Mar 29, 2013

Song For Zula-Phosphorescent


A truly great song from a simply wonderful album!

Mar 22, 2013

New Kurt Vile Song


Please enjoy a new track from the upcoming Kurt Vile album "Wakin On A Pretty Daze". This album is going to be HUGE!!!

MP3:Never Run Away-Kurt Vile

Mar 20, 2013

Rodriguez @ Enmore Theatre


The Academy Award winning documentary "Searching For Sugar Man" has focused the world's attention on Sixto Rodriguez. So much so that the man has sold out the Enmore Theatre three times in one week on this tour. Last night was the first of these shows and I went along for the ride. Mainly because the girl is a big fan. She has seen him live before and reported that those shows were a bit hit and miss. In fact there was hesitancy to attend this show because of that reason. But sometimes you have to go with the flow. And I dived in as well despite myself only being slightly familiar with his material. I knew the 'hits' but not much else. In the end I had a good time. The music was enjoyable and his songwriting really stood out. I do think though that the legend and myth of the man has become actually bigger than the man himself. Undoubtedly an important talent I don't think however he was/is revolutionary in his approach. His melodies are fairly average, but his message and lyrics shine through strongly. Of course his hard life has made him a fairly frail 70 year old. He has to be helped on stage and his guitar playing is fairly hit and miss. But his voice still holds strong fairly soundly. It's gentle yet forceful and is full of warmth and spirit.

The show itself was a bit up and down, but the ups were very enjoyable. His backing band were strong support. The Break feature formers members of Midnight Oil and The Violent Femmes and they were able and supportive. Especially great was the trumpet player. "Sugar Man" was undoubtedly the crowd favourite of the night. Its stick in your brain melody is easily his most pop like number and it went down a treat. Other "Cold Fact" songs shone such as "Like Janis" (the girl's favourite) and "Inner City Blues" (my favourite). "Only Good For Conversation" and "Crucify Your Mind" brought a harder edge and were pretty great as well. The downs were mainly the covers which felt like filler. Especially "I Only Have Eyes For You", which was close to embarrasing. On the other hand the encore featured two covers which were wonderful. The Dylan classic "Like A Rolling Stone" and a Midnight Oil song in "Redneck Wonderland" which closed the night off sweetly and nicely. A good night all round and most importantly I think the girl left with a smile on her face.    

Set List
You'd Like To Admit It
Only Good For Conversation
Crucify Your Mind
Just One Of Those Things (Cole Porter cover)
To Whom It May Concern
Dead End Street (Lou Rawls cover)
Sugar Man
I Think Of You
Inner City Blues
I Wonder
Blue Suede Shoes (Elvis Presley Cover)
Like Janis
Rich Folks Hoax
This Is Not A Song It’s An Outburst: Or The Establishment Blues
Can't Get Away
I Only Have Eyes For You (The Flamingos cover)
Forget It

Like A Rolling Stone (Bob Dylan cover)
Redneck Wonderland (Midnight Oil cover)
 

Mar 19, 2013

Bruce Springsteen @ Allphones Arena


He is many things. An entertainer. A performer. A rock star. A man of the people. The last one especially. He connects and enthralls like few others. If he just had almost 40 years of incredible music, then that would be enough. But there is so much more. He roams the stage, looking into people's eyes. Hollering, roaring, screaming. He touches people. Literally. He gives them an experience and a half. But it is real. This is not just a show. It is an affirmation of music. The power of song. Bruce Springsteen is the real deal. A living, breathing monument of sound. Last night at Allphones Arena was just stupid fun. Just stupid.

Like many fans I have a long history with Bruce. I came in around "Born In The USA" but soon I was searching for more. "Born to Run", "Darkness On the Edge of Town", the stark beauty of "Nebraska". Even if the quality dropped off in the last decade or so a live show was too good to resist. Especially as The Boss has not toured here for nearly ten years. This show was high energy from start to finish. It was nearly spiritual in intent with Springsteen cajoling us to join in. He could have been a preacher. The E Street Band went the whole way as you would expect. Even though Clarence Clemons is no longer with us, he is not forgotten. His nephew Jake Clemons ably filled his shoes. Also missing was Steven Van Zandt, who couldn't come on this tour. Former Rage Against the Machine man Tom Morello took his place and he was electric. Especially his shredding on "The Ghost of Tom Joad". The band was augmented by 3 back up singers and a 5 piece horn section. All added up to a potent mix. But it was Bruce that took centre stage. Whether he was crowd surfing on "Hungry Heart" or pulling a ten year old girl on stage during "Waitin' on a Sunny Day", he had the crowd savouring each and every moment. The set was a pretty good selection of old and new. When he played "Atlantic City" and "The River" in Brisbane on Saturday night I thought we might miss out on those two classics and so it proved. But we did get a slew from "Darkness on the Edge of Town". "Candy's Room" was a real standout. As was the fiercesome "Adam Raised a Cain", which was a sign request and proved a very pleasant surprise. Naturally latest album "Wrecking Ball" got a major workout and the songs improved in the live arena. Especially the title track and the Irish inspired "American Land". Of course the biggest cheers were reserved for the 'big ones'. Closer "Badlands" was an absolute stunner as were the encore songs. Especially the purely magnificent "Thunder Road". When the houselights came on for "Born to Run", it was time for the crowd to collectively lose its shit. So it happened. Fun was had. Tears flowed. We laughed. We felt. It happened.
Bruce!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Set List
American Land
Prove It All Night
Adam Raised a Cain (Sign Request)
Wrecking Ball
Death to My Hometown
Hungry Heart
My City of Ruins
Spirit in the Night
High Hopes (The Havalinas cover)
Youngstown
Candy's Room
She's the One
Pay Me My Money Down
Shackled and Drawn
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Rising
The Ghost of Tom Joad
Badlands

Thunder Road
Born to Run
Seven Nights to Rock (Moon Mullican cover)
Dancing in the Dark
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out

Mar 10, 2013

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds @ Enmore Theatre

The best way to explain a Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds show is to describe it as an adrenaline rush. A complete shot in the arm. An infusion of dirty, raging rock and roll. It should be anachronistic but it isn't. These men have been around the block a bit, and some are showing it, but their music feels young and invigorating. And, well, just damn exciting. When the Bad Seeds walk on stage the roar is huge. But then when St Nick enters we go wild and froth at the mouth. For he is the leader of the congregation. We worship at his feet. For the next hour and a half we are captivated by a complete master. A master of theatrics and the essence of the rock and roll show. Saturday night at the Enmore Theatre was the final stage of their Australian tour and they tore it up something proper. This show rocked and was a different kettle of fish to the Sydney Opera House shows of a week back. It was loud, sweaty and raw. It was great!

One thing struck me about the show. Well besides the energy, the great musicianship, the rawness. The power. It's the persona of Nick Cave. He is larger than life. An icon you could say. But during the show you see the human. Warts and all. A laugh when someone yells out something in a quiet moment of "Into My Arms". A glare of frustration of whatever Warren Ellis is trying to do. Telling an audience member to "stop fuckin' touching me" when he is doing his customary lean down into the crowd. When he basically breaks the mic during "Deanna" he looks almost vulnerable waiting for a new one.There were many moments when the legend looked human. Which is kind of good I think. Even though he is intimidating to the extreme he stills puts his pants on one leg at a time. Oh, but I should say when he is kicking his legs out and thrusting his hips out and screaming his lungs out there is no one like Nick Cave. No one.

Some musical highlights-
The epic build of Jubilee Street and the epic pounding keyboards of Conway Savage.
The almost maniacal thrust of From Her to Eternity
The quiet solitude of God Is in the House
The sheer joy of Papa Won't Leave You, Henry (my favourite song of the night)
Mark Lanegan killing it on The Weeping Song
The Mercy Seat! The Mercy Seat!
The dark brooding pulse of Tupelo  


Set List
We No Who U R
Jubilee Street
Wide Lovely Eyes
Higgs Boson Blues
From Her to Eternity
Red Right Hand
God Is in the House
Jack the Ripper
Deanna
Papa Won't Leave You, Henry
Into My Arms
The Weeping Song (With Mark Lanegan)
The Mercy Seat

Tupelo
Stagger Lee

Mar 3, 2013

New Songs From Moonface





Oh this fills me with such joy! Moonface, other wise known as Spencer Krug, played a solo piano show at the Foodstock Festival in Helsinki, Finland on Friday night. He played for about an hour, all new material that he has recorded recently in Finland. Here are two of the songs. No word yet on an album but I will keep you posted!