Well!
What a difference a week (& a decent PA) makes! After having seen
these guys’ first show last week at which they put on a very strong
showing, this performance confirms the strengths that we saw being hinted
at. This dynamic 3-piece tonight appear relaxed with each other &
with their material which allows them to explore their unique sound more
fully. |
| To put it plainly,
the inaugural pub performance by this young trio was a hit. One could tell
that the band were a little nervous but that impression disappeared quickly
within the first song & as they found their stride one would never have
known that they hadn’t played to a packed room like this before. And
packed it was… of course, as with all early shows there were friends,
family & assorted hangers-on in abundance but there were also many unknown
faces (as this was a 3-band bill w/ MS filling the middle slot) with all
eyes on the band & not a lot of movement in the outer bar as is so often
the case at pub gigs. The Monster Stomp sound is an eclectic one & sometimes belies the fact that there are only three musicians on the stage. Leaning towards funk as a rhythmic base the band manage to mix it up a bit with some percussive guitar work & somewhat scatty, schizophrenic vocals from “Captain Fenwick” nestling with some tasty counterpoint bass work from Andrew with Paul’s solid, at times minimal(ist) backbeat keeping the other two on track. The songwriting is mature enough to allow for dynamics with some slower, almost Beatle-ish chord changes providing a chance to catch one’s breath before a new upbeat attack is levelled at the listener. At a couple of points some cohesion was lost amongst the exuberance but this is to be expected from any band at their beginnings & I have no doubt that the band will be reviewing their performance & that these minor quibbles will be ironed out over the band’s next couple of shows. All in all a enjoyable & fun performance from a band who appear to have what it takes to make their mark upon the live scene. |
| Silverchair
- The Newcaslte Civic Centre - 19th April 2003 Review by Suz, Photos by Troy |
I didn’t really know what to expect, however, having seen Silverchair live on many occasions, my assumption was that I’d be seeing the alternative/grunge/rock band that I’d seen in the past, nothing could be further from the truth. The show had been billed as a two part event, the first act being the more passive tunes from the recent albums, the 2nd act to be the heavier angst filled music of their past, this was not quite so, both acts were quite contemporary yet still incredibly powerful and in some parts uplifting, with a touch of teenage angst thrown into the second half. Their music has come forward in leaps and bounds and the unquestionable talent of Daniel Johns is glaringly obvious from the first note, to say the guy is a musical genius is almost an insult and if his ailments of the past still effect him in anyway it did not show at anytime in the 2½ hour performance or in his dexterousness on both guitar and piano, although his dance style is somewhat, shall I say, unique. It was sad to note that Ben and Chris seem to have melted into the background and although they were on stage for a good 80% of the show, for many of the songs they seemed to be more of an accompaniment for Daniel than a band playing together, however, I’m sure Ben thrashing it out on the drums in nothing but his jocks (in Act 2) did not go unnoticed by anyone in the crowd. They took us on an all-encompassing emotional journey as Daniel put body and soul into every song with a voice that soared from unbelievable heights to a depth felt by all, he could still bring out the rage and angst of his youth when belting out tunes like Israel’s Son. The crowd was a bit of a disappointment, Daniel had to ask the crowd to stand up and get into the music, not once but 3 times, we were unfortunate enough to have people behind us that were constantly asking people around them to sit down, even though Daniel had explained that it was better for them if everyone was up and getting into it, I mean who did they go to see?? Kamahl!!?? Set
List; |
| transtar
- The Excelsior - 13th April 2003 |
Transtar are 5 boys from Bondi just starting to make a name for themselves in the Australian and New Zealand music scene, they’ve already got a faithful band of followers which is growing with every live show. This indie/pop band fronted by singer-songwriter Wade Jackson is really on the up, his voice is like a coming together of Liam Gallagher (Oasis) and Thom Yorke (Radiohead) and the band wrap around him with harmonies and euphonics that truly suit this style. The melancholic though to veracious tunes are easy listening, it’s the kind of music that you can walk in on and enjoy every verse. They are quite versatile in their sound as wade switches from electric to acoustic from song to song and the underlying bass and drums are simple yet effective, all this is evident on their new album ‘People Against The Sea’. Set List: |
| Cog
- The Annandale Hotel - 29 Mar 03 |
So how do you describe Cog, I don’t really think you can, well not in the typical pigeonhole kind of way. These guys have a sound all of their own, it’s intense yet melodic, powerful yet soothing, basement rock that’s still totally abstract. Before seeing them at Sydney’s Annandale Hotel, I had only heard of Cog by name, a few people had mentioned them and only had good things to say, one guy called their sound a musical journey, so I jumped onto the Cog website and downloaded some samples …… I liked what I heard …… one thing that always pulls me in is the depth of the vocals and Flynn’s vocals are both deep and strong. The show was a sell out and once we found our spot down the back near the chip machine (it was really all the room there was left), the lights went down and Luke powered up his bass, followed by Lucius settling in behind the drums and finally Flynn takes up his spot behind the mike, and the musical journey began. There may only be 3 guys up there but when they get into it, you are hit with a solid wall of sound, with the roof hanging on by a thread, they launched into their set (see list below), none of the guys missed a beat through out all the timing and tempo changes and I’m sure the more subtle changes weren’t wasted on the muso’s in the crowd. Cog have said that after 2 years of solid touring it's time to head back into the cave and write, let's hope they don't stay in there to long. Set List: |
| GoodBuddha
- Bar Broadway Sydney - 15th March 2003 |
Take 1 cup of Hip Hop, a Tablespoon of Funk and a pinch of rock and you have GoodBuddha, a band that not so long ago seemed to be on the brink of the big time, but then we lost site of them, but they're back alive and well with a band of dedicated fans back on the dance floor. I have to say up front that they are not my usual cup of cha, but they have a pull that is hard to ignore, standing still is impossible and before long you are getting into the groove along with the rest of the crowd. For a group of mates that started the band through a mutual love for the same kind of music they are doing justice to the Hip Hop genre while keeping a relatively individual sound. One thing that makes this band is that the MC is backed with real instruments not just DJs spinning in the background and Ranji adds to the whole affect with her dulcet tones although most of the time it was hard hear her. Although the guys harmonize well together the drumming tended to be a bit boring I was kinda hoping Matt would break loose at some stage but that was not to be. When they first hit the stage the crowd dropped everything and rushed to the dance floor, but by the end of the set the pool tables and lounges were full again, I would hazard to say they went on a little long, however, those left up the front yelled for more and got an encore. Set List: |
| Pearl
Jam - Sydney Entertainment Centre - 11th Feb 2003 |
I
have waited nearly ten years to see Pearl Jam and it was well worth it.
Eddie Vedder's voice is absolutely amazing, completely mesmerising and
the band are just phenomenal. They played for a solid 90 minutes and not
only their greatest hits but some of their newest songs as well. They
are fantastic to watch. Set
List |
| Queens
of the Stone Age - The Metro Sydney - 23rd Jan 2003 |
Walking up the stairs of the Metro in Sydney's George Street, we wondered if selling our Foo Fighters tickets was the way to go (having tickets for QOTSA and the Foos on the same night had been quite a dilemma), we walked to the bar perusing the crowd delighted to be greeted with a mixed bag of people, we ordered our 'way to expensive drinks' and headed in to catch a few moments of the support band Betchadupa, they held our interest for around 3 songs before we headed back out to the bar till it was time for QOTSA, the lights flashed in the bar and we headed in and by the end of the first riff I had forgotten all about the Foos concert and sailed away on a Stoneage wave. The music was tight with mind blowing instrumentals that didn't go on so long that it left you wondering if you have time to get to the bar before it ended and although the vocals were a little drowned out by the (sweet sweet) music, in my opinion they are a band that makes CD's seem like a cheap copy of their talent. They mostly played songs from "Songs for the Deaf" however about 4 songs off QOTSA, and the 3 "hits" off Rated R were also hammered out although some of them could have come straight from Desert sessions, like "feel good hit of the summer" I mean we could all do with some Nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, Marijuana, ecstasy and Alcohol, I certainly give it my slightly intoxicated thumbs up! Set
List |
| Foo
Fighers - The Metro Sydney - 19th Oct 2002 |
| September 16
2002, dawn, I dragged myself out of bed, all the while thinking "I
must be nuts". We got to the Metro in Sydney’s George St, just
as dark was dissolving and were happy, if not slightly surprised, to find
only 11 people already queuing to get tickets for what was possibly a last
chance to see the Foos in fairly intimate surroundings. This, for me, was
one of the most anticipated concerts (even with only a few days notice)
as the Foo's had not played in Australia since 2000. As far as we knew only
Foo's fan club members were aware of this concert and only 300 tickets were
to be sold to the general public, all the rest (approx 800) were invitees
of the Foo's, anyways, 2 tickets were allowed per person, and we got 4 of
the 300, fkn A. The night finally arrived and we skipped the support band
and stayed in the bar slightly bemused by the crowd who where not your regular
Foo's concert goers but the folks they had invited from all sorts of places
like Breweries, Hotels and Featherdale Farm (apparatly one of their favourite
places to visit when in Sydney), people were actually stopping each other
to enquire how they got their ticket and ask where you were from, the celebs
of the evening seemed to be the 300 that queued.........., The wait was
over at about 9.45pm, the crowd (as it always does) went wild as four dark
figures crossed the stage, A spot light came on Dave G as he launched into
All my Life, all the well known hits followed (set list below) with the
crowd singing along to every word, I feel there is no better meditation
than being completely swept away by a band and the Foo's for me are in this
class, they play as one, rarely do you see 4 guys that work so well together,
3/4 through, Taylor, Nate, and Chris leave the stage and Dave enchants us
with a hypnotic version of Tired, Chris adds his magic to it half way through
and as the song ends the Nate and Taylor come back to give us Everlong before
the encore, They come back on to play Aurora and I muse, just as I have
read Nate muse, why this song would not be sort of hit that Learning to
Fly was, they play a couple more and end with breakout, as they leave the
stage, the crowd remains rooted to the stop expectantly, but then as the
lights come up all are aware that the show is over and real life awaits
outside............. Set List All My Life Generator My Hero For All The Cows Learn To Fly Disenchanted Lullaby Stacked Actors Times Like These The One Low Hey, Johnny Park! Monkey Wrench Tired Everlong Aurora Have It All Next To You (Police Cover) Breakout |