Gig Review - Gang Of Youths

Gang Of Youths

Live at The Tivoli, Brisbane 08.04.16

Supported by Spookyland and Day Wave 

5pm Friday night, a ticket in hand to a band that have become one of my favourites over the last twelve months. In what turned out to be a series of fortunate events, the people I was going with couldn't make it and the show had sold out months previously, so a decision had to be made. I’d not been to a gig of this size on my own, was I prepared to go by myself? I always picture myself as an independent don’t-need-no-one-but-me kind of woman, but this was something I’d never done before. It was a social condition I hadn’t faced – a gig, by myself? Is dancing and singing by oneself in a room full of other people’s friends and their friends a little bit weird? Music and the experience is something I’ve always shared and loved to share. Could I really do this, all by myself (but not like Celine)? My little ticket felt…lonely, self-consciousness kicked in quickly and a huge part of me was more than a little unsure. There was a sensible (read: boring) voice in my head telling me to stay home, but the voice of a bolder me was a little bit louder. And if pretending to be an adult has taught me one thing, it’s to become a little reckless and do what I want, regardless of what anyone else thinks. And so it should be, me, my gang of one and them, the Gang Of Youths.

I know The Tivoli well. I’ve seen a thousand bands on that stage. I’m comfortable there, so with me and my gang of…me, I walked straight to my favourite spot, left of stage. Finding a vantage point was easy, I only needed room for me but when you are on your own in this kind of environment, you become hyper-aware of your surroundings, so watching the antics and listening to the chats of my fellow patrons attempting to steal someone’s shoes was entertaining, to say the least. I found myself in a position of having the time and undivided attention to watch and enjoy both support acts without distraction; Spookyland, a four piece from Sydney, felt a little bit Oasis at times and I did find out later two of them are brothers, so maybe it was the sibling thing I picked up on. Note to self made: investigate more of Spookyland (investigations tell me their album Beauty Already Beautiful is out May 6). The second support, Day Wave, which I’ve since discovered is a project of one guy, Jackson Phillips, were indie rock and indie pop and indie indie, whatever that is these days. ‘Deadbeat Girl’ seemed to be the stand out track for Mr Lightning Bolt shirt standing next to me “Deadbeat Girl! Play it again! Yeah, Deadbeat Girl!” but I liked all the songs I heard, so more homework about Day Wave is to come.

As I and my gang of...me listened in to the surrounding discussions about where iconic Brisbane venue, The Zoo is and how long it has been there (only forever guys!) thoughts of the band I was about to see began to swirl around my head. I remember my fellow blogger Matt telling me sometime last year that he had bought an album called The Positions and he couldn’t stop listening. We share a lot of love of similar music (duh, blog) so it didn’t take long before I found myself in a similar position, totally enamoured and completely obsessed by an album that found its way into my life soundtrack very, very quickly and planted itself there very, very firmly. All of the times I have heard it and needed it came rushing to mind as the lights dimmed and the members of GOY took to the stage, lights from behind creating a silhouette of frontman Dave Le'aupepe, a man who wears his heart right there on his sleeve, spotlights pointing at all the people who need it, and it was the perfect way to begin the experience that Gang Of Youths are.

All of the songs, some from the album and some a tease of what is to come were beyond what I could have imagined from the seat of my car, from the headphones I have found them in so many times before. Each and every one performed as it should be, the crowd singing along with so many words and the odd feeling of being my gang of one in a crowd of many drifted away with each chord, each beat meaning a little bit more in a live setting. ‘Restraint And Release’ perfectly named for its live performance, ‘Radioface’ a song that was made to be performed, ‘Poison Drum’ taken far beyond its limits, to places only the most talented of bands can take a song in a live environment. The thing that really struck me about this band was how much they believe in their sound and just how much that resonates with their audience. Each member is as important as the next, relying on each other and standing next to each other as one, and that kind of band is an absolute pleasure to watch. The contrast of a taste of Outkast followed by what Dave described simply as “a song about cancer” was exactly what this Gang Of Youths are; everything about life, the good the bad, the in between and the desperate search for something and anything amongst it all is exactly what I adore about them. Seeing it live with so many other people but all by myself was an honour, not just a gig.

Friday night yes, I saw a rock show, but for me it was also a beautiful and important lesson I have learnt a thousand times over but it's nice to be reminded of again. As simple as it was, going to a rock show by myself was something I’d not done before and that should be celebrated in itself, but I realised as I was jumping, singing and dancing on my own, that as my gang of one I was part of a gang of many and although I left and drove home on my own, I was not alone. With an intense love for music and everything it has done for me, and as a fan of such talented musicians like this Gang Of Youths, whatever life throws my way, I will never be vastly outnumbered, any mother fucking time.


Gang Of Youths continue their tour throughout Australia in April, then head to the UK/Europe in May and the US throughout June. Here's hoping we get a taste of that new EP somewhere around then too.

Gig Review - Amanda Palmer and The Grand Theft Orchestra

Stolen from Jo!

Amanda Palmer and The Grand Theft Orchestra

Live @ The Tivoli, Brisbane (12/09/13)

Supported by Die Roten Punkte and Jherek Bischoff

Review by Matt Bond

Oh, Amanda Palmer. You're so fine. You're so fine you blow my mind. Amanda Palmer. End of review. But not really. The long wait for Palmer to return to our shores and perform tracks from the brilliant album Theatre Is Evil came to an end last night, as Jo and I made our way to The Tivoli for some fun times with the Grand Theft Orchestra. 

Before AFP took to the stage, the audience was entertained by Berlin's brother-sister duo, Die Roten Punkte. Palmer continues her winning ways in selecting awesome support acts with these guys. They are funny. Laugh out loud funny. Astrid and Otto Rot also delivered some awesome pop-rock songs in-between all the laughs. 'Burger Store Dinosaur' and its hidden subtext that tells the story of a boy dinosaur meeting a girl dinosaur and having lots of dinosaur sex (oldest story in the book) and 'Second Best Friend' were fantastic. But the standout had to be the Astrid penned 'The Situation'. It's a true story, a short one, but a true one that she had to run home and write down immediately. It involves a stranger placing their finger somewhere on Astrid's body, preventing her from sitting down. Yep. I was so caught up in the fun of everything, I didn't even question that IT WAS ALL A LIE! They're not German at all... They're Australian! They're taking the piss out of the White Stripes (their name is translated to The Red Dots) and they're not related and "Astrid" plays the drums and "Otto" plays the guitar and... they're still the funnest supporting act I've seen in forever. 

Jherek Bischoff treated us to two songs, one a banging, looping bass jam and the other a quieter, looping ukulele number. The "shhhhh" noises from some dude started all the ocean noises coming out. Seagull humans. Wave humans. All that was missing was someone making the foghorn sound. A missed opportunity, Brisbane. 

Then came our main event... Amanda Palmer and The Grand Theft Orchestra. They did not disappoint. Things escalated quite dramatically from the opening lines of 'Do It With a Rockstar', with Palmer leaping into the crowd and getting The Tivoli to mosh it up with her. She must have made her way through the entire ground floor before briefly contemplating returning to the stage, instead choosing to run up the stairs to the balcony as a cover of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' started to play. She straddled the rail, I thought she'd jump... I wanted to look away but couldn't. This was already a rock show to remember. As Palmer made her way back to the stage she pointed out that even if she had wanted to jump, no one would have been ready to catch her. There was a sea of camera phones being held up from the crowd below. 

Now, you'll have to forgive me. Instead of thinking of what I'd say in a review, I opted to really enjoy the show and it now seems like a surreal blur. What follows might not be in the right order and will probably just be a random stream of thoughts that are hitting me as I'm writing. All of the songs performed from Theatre Is Evil were fantastic. 'The Killing Type' and 'Want It Back' had The Tivoli singing along as loud as they could. With the focus back on the stage, you could see how much The Grand Theft Orchestra (Jherek Bischoff, Chad Raines and Tarzan Thor Harris) were enjoying themselves. Bischoff was even sitting on Raines at one point as they continued to play their guitars. The banter with the crowd was suitably playful, with the band turning a request for a song about the seaside (in a return to the Bischoff debacle - seriously, Brisbane?) into a small Jimmy Buffett 'Margaritaville' cover. Raines telling seaside man to, "be careful what you wish for. Jerk." was worth the price of admission. 

My personal highlights were always going to be Theatre Is Evil faves 'The Bed Song' and 'Bottomfeeder', so with bias I declare them the tracks of the night. You could feel the collective hearts of 1000 music fans breaking as AFP played through 'The Bed Song'. Someone must have been throwing cups of water around the crowd or something, because hearing it live for the first time and at approximately exhibit E, I could feel just a little bit of water on my face, specifically in the eye region. Yep. Cups of water were being thrown around that night. For 'Bottomfeeder', Palmer donned a massive cape before falling into the crowd and covering them in the ocean-like material. 'Lost' wasn't quite the singalong I was expecting from those in attendance, but it definitely had everyone bopping around the place. 

'Astronaut' and 'Leeds United' represented the Who Killed Amanda Palmer? era, with the Grand Theft Orchestra's take on Leeds being another gig highlight and fun singalong moment. The ukulele was brought out for a rendition of 'Gaga, Palmer, Madonna', which I think caught everyone by surprise. Palmer's been spending a lot of time thinking about Miley Cyrus apparently, so the song was busted out for her sake. Or something, it's all about artists being free to do what they want. Or something. AFP's housemate dance onstage during Leeds (those fake Germans were there too) and performed a song of her own with the Grand Theft Orchestra. Oh... and Jo got to hold Amanda Palmer's hand and dance around to a cover of Pulp's 'Common People' with her. It looked like there was some intense eye contact going on there. There was also a cover of a track by one of Palmer's friends in Boston which was intended as a massive 'love' moment where the lights went low as everyone sang along to something about love or something. AFP herself pointed out that there would be some Australian guy at the bar thinking, "fucking hippies." But I wasn't at the bar.

There were some deviations from the setlist throughout (which is easy to read when you're in the front row - boom!), including the encore performances, with the scheduled 'Half Jack' being swapped out for a ukulele-tastic 'Map of Tasmania'. That left the always incredible 'Missed Me' and the second and final encore track, 'Girl Anachronism' as Palmer's Dresden Dolls tracks for the night. All in all, Amanda Palmer and The Grand Theft Orchestra delivered a perfectly imperfect set that stands as my favourite gig of  the year. The tracks performed off Theatre Is Evil were everything you would have wanted them to be and then some, the band pulled off a Nirvana cover (which is no easy feat) and made me dance along to a Pulp song (which is no easy feat). The talent on stage was extraordinary. So was the gig. Go see Amanda Palmer whenever you can. 

Queensland Music Awards 2013: Preview and Predictions

Hey there. You're looking for a little weekday holiday to Brisbane in August, aren't you? Of course you are. I'm going to run with the assumption that you're a fan of music one would deem to be 'most excellent' as well, given that this is a music blog. So August 13, 2013... you might as well head to Queensland music's night of nights... the Queensland Music Awards! Acts like Emma Louise, Texas Tea and Ball Park Music are vying for awards which will be handed out in one of Brisbane's finest live music venues, The Tivoli. You'll also be able to enjoy performances from some of the most talented emerging Queensland artists like The Jungle Giants, The Trouble With Templeton, Seja and Thelma Plum. Best of all, it only costs $30 if you're not a QMusic member. You're ready to buy some tickets? Well head on over to Oztix now, my friends!


Since I'm a big fan of predicting who'll walk away a winner at these sorts of events, I thought I'd share my picks for some of the big awards, while also giving you a chance to enjoy some amazing Queensland music. I should also mention that my win/loss record for predictions isn't that great... but that's neither here nor there. Right?

QUEENSLAND MUSIC AWARDS 2013:

A Guessing Game

by Matt Bond

Category: ROCK!

 'Shepherd And The Sheep' by Alan Boyle

'Pilot' by Fushia

'Six Months In A Cast' by The Trouble With Templeton

'Neighbour Neighbour' by Violent Soho

I Choose You: 'Six Months In A Cast' by The Trouble With Templeton

The Trouble With Templeton have had a good year and it looks like it will only get better with the release of the new album, Rookie (and hopefully a shiny QMA or two). 'Six Months In A Cast' has been embraced by triple J, 4zzz and it came in at #93 on our own list of the top songs of 2012. 

Category: POP!

'Come on. Stand out.' by 7bit Hero

'Surrender' by Ball Park Music

'C'mon' by Seja

'Around Here' by Thelma Plum

I Choose You: 'Around Here' by Thelma Plum

Really, you'd be happy with a win for any of these nominees, but it's Thelma Plum's 'Around Here' that has all the hallmarks of a great 'pop' song. It's catchy as anything, with a hook that will stay in your head for forever and a day. And you never get sick of it. You can singalong, dance around and brighten your day with just one listen. But one listen is never quite enough... 

Category: EXPORT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD!

Emma Louise

Katie Noonan

Sheppard

The Trouble With Templeton

I Choose You: Emma Louise

She had a song on Grey's Anatomy. Check and mate.  

Category: ALBUM OF THE YEAR!

Museum by Ball Park Music

Vs Head Vs Heart by Emma Louise

Sad Summer Hits by Texas Tea

Come Up Invisible by WE ALL WANT TO

I Choose You: Sad Summer Hits by Texas Tea

Come on Texas Tea! Look, I love Ball Park Music and Emma Louise as much as the next music fan and WE ALL WANT TO... I have to admit I've just heard you and you sound great and I'm going to look into you more... but, Texas Tea have one of the best albums of all time. All time! If they don't get it, someone's gon' have to go all Kanye up in the Queensland Music Awards. 

For more information on the Queensland Music Awards as well as a full rundown of nominees, head on over to the QMA website.

 

Gig Review - The Presets (16/02/13)

The Presets + The Tivoli + Brisbane + 16th February 2013 = AMAZING!

The Presets

Live at The Tivoli, Brisbane

16/02/2013

Words by Jo Michelmore

Photos by Nayt Housman

I haven't been a fan of the The Presets from their beginning. I wasn't one of the cool kids that loved them in the mid-2000's when they released their first EP and the hype began. They were ok, but they were just another electronic act to me. I soon saw the light and began to appreciate the amazing that they are, but for me, The Presets were a slow burn. Having said that, it shouldn't be a surprise that I've never seen them play live before, they've just never made my cut. At music festivals there had always been someone I 'needed' to see more and to be honest, they fell into that dangerous category; the "they're local, I'll catch them somewhere, sometime" group of acts. On Saturday night, I found out I may have been missing something all this time.  

 Parachute Youth

The night began with fellow electronic buddies, Parachute Youth. While I've been tempted to call them 'Presets clones'; at The Tivoli on Saturday night they proved themselves to be a little more than that. Smashing through a little over a half hour set, they manage to do exactly what so many support acts fail to do, which is simply warm up the audience. Opening with 'Count To Ten' and closing with their current single 'Can't Get Any Better Than This' they got the room bouncing and hyped for what seems like is going to be an incredible show.

As people across the venue vie for position, the house lights dim and the sounds of 'Push' drift across the age old Tivoli. I immediately begin to think perhaps I've been right all this time, maybe I didn't need to see The Presets live; they might be one of those acts better on a dancefloor than a stage. This is where I learnt an important lesson. Like my love of The Presets themselves, sometimes you don't want to be blown away at the beginning because the slow burn is better, you're going to exert so much energy with the dancing and the excitement soon enough. That type of excitement came quickly, with the room exploding at the chorus of 'If I Know', followed by 'Promises' and 'Ghosts' straight after.

However, those songs couldn't prepare me for the incredible burst of energy and singalong during 'This Boy's In Love'. This is a band that are clearly adored by their fans and while I spend most of the gig staring at Kim and Julian and their fantastic graphics across four screens on stage (trying to figure out how two white t-shirt wearing average guys from Sydney could possibly be responsible for such dynamic sounds) every now and then I couldn't resist the urge to check out the audience, it's such a pleasure to see a venue full to capacity with fans so excited and happy to dance and bounce to those they adore. It's also incredibly addictive and a big part of what made this gig so much fun.

 Pointing. Lots of pointing at Presets gigs.

The songs continued on and the energy didn't fade; 'A.O.' is full of red lights and vitality, 'Surrender' is one of the many numbers that has Kim joining Julian at the front of the stage and closing song 'Talk Like That' is so full of life I never want the gig to end. Of course, it had to, but the way they went out with their encore 'Anywhere' was perfect. The slow burn that had become an intense, fun and incredible live music fire was extinguished subtly, with a gentle beat and a fabulous final dance.

It has taken me years to finally see The Presets and although I now (kind of) wish I'd seen them sooner, there's an image from this gig that I may not have experienced in another venue at another time. When I think of live music I love, I know The Presets and their amazing 'My People' is going to feature, because for four minutes I was jumping, dancing, smiling and screaming along with a couple of thousand others who, for a couple of minutes there, were my people. That's what live music should be; so, so much fun being shared with a whole bunch of strangers. Presets? The slow burn made you worth the wait. You're the best. The rest of my live music year has a lot to live up to.