2009 Concert Reviews: Yves Klein Blue at Northcote Social Club 10/07/2009

Yves Klein Blue gave a rousing performance at the Northcote Social Club a few Fridays ago in support of their first full length album 'Ragged & Ecstatic'. I have to say I hadn't really heard much of them as I don't really listen to the radio and I usually discover a band via word of mouth or through music magazines. However, a mate suggested going to this and I jumped at the chance as I need to get back into my Aussie music. It was totally worth it!! The gig was sold out so a good solid crowd was there to listen to some great music. They played all their most famous songs including 'Getting Wise' and 'Polka' from the car ad (for those that live in Oz). If I'm talking sound I think they have a bit of Franz Ferdinand thing going with some Cold War Kids in there. The Cold War Kids thing now makes a lot of sense as their record is produced by Kevin Augunas who worked with Cold War Kids. These guys are really something to look out for so don't waste anytime and go check out their work!!!

I have to say I discovered another band, Philadelphia Grand Jury who blew me away and I have to admit I might just like them a little bit more than Yves Klein Blue...sorry I can't help it. You can listen to some of their stuff here. Also, you MUST see them live wherever you are. I can't remember the other support act's name but they were fairly good and I can only describe their sound as power-pop. The venue itself was great...it had a real grunge vibe and I think it can rival some of the more famous Melbourne venues like East Brunswick Club and the Espy.

Anyways, my friends and I were lucky enough to have our photo taken at the gig so their below and click here for the actual gig piccies. It looks good doesn't it...

Green Day 21st Century Breakdown Australian Tour

Green Day will tour down under at the end of the year. I am surprised they are coming so soon but they have a pretty massive fan base here so I guess they're capitalizing on that. I have to say I've always been a bit wary of bands that have been in the indie/punk or whatever scene and then suddenly become commercially successful. However, in the case of Green Day I think they deserve it and I'm impressed by how many youngsters (I guess 16 and younger...btw this makes me feel really old) have taken to their old stuff and know more about their history and music than me.

I don't think 21st Century Breakdown has been as MEGA as American Idiot but I do think that American Idiot was perfectly timed for the band as it fitted right into pop & political culture of the time. I will be honest with you I haven't heard the whole of 21st Century Breakdown only the two singles and the B-side but when I do I'll definitely tell you what I think!

Well the shows for this year look to be only one per major capital city but it seems there is room for more if they do so sell well. I doubt I'll be going to this one since I saw them in 2005 on their American Idiot World Tour. They were great live and it was made even better by the fact that the last Melbourne show was the official end of the worldwide tour for AI so it was pretty special. However, I don't think I'm willing to part with my $ for this one.

DATES
Friday December 4th: Perth, Burswood Dome
Sunday December 6th: Adelaide, Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Tuesday December 8th: Brisbane, Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Friday December 11th: Sydney, Acer Arena
Monday December 14th: Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena

Tickets go on sale through Ticketek tomorrow the 25th of June to the 26th for the Presale. Please visit the above link for further details as you have to get a special code for it and the time tickets go on sale differ from city to city. Tickets for the general public are on sale on July 1st @ 9am. Happy ticket buying!

The Circus Starring Britney Spears Live in Oz...

Britney is finally doing a full tour here in November and yes, I remember when she first arrived on the pop scene and was perceived as an innocent girl singing pop tunes when in fact they are layered with double meanings. Who could have guessed the rollercoaster career she has had?? Anyways, I was never a fan but now I can appreciate her songs as just catchy little pop songs, nothing more, Also, they often translate to amazing covers e.g. Travis' version of Hit Me Baby One More Time and Lily Allen's Womanizer.





I have no doubt she will draw a large crowd to her Down Under shows and I won't be going but maybe some of you guys in the blogosphere want to so here are the details...

November 6th: Perth, Burswood Dome
November 11th: Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
November 12th: Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
November 19th: Sydney, Acer Arena
November 20th: Sydney, Acer Arena
November 24th: Brisbane, Brisbane Entertainment Centre

Tickets will be available through Ticketek on Monday June 29th to Wednesday July 1st for the Visa Entertainment Internet Pre-sale and Friday July 3rd for the General Public.

2009 Concert Reviews: Little Red at Hi-Fi Bar 8/5/09

I can honestly say that Little Red is one of the most unique bands out there. First, there is no official lead singer as it rotates among three talented guys. There are five members and they all sing harmonies except the drummer who is extremely entertaining as it is with his Ringo Starr head bob. Second, their energy feeds off into the crowd which makes for a great time for all and vice versa. Third, they have the talent to be a much bigger band so commercial radio and TV play LITTLE RED NOW!!

Before the gig really started my friend said she did not expect the crowd that were there but I knew differently as Little Red appeal to the hipster and retro crowd. By the way, there is nothing wrong with hipster gear and those that like retro clothing as I like some of it. The Hi-Fi Bar is a classic Melbourne venue, one I’ve been to many times even for underage gigs so I definitely love it and will continue to go there until I decide to stop going to gigs or leave Melbourne. The first support band, Young Lovers were really decent. They have a pretty straight forward indie-rock sound that is similar to the Britpop of the 90s and most importantly after the gig I felt they complimented Little Red’s 60s/70s-ish sound. I’ll probably be down at JB to buy their EP because I think they have a future worth watching. The second act, Ground Components was different to say the least. These guys combine rock with an interesting use of Latin conga and bongo drums, keys and standard guitars and drums. The music is fantastic but the vocals are strange and that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad as it just left me perplexed. The lead singer does a lot of screaming which does not match the style of music they play and I have to admit when I first heard them play I knew it was going to be good but then the singer started and my friend and I both gave each other confused looks. He has some Peter Garrett dance moves which were great as at least he and the rest of the band gave a lot. Also, I should say the guitarist broke his foot and played the entire show in a chair...good one as I can imagine how uncomfortable he was.

Now onto the main event...Little Red. As soon as Ground Components finished their set much of the crowd left the bar and moved to the pit and surrounding area. My mate and I found a good spot and hung out for the start. As I said before they certainly know how to put on a good show and I think they were excited to be playing their hometown crowd. They showcased tracks from their LP, Listen to Little Red and some new tracks. I like the fact that they appreciate good music and I adore most music from the 60s so this appeals to me on a personal level. There is also a bluesy feel which was particularly evident in the live setting and some of the new songs. The crowd was also really into it and many people knew the words to all the song (minus any new ones) and enthusiastically responded to any crowd participation initiated. For the last song before the encore Ground Components and I guess a couple of both bands’ friends joined Little Red on stage in a mass of dancing and other randomness. Little Red’s set ended with a new song and a classic so we could all go home happy.

All I have to say is if this is what Melbourne and Oz, for that matter is producing then there is nothing to worry about. Enjoy all the photos!
This particular photo is credited to © 2009 herve photographic at FasterLouder.com.au as my bestest mate and I were lucky enough to be photographed for the website above. There are more photos from this particular gig and many others under the Photos link plus news on the latest gigs happening around Oz.

Photos © 2009 music=love

Record Store Day Australia 2009

Well hello folks...

Guess what time of year.....it's RECORD STORE DAY. The Aussie part is being held on Saturday April 18th (yes, that is tomorrow) with a whole lot of events being staged at different record stores across Australia. I think the idea behind this event is awesome as record stores are slowly fading away, I'm talking about the small ones not chain stores with the wave of downloading that is going on these days. The same goes for the album which has given rise to the importance of the single. I personally love walking through the different sections of a record store looking for the album I had planned to get but stumbling on other bands and singers I haven't heard of and walking out with their albums too. I also miss talking to people who work at record stores about what they are listening to. Ok, enough about the state of the music industry. If you are in Australia please go tomorrow and support record stores and for those elsewhere I think there are worldwide events in all major cities.

Visit Record Store Day Australia for the timetable of events happening across Australia and all the other info you might need.

Also, is anyone planning to go? I think I might head to Basement Discs in the city, I've always loved that place. Ohhh....Little Birdy looks promising too.

Cya all there!

2009 Concert Reviews: V Festival Melbourne - KAISER CHIEFS

I'm back again revisiting the V Festival. I absolutely loved the Kaiser Chiefs' set which was amazing because of the enormous amount of energy they put into their performance which gave us all something special. The band, led by Ricky Wilson were consummate showmen whose excitement fed into ours and vice versa. We danced when Ricky danced, screamed like girls at a Jo Bros concert when he ventured into the crowd and ohhhhed and ahhhhed when he was climbing the scaffolding towards the side of the stage I was rocking out at.

The setlist was a full assault of their great indie hits and the band as a whole sounded right on, like a band that knew they wanted to get the whole crowd off. The crowd felt this and my brother and I sang our little hearts out along with most of the audience. Even those around me who were really hanging our for The Killers were like these guys aint bad and were ready to buy their records. I have to say with the benefit of hindsight they were on equal footing with The Killers in terms of setlist, performance, environment and band presence and charisma. They certainly held their own and are worthy of headlining festivals in the future. COME BACK SOON GUYS!!!

Setlist is as follows:

1. Spanish Metal
2. Everyday I Love You Less and Less
3. Everything Is Average Nowadays
4. You Want History
5. Ruby
6. Good Days Bad Days
7. Na Na Na Na Naa
8. Love's Not a Competition (But I'm Winning)
9. Modern Way
10. Never Miss a Beat
11. I Predict a Riot
12. Take My Temperature
13. The Angry Mob
14. Oh My God

Photos:
Photos © 2009 music=loveHEADLINERS - THE FANTABULOUS KILLERS are next!

2009 Concert Reviews: V Festival Melbourne - RAZORLIGHT

I'm back with Razorlight's set. I got a bit distracted with a few other things so I couldn't get it up right away. I have to say they are an awesome band and I was really into them about 5 yrs. ago but I got distracted with a number of other Brit bands e.g. the Kaisers who I honestly thought were better.

However, seeing them now reminded me why I liked them in the first place. I was a big fan of 'Up All Night' and 'America' from the second album but that was really it. I don't know any of the songs from their latest 'Slipway Fires' which was released at the end of 2008 but luckily they played a lot of their older stuff which got the most cheers anyways. I went nuts like a real fan girl when they played 'Golden Touch' and 'Up All Night'...it made me very happy. Johnny Borrell is an excellent front man...heaps of charisma and just the good ole' dirty rock and roll attitude. The rest of the band were in top form so Johhny could do his thing but I do think a lot of their sounds similar and that is maybe why I haven't been so interested in what they were up to. But I do reccommend that you see them live as they certainly deliver on stage. Should I get the new record? Can anyone tell me if it is worth getting?

Overall, totallly worth seeing but I guess I would have said the same thing if I had been to the Kills instead who I'm sad I missed but I did not want to give up our second row spots. Well photos below... KAISER CHIEFS NEXT!!!!!!!
Photos © 2009 music=love

2009 Concert Reviews: V Festival Melbourne - DUFFY

The Melbourne leg of the V Festival was last Saturday and boy, did my bro. and I enjoy it. This festival is way underrated in Oz as it seems to be more laid back than say the Big Day Out. It obviously does not have as many bands as many other festivals do but if the quality is there, like it was this year than I don't care. Remember quality over quantity. I got to see 3 great bands in a row in a great position. V is for over 18's only which seems to attract less (not all) dick heads who are there to ruin other people's good time rather than just chill and enjoy some good music.

We got there fairly early as I wanted to go see Duffy. I must say she was very good. I love her record but I didn't know how she would sing it live because the sound the album has a lot to do with the way it was produced. She had an amazing backing band and these two twin back up dancers that had the same hair, makeup and outfit which just added to the 60s throwback. I was very impressed and wouldn't mind seeing her solo show with just her fans. She didn't get as large a crowd as she probably would have gotten in Europe but I think she enjoyed herself. By the way, the crowd up front was full of diehard fans which is not unusual in the festival setting, but I think she managed to convert some of those punters that were either casual fans or strolling by. Piccies below...

Photos © 2009 music=love

After Duffy we had a 2 hr. break so we caught a bit of Elbow from the stands and it was good. I haven't really heard anything from them except for their brilliant cover of U2's 'Running to Stand Still'. We left early to go to check out Jenny Lewis who was playing on the same stage as the 'Big 3' (Razorlight, Kaiser Chiefs and the Killers) and this was the perfect opportunity to get a good spot near the front, and we did, and this remained our spot for all 3 bands' sets. She was actually really good and it didn't feel like we were just buying time until Razorlight took the stage. She held her own even though many people, including us did not know who she was. I must get her album as she has this country and folk sound but still very contemporary which I like.

Anyways, I will update each act in separate posts with pictures so look out for RAZORLIGHT next!!

Loz

Simon and Garfunkel Live Down Under

All you Aussie and NZ Simon and Garfunkel fans the legendary duo are coming for 8 concerts here in the land of Vegemite and the land of sheep. They have not been down under since 1983ish so it will be nice to see them at home and probably for the last time as I doubt they will be doing another world tour after this.

It starts in Auckland on June 13th 2009 and most importantly two shows at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena June 25 & 26 2009. It should be amazing and hopefully they play loads of classics. I am very, very tempted to go to this and I know my parents would be very interested...decisions. Well, tix go on sale on April 17th and hopefully they will be recession proof like U2 but I doubt it since the band don't tour that often.