Gigging again

Such a rare treat to spend a weekend in Sydney nowadays. Deviant and I spend all our time running up and down the coast and never really get to enjoy the city life anymore.

Well, this long weekend was a refreshing change.

We went to see a joined album launch gig by The Snowdroppers and Nici Blue Eyes on Saturday. And I have to say, it was one of the most enjoyable gig nights out I've ever experienced.

The Snowdroppers are a very cool good ole times blues band in 20's sorta working class getups.

"The Snowdroppers are an old style good time family fun band, whose feel good tunes harken from a more innocent era. From the days when jitterbugging, speak easys and contracting cholera was all the rage. They tackle issues such as substance dependancy, spousal abuse, homocide and good old fashioned misogyny."

Nici Blue Eyes is an adorable lil vintage chicky with a guitar.

"Melbourne-based Nici Blue Eyes and her band have won over the most unlikely of fans over the last year with their very own brand of original sassy, foot-tapping country with a twist. Their simple, stripped back sound is a perfect accompaniment to the sweet, breathy, broad ranging vocals of their rockin' front woman - the inimitable Nici."

Of course we ended up getting trollied and the next morning wasn't so much fun, but hey, that's what painkillers and nausea drugs are for, right? Who gives a fuck about car sickness anyway...

The Snowdroppers (from the gig)


Nici Blue Eyes

The Presets - Apocalypso

HIM was awesomeness!

Bunnies, the gig was awesome! Ville Valo was a true sex god and rocked Sydney like a world class rock star!

I was jumping up and down so much my feet are broken, and I screamed my little heart out yelling lewdities at him in Finnish. Did get a few funny looks at that, but I guess that was part of the fun.

The only disappointment was that Ville kept his shirt on for the whole gig.

Too bloody hectic!

Bunnies, I feel like I haven't had a chance to just sit down and catch my breath for a week!

***

The blues gig last Thursday was fantastic! One of the coolest gigs I've ever seen.

First Keb' Mo' did the uber-charming black man with his guitar thing for about an hour and then Buddy Guy (in his bloody 70s!!!) absolutely rocked the house! His energy was just unbelievable and from the word go, he owned the crowd and kept everyone mesmerised all the way through.

The icing on the cake was when Keb' Mo' joined him on stage for the rest of the gig.

Awesomeness.

***

We spent last w/e up the coast at Forster enjoying the fantastic weather as well as the beautiful scenery. Deviant somehow convinced me on joining him fishing on Sunday and was able to drag me out of bed at 4am. It did pay off tho as we enjoyed a show of dozens of dolphins passing by all day long.

Right before we were about to leave about a dozen dolphins appeared right in front of us and spent about a quarter of an hour just playing around and performing just a few meters from us. It was incredible and definitely made my day worth the early wake up.

***

Last night was Ozzy. Which was fucken hilarious.

I swear, the place was bogan-ville galore! Everyone was severely style challenged, overweight, unattractive and not quite there upstairs.

It made me all sentimental about the years I spent in Penriff... How I miss those muffin tops and the teen mums with their screaming double prams. Those were the days. *sigh*

Ozzy was an endearing and entertaining geriatric old fart with manboobs and a beer gut. The real cock on stage was Zakk. No doubt about it. He's a certified Sex God[tm].

***

Tomorrow we're heading up the coast again to Newcastle for an Easter bender. Bring it on.

Excitement over live blues!

Bunnies, do yourself a favour and give Keb' Mo's music a go.

Deviant introduced me to Keb' Mo' right in the early days and I fell in love with his love rat blues tunes straight away. He did a gig at Basement two years ago, but we missed out on tickets.

A week or so ago I was waiting to walk into a client meeting at a music related company, and I passed the time browsing a local free paper. Lucky I did, because I saw an advert about Keb' Mo' doing a joined gig with Buddy Guy in Sydney!

As soon as we got back to the office I went online to see if they had any tickets left and luckily enough I was not too late.

The gig is tonight and I can't wait!

Roisin Murphy - You Know Me

I just found out that Roisin Murphy has got a new single/video out. Not sure what I think of it to be honest. It's quite poppy and bland and not as quirky as her previous stuff.

I don't think I'm too impressed? Although I do like the video.

Please don't sell out on me Roisin.

Roisin Murphy - You Know Me

March is the month of live music

There was a bit of it happening in January with Bjork, Iiro Rantala New Trio & Kimmo Pohjola. But its really kicking up a gear this month.

And I have to say that the lineup is not entirely straight forward.

Tonight we're hitting Future Music 2008 festival (yehyeh I hate festivals, but we got tickets for free through Deviant's fishing buddy) and plans are to go and see Datarock, Sven Vath, Chemical Brothers and Chicks on Speed. So all electronic and shit with drugged up kiddies running amok all around us. Awesomeness.

Next week we're going to see Buddy Guy and Keb' Mo' play live at the Enmore, which should be fucken awesome. I absolutely adore Keb' Mo' and have wanted to see him live for ages. I find that black love rat of a man plaing his guitar and whinging about his heartaches shit just totally irresistible. Besides, Enmore is a great venue, so I have a feeling we'll really enjoy this one.

Then as a payback from me dragging him to see Bjork, Deviant is dragging me to see Ozzy Osbourne, which should be interesting to say the least. As a bonus tho, he'll have Zakk Wylde playing guitar. So at least someone the stage will have a pulse...

As the icing on the cake tho, we've got tickets to see HIM in Sydney. Which is awesome! I've wanted to see them live for ages, now that I'm actually into their music.

I saw them back in 1997 when they were warming up for Prodigy, but that was just wrong. I mean, I went in to hear Keith do Breathe and Smack My Bitch Up, not hear Ville do his cover of Wicked Game. So I hated it.

Even since I left Finland I've been getting more into Finnish music. I suppose its for the novelty factor and because its not in my face all the time. But I'm very excited to hear HIM perform their new much heavier shit on stage. I can't wait!

So yeh, there's everything from electronic to blues to metal and gothic cock rock. Should be interesting.

K-Klass - Let Me Show You

OMG does anyone else remember this pearl from the early 90s? I reckon this would have to be one of my all time favourite tracks!

Nine Inch Nails: Ghosts I-V

ghosts.nin.com
Official Torrent: Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I (2008)

HIM does Sydney again!

I've prolly raved on about this ages ago, but I absolutely adore HIM. For those who are not familiar with the band, HIM's an awesome Finnish rock band fronted by the oh so edible Ville Valo.

They did a gig in Sydney in early 2006 right when I had first met Deviant, but the tickets had been sold out before I was cashed up enough to get my hands on them. Man did being a povo art student suck!

Despite the cheesy goth lyrics and a tad too poppy flavour, Razorblade Romance still does it for me. I can't help but love it.

However, their latest album is fucken fantastic. Much darker, less tacky and oh so much better! Ballsy guitars, dark vocals and so very rock. Love it! In fact its one of my favourite albums at the moment.

I can't even begin to describe the joygasm of finding out they're doing a gig in Syd next month! I got tickets for Deviant, Daddy-oh and myself and I can't wait!

HIM - Bleed Well

Shoes

Cut Copy 'In Ghost Colours' preview gig

We were supposed to go and see The Golden Compass at Moonlight Cinema last night, but I wasn't too keen since its been pissing down non-stop again. While I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie, fuck freezing outdoors sitting in the rain!

Luckily work came to rescue. I got invited to go and see Cut Copy doing a preview gig to promote their new album In Ghost Colours. Very cool indeed.

Apart from queuing in, everything was great. It was an intimate lil venue, with all the cool cats from advertising, journalism and record company front present - all stacked at the bar of course.

It was quite funny actually: everyone looked the same. Apart from the obvious kiddies who had won entry through a competition of some sort, everyone present had that hard boiled professional alcoholic look about them. Too cool for school and not quite drunk enough yet to enjoy the company.

We just stayed upstairs on the balcony observing people and once the gig began, we had the best spots in house.

Booze was plenty, I got to wear heels and stay dry indoors, music was great, and the performance itself very inspiring. Couldn't have been better really.

Got a lot of visual ideas for work purposes and now I can't wait for the album to come out.

Cut Copy - Lights and Music

Inspiring right now...

The Presets - My People

Cut Copy - Lights & Music

'I'm going to prove the impossible really exists'

Not only one, but the goddess ticked off most of my favourites!

She was the perfect little quirky Scandinavian pixie and I need to have her babies. An evil army of weird tiny little Björklings, thank you.

The gig was truly amazing and worthy of its incredible settings - certainly one of those once in a lifetime experiences.

The stage had been set opposite the Opera House, so that the audience sat on the steps facing her, and she could enjoy her own laser light show lighting up the edifice of the Sydney Opera House.

The gig highlights for me were the enchantingly beautiful Unravel, incredible Bachelorette, super powerful Army of me and of course the fireworks encore Declare Independence.

The encore was actually quite funny. The audience was going absolutely apeshit to get her back on stage, and was totally losing the plot when she finally did.

Then she goes 'This song is dedicated to Australia's indigenous people...' and then starts bellowing 'DECLARE INDEPENDENCE! DON'T LET THEM DO THAT TO YOU!'

...which of course in this case meant referring to 99% of the audience as 'them'. The applause died - par a few who were just too off their tits to even notice - and you could just see everyone going 'Hang on... WTF?'

But after a while they got over it and went on enjoying what proved out to be the most energetic and powerful song of the whole gig. Gave me a good giggle tho.

This gig has to divide the first place with last year's NIN Year Zero gig in Sydney.

I wonder if the little Björklings would go well with the mini-Trents I need to have as well?

• Oompah, death metal and that voice: perfect - smh
• Icelandic space pixie alights on butterfly wings - smh

Icelandic goddess down under

Please, please, please, PLEASE let it be sunny tomorrow!

The day when I finally see Björk on stage is about to arrive and if there is one thing I'm hoping, its for the weather to be good.

Ever since I was 15 I have worshiped the ground she walks on and waited for the day when I shall finally see her perform live. From her albums, the latest is not my favourite, but it doesn't change the fact that she's truly divine.

Her lyrics are amazing and so close to this little Scandinavian heart of mine. Amongst my favourite lines would have to be:

'I tried to organise freedom
how Scandinavian of me!'

from Hunter

'I'm a tree that grows hearts
One for each that you take
You're the intruder's hand
I'm the branch that you break'

from Bachelorette

'He slides inside
Half awake half asleep
We faint back
Into sleephood
When I wake up
The second time in his arms : gorgeousness!
He's still inside me!'

from Cocoon

'While you are away
My heart comes undone
Slowly unravels
In a ball of yarn
The devil collects it
With a grin
Our love
In a ball of yarn
He'll never return it
So when you come back
We'll have to make new love'

from Unravel

'His wicked sense of humour
suggests exciting sex'

from Venus as a Boy

'You know - that I adore you
You know - that I love you
So don't make me say it
It would burst the bubble
Break the charm'

from Come to me

Now if I hear even one of the above tomorrow I'll be ecstatic.

--update:

For you non-Sydneysider bunnies: what I'm ranting on about is, of course, the gig Bjork is doing at the steps of the Opera House for the Sydney Festival.

All cultural and shit with Sydney Festival

Bunnies, it has been a good week.

Work's been hectic in a positive manner. I've had shitloads to do, but I've been able to concentrate on what I was doing well enough to enjoy it. I have been creating something I could easily stand behind and believe in.

If the customer has the balls to go with it that is. But hey, here's hoping.

On another front, I've finally been able to get active on Sydney Festival. There's so much to see, its impossible to know where to start!

A workmate of mine offered me a ticket to see the new performance by Chunky Move, so I suppose that provided me with a starting point as good as any. All the good old drunkards showed up and we were treated to a very entertaining - even if a bit technology masturbation heavy - show. It was great to see everyone again after such a long break and we enjoyed the rest of the night drinking outside the Spiegeltent.

That was Thursday. On Friday, I was alerted about a Finnish act playing at Angel Place.

A mate of mine had spotted a local radio advertising a quirky Finnish jazz act Iiro Rantala New Trio. What made them interesting is that they have replaced the drummer with a young lil beatboxing kid. Now, usually I really am not into scratching or beatboxing of any of that crap, but fuck me this kid was good!

And last but least, I caught an article on SMH introducing this bizarre Finnish man and his accordion. Kimmo Pohjola is apparently the new born Jimi Hendrix of the accordion and surely enough I had to witness his act.

Conveniently he was on at Angel Place right after Iiro Rantala New Trio so we ended up being both last night. The amount of bizarre demons this guy could magically summon with his electronic accordion was truly amazing. A fantastic show!

Chunky Move

Iiro Rantala New Trio

Kimmo Pohjola

Reamonn - Supergirl

Hey you anonymous asking after Supergirl: the band is called Reamonn.

(Going through all the comments that I have accidentally ignored while I haven't been blogging)

awesome tracks

unkle - burn my shadow

gotye - heart's a mess

mind boggles

nin - hurt


sad kermit - hurt


johnny cash - hurt

i am in love

went to see lou rhodes at the gaelic club last night. she used to be the singer of lamb, but has since gone solo and acoustic.

she started the set with tremble (the video below) and i was gone from the very first notes. she's got the most beautiful voice and some of the lyrics are just so spot on*.

i fell so in love with her gentle tunes that i bought a signed copy of her cd. and i never do shit like that.

give her a go bunnies, she's definitely worth it.

(* if you venture out to her myspace, make sure you don't miss the track fortress)