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ST JEROME’S LANEWAY FESTIVAL |
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ALEXANDRIA ST: 29.01.10
The much-threatened inclement weather hasn’t deterred a massive throng of indie fans from turning up early to the fourth Brisbane instalment of the St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, and a teeming mass of humanity snakes down the blocked-off road in orderly lines which converge towards the venue’s gates as the first of today’s acts commence proceedings.
Those lucky enough to make it in early enough to catch the set from local indie rocker Last Dinosaurs aren’t disappointed, as the four-piece play an upbeat and infectious set of their indie pop-rock to a swelling and appreciative crowd. They seem far more assured than during recent outings, as if the impending release of their debut EP has given them an extra dose of swagger and self-confidence. A band certifiably on the rise.
Most of the crowd are still adapting to their surroundings, but a decent swarm of people manage to catch a bit of Brooklyn’s Black Gold. It’s a little surprising to see them in full band mode as most punters would have been expecting them to appear as a duo, but the additional players fill out the sound perfectly and deliver the sweet tunes from Black Gold’s debut album Rush with the fullness they deserve.
Kicking things off in Building 10, local lads Comic Sans provide some high energy, riff heavy tunes for those that were lucky enough to make it through the gates early. Their dance-inducing songs, made possible with two drummers and a whole lot of synth, leave the triple j Unearthed winners sweat-soaked and just a little bit cocky. On songs ‘Tom Moore’ and ‘Nani’ guitarist Tom Stevenson’s voice seems rather similar to that of an evil genius.
Whitley, travelling with a full backing band, graces the open air Alexandria St stage just as a few droplets begin to fall. Luckily his soaring voice seems to ward off the rain as he performed songs off new album Go Forth, Find Mammoth. The ever-comical Whitley entertains the crowd with his witty banter before taking things down a notch, serenading the crowd with his tantalising guitar and lyrical beauty.
American new wave dance exponents Hockey eschew festival convention and subject the patient crowd to a lengthy soundcheck, before the keyboard-driven five-piece burst into the catchy ‘Work’ and hit the ground running, with frontman Benjamin Grubin ending the song by grabbing some spare drumsticks and adding some sporadically in time extra percussion. The loose groove of ‘Learn To Lose’ finally gets feet moving, before they burst into the infectious opening bars of ‘Song Away’ and the crowd go crazy with familiarity amid the feelgood melodies and slacker party vibes.
Kid Sam’s Kieran Ryan comes out to the Car Park stage armed with only his black Les Paul and proceeds to fill the air with a liltingly spooky ballad, bringing a sensed of intensity to proceedings early on. He is soon joined by drummer Kishore Ryan, who comes in big and strong, projecting an enormous sound for such a diminutive setup. The catchy and kind of groovy ‘Down To The Cemetery’ picks the pace of the set up a bit before a very brave and frankly excellently executed cover of Jonathan Richman’s fantastic ‘Hospital’ from the first Modern Lovers LP. It’s hard to achieve any sense of mood with such a scattered crowd in this open setting, but Kid Sam evoke something and that’s enough.
Emerging Sydney outfit Bridezilla may be young but they are already established festival veterans – having played dozens of such gatherings both in Australia and around the world – and it shows from the get-go, their smooth and comforting atmospherics washing gracefully over the attentive crowd before them. The predominantly female quintet have a tangible camaraderie, although the focus is guitarist and vocalist Holiday Carmen-Sparks, whose ethereal vocals underpin proceedings with aplomb. Saxophinist Millie hall is also in fine fettle, but it’s a group effort today as they glide through the bulk of their recent debut long-player The First Dance.
Beginning a promising set, The Middle East brighten a gloomy day with a swagger of delicate notes that immediately uplift the mood. Instrument changes are galore as they swiftly change from up-tempo folk to ambience and back again. Guitarist Jordan Ireland and keyboardist Bree Tranter’s voices are hauntingly ethereal as are the four-part harmonies. Sadly technical difficulties are apparent in most songs including ‘Blood’ and ‘The Darkest Side’, causing the band to walk off stage in a clearly unhappy frame of mind.
The UK’s Wild Beasts are one of the very many bands on today’s bill that have been hotly tipped by critics around the world, so anyone who isn’t watching their set as a fan is most likely doing so on the back of a certain degree of hype the band has enjoyed. While the chugging krautrock of the band keeps momentum rolling throughout the set in a marvellous fashion, the sound of lead singer Hayden Thorpe’s voice has definitely got the crowd split. His almost operatic range is impressive, but it’s incredibly over the top and for the most part seems to ruin what could have been a fantastic set.
Philadelphia Grand Jury start off with a low key intro for ‘Ready To Roll’ before launching into a full attack with their rough sounding indie punk songs that are only intensified in the guttural surrounds of Building 10. Ending things with ‘The Good News’ and ‘I Don’t Want to Party (Party)’ the Philly Jays show that’s exactly what they’re here to do, with guitarist Berkfinger eating his microphone before bassist MC Bad Genius trashes the stage and launches himself into the crowd.
Adding to the already long delays between sets at stages, Mumford And Sons (possibly the most anticipated of the acts here today) take their time in setting up. Their British darling-boy manner wows the crowd with ‘White Blank Page’ a wooing opener, but surprisingly, in turn, the crowd wow Mumford and his sons. Claiming this as their first Australian show (ever), further along the set it’s revealed in fact to be the biggest crowd they’ve ever played to. The earnest soulful chapters flow forth from debut release Sigh No More: of notable mention is ‘Dust Bowl Dance’, and of course ‘Little Lion Man’ has the crowd elated and singing in unison and ‘The Cave’ sees the Laneway Carpark stage heaving a sigh for the Mumford set is complete.
Daniel Johnston breaks every rock stereotype there is! Seeing him in the flesh for the first time makes everything that’s wrong with Johnston the same as everything that’s right with his songs. Starting off solo and then performing with a guitarist as a duo gives the crowd the chance to bask in the frailty of songs like ‘Another Day Is Dying’ and some Lennon covers. This is soon replaced with the backing band of Old Man River, a rock combo that are entertaining, but unfortunately drown Daniel out of his own songs.
What is it that makes Dappled Cities special? Well, today it’s skin-tight gold bodysuits! They play a solid set of indie rock tunes with not even the occasional sound issue slowing them down, but in the end they obviously haven’t heeded the advice to never wear outfits with more personality than your songs.
There’s no wonder that Sarah Blasko is one of Australia’s favourite artists right now – she’s the complete package. Tonight she’s playful as ever, engaging the crowd in an understated but incredibly effective manner as she swans through a set of material with effortless class whilst retaining a sense of indie cool. Backing her up, her trusty band don’t miss a beat, just adding to the class of her stage show. ‘Lost & Defeated’ from last year’s much adored As Day Follows Night is a definite highlight in a set with few missteps.
After recently losing their keyboardist, The XX prove that they can easily hack it as a trio. Their blend of down-tempo melodies, throbbing bass and drum samples seems to put the crowd into some sort of trance, which is intensified by guitarist Romy Madley Croft’s super sultry and seductive voice. Bassist Oliver Sims shows he can also work wonders with a pair of drumsticks, snapping the crowd back to reality.
Gathered in the steamy Building 10 stage is a growing crowd of revellers keen to witness the spectacle who comprise The Very Best. Featuring Radioclit DJ producers Johan Karlberg and Etienne Tron as well as Malawian vocalist Esau Mwamwaya, a high-energy tribal beat gets underway and perhaps it’s the tinny warehouse audio quality that does it (or perhaps it’s the cheesy rip-off of Santigold’s dancers and the mixing of MIA’s ‘Paper Planes’ underneath the Malawian’s African-styled vocals) but tonight The Very Best appear to be far from the musical saviours that their name suggests. Still, a lot of the crowd are beguiled by tunes from their album Warm Heart Of Africa, making this a fun and infectious set for many.
Bedraggled gypsies or emotional lightning rods? The Dirty Three sure as hell aren’t Echo & The Bunnymen (who they’ve replaced on today’s bill) but they are a band that never, ever disappoint. With ‘Indian Love Song’ and ‘Everything Is Fucked’ almost unrecognisable classics, Ellis and Co. deconstruct and scatter the remnants of celestial music (like ‘Sue’s Last Ride’) not made for a carpark full of the curious.
Atlanta’s Black Lips bring all the grit that’s needed to today’s bill. The sun has set, we’re all drunk and they’re ready to get this party started as only they can. ‘Dirty Hands’ from 2005’s Let It Bloom is an early highlight before a spooky extended intro bursts into the raucous ‘O Katrina’ from their 2007 masterpiece Good Bad Not Evil and the slam dancers at the head of the crowd erupt. Anyone looking for any of the trademarks from the band’s live show aren’t disappointed – there’s kissing, spitting, heads smashed on microphones and plenty of dirty garage rock that prove that no one can do ‘fucked up’ quite as well as Black Lips can. ‘Hippie Hippie Hoorah’, ‘Boomerang’ and ‘Cold Hands are all highlights as the set progresses, but it’s not until the band finishes on ‘Bad Kids’ that everyone truly loses their shit. If you walked away from this set without a smile on your face, we pray for your soul.
Florence And The Machine finish things off at the Car Park stage with style. Adorned with leather, studs and fiery red hair, Florence demands attention, feeding off the crowd and even instructing them on how to jump during ‘Dog Days Are Over’. The Machine provides a simple but effective soundtrack that complements Florence’s vast vocal range, flaunted via warrior calls and in crowd favourites ‘Cosmic Love’ and ‘You’ve Got To Love’.
Melbourne garage aficionados Eddy Current Suppression Ring bring proceedings to a close at the Alexandria St stage, with be-gloved frontman Brendan Suppression stalking the stage like a madman as they churn through catchy numbers like ‘Memory Lane’ in front of a massive and well-lubricated crowd who are totally up for some pumping rock’n’roll. A slew of typically choppy new material is displayed early (their third album is due out in the not-too-distant future) and the inspiring guitar work of Mikey Young is as prominent in these as ever, but it’s familiar tunes like the pummelling ‘Which Way To Go’ and ‘Colour Television’ which have the crowd in raptures and show just why this band is being lauded as one of the few truly original and authentic Oz rock bands doing the rounds today.
And so with the last of the stage acts and live bands calling it a night, that just leaves NASA, their gaggle of dancing martians and the sadly neglected Radioclit to rave it up in the part-time chook shed and mop up any stragglers. After a day of pop and rock… thumping house, funky dance and the odd remixed 90s hit isn’t enough to keep more than a small and dwindling crowd partying on.
All in all this evening the weather gods were defeated by the awesome and unrelenting power of popular music, and as the contented crowds wander back towards the familiar confines of Fortitude Valley the biggest – and many would say best (so far) – instalment of the popular Laneway Festival draws to a close for another year.
RUTH BAILEY, DAN CONDON, ALEX GILLIES, ADAM PATTISON, RACHEL TINNEY
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THE TIVOLI: 30.01.10
A lady of the stature of Marianne Faithfull needs no introduction or warm-up as the seated surrounds of The Tivoli fast fill to capacity in anticipation of tonight’s long overdue performance.
Flanked by a seven-piece band on piano, brass, guitars, bass and percussion, the stylish Faithfull is gracious as she takes her place centre stage. A wonderful interpreter of songs as much a songwriter herself, Dolly Parton’s ‘Down From Dover’, The Decemberists’ ‘Crane Wife 3’ and Neko Case’s ‘Hold On, Hold On’ are amongst the songs that Faithfull easily makes her own. It is, however, the siren’s song that defines Marianne Faithfull and so it’s with the simmering jazz of Billie Holiday’s ‘In My Solitude’ and her own ‘Crazy Love’ that the weathered timbre of her voice holds you tight.
At the age of 64, it’s as much Faithfull’s tenacity as it is her ability that drives her and this is most apparent when taking on rockier numbers like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s ‘Salvation’ and in particular a statically discordant version of ‘Broken English’ – it’s here that we find a woman wanting to entertain regardless of her age or the toll her youth has taken on her. Coming from the folk circles of the 60s it’s with jubilance that she returns to ‘The Ballad of Lucy Jordan’, Jackson Frank’s ‘Kimbie’ and her own debut song, ‘As Tears Go By’.
The band swoops and sways with Faithfull as she herself seems to drift in and out of the songs – ‘Sister Morphine’ is one such case, where the sheer power of her delivery casts a cold and frigid air across the room. Ending the set with the colourfully crass ‘Why’d You Do It?’ you really do get a sense of the power that still drives Marianne Faithful – thankfully though, she evens the scales with a beautiful encore of Morrissey’s ‘Dear God Please Help Me’ and Merle Haggard’s ‘Sing Me Back Home’.
It’s a wondrous night where your own memories play as much of a part in the songs as the object of our affection does and so it’s fitting that Faithfull ends with a sparse and haunting ‘Strange Weather’ to a rapturous standing ovation.
ALEX GILLIES
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THEM CROOKED VULTURES, ZEAHORSE |
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BRISBANE RIVERSTAGE: 25.01.10
Everyone seems to want to secure a spot for the night early and the Riverstage hill is already jam packed with a massive array of Led Zeppelin, Queens Of The Stone Age, and Nirvana t-shirts, enjoying the pure punk sound of Zeahorse. The relatively fresh four-piece from Sydney offer up a smorgasbord of psychedelic rock with spiky serves of edgy garage punk, mixed through a solid display of effects tweaks and twisting frequencies. The perfect appetiser for the night as guitarists Max Forskett and Morgan Anthony battle to out distort each other for ‘Spiders’ and ‘Rabbit HHHole’ with drummer Julian Crendal approaching the gig like a battle call and wishing to blow as many people away as possible. While they may only get a short set tonight, they leave an impression of a band that must be checked out on their next return to town.
It’s a quick changeover between sets and within no time at all the grassy hill goes dark and four shadowing figures make their way onto the stage: Them Crooked Vultures have arrived. Having only released their debut album a few months ago and with little advance word on their live performances, everyone waits in bated breath to see what sort of show is in store, and as the opening riff to ‘No One Loves Me And Neither Do I’ churns out the tension progressively starts to build, until finally as the bridge hits, and the Riverstage is transformed into a seething mess of rock’n’roll bliss. Working into ‘Dead End Friends’ John Paul Jones dazzles with his overhand slide tricks, while Josh Homme is a commanding presence in front as he towers over all before and behind him and leads the procession into the wild ferocity of ‘Elephants’, which storms in like a tornado that sends the crowd wild, only helped by touring guitarist Alan Johannes. The introduction of “John Paul fucking Jones!” by Homme receives momentous applause from all attending as they drive into b-Side ‘Highway One’, a perfect example of a dynasty of three generations of rock giving a blazing live performance that outshines even the recordings. Up to now, Dave Grohl has stayed relatively in the background until he destroys the final rolls to punch out the end of ‘New Fang’ and instantly proves why he is considered such a master drummer, harnessing power and intensity in equal doses and bringing about one of many “Grohl!” chants of the night. A quick stab of ‘Mind Eraser, No Chaser’ allows Jones to unleash his keytar for ‘Interludes With Ludes’, with Homme pulling out some rather unorthodox dance moves sans guitar. With the rollercoaster about to make its final drop into an illuminating guitar/bass duel an extensive super jam of ‘Warsaw Or The First Breath You Take After You Give Up’ shoots the final bullet of tonight’s gig. It can be said that they only disappointment about these three worlds colliding is that it’s set the bar for subsequent shows in 2010 so fucking high.
MARK BERESFORD
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DIRTY THREE, LAUGHING CLOWNS |
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THE TIVOLI: 25.01.10
The incredible Don’t Look Back series continues its Australian incarnation tonight with album recreations from two of Australia’s most loved underground acts. An elegant crowd has turned out in great numbers tonight, and they’re treated to a beautiful run-through of Laughing Clowns’ 1984 singles compilation History Of Rock’N’Roll Volume One. The album’s title is quite misleading as Ed Kuepper’s gang deliver a set of jazz-infused post-punk – the sound better than their prodigal return at GoMA last year (their first Brisbane performance in some 25 years). Early on the avant-garde meanderings of ‘Every Dog Has Its Day’ lead into the undoubted set highlight ‘Holy Joe’, with saxophonist Louise Elliott proving to be in particularly fine form. Despite their long absence the Clowns display an easy camaraderie. The epic titular track‘The Laughing Clowns’ dampens the sense of foreboding built by the preceding number, before ‘Everything That Flies’ leads into the droning beauty of closing track ‘Collapse Board’, bringing to an end a set perfect in its mix of the serene with the intricate.
Dirty Three are, without question, the loudest band this reviewer has ever had the pleasure of witnessing, beating out scores of heavy rock and metal contenders. With only Ocean Songs on the cards tonight, a record Warren Ellis himself describes as “a quiet album”, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this meant that the ears of the humble punter would be given respite from the sort of ball-tearing performances the band is known for. Surely you jest.
Straight off with track one, ‘Sirena’, the two most prominent physical personalities of the band push themselves to the forefront: Ellis’ hunched, wide stance casts a looming shadow against the backdrop as he shakes his hips and high kicks like a loon; Jim White’s liquid octopus drumming technique is equally mesmerising, his hands appearing to work independently of any conscious guidance. Understated by comparison, guitarist Mick Turner is the glue between Ellis’ wild bowing and White’s free rhythms (let us not forget also that it’s Turner’s graceful hand that illustrates the Three’s album covers).
Two songs in and many people seem to be moved close to tears by the swelling tide of ‘The Restless Waves’. Every note grabs a hold of the heartstrings and drags us under. ‘Authentic Celestial Music’ does likewise, every second of its ten minute length is utterly riveting as it climbs and dives. ‘Sea Above, Sky Below’ stands out as Ellis sings directly into his violin’s pickup and prompts the audience to join in; the song’s main line is a haunting and delicate backbone, sombre and serene.
Between songs Ellis entertains with his charm, and dedicates ‘Black Tide’ to the memory of Rowland S. Howard. The band closes a perfect performance with the soft brushstrokes of ‘Ends of the Earth’. And what colours!
TAL WALLACE
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LOVERS OF MODERN ART, THE HORRORTONES, THE CHEATS |
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THE TROUBADOUR: 22.01.10
The latest in an increasingly long line of drums and guitar duos to emerge from the Australian underground, Melbournian two-piece The Cheats unfortunately contribute little to the format beyond mediocrity. It’s difficult to deride an act so clearly committed to the beauty of stripped-back, unpretentious rock music but, in reality, there simply isn’t enough substance to allow one to truly embrace The Cheats’ style. The duo’s performance tonight is lacking in energy, musicianship and memorable songs. The pair’s decision to close with a messy and ill-conceived cover of The Sweet’s ‘Ballroom Blitz’, meanwhile, only really emphasises their relative lack of experience and maturity.
The Horrortones, fortunately, seem intent on making amends for their predecessors’ shortcomings. The legendary local rock’n’soul covers group are a last-minute addition to tonight’s bill following the cancellation of the Vegas Kings but, despite a professed lack of preparation, the seven-piece effortlessly dominate tonight’s proceedings. Pete Collins is simply one of the most belligerently charismatic vocalists in Brisbane music while, from a technical standpoint, the band are simply excellent musicians. The rhythm section of bassist Ben Dougherty and drummer Jess Seitz alone is astounding but each performer is given permission to shine throughout the band’s marvelous set.
One can practically watch expectations soar out of reach as the Lovers Of Modern Art take to the stage to the bombastic sounds of Carl Orff’s ‘O Fortuna’ but, to the band’s credit, it isn’t until halfway through their set that such expectations come crashing down. The band’s earlier numbers, while lacking the thunder of The Horrortones’, display a tense dynamic that, along with drummer Dave Kemp’s bafflingly inventive rhythms, lend a delicious groove to tracks like ‘I’m Picking Up What You’re Putting Down’. Throughout the band’s set, however, there remains a sense of the ersatz about their performance and an ill-advised cover of The Stooges’ ‘TV Eye’ brings it to the foreground.
An inexplicably taut rendition replete with complicated drum patterns and ‘Simpsons Theme’-quoting keyboard solos, the band’s ‘TV Eye’ reveals that Lovers Of Modern Art are too fascinated by the superficial characteristics of garage-rock to truly understand its underlying values of passion, individualism and escapism. They’re too concerned with sounding like a garage band to ever actually become a garage band. As a result, their live performances inevitably lack passion. Unfortunately, they’ll never get anywhere until they learn to follow something other than an instruction manual.
JAMES BARLOW
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CHALK HOTEL: 24.01.2010
The Chalk Hotel has a cool turf floor outdoors/indoors vibe in both its indie rock bar upstairs and acoustic bar downstairs, as well as DJ sets happening in the Dust Bar for the inaugural Chalkfest launch. Sweet Fern open with a pleasing mix of spiky and quirky acoustic folk songs coloured with cello, harmonies and beatboxing. The Kents follow with experimental rock which becomes dance jangley and epic. As the set progresses from ‘Lot To Do’ the band gets the audience dancing and close strongly. Sam Hales plays acoustic originals and covers. Sam’s soulful folk voice is complemented by his sister Emma’s cello on his song ‘Shooting For The Stars’. Danceable rockers Rob Robot play a tight dynamic set starting with a heavier number. Highlights include ‘5/4’ and ‘Kings’ with the band singing harmonies over the grooves until the end of the set. With an acoustic guitarist Briana Carpenter delivers folky acoustic ballads with a jazzy croon and a soul feel. Her song explanations give the set greater intimacy. Songs like ‘I Don’t Want This Anymore’, ‘Butterflies’ and ‘You Are Mine’ are highlights of a set which leaves a sense of contemplation. The Frets play teen-pleasing energetic pop with big choruses and vocal harmonies. Although their material is aimed at their group of fans, songs ‘We Are The Same’, ‘Should Have Been There’ and ‘Light Years’ are popular with all and sundry. Acoustic chanteuse Madeleine Paige is accompanied by an electric guitarist and delivers acoustic pop in a Feist-like lilting voice. Explaining her heart-on-sleeve songs, ‘When It’s Over And Over Again’ is one of many fine moments in a resonant set. Very Unique Experience launch into prog/pub rock with their keyboardist defining the band’s sound. Their single ‘Looking Down’ and tribute ‘Taylor’s Song’ are well-received by the crowd. Numbers Radio pour raw power into their metal-tinged rock set. Surging through ‘C’mon’ and ‘You Are Invisible’ the band has the crowd moshing throughout and give no respite until the thunderous end.
Berkfinger’s signature pre-recorded banter introduces Philadelphia Grand Jury and ‘No You Don’t’ for the crowd of fans who start moshing immediately. Occasional drummer ‘emergency’ Ivan attracts a vocal cult following but remains blank-faced throughout as the band rip into ‘Ready To Roll’. Following sentimental ‘Growing Up Alone’ with nasty ‘I’m Going To Kill You’ is natural for the audience who slip into the title chorus. After playing favourites ‘Going To The Casino’ and ‘The Good News’ everything ends with the chaotic happiness of ‘I Don’t Wanna Party Party’ in a haze of jamming, stage invasion and the juggernaut crowd invasion by bassist MC Bad Genius.
BILL JOHNSTON
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