Some amazing bands I discovered in Australia!

Jamilla

Even a casual music observer cannot help to notice that a huge proportion of buzzy bands, (mostly in  indie/ psychedelic rock circles) over the past few years have hailed from Australia. This includes indie heroes such as Tame Impala, Courtney Barnett,  Avalanches, DMA's, Pond, (my personal favourites) King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard ans recent breakthough stars such as Amyl and the Sniffers and Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever. Earlier this year I decided to go and explore the country for myself on an epic two-month journey that took me from major cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane), smaller cities (Darwin, Townsville, Newcastle), Tourist staples (Uluru, Byron Bay) and the middle of fucking nowhere's (Tennant Creek, Erdunda). When I wasn't taking in epic scenery, delicious food and meeting exotic animals I was searching for new bands. Luckily enough I was spoilt for choice Australia has a liberal attitude to promoting new music. Their government funded station Triple J puts the UK equivalent to shame. However actually finding shows proved to be a little harder in my first major city stop of Sydney.

Sydney. 

Luca Brasi 

I only saw one show in Sydney. Luca Brasi supported by Tiny Moving Parts and Eliza and the Delusionals. In order to get to this show I walked across the city from my hotel near Kings Cross all the way to the university. Once I got there finding the student bar hosting the show proved to be nearly impossible. Until I asked for directions and found the unmarked building. 

Eliza and The Delusionals were the gold coast indie rock four piece who kicked things off. From what I can remember I was pretty impressed by them. Although not nearly as much as i was by Tiny Moving Parts. An American emo band who seemed to have already conquered the hearts of many an Australian despite it only being their first tour over there. Some readers may already be aware of Luca Brasi from their UK tour with Moose Blood. Being unfamiliar with them I was pretty blown away by the energy in the room from them. This young emo band have sold out small rooms all across Australia and have packed them out with the same fanatic crowds that i have seen attend UK shows for the likes of Creeper or Milk Teeth. I don't rate them as highly as some of their UK emo/pop punk contemporaries. Yet based on the love they receive in their home country I am sure they could be conquering our shores any time soon. 

Darwin. 

Aside from a few performers in Byron Bay it wasn't until a month after that gig in Sydney that I caught another show. I was lucky enough to catch the Australian legends The Preatures in Darwin. Coming towards the end of a mammoth Aus tour The Preatures performed a fantastic set of sexy, swaggering rock n' roll that few other bands can deliver nowawdays. I was lucky to see them in Darwin as few major bands play them and as i can attest to, even a huge act such as The Preatures can struggle to fill a venue in Darwin. I was also impressed by how outspoken they were, particularly in regards to their respect for aboriginal culture. The support came from the endearingly awkward Ali Barter. Her live show was stripped back to just her and a guitar, a far cry from the full band sound of her album. Despite fighting against a crowd that would not shut up her incredible voice stood out as an obvious sign of her talent. Ali Barter's songs are a candid look at her mental health and sexuality. She tackles heavy topics with a dry sense of humour and is therefore an artist who I feel could be making some very vital music in the future. 

Adelaide.

W.M.N

Adelaide may be overshadowed by it's big brother Melbourne but it has a thriving music scene of it's own. I caught a show at a small pub that opened with the political, alternative RNB duo Argus and The Liar. The duo mix conscious rhymes with a trippy neo soul style backing. Perth native Jamilla followed on with her very modern style of alt-RNB. Her songs can be both reflective of her experiences being a young black woman and overtly sexual. While at time her sound felt a bit artificial it was the strength of her voice and personality which made her shine. W.M.N are a band like none other that I have seen. I am only going on my assumptions but one member appeared to be a classically trained violinist with an operatic voice. While two other members appeared to be transgender. These 4 people mixed electronic production with, violin accompaniment and elements of rap and spoken word. I have little other way to describe it yet I can think of few other bands so evocative of the age that we live in.   

Draining

Another night I found the (quite literally) underground punk club 'Ancient world'. I saw a plethora of local acts. From the grunge trio Agapanther, the post-rock duo Still They Slept and best of all the shoegaze band Draining.  The self described 'Sad Punx' Draining played a fantastically noisy set of punk rock drowned in guitar effects. They capped things off by smashing up their gear. 

Melbourne.

Sophisticated Dingo

I couldn't wait to go to Melbourne. While the inner city is chaotic and crowded the suburbs are every bit the hipster paradise I imagined the city to be. The Yarra suburb is an oasis of bars, cages, restaurants, tattoo parlours and of course.. live venues. Having known the city for producing acts such as King Gizzard and Rolling Blackouts I was eager to find the next big thing. After scouring about 30 shows alone that night in the local rag 'Beat' I settled on local heroes Deathbeat. A punk duo who mix heavy grooves with furious rapping. While there are similarities to UK punks Slaves, Deathbeat have created a sound that is unique to them. One of the supports for that show Slim Jefferies also supported Sophisticated Dingo on the next gig I saw in Melbourne. Their a scrappy hardcore band who are endearingly rough around the edges. By the time Bad Bangs, Face Face and House Hats had finished their fantastic sets it was getting late. Sophisticated Dingo were launching their EP 'Tastes just like the real thing' with a hour plus long set in front of a packed out room. They bought some trippy light projections to make their show that little bit more special. If you've guessed by their name alone that Sophisticated Dingo are a scuzzy two piece surf punk band then you'd be spot on! They ooze an especially Aussie sense of not giving a fuck and as such their show was heaps of fun!

So it turns out that just as I had expected the fantastic Australian bands who have broke through in the UK are only the tip of the iceberg. 

Deathbeat

Links

www.elizaandthedelusionals.com

www.facebook.com/lucabrasipunkrock/

www.thepreatures.com

www.alibartermusic.com

www.facebook.com/pg/argusandtheliar

www.facebook.com/pg/jamillamusic/

www.facebook.com/pg/wmnmusic

https://draining.bandcamp.com/

www.facebook.com/pg/deathbeatband

sophisticateddingo.bandcamp.com/

IDLES, live at the Birmingham Institute review (26/10/2018)

You don't need to see IDLES live to realise that they're one of if not the most important bands of the decade. Everything that makes them special is already on display on their two albums so far. Everything about Idles just seems to epitomise the mood and feel of the troubled times were living in. From the smart, funny and endlessly quotable lyrics of front-man Joe Talbot and the empowered post-punk noise that the rest of the band give him to shout it over, it's obvious that Idles haven't just captured the Zeitgeist so much as they have wrestled it to the ground.
Idles already have the perfect support act with them on this tour. Heavy Lungs (7.2) are a similarly gritty band in the post punk vein. Notable for having Joe Talbot's 'blood brother' Danny Nedelko as their singer. However the Latvian born Danny is more than just a catchy song. From the moment he gets on stage it's impossible to take your eyes off him. Heavy lungs may lack the instant catchiness of Idles' songs but they have a gloomy aesthetic of their own, which makes them an intriguing and beguiling new band to watch out for. (7.2/10)

When IDLES hit the stage they were silhouettes shrouded in dry ice and flashing white lights. This made for a menacing backdrop for the opener 'Colossus'. For all his focus on positivity Joe Talbot is still a formidable presence on stage, leering at the crowd and delivering the lyrics on his typical dry tone. For most bands a slow burner such as Colossus would be an odd way to start the show yet IDLES had the audience in the palm of their hands from the moment they walked on stage. Following the song's incendiary finish and launching right into the brilliant 'Never fight a man with a perm' had the crowd in a frenzy. The crowd instinctively knowing every word to this darkly funny take of losing a fight to 'A heathen from Eaton, on a bag of Micheal Keaton'. 'Mother' and 'I'm scum' also made for great examples of what makes IDLES special but it was 'Danny Nedelko' that really shows what the band are all about. An embrace of unity and immigration as Joe embraced his 'blood brother' Danny on stage. Joe Talbot is as quotable between songs as he is during them, giving shout-outs to the AF gang, local heroes UB40 and Table Scraps, before declaring that 'our country is run by psychopaths'. He may be preaching to the choir but it's still a sermon worth hearing. It was around this point that things started to get a little bit out of hand, with both IDLES guitarists deciding to have a go at crowd surfing. This prompted a plucky fan to try and get on the stage. Joe growled at the security to let him on stage. The fan ran over to help out bashing drums and next thing the stage was swarmed with lucky fans playing IDLES instruments and generally making as much noise as possible. It's this close relationship with their fans that has allowed IDLES to make their massive dent in the UK scene. Joe was quick to clear out the suddenly rather empty stage for their cover of 'cry to me'. IDLES don't do encores because they think it's weird, but after delivering more anthems with 'Well done' and Rottweiler, they'd delivered more than enough. The last 10 minutes of the show was a cacophony of guitar feedback and flashing lights, leaving The Institute with a show it would never forget.

9.2 

(love IDLES as much as I do? join the AF Gang! https://www.facebook.com/groups/231316577380254/)

Lunar Festival 2018 review (part 2)

Saturday

Hookworms

Another Brummie Psychedelic rock trio opened the stage on Saturday, this time the much darker krautrock inspired Matters (6), who are clearly one of the most promising bands of the Birmingham scene. As are The Mothers Earth Experiment (7.2) who celebrated their return to the lunar stage with free tote bags and flyers for everyone. Yet accomplished as they psych-jazz rock/environmental protest music is it's not really for me. I wondered off to catch the live Reasons to be Cheerful Podcast. Featuring Geoff Lloyd and a surprisingly funny Ed Milliband. Who spent the majority of his talk with a flower crown on his head that someone threw at him. I listened politely as their guest talked at length about her plans to improve public services, and laughed as the comic Bethany Black livened things up wuith her own reasons to be cheerful. As the heavens opened and gave way to torrential rain Hookworms (8) valiantly played on through the rain. I caught the bits where the downpour wasn't too bad and they were so good that it was almost getting soaked to watch them play. An hour or so of wondering through vintage stands to keep dry I caught some of the set from the access to music student Lucy Shaw whose sweet acoustic songs made for some distraction from the drizzle. Once the rain finally cleared it was for the mediocre grunge trio Particle Kid (6) and the funky yet also kinda underwhelming dance act Crazy P (6). The grey skies seemed to suit Blackash (8.4) perfectly. The mysterious Midlands act who somehow mix stoner rock and techno together. They looked and sounded fantastic and are a whole lot more fun live than their doomy first single 'Black Witch' led me to believe. the 10 minute epic of Black Sabbath style riffing came with it's own black witch dance troupe, and later cheerleaders for the songs finale. Blackash wre easily one of the best acts of the festival.

Goldfrapp

Goldfrapp (8.8) may have been suffering with a bit of a cold, and overall not as fantastic  as some previous Lunar head-liners but she still put on a solid show of industrial tinged electro-pop with tonnes of dry ice and a retina blasting light show. Mostly sticking to the best tracks off 'Silver eye' and savings hits 'ooh la la' and strict machine for the end. Goldfrapp's Lunar set was the sound of an artist finally comfortable in her own skin. Her idle chatting to audience members may have seemed a bit add odds with the image of her shadow dancing around the dry ice but it didn't matter too much. I was a little disappointed by the lack of early material but it's chard to see where any of it would have fit in.

Next I was off to the Comedy Carousel where a predictably surreal Paul Foot spent most of his set taking the piss out of the patrons talking over him at the bar and then analysing his jokes to annoy them further. while the other two comedians were brilliant my highlight of the comedy and actually the festival itself was the brilliant Bethany Black who in contrast to her earlier appearance was rude, sweary and at times absolutely filthy, discussing drugs, porn, relationships and lesbian sex.

Sunday

Dorcha + Damo suzuki

Kicking things off was Dorcha (8). A young Birmingham quintet who continue to defy explanation. Their experimental gothic sound seems to stem from no obvious influences other than their willingness to jam and create new sounds. This made them unlikely kindred spirits with Damo Suzuki. At first glance a rather ordinary Japanese man, but known to many for his demonic improvised singing as part of the iconic krautrockers CAN. Dorcha may be a very different band to can but with their improvised jamming they created the perfect backdrop for Damo's bizzare vocal style, switching instruments whenever they felt like it and recreating the unsettling, uneasiness that characterised CAN's output, without in anyway imitating it. I spent the rest of the day hoping that the rain would go awawy and packing all my stuff but the sky eventually cleared for Songhoy Blues (9.2), Who were every bit as fantastic as I hoped they would be. Not typically 'world' so much as just a shit hot, funky rock 'n roll band who know how to start a party. This is partly down to Aliou Touré being a fantastic front-man, who could liven up any event with his mad eyed dancing and Garba Toure's   effortless, constant stream of guitar licks. Not only do Songhoy Blues put a lot of western bands to shame, they make it look easy.

Songhoy Blues

After 40 years in the game it's worth thinking about how strange The Stranglers (8.4) still are. Still probably the only band who can unite the punks and the hippies. The Stranglers are full of contradictions, far more complex musically than your average punk band yet far too rough to be considered new wave. Despite having been at it for so long they seem far to popular to be simply considered a nostalgia act, especially when their music seems as gloriously out of place in 2018 as it did in 1977. Singer Baz Warne said they were glad about the rain and to see us all huddled together rather than playing another show to people standing around in the sunshine. Baz was happy to banter with the crowd, many of which seemed to have come out just for them. The Stranglers did a great of finishing Lunar playing plenty of hits, 'Golden Brown', 'Always The Sun', 'Peaches', 'All day and all of the night', and finishing off with a fantastic 'No More Heroes'. Easily one of the best ever punk rock songs and a stellar finish for Lunar 2018.

Lunar Festival 2018 review (part 1)

 Thursday 26th. 

Things were quiet as the early birds set up their tents and got to know each other in the blistering summer heat. It may have been a little bit boring, but it was nice to be back. It was all worth it for The Pretty Things (8.8/10) returning to Lunar for one of their last ever shows, retiring this year after making music for over 50 years. They may have came on an hour late and played for double their set time but many would have been happy for them to keep playing all night. This show found them in a reflective mood mixing early R&B highlights with blues covers and cuts from their masterpiece S.F. Sorrow. An album which like the band who made it should be ranked alongside releases from The Who, Stones and Beatles and acclaimed as one of the strongest, strangest and most ambitious albums of the 60's. Despite a few 1000 yard stares 'The Things were on top form, sounding energised as any young band and showing off their music skill with acoustic cuts and giving the Moonshine barn a real cavern club feel.
It would take one hell of an act to follow such a show and Henge (9.2) were that act. Basically a group of 4 aliens playing a silly revamped take on space rock. Mixing elements of surf rock, progressive rock and techno together. Few things match the joy of seeing a Roy Wood lookalike with a glowing orb on his head who claims to be a 1000 year old alien wearing a fleshy human clone suit shredding his guitar. For all the silliness Henge have a serious environmental message at heart. On Keyboards is Henge's Brother Juul. The last descendant of Venus, warning us in his own language (a sort of freaky scat singing) not to destroy our own planet like his race did theirs. The message did little to bum out the freaks who had only just woken up and come out to dance.
Snooker legend Steve Davis finished the night off the night with a DJ set mixing post punk rhythms with psychedelic sounds with typically cold precision.

Friday 27th

One of the best changes to Lunar in 2018 was the addition of The Half Moon stage. A smaller stage directly opposite the main stage. This works well because it means that not only do lesser known bands get to play alongside big hitters but also that there is a constant stream of music without having to move from your spot in the field. Opening this stage on Friday was the brummie psychedelic rock  trio The Good Water (6), followed by a lovely set from 77:78 (8), bringing warm summer vibes to the hot Friday morning. While John J Pressley (6.8) played some heavy Tom Wait-ish blues rock  I was hugely looking forward to Boy Azooga (8.4) and wasn't disappointed. The Cardiff band have rightly broken through in 2018 as one of the most fun, unique and talented young rock bands of the moment. Throughout the set they were constantly smiling and cracking jokes, Frontman Davey couldn't be happier to be spending his 27th birthday in this field with us. BA covered other Cardiff bands, as well as an odd medley featuring their takes on Black Sabbath and Kelis. Yet their own songs shone brightest, including not surprisingly 'face behind her cigarette' and loner boogie' yet many great unrecorded B.A. songs prove that the future is looking even better for this young band.

Nabihah Iqbal (6) was a tad disappointing. Her slightly amateurish vocals and heavy reliance on keyboards not quite cutting the mustard on this Lunar bill, although a cover of The Cure's A Forest was definitely a highlight. The Go! Team (8.8) bought a spaceman and all the colourful exuberance that they're known for, despite having been in the game for over a decade they have endless energy on-stage and all the naive fun of a primary school music class. Singer Angela 'Maki' said she felt like Beyonce and invited all the ladies in the crowd to booty shake with her.  Basement Jaxx gathered crowds to dance in the sun, but I instead decided to become indoctrinated to Nutopian society in an utterly bizarre yet brilliant experience. If you know, you know. 

Amadou and Mariam (8.4) killed their set with a load of funky African blues and strangely enough a fire breather who despite some great tricks seemed a bit out of place. What made Amadou and Mariam stand out was Amadou's fantastic guitar shredding and Mariam's clear love for him after their many years together. 

After a short walk through the pitch black woods we came to a clearing and listened to Nick Drake's  own copy of his seminal 3rd LP 'Pink Moon' by a roaring campfire on his family's own turntable. It is an album that deserves to be listened to in full with silent reverence. This is one of many special experiences that only Lunar can provide.

Milk Teeth, Fangclub, Nervus. Live at Mama Rouxs (20/3/18)

Nervus are not your typical run of the mill pop punk band. For example, the Watford four piece sell own brand coffee on their merch stand. While their singer Em is one of the few openly trans rock vocalists. Yet really sets them apart is the quality of their tunes. Nervus mix Em's introspective and biographical lyrics with instantly memorable guitar hooks and piano melodies. Nervus' opening slot was a fun show with a party atmosphere.  Em shouted out the other bands comparing the tour to a school trip where all the bands were naughty school children getting each together into trouble. Nervus’ keyboardist also entertained with his extravagant dad dancing. Em gave a shout out to all the trans kids in the audience. All three of them danced alongside the band to the finale song of the set ‘it follows’ and had the last word of the set ‘protect trans kids’. (8/10)

While Nervus’ were light hearted and fun Fangclub were relatively dour by comparison. Fangclub take Nirvana style grunge-pop to new levels of noise and heaviness. Keeping their heads down and delivering huge heavy riffs much like my faves God Damn. The Dublin trio’s singer plonked his mic stand into the audience twice and gave the Birmingham crowd a master-class in no frills rock n’ roll. (7.2)

I will always remember a Beckyless Milk Teeth headlining an almost empty Sunflower Lounge many years ago. In the years since then I have watched with pride as Milk Teeth have deservedly become one of the UK’s hottest and best rock bands. Milk Teeth’s show at Mama Roux's went down much like their last show in Birmingham where they turned The Flapper into a sweaty chaotic mess. Burly dudes and skinny emo teenagers alike came together in a violent mix of crowd surfing, moshing and circle pitting. Milk Teeth themselves weren’t safe either as (unknown to me at the time) guitarist Webby somehow broke his ankle during the first song and fought opn through the pain till the end. Fresh from supporting Enter Shikari on an epic US tour, Milk Teeth were in a reflective mood, playing ‘Bagels’ for the final time, having instructed everybody present to learn the words beforehand. Presumably to give Webby a chance to rest his ankle Becky and Billy gave the crowd an acoustic version of crooked spoons, ‘Kabuki’ and a surprise cover of Foo Fighters ‘Everlong’. Business was soon resumed as the rest of the band joined for some heavier songs. When he wasn’t encouraging the crowd to jump around Billy asked everyone to get their phones out and shine a light at the stage. Mama Roux’s was soon ablaze in bright white light. Milk Teeth saved the best for last with ‘Owning your okayness’ now officially their signature song. Becky announced that there would be no encores giving the crowd once last chance to sing the words out loud. A few people chanted for an encore but it didn’t matter. Milk Teeth had already delivered more than enough. 

9.2/10

 

Note: I forgot my camera batteries so I had to use my phone to take these crappy photos. My gig photography is usually a lot better than this.