Guineafowl

Thursday 18 March 2010

Venue: Oxford Art Factory

Support band:The Cadres

When I was invited to see Guineafowl I went because it was free and I like Oxford Art Factory. I’ll admit I was pretty sceptical that I would actually enjoy Guineafowl because all I had read was that after making a few demo recordings on his laptop the lead musician/vocalist began performing solo e.g. in someone's kitchen before getting a band together. By the sound of that I thought they would be a very electro computer generated based band. Especially as Guineafowl have been labelled as ‘Indie-tronic’.

When you approach a band with this kind of scepticism it reflects wonders on the band if they are able to actually flip your initial judgment completely and win you over. This is what Guineafowl did for me. I would opt to see them again even over a much more established band.

There are definitely enough band members with instruments in tow to ensure this band is not too on the computer sampling side of things. I would even go as far to say they look pretty cluttered and could lose at least one member. They are described well on polaroidsofandroids.com as "creating a lovely brand of cluttered jangly electro pop". Guineafowl have strong guitar riffs but it is the lead singer’s voice that really makes this band. His voice has been described by triple j presenters as having similar qualities to Talking Heads singer David Byrne. I notice this likeness most in track ‘Little Fingers’; the chorus sounds exactly like Byrne.

Guineafowl definitely don’t give off the all too familiar Sydney band vibe of trying to present themselves as being too cool for anything. They have catchy lyrics and a really fun feel. I’ll admit I have become very friendly with their my space page over the last week.


I expect big things from this band. ‘Botanist’ the song has been played on Triple J as well as receiving regular airplay on Fbi Radio. I recommend you go along and see them sometime soon for a dance. They are playing at Good God Small Club Wednesday 31 March with Bridezilla.

There’s an interview with Guinea fowl here.

And I’ll end with a quick mention to The Cadres; indie-rock four piece. This band are not afraid to be loud and appear to be quite Nice guys if you care to read this article. You can find their music here.

PIXIES

Sunday 14 March 2010

Venue: Hordern Pavilion

Support band: The Art

The re-united Pixies are celebrating the two decade anniversary of their classic album Doolittle with a massive tour. I attended the first of three Sydney shows at Hordern Pavilion.

When I walked in to see support band ‘The Art’ (Sydney band from Newtown) I thought Wow! All girls; it’s a Riot Grrrl band. Then shortly later realised that there was actually only one girl in the band and the other three members were just really skinny long haired make-up’d men who sounded faultlessly like women. This realisation really took the novelty away. Seeing them live was fine the main vocalist was moving around keeping the audience interested enough but when I listened to their songs at home I cringed immensely, especially at the line in track ‘I wanna know’ – “The truth is just like Christmas Santa Claus isn’t real” such a ridiculous lyric. I encourage you to make up your own mind though by visiting their myspace page.

Next up; the prestigious Pixies. Pixies Music Documentary loudQUIETloud issued by Music Video Distributors is as good a way to define the Pixies sound as any. The Pixies are one of my all time favourite bands. I missed out on the chance to see them when they played at V festival in 2007 and was devastated because I thought I would never get the chance to see them before I died.

I found out about the Pixies when I was much younger and going through an extreme Nirvana stage because The Pixies were the main influence on Kurt Cobain and Cobain’s acknowledgement of his debt to the Pixies along with other alternative bands ensured the Pixies legacy. The Pixies and the band Dinosaur Jr started virtually around the same time and were equally responsible for injecting late 80’s alternative rock music with large amounts of pure guitar noise. Dinosaur Jr also had a Sydney show recently which was reviewed by blogger Kicking Against The Pricks which I encourage you to check out.

The Pixies began the set playing four related B-side tracks. I am no expert at writing a set-list but I think it would have been more ideal to start off with a classic from the album and then slip b-side tracks in between album tracks through out. I understand the cool factor of hearing B-side tracks live especially as Kim Deal (bassist) remarked ‘Some of these b-side tracks have never been played live’ but it is not a good way to get the crowd going.

This was the first show I have been to where it was being recorded for the purpose of being able to purchase a CD copy straight after the show and I found it interesting that they could record, edit and sell such large amounts of ‘high-quality CDs’. Perhaps there was only basic editing or no editing at all.

There were a lot of people yelling (including myself) "I love you Kim" in the gaps between songs. I have never before witnessed such love for a bass player. But Kim Deal is not just any bass player. She is songwriter, lead vocals and guitar for band ‘The Breeders’ with four studio albums to their name and hit single "Cannonball".

Kim Deal is lead vocals on Pixies track ‘Into the White’ which was accompanied by a white smoke machine in the show, symbolising the transition between the end of Encore one and beginning of Encore two. Yes, there were two encores which included tracks from the album Surfer Rosa ‘Where is my mind’ and ‘Gigantic’. The Pixies full set-list from the night can be viewed here.

Everyone naturally knew all the words to every song (except the B-sides) and sang at the top of their lungs. Which shows passion but I obviously wanted to hear Frank Black’s version. I know that is what comes with every live show; if you want to hear just the band listen to the CD at home but I feel with classic bands like the Pixies the crowd participation is much more intense than usual and can really overpower the performer.

I think because my expectations were so high leading into the event I was really only setting myself up for some degree of disappointment. Don’t get me wrong. The Pixies were amazing. I love that I had the opportunity to see them. But because I was not born in my preferred generation I missed out on the chance to see them at their prime. I would have preferred to see just a straight Pixies show with a mixture of tracks from all of their albums instead of just a Doolittle based concert. But you take what you can get and all factors considered I still adore the Pixies and would see them again in a heartbeat.

WASHINGTON

Thursday 11 March 2010

Venue: Brass Monkey Cronulla

Support bands: Rat vs Possum and Scott Spark

I will start this review off with a quote from Edgar Allan Poe “I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat.” I shall now commence to write not quite as mysterious as a cat but hopefully not as obviously as a dog.

Support Scott Spark sang solo on his keyboard. It was as simple as - he tried and he failed. His music was without any lustre of potential; boring and uneventful. Rat vs. Possum the second support however were entrancing with their crazy tribal drumming fuelled pop and communal screams. Definitely a band to take a look at (www.myspace.com/ratvspossum).

Washington I am now a convert. When I first saw her at Falls festival I paid little attention as a general musical preference I don’t like female voices in a pop context so I boxed her as just another sweet pop-y girl with no real talent and nothing new to offer. But after seeing her at such an intimate setting I see why she has generated so much attention. Megan Washington took to the stage in a black top with feathers pointing up all around her neck instantly engaging with the audience making a remark about the flexibility of a girl she’d seen at Northies; she had obviously just witnessed Northies very classy (sarcasm) pole dancing Thursday nights. The drummer shared the joke ‘a skeleton walks into a bar and asks for a beer and a mop’ and it must have been a personal joke with Megan as she began to laugh hysterically. Megan’s talking to the crowd and her band throughout the set created a really relaxed friendly atmosphere.

Her songs are catchy; not in a bad commercial radio way designed to be put in the next available advertisement kind of catchy just fun and hard not to like. She played a few songs without the backing band; just her keyboard and a cover of Sublime’s ‘Santeria’ coming across really genuine. She has a strong voice and has already received a lot of accolades; in November 2008 they were announced as Triple J’s Unearthed winners and in December 2009 Megan won the inaugural Vanda and Young song writing competition.

After this headline tour in support of their ‘How To Tame Lions’ EP they are off to Texas to play the SXSW festival (the festival I have dreamed of attending for the last few years and will one day attend). Many bands generate a lot of attention after playing this festival and go on to do great things. I wish them the best. I personally don’t intend on buying their album once it’s released as it’s not really my thing but I think once an album is released it is sure to be a success. And if I get the chance to see her live again I would because she provides the bang for your buck as far as entertainment is concerned; her personality shines through and sells the live show.

Listen to Washington here.

The Jezabels

Saturday 6 March 2010

Venue: Town Recital Hall

Tonight was the re-opening night of Sydney’s Town recital hall. It was one of the most beautiful venues I have ever had the chance to visit. Walking up those big steps (where a red carpet had been layed for the event) into rooms with the highest ceilings, hanging lights and stained glass windows was impressive. There is a massive organ behind the stage that gives an almost church like grandeur feel and a white marble grand stair case that sweeps up from the foyer to seating levels above. As per the town hall website the venue was designed in a ‘shoebox shape, proven worldwide as the ideal shape for hearing western classical music. Based on the classical configuration of the 19th century European concert hall’.

The event was free in spirit of the re-opening but didn’t seem to be very widely publicised reflected in the lack of numbers. Bands that performed on the night included; Jack Ladder, The Jezabels, Decoder Ring and Bertie Blackman. For a good review of Decoder Ring’s performance on this night please visit this fellow blogger House of the Risin’ Sun’s post.

The Jezabels are a 4 piece band from Sydney; vocals, drums, guitar and a keyboard. They’re genre is classic pop sound blended with rock and folk elements. Hayley Mary can really sing. Her voice is truly sophisticated and emotionally raw at the same time. If she was to be replaced I’m not sure if someone else could sing the Jezabels lyrics with her intensity. They have 2 E.P’s out. The most well known tracks would be ‘Disco biscuit love’ and ‘Hurt me’. When both these songs were played the whole band really seemed to light up and come together more powerfully. I have seen the Jezabels play before and Hayley can be a bit stiff at times but she took her shoes off towards the end of the performance and started moving around a lot more. They’re due to support Tegan and Sara for their Australian tour in May this year. I think the Jezabels are still trying to find an audience; not that they don’t have a small one already but they have supported a variety of acts over the last few years and they need to find a larger following that really gets behind them. Interestingly they have received airplay in the United States, where they hit #4 on the most added chart of US college radio in August 2009 so maybe there is something for them to pursue over there.

Follow this link to check out some of their music.

Phoenix

Tuesday 2 March 2010

Venue: Hordern Pavilion

Support band: Miami horror

I really like Miami horror. I would not buy their c.d. but they’re a good band to see live. Having seen them recently at falls festival counting down to the new year they brought back good memories. Miami horror are an electro-pop act who sample so many bands it would be hard not to enjoy them. Their remix of Datarock’s FaFaFa is a highlight. If you want to read more about Miami horror there is an interview with them here. I think it’s always going to be hard for this kind of band to fill the support slot. Because they really produce at their core dance music in the sense that you need to dance with it to enjoy it and at shows I have noticed people are usually too nervous about dancing at the beginning of the night (they need to get a few drinks into them first).

It was an all ages event and I’ve now discovered Hordern is one of the best venues to have an all ages show because it is so dark that you don’t even notice you’re surrounded by juveniles and since not everyone is 18 the line for the bar is short and sweet.

And now to Phoenix, well I’m not going to spend nearly $80 to see a band I don’t care much for so my review is definitely on the favourable side. Phoenix are an alt-rock French band who started out as the backing band for a remix of Air’s ‘Kelly watch the stars’ single. They have since released 4 studio albums and are a Grammy award winning act; definitely conquering the world of soft rock. Music webzine Pitchfork captures my opinion of phoenix well in a review posted after Phoenix’s 3^rd album was released commenting ‘(music) that could slot into the playlists of hipsters and receptionists alike.’ I last saw phoenix when they came out in August and played at the Enmore. Usually when a band progresses to a bigger venue you lose a lot of intimacy. But when you go to see Phoenix I think you are just looking for a good time and a dance and Hordern is great for that. They ploughed neatly through the set list and it was exactly like dancing to Phoenix in a club but Thomas Mars (vocals) is actually there with you. The crazy lighting that accompanies their live show is to blame for my lack of photographs and at times made it hard to see the band. That aside, it was a very good night out.

Magnifique! j'aime Phoenix