Brous at The Spiegeltent

After a relaxing tapas dinner along the waterfront at Byblos, Amrita, her husband and sister and I walked along Southbank to the Arts Centre to see Brous play at The Famous Spiegeltent.  Wearing a fantastic hot pink dress she started the evening with "Little Ticket." For this show Sophia had her regular band along with some special guests including Dan Luscombe (The Drones), Mick Harvey and Evelyn Morris (Pikelet).  She played mostly new songs (some just recently written) as well as "Streamers" and "Oh My Brother" from her EP.  Mick joined her on guitar for "Southern Belle" and "Small Hands" and Evelyn came out to play on a beautiful song that I think was called "Lulu."  Sophia's voice and vocal range were amazing throughout the night and she finished her hour long set with another new one titled "Of The Causeway."  Hopefully her debut album will be released this year and if the new songs are any indication is should be a great one.

Here's the video for "Little Ticket"

Another Year Older

Photo by Kat

Today is my birthday and it has been a pretty good day.  I went out to lunch at Shuji Sushi with Clinton, and then came back to a beautiful bouquet of flowers at my desk from my parents and cupcakes from my work colleagues.  They know me too well!  After work I had a lovely dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant Mamasita with Chantal, Amrita and Onagh.  We grabbed the last table and had an assortment of dishes and margaritas.  Then we headed off to the bar on the 35th floor of the Sofitel for a night cap before heading home.  Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes throughout the day (and to those in the US who will be sending them tomorrow when I officially turn a year older).

The Artist

Tonight after work Amrita and I headed to the Kino Cinemas to see the award winning film The Artist.  Shot in black-and-white it covers the end of the silent film era and the beginning of talkies through the eyes of silent film star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) and rising starlet Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo).  Most of the film is silent and I can understand why Jean Dujardin is winning all the best actor awards because he is amazing in the way he conveys different emotions without the use of dialogue.  Uggie the dog is also a standout as Valentin's trusty companion.  The cinematography is gorgeous, and it was great to see all the shots around Los Angeles.  If you haven't seen The Artist yet you should definitely check it out as I think it will take home even more awards at the Oscars.

Major Tom And The Atoms

After a yummy dinner at Baba, Mary and I headed to The Retreat Hotel last night to catch Major Tom And The Atoms, the latest side project from Tom Hartney of Little Red.  The opening band was Jimmy Hawk And The Endless Party.  I enjoyed their songs and they had a few people up dancing by the end of their set.

Major Tom And The Atoms played a mix of original numbers and covers during their very entertaining and energetic set.  Tom's baritone voice sounded great and the musicians in the band are all fantastic, particularly the saxophone player who had some mad solos throughout the night.  Covers played included Smokey Robinson's "Get Ready," The Box Tops' "The Letter" and a medley of the themes from Jaws, The Pink Panther, Get Smart and Batman which was used to introduce the band.  Of the bands original songs, "Hey Flo" and "Rolling Stone" were standout tracks.  They finished their set with "The House That Love Built" and then for an encore did an inspired cover of Guns N' Roses' "Welcome To The Jungle."  It was a really fun night and we look forward to catching them live again soon.

Here's a clip of "Rolling Stone" to give you an idea of what they sound like live:

The Harpoons- Walk Away Single Launch

Last night Mary and I headed to The Toff in Town to see The Harpoons launch their latest single "Walk Away."  The first act on for the evening was Oscar Key Sung of Oscar + Martin.  It was a lovely, laid back set from Oscar who has a very soulful voice.  He sang along to pre-programmed beats and also used a looping pedal for his vocals at some points. 

Next up was Melbourne band The Neighborhood Youth.  They sounded promising at the start with their indie rock sound and jangly guitars, but after a while their songs started to blend together.  While I think they are talented their problem may be that they sound too much like a blend of other popular bands.

By the time The Harpoons took the stage the venue was packed.  They played a great set with a mix of old favorites and new songs.  "Faith" was the usual showstopper, showcasing Bec Rigby's amazing voice.  It was also good to hear "Swim My Baby" live again and the new single "Walk Away" for the first time.  We were even treated to a cover of Bill Withers' "Just The Two Of Us."  They finished the main set with "Keep You Around" and played "Garden City" for an encore.  I'm happy to see their popularity growing and can't wait for this debut album to be released.

Sunday Afternoon with The Good China

Photo by Guerilla Creative

This afternoon I ventured out into the hot weather to see The Good China play as part of Johnny Rock & The Limits Sunday residency at The Workers Club in Fitzroy.  The Chinas played a fairly even mix of old and new songs in their 45 minute set, including "If Pain Persists," "All Nothing," "We Found 3 Whistles" and "No More Maps, No More Roads."  The newer stuff sounds good, and I have heard some of it live once or twice before.  There was also some amusing banter in between songs, including a discussion of the movie Predator.  Unfortunately I didn't have time to stay for the full bill, but it was nice to be in a cool, dark room for a bit listening to live music.

The Ocean Party- Young Love Single Launch

Last night Mary and I went to the John Curtin Hotel to see The Ocean Party launch their latest single "Young Love."  First up for the evening was Slow Dancer, who played a great set.  Simon was once again accompanied by Rohan Sforcina on drums and James Vincent on bass.  "Leave It To Me" and "Home" were my highlights and it was nice to see Simon's Oh Mercy bandmates out to support him.

The second band on the bill was Melbourne three piece ScotDrakula.  They played a very energetic set of punk/indie sounding songs with a hint of rockabilly as well.  I really liked them and it was good to see a female drummer in the band.  Next was The Eliza Band, a side project of Rory Cooke, the lead singer of Gaslight Radio.  They played songs from their debut album Firework Dogs, of which "The Preston Front" was a stand out, and finished their set with a Gaslight Radio song.

Surprisingly there was just a small crowd in the bandroom by the time The Ocean Party took the stage. Nevertheless they played a solid set of songs from their various releases, including "The Dogs," "Deadbeat," "Shaking Like A Leaf" and their new single "Young Love."  After the show Mary and I scored their entire back catalog for $10, which was an amazing offer.  Their debut album The Sun Rolled Off The Hills will be released in February.

Here's the video for "The Dogs"