Author: Vittorio E.
Photographer: Arfy Papadam
click image to view gallery [Photo: Arfy Papadam] |
The first trip to the bathroom reveals that we’re in for a longer night than we could have possibly expected. It’s a Thursday night – a school night, I stress – and the bill on the door leading to the toilet declares that there will be five bands on the night. The last Fergus Brown is to start at a quarter to midnight, and will be filmed for the forthcoming feature film, LBF.
Brian Campeau is up first, and he’s brought one quarter of his band, The Common Misconceptions, along for support. She, a certain Elana Stone, accompanies on accordion and vocals. Brian Campeau is a folk singer – or at least what he does is grounded in folk; the reality is that the music is a little spacier than all that. It’s partly the reverb and partly his inventive guitar playing style, in which the rhythm is supplemented by harmonics, trills, hammer-ons and surprisingly inventive tapping. He sings four songs, she sings two, and the crowd is entranced. |
Friday: The weather gods have smiled upon us, after a week of much needed rain the clouds have parted and the sun is beaming down on a collection of camper vans, cars and kombis, most filled with reggae fans eagerly waiting to be loaded on to the Stradbroke Ferry. Island Vibe 09 awaits!
This rather cold Wednesday night presented itself as an interesting proposition from the start. It would have been safe to assume that if you had decided to set up a hair spray stall just outside the venue you would have made a handsome profit. Or perhaps spiked bracelets and belts may have also pocketed you enough for a six pack of beer. 
Once upon a time, Death Metal bands that toured this great country we call Australia was rarer than rocking horse shit. However, over the past four or so years, there have been more of these groups hit our shores than illegal boat people. It was that time once again for Metal Heads to hold onto their faces, as the legendary Cannibal Corpse was in town to rip it off. 
Buick Six are relatively new within the industry, but do not be fooled by the anonymity. They are a three piece local Brisbane band that has a fresh sound, or at the very minimum, is doing what other bands are doing within the genre, but just that much better to gain rapid notoriety. Three piece bands will always have the difficult task of producing a full sound, which is why many three piece bands turn into a four piece. That being said, Buick Six have an incredible full sound for a three piece which carries them throughout their whole set. The strength in their sound lies in the ability to create shades of colour in their music. The bass player grooved, the drummer walked off covered in sweat and the guitarist challenged a punter to jump on stage mid set after being asked to play Daddy Cool. Every member had the confidence needed to survive in this game, but remained humble enough to greet punters that thanked them throughout the night. These guys are very young and deserve much greater recognition which should come if they continue to perform such energetic shows filled with genuine artistic flair. 
