bar tab of $1000 is ALWAYS a good idea... Except when Sunday’s panels start at 10am. But after a wonderful night of drinking, laughing, and that cliche of a word we heard so much about - networking, most people turned up the next morning to get back into the swing of things. Lets just forget about the hangovers, okay?

Sunday involved a lively discussion-slash-argument about live venues in Brisbane, which probably could have gone on for a few more hours, but had to be cut short for lunch and our next treating of live music. The lovely Blame Ringo put on a stellar performance for the somewhat weary eyed attendees, and I’m sure Goodbye Gravity did the same. However when we saw an electric drum kit, we ran, instead deciding to have a quick nap upstairs.

After a look into the hiphop/electronic/nintendo side of the music scene, Unconvention finished on a high with one of the most intelligent discussions of the weekend. Kellie Lloyd, Dan Kelly (yes, him!), Dom Miller, Jeremy Neale, Julia Bridger and Chris Hunter spoke about how the music industry has affected their lives. It was a pretty cool end to a great weekend.

We had a bunch of fun, made some connections and new friends, had a couple of drinks, ate about 20 free snags and felt a whole new surge of inspiration. Oh, and it was only $35, so yes, you did miss out. We cannot wait for next year’s Unconvention!