Category Archives: Review

Live Review: Tame Impala @ The Tivoli, Brisbane 14 May 2010

Review: Jose Eduardo Cruz

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[Photo: Charlyn Cameron]
  Given that this was a Friday night in Brisbane and it was getting colder by the minute, I wasn’t expecting such a big turn out tonight. But to my surprise the venue was three quarters full and a great atmosphere had already begun to build prior to the headliners entering the stage.

I managed to catch a good part of The Silents’ set which was a good appetizer before the main meal. Very gentle sounds

and everything that a good warm up band should contain. Good sounds, ok mix and great potential to be the headliner in a couple of years.

Tame Impala get onto the stage as if they were walking into their living room to sit down for a jam in front of their friends. Bare feet, smiles and a few beers in hand they each position themselves and prepare. It is so noticeable that it needs to be mentioned, as soon as the first note is played each of the members’ face completely changes and a focused look falls onto their appearance. Gone is the joker side and game face appears. Their eyes say that the one thing that they all came here to do is upon them and the time has arrived to celebrate. Continue reading Live Review: Tame Impala @ The Tivoli, Brisbane 14 May 2010

EP Review: Davey Spicer and the Creatures of Habit – “Tides and Curves”

Review by: Victoria Nugent

  EP Tides and Curves from Brisbane band Davey Spicer and the Creatures of Habit is a collection of blues-inspired rock with its own unique sound.

The trio have played a part in the Brisbane music scene for years, and the EP’s cover reflects this local heritage, showing a photograph of the Brisbane River at night.

Davey Spicer’s vocals and guitar riffs team well with the percussion of Todd Orchard, and bass of Felix Merry to produce a well rounded sound that is somewhat reminiscent of the John Butler Trio.

Bang Bang Baby Goodbye gives the EP a strong start with its funky acoustic guitar riffs and sharp lyrics about a woman taking vengeance on her lover.

Daydream provides a great contrast as a chilled out track, with Spicer’s melodic vocals carrying the poetic lyrics well. Soft & Out of Focus is another more laidback tune, with its Spicer’s gentle strumming complementing his cruisy vocals.

Human Obscene is a much punchier, more aggressive sounding song and like all the EP’s other songs seems to go very quickly. Credentials ends the EP on a sharp note with aggressive lyrics, mocking the idea of dating checklists against a bongos beat and tense guitar.

“Tides and Curves” is a great showcase of the band’s individual take on bluesy rock, which is very easy to listen to with its punchy music and strong lyrics. I get the feeling these guys would be great to hear live, with their music providing the perfect accompaniment to a casual night out in a classic Brisbane pub.

CD Review: Escape The Fate – “This War Is Ours”

Review: Ben Hosking

  Escape the Fate (ETF) just doesn’t know what they want to be. The Las Vegas quartet plays a very American, largely accessible rock/metal blend for the most part. Their tunes switch back and forth between swaggering mid-tempo rockers, unconvincing ballads and even more surprising and bewildering blasts of deep growled passages over menacing riffage.

So just what is it that ETF are trying to achieve? Their vocalist Craig Mabbitt is reminiscent of most of the emasculated faux-metal front men currently in circulation.

You know the kind: a little nasal and still awaiting puberty. This means that they’ll never be fully accepted by the metal or hardcore scenes. Their big choruses and pop sensibilities have helped them to win over 20 million MySpace page views and 400,000 friends; yet they’re far beyond the realms of Australian radio. Continue reading CD Review: Escape The Fate – “This War Is Ours”

Live Review: Jeff Martin @ The Basement, Sydney – 7th May 2010

Review: Ben Hosking
Arriving at Sydney’s iconic Basement at around 8.30pm, one could have been forgiven for thinking that they were arriving early enough to catch a decent viewing point of the stage. Alas, walking into the dimly-lit venue an hour before the scheduled start time – past rows and rows of cattle-like drunken Friday night inner city executives at the bars next door – actually saw punters encounter an already half full concert space.
Clearly, this was going to be a big night.

Thanks to a complete lack of any advertised information, the evening’s opening acts seemed to catch a lot of people unaware, including this reviewer. However, despite the complete rudeness of the audience, both performed well; Brisbane singer/songwriter Pear (aka Stephanie Barros Lees) providing the surprise performance of the night.
Continue reading Live Review: Jeff Martin @ The Basement, Sydney – 7th May 2010

Live Review: Lisa Mitchell @ The Tivoli, Brisbane – 7th May 2010

Review by: Lauren Sherritt
Lisa MitchellHeading to Lisa Mitchell’s gig at The Tivoli on Friday night, I held some pretty general expectations as to what the “Oh! Hark!” tour would have in store for its Brisbane leg. Some of these expectations were met delightfully, others were interestingly challenged, and in all it was a memorable experience.

The Tivoli is undoubtedly the kind of venue you would expect to suit such a whimsical songstress as Mitchell. Upon entering the historic building it was easy to see, with gauzy material curtained from the stage’s rigging and washed colourfully by the bright lights, that this was true. Through strong sets by Georgia Fair and Boy and Bear, who both proved to be stunning choices as a lead in to Mitchell’s set and are definitely bands worth keeping an eye on, the sell-out audience waited, tantalized by the promise such a setting held for a beautiful evening with Mitchell.
Continue reading Live Review: Lisa Mitchell @ The Tivoli, Brisbane – 7th May 2010

Live Review: Ben Sherman Big British Sound 2010 @ Corner Hotel, Richmond 6 May 2010

  Review: Lachlan Sadler

Fashion label Ben Sherman have always had a special relationship with up and coming bands. They have been known to invest heavily in new musicians, and have developed strong relationships with the likes of New Order and The Clash.

The idea of ‘Big British Sound’ was launched in Britain a while back, but this is only the second year that it has taken place in Australia. Essentially, Ben Sherman organises a lineup of impressive Australian acts, they all play a gig together, and each act covers a British song that has influenced them.

Realistically however, it’s just a chance to see some great Aussie acts perform together at the one show.

Melbourne was the first stop for Big British Sound 2010, and The Corner Hotel was the chosen venue. Instead of alternating bands between the venue’s two stages, the organisers opted to have the smaller stage allocated for a DJ that would play between acts on the main stage. Ultimately this decision worked well, providing a bit more of a party atmosphere or- dare I say it- an underground British club feel. Continue reading Live Review: Ben Sherman Big British Sound 2010 @ Corner Hotel, Richmond 6 May 2010

Live Review: The Cult, The Black Ryder @ The Tivoli, Brisbane 5 May 2010

By Denis Semchenko


[Photo by Charlyn Cameron]

The black is the new black and has always been. With The Tivoli already three-quarters-full with classic rock fans, the suitably monochrome-clad openers The Black Ryder roll out a tight neo-shoegaze opening set. Tonight being the Sydney-based band’s biggest support slot to date, principal leaders Miss Aimee Nash and Scott von Ryper (both former members of New York-through-Melbourne combo The Morning After Girls) command the show with their detached, deadpan presence.
Continue reading Live Review: The Cult, The Black Ryder @ The Tivoli, Brisbane 5 May 2010

Review and Photos: Tegan & Sara @ The Tivoli, Brisbane 4 May 2010 w/ The Jezabels

Review by: Victoria Nugent
Photo by Charlyn Cameron
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The evening was kicked off by Sydney band The Jezabels who warmed up an initially reluctant crowd with their explosively energetic indie pop set. Front woman Hayley Mary won over the audience with her physical performance and raw vocals with solid rhythmic guitar from Sam Lockwood, a whimsical keyboard backing from Heather Shannon and wildly powerful drumming from Nik Kaloper.
Continue reading Review and Photos: Tegan & Sara @ The Tivoli, Brisbane 4 May 2010 w/ The Jezabels

Caxton Street Seafood and Wine Festival – May 2010

By: Hannah Collins

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Caxton Street Seafood and Wine Festival

[Photo: Stuart Blythe]
  The day is hot, the patrons at the ready. The tents are up and the beers are flowing. Every morsel of seafood in the region has been iced, packed and shipped over to Caxton Street, for Brisbane’s annual Caxton St Seafood Festival.

Founded as a small community event in 1994, the modern emancipation has become well known institution, and attracts supporters in their 10’s of thousands each year.

One street, 12 Venue’s, 3 stages, 27 bands, and prawns, octopus and scallops as far as the eye can see.

By late afternoon, the sun is still high in the sky and the day is surprisingly warm for Early April. Caxton Street has been quartered off, and it’s shoulder to shoulder once through the gates. The smells of sauté and marinade float through the air,

Continue reading Caxton Street Seafood and Wine Festival – May 2010

Live Review: Hoodoo Gurus, The Break, The Gun Street Girls @ The Hi-Fi, Brisbane 29 April 2010

By Denis Semchenko

Hoodoo Gurus
[Photo: Stuart Blythe]
  Tonight’s triple bill at West End’s Hi-Fi is more Aussie than Paul Hogan’s thongs, Merv Hughes’ handlebar or Rolf Harris’s wobbleboard – and all the more fun for it. Specialising in no-bullshit, classic pub rock, Gun Street Girls provide an invigorating start to the evening as the predominantly middle-aged, ’80s-weathered punters fill the venue. The erstwhile Dallas Crane dynamo, frontman Dave Larkin hammers a very cool Gretsch White Falcon and belts it out like one of the best screamers in Oz-rock that he is. Barnstormers How I Roll, Right Under The Wind and powerpop-tinged Party In Hell get the heads nodding and feet stomping; I consider myself nicely warmed up for the next sonic wave…

…which duly hits as The Break – an instrumental rock combo comprising three former Midnight Oil members and Violent Femmes’ bassist – open with a crunchy Ventures cover.

Continue reading Live Review: Hoodoo Gurus, The Break, The Gun Street Girls @ The Hi-Fi, Brisbane 29 April 2010

CD Review: Drawn From Bees – “Run Away”

Review: Victoria Nugent

Drawn From Bees   The latest offering from Brisbane art rock band Drawn from Bees is their new single Run Away, a melodious, Powderfinger-esque sample of their particular brand of indie rock.

Honest lyrics are teamed with a full-bodied acoustic sound to produce this mellow sounding single, hinting at more good things to come from the band’s upcoming album –

Fear Not the Footsteps of the Departed, to be released on May 21 2010. Continue reading CD Review: Drawn From Bees – “Run Away”

CD Review: Mapletons – “Origami Army”

Review: Victoria Nugent

Mapleton's   Mapleton’s Origami Army is an infectiously cheery blend of indie pop tunes that bring a smile to the face and make the listener want to sing along.

Mapletons started life as a duo with guitarist Derek Orr and keyboardist Kane Mazlin winning national songwriting awards. When Mazlin left to pursue other musical avenues, rather than abandoning Mapletons,

Orr rallied around the creative hub to create a new line up, with Anita Goldsworthy on keyboard and lead vocals, Carl Roosmale-Cocq on bass and programming duties, and Mitch Clark on drums. Continue reading CD Review: Mapletons – “Origami Army”

Theatre Review: Waiting for Godot – Theatre Performance, 29th April 2010

Review: Lana Harris

Waiting for Godot   A play about nothing? It sounds like a Seinfeld spin off, but Waiting for Godot was actually written almost sixty years ago. At the time, entertainment which focused on absolutely nothing was a revolutionary idea: post millennium we’ve been exposed to more than our fair share of popular media centred on not much more than ordinary people talking amongst themselves. But as tonight’s performance shows, nothing can still be a captivating, entertaining concept. Hosted by the Queensland Theatre Company in their Bille Brown Studio in West End, Waiting for Godot is delivered to a room packed with an appreciative audience.

Waiting for Godot opens with a man sitting on a log, trying to remove his shoe and blathering nonsense syllables as he does so, while the other stands with his back turned,

Continue reading Theatre Review: Waiting for Godot – Theatre Performance, 29th April 2010

Henry Rollins Frequent Flyer Tour – Brisbane Powerhouse, 20th April 2010 : Live Review

Review: Lana Harris

Henry Rollins   Henry Rollins, ex front man of punk rock bands Black Flag and Rollins Band, is a charismatic man. He has the presence and easy manner that comes from half a lifetime on stage but this is tempered by the time spent on his more austere pursuits of observation, self imposed isolation and a hell of a lot of reading. Tonight he’s solo on stage, sharing the contents of his mind in the Brisbane Powerhouse for the first of three Brisbane shows – two added to the bill due to popular demand, despite the fact that Rollins has travelled to Australia no less than 27 times in the last 20 years.

Rollins works, moves, looks like a boxer. Short staccato sentences are tapped out relentlessly, full stops after every syllable working the ear drums of the audience. This is utilitarian prose: make the audience think, laugh, empathise; uplift and unsettle them. Do not waste a single letter. The rags mimic the approach– close cropped hair, plain black fitted t-shirt (that reveals he’s still in great shape), drill pants and sneakers – a perfectly functional outfit. There are no breaks – not for Rollins, not for us. One hundred and sixty five minutes of verbal onslaught.
Continue reading Henry Rollins Frequent Flyer Tour – Brisbane Powerhouse, 20th April 2010 : Live Review

Live Review: Northern Brisbane Rollers Derby League – Season Two Bout One

Review: Pepa Wolfe

Roller Derby   Northern Brisbane Rollers Derby League – Season Two Bout One
Love Rockettes vs. Diner Might Dolls
Saturday 17th April 2010 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre

It’s official. Roller Derby fever has hit Brisbane. And with the way these girls tear up the track, is it any wonder that the sport/sub-culture is attracting new fans all the time?

Continue reading Live Review: Northern Brisbane Rollers Derby League – Season Two Bout One