Gig Review - Drunken Moon Festival (29/09/12)

Drunken Moon Festival (29/09/12)

Live at The Hi-Fi, Brisbane

Review by Katie Langley

When I heard that Kira Puru and The Bruise were going to be playing with Gay Paris AND Brothers Grim and The Blue Murders at the Drunken Moon Festival I knew it was an opportunity that I could not pass by. Then I read the description for the event – “If you took a 70's muscle car slasher film and tore it up into a bunch of bands...these would be the ones you couldn't look away from”. Sold.

As I waited for Jo and Cordell to arrive on the evening, Vodka in hand, watching the fireworks from Riverfire and the inevitable riff raff it seems to attract, I couldn’t help but marvel at all of the well-manicured beards entering the venue. Always a sign of a good night to follow.

Kira Puru and The Bruise

I only recently joined the Kira Puru and The Bruise bandwagon after having seen them at Bigsound. Nevertheless, I’ve hitched my ride and it’s safe to say that I’m not getting off. When I last saw them, Kira herself played the part of a woman scorned, with glassy eyes and an acid tongue. At Drunken Moon I saw a different Kira – she had a total foxy lady vibe, with huge eyelashes to bat, and a sexy swagger to her step. Purely speculation of course, but I’m putting it down to all of those well-manicured beards. There was a small hiccup when Geordie’s guitar strap broke mid-strong, and although he admitted defeat by rolling back onto the floor, it was only momentary, and it wasn’t long before he got his shit together and I was mesmerised. I love this band.

Jackson Firebird

Guitarist/vocalist Brendan was quick to announce that they “love dirty rock’n’roll”. They made me want to get a little bit dirty too. Drummer Dale was amazing. He put his whole body into the event and looked absolutely shattered at the end of their set. Total commitment to the cause.


Jackson Firebird were a completely welcome surprise.

 
Gay Paris

Gay Paris make me feel a little bit funny. You know… “down there”. And in the best possible way. Their set was a 30 minute strip-tease complete with beards. Really, it’s my dream come true. Vocalist Luke is like a possessed preacher, with messages of love and thrusting. I’m still trying to figure out how he removed his skin tight jeans without taking off his shoes. The man has skills. I get the feeling that drummer Adam holds this motley crue together. Although, they do often say that it’s the quiet ones you need to watch the most. Slim Pickins, on bass, managed to maintain one of the creepiest grins I have ever seen for the entire 30 minutes. When he cheered after every song I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or be concerned for my safety. And then there is Black Tooth, on guitar. He is one dapper, bearded motherfucker. He makes my heart beat a little bit faster. #callmemaybe?

Gay Paris are playing at Rics on November 24 as part of their “Death to Spring Tour”. If you don’t go, you’re an idiot.

Brothers Grim and The Blue Murders

Just before Brothers Grim and The Blue Murders took to the stage I noticed something strange happening. The women in the venue all started moving forward, and occupied the front row. When James Grim started crooning it had this hypnotic effect on the women standing next to me. There was squealing, there was boot stomping, and there was slut-dropping. It was quite amazing to see.

What can I say? I’ve seen them before, I’d see them again – they’re fantastic.

Sixfthick

Mid-way through Sixfthick’s performance I leaned into Jo and said “this is a total clusterfuck”. A couple of days on, with opportunity to digest what I saw, I really think that it the most accurate description. I say clusterfuck with no negative connotations. It just really was one of the most bizarre things I have seen.

Drummer Fred had a tattoo of what looked like the Big Pineapple, guitarist Dan looked like he was half asleep, vocalist Geoffro was wearing the loudest fish shirt. And then there was Ben, also on vocals. He back flipped and rolled during the set, and paced back and forth like a mad man. But things took a turn for the weird when he jumped off the stage, and started smashing bottles – on the ground, and then on himself. I missed the moment of impact but put two and two together when I saw blood literally pissing out of his peck and all over his torso.

I’m still so confused about it all, but did I like them? Yes. And would I see them again? Yes.

New Music Monday #25

G#

by Kitten

Album: Cut It Out EP (2012)

So you haven’t heard of Kitten? You’re going to want to do some research, quickly, because if this five piece keep recording songs like this one and making clips like this, they’re destined for great things. Heavy bass and filthy guitars drive the song with Chloe Chadez’s vocal floating beautifully above and you’ll probably keep on singing the end well after the song is finished; “I’ll see you all, I’ll see you all again...” see, I told you. The clip was filmed in a desert with friends of the band and the imagery reminds me of so many great films and bands; its apocalyptic, punk like and yet somehow totally beautiful. Take my advice; this is a band you need to know about. Watch. Love. Now. 

Jo Michelmore gives G# four Shirley Mansons out of five...

 

Got Me Wrong

by Alpines

Album: Early Hours EP (2012)

Alpines, Bob Matthews and Catherine Pockson, have come into our lives through the recommendation of one of our IMKOS Facebook friends (hey Jacob!) and with one song they've made me incredibly interested in hearing everything else they have to offer. That song is 'Got Me Wrong' and it handily sets up this London based duo to be the sleekest emerging electronic act around. Carefully balancing the fine line that separates style and substance, there's a healthy measure of both unleashed throughout the track. The gorgeous Catherine Pockson delivers her lines with a flair that drags you right into that 'eating out of the palm of her hand' territory. By the time you've heard the chorus, you're wishing that there's a club that's going to be playing 'Got Me Wrong' because its potential to be a true dance anthem is undeniable. "Cause you got me wrong, and you were so sure, that you had me all figured out, but you got me wrong." I feel like I've just listened to Azealia Banks' electronic equivalent. And I love it. 

Matt Bond gives 'Got Me Wrong' four Lady Gaga's out of five...

 

Die Young

by Ke$ha

Album: Warrior (November 30, 2012)

If someone was to die young, how unfortunate if 3 minutes and 33 seconds of their short and precious life was wasted on hearing this song.

Jo Michelmore gives Die Young one Dannii Minogue out of five...

NEW MUSIC VIDEOS

Your Body

by Christina Aguilera

Album: Lotus (November 13, 2012)

Christina Minaj? Not quite, but freeze the video at 1:58. Boom. That's a booty. Go on down to Primark or Target ladies and get yourselves some leopard print tights. They do wonders for the junk in your trunk. I'll stop now. Yes, the original dirrty girl has dropped the video for new single 'Your Body' and despite some sort of attempt at a plot, multiple costume changes, horrifying dreadlocks, a potentially ridiculous new jewellery trend ('Rich Bitch' necklace anyone?) and the completely necessary and 100% seductive 'writhing around on a bed while wearing lingerie' scene... it's nothing memorable. Oh, except for the booty. You'll remember that. Yowza. 

Matt Bond gives the Your Body video two Ke$ha's out of five...

She Wolf (Falling To Pieces)

by David Guetta ft. Sia

Album: Nothing But The Beat 2.0 (2012)

Speaking of booty, Guetta's offering up some werewolf derriere. Seriously though, the video for 'She Wolf' is so much better than the actual song. Beautiful imagery, timed explosions, an actual story. It would only have been better if Sia was the werewolf at the end. Can't have it all, can we? 

Matt Bond gives the She Wolf (Falling To Pieces) video three Britney's out of five...    

Gig Review - Kira Puru and The Bruise (27/09/12)

Kira Puru and The Bruise (27/09/12)

Live at The Joynt, South Brisbane

Supported by MKO

by Jo Michelmore

When it comes to music, I’m not one of those people that does things by halves. When I fall in love with a band, I fall hard. When I decide to fall, I like to fall completely. With this in mind, when I saw Kira Puru and The Bruise at Big Sound in early September, I knew this was a band I wasn’t going to get over easily. So when the opportunity to see them again happened only last week, it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass on.

Thursday in Brisbane can be a strange night. You never know whether to expect a big night or not. Entering the venue to the sweet sounds of MKO (more about this super cute act another time) I was surprised to find an almost empty room but thankfully it managed to fill quite nicely as the night went on (Brisbane, it’s ok to see local bands, sometimes they’re quite good). The Joynt is a curious little venue, with fluorescent lights shining from behind the bar and a jukebox flashing away in another corner making it sometimes difficult to focus on the stage. I should have known Kira and her Bruise would have no trouble grabbing my heart, ripping it out of my body and gently placing back inside an hour or so later.

Caressing a glass of red wine, Kira greeted the odd mix of crowd (think the 80’s and the 90’s got together and decided to hit the town) with a “cheers!” and held them in the palm of her hand for eleven songs, where we were taken on a journey of heartbreak, anger, sorrow and of love. ‘When All Your Love Is Not Enough’ was amazing, as always, ‘Sleep With One Eye Open’, dedicated to “all the people who’ve slept with your boyfriend” was incredible; we were treated to a special play of ‘Water’, “this is not in the set list, are you guys ok with that?” (why of course Kira, of course); ‘Hit The Road’ was awesome (preceded by a special story of the fact it was drummer Dave’s birthday. When asked what he wanted he responded “booze and babes”, at which point Kira demanded of the audience “you motherfuckers better come through” – this is one of those moments I know the reason I love live music) and ‘Step Into The Light’ (their next single) could possibly be my favourite track, so catchy, so, so great.

Kira herself has a presence on stage that is irresistible. She manages to be terrifying one minute and gently supportive the next. It’s a dramatic relationship. Just when you feel safe in her sounds there’s a voice that appears seemingly from another world and the shivers are sent up and down your spine. Her band match her soothingly chaotic vocal perfectly, it can be difficult to know where to look, who to focus on or what to listen for. Geordie Malone’s guitar skills are mesmerising, his frenzied dancing is only matched with the incredible sounds he forces out of his guitar, David Pearce is a drummer any band should want to have, his talent for making his drums speak of heartbreak and pain is mouth-watering and bass player Jamieson Shaw is almost indescribable. His hysterical dancing matches Geordies perfectly and his playing is out of this world. I’ve seen it three times now and every time I’ve been totally floored, when he gets that drumstick and smashes his bass with it I just can’t stop staring and smiling, the world stops and music is all encompassing for a few minutes.

So it’s true. I’ll happily admit it. Kira Puru and The Bruise are my newest love. I’ve fallen in love, completely and wholeheartedly. It could be an obsession. I even saw them again, two nights later at The Hi-Fi for the Drunken Moon Festival, where I was taken to another world of amazement and anger and happiness and bluesy-rootsy-rocky-jazzy-booze filled goodness. Music is good, but amazing music should take you away to places and make you feel like you’ve changed. Like a good love, it should fill your heart and break your heart and Kira Puru and The Bruise have done that to me three times now. Just like a good love, I can’t wait for them to do it all again.

New To The Scene - Les Marionettes

LES MARIONETTES

Who: Ger Eaton - Synth/Vocals, Keith Farrell - Bass/Synth/Vocals, 

Lucy Coady - Simmons Drums/Vocals and Derren Dempsey - Guitar/Synth/Vocals.

Genre: Electronic/Indie

From: Ireland

For Fans Of: The 80s, The Synthesizer

Thanks to a hot tip from our European correspondent, Sé McCormack, we're heading back to Ireland this week to have a listen to the incredibly intriguing four-piece, Les Marionettes. Creating a stark point of difference to the current music landscape, the band's sound and image are full-on 80s throwback; layered synths, multiple vocal lines... the fashion, the hair and even the videos. It's all a bit quirky, camp and undeniably retro, but Les Marionettes make it work. There's a lot to love here.

Lead singer, Ger Eaton exudes an effortlessly cool charm that most of us would kill to possess. I honestly can't say what I like more; his subdued vocals or that hair/sideburn combo he's rocking in 'Sign Your Release.' Obviously it's the voice, but still... some of us can only dream of pulling off his look. Lucy Coady similarly leaves a lasting impression. Perfectly suited vocally to the electronic environment and she looks like a total badass playing those Simmons electronic drums. The big 'L' earrings in the 'Sign Your Release' video were a nice touch too. It's the little things that make me love a band.

Les Marionettes have two EPs out that you can pick up over at their Bandcamp page. Last year's Sign Your Release EP is a lot of fun. The title track is one of their most memorable. Cooler than cool, it leaves you wanting to hear a whole lot more. The Meet My Generation EP was released in March this year and show's off a much more diverse sound. A brilliant track like 'Comatose' makes you understand exactly why Les Marionettes are being touted by some as 'the future sound of Irish music.' What can you do know? Head on over to their Bandcamp page, have a little listen to their EPs (go on and buy one, you know you want to) and then check out their Facey-book page and give it a big thumbs up. That means like it. Links below... enjoy! 

Read more:

Bandcamp

Facebook 

Top 20 - 30 September, 2012

The Presets!

1. Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch - Sweet Nothing (#1 for 2 weeks!)





2. Amanda Palmer and The Grand Theft Orchestra - The Bed Song





3. The Presets - Promises (NEW)





4. Sarah Blasko - I Awake





5. Mumford and Sons - Broken Crown (NEW)

It's All Coming Back To Me Now - Baby, I Go Crazy

Britney: The Queen... of the pop-star meltdown?

Baby, I Go Crazy

by Jo Michelmore

Hey! Hi! How are you? So, I’ve been gone for a week or so; yeah, you missed me didn’t you? Where have I been, you ask. Perhaps I was off gallivanting across continents in search of the greatest ice cream known to humanity. Maybe I was on an island sunning my pale Irish skin. Perhaps I was in a bar somewhere, listening to some amazing bands you don’t know yet with Johnny Depp serving me drinks (we’ve already discussed this, Johnny appears in all my fantasies. Shut up.) Maybe I was checked into that sex addiction clinic somewhere in central USA (we’ve already discussed this, I always end up in a treatment facility in Matt’s alternate world. Don’t ask.) Maybe I had a complete breakdown and couldn’t cope with the pressures of all the free stuff and the fame and fortune that comes with writing for It’s My Kind Of Scene. Maybe I spent a week wandering the streets looking for the world’s greatest handbag but discovered crack cocaine instead. What? No, I’m not Courtney Love, but maybe I had a breakdown like Courtney seems to have perfected the art of having. She’s good at ‘em. No, I haven’t had one, yet. I just didn’t write for a week, alright? Why are you hassling me? No, everything’s fine. Yeah, it’s fine I tell you. Stop telling me how to live my life! No, I don’t need anything. I don’t need to talk. Don’t look at me. Shut up. Yes, I do love Minaj AND Pearl Jam at the same time, alright? Leave me alone! Leave Britney alone! What? See, wouldn’t it be great to just snap one day? Sometimes I fantasise about the complete breakdown. Who wouldn’t love to swear lots, tell everyone where to go and throw something on the floor, out the window, off a balcony. I’ve gotten close.


Maybe I should take some p’s and q’s from the book of Jim Morrison from The Doors, who had one of my favourite meltdowns. At a gig, in 1969, in front of an audience of almost 14,000 people he cracked it, in more ways than one. He sang randomly, chatted to the audience, “Maybe you love getting your face stuck in the shit.....You're all a bunch of slaves…..What are you gonna do about it?” and when an audience member jumped on stage and doused him in champagne (who doesn’t want to be doused in champagne?) he started stripping while screaming “You didn't come here for music did you? You came for something more, didn't you? You didn't come to rock'n'roll, you came for something else didn't you….WHAT IS IT? You want to see my cock, don't you?" Now, I don’t know how many people went to that gig to see Jim Morrison’s cock, but you know, if a rock star is going to show you, you’re not going to turn away are you?