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:
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.
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.
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.
Last night Tash and I had dinner at Amigos on Acland Street (another overpriced, average Mexican restaurant in Melbourne- surprise, surprise) before heading to the Palais Theatre for Fleet Foxes sold out show. The last time they came through town I was away overseas, so I was very excited to finally see them live. The opening act was Grand Salvo, the moniker of Melbourne singer-songwriter Paddy Mann. He played a lovely set of folk music and was joined on stage at various times by a female vocalist and cellist for different songs.
The nearly two hour set by Seattle's Fleet Foxes was absolutely amazing. Their four part harmonies just soared and they played all the songs with energy and a sense of purpose. This was not a quiet folk show. The lighting was quite subtle with the band only occasionally lit from the front and background projections of moving stars overlaid with different geometric shapes. The set list consisted of songs from all three of their releases, including my favorites "Mykonos," "Ragged Wood," "Your Protector," "Montezuma," "Battery Kinzie," "The Shrine/An Argument" and "Grown Ocean." Quite a few of the songs were played back to back, and the band would sometimes double up on the same instruments to intensify the sound. When they did talk with the crowd the guys were quite funny, especially in telling a story about being in the same hotel elevator as Public Enemy's Flavor Flav the last time they were in Melbourne. The band received standing ovations at the end of the main set and after the last song of the night, "Helplessness Blues." This was a fantastic gig to kick off 2012 with, and will be a hard one to beat.
Here is the amazing animated video for "The Shrine/An Argument"
Another year is coming to a close which can only mean one thing- time for all those end of year top ten lists. Not to be left out, here are my top ten favorite songs for 2011 (aka songs that make me want to hit repeat after having just listened to them).
10. Slow Dancer "Leave It To Me" Slow Dancer is the solo project of Simon Okely from Oh Mercy. "Leave It To Me" is the first song he has put up online and I really love the laid back feel to Simon's music as well as his excellent guitar playing. Definitely one to watch for 2012.
9. The Good China "No More Maps, No More Roads"
2011 saw the return of The Good China to the Melbourne live scene after nearly a year's hiatus. The single "No More Maps, No More Roads" was a live favorite and has all the great hallmarks of a Good China track, including lots of hand claps.
8. Boy & Bear "Feeding Line"
It has been a monster year for Sydney's Boy & Bear, having won 5 ARIA awards for their debut album Moonfire. "Feeding Line" was the first single off the album, and signaled a new musical direction for the band from their previous EP.
7. The Harpoons "Keep You Around"
Another favorite band of mine that reemerged this year was The Harpoons. "Keep You Around" showcases Bec Rigby's soulful voice in this song about love with the great lyric "when you smiled at me I was a hopeless case." I am definitely looking forward to their debut album coming out in 2012.
6. Liam Finn "Don't Even Know Your Name"
This song was not a single but it's my favorite track off Liam Finn's latest album FOMO. "Don't Even Know Your Name" has a driving beat and an optimistic energy to it, and I absolutely love the chorus (which for some reason reminds me of "Panic" by The Smiths). Here's a live version of song, but do seek out the album track.
5. Brous "Streamers"
The first single off of Brous' self-titled debut EP, "Streamers" sounds like a song from a 1960s James Bond film. Sophia Brous' voice is quite amazing and I love how the first verse of this song keeps speeding up. There is a definite cinematic quality to her music and it will be interesting to see what she produces next.
4. Seeker Lover Keeper "Even Though I'm A Woman" Seeker Lover Keeper is the female Australian supergroup made up of Sarah Blasko, Sally Seltmann and Holly Throsby. One of the initial singles off of their self-titled debut album, "Even Though I'm A Woman" is a song about long distance love sung by Holly and written by Sally with some biting lyrics such as "I love you more when I'm missing you, it's why I'm always away." The song is a bit of an anthem for female independence.
3. Kimbra "Cameo Lover" Kimbra is originally from New Zealand but has been living in Melbourne the past few years. "Cameo Lover" come off of her debut album Vows and won her the 2011 Vanda and Young Songwriting Competition as well as an ARIA award for best female artist. I love the contrast between the verses and chorus of this song as well as its fantastic video.
2. Gotye "State Of The Art"
You may have thought that I would pick Gotye's biggest hit to date, but no, my favorite song off of his latest album Making Mirrors is "State Of The Art." Only Wally would write a song about his beloved Lowrey Cotillion organ. My favorite part of the song is when the bossa nova rhythm kicks in to the lyric "start the bossa nova beat and limbo from the living to the kitchen." The video animation by Rubber House is also exceptional.
1. Oh Mercy "Stay Please Stay"
My most played song of the year is Oh Mercy's "Stay Please Stay," the first single off their second album Great Barrier Grief. I absolutely adore the chorus of this song, especially Thomas Savage's beautiful jangly guitar. It also has a great closing lyric by Alexander with "what can I do with a love that gathers dust in a busy room?" An indie pop classic.
Merry Christmas! I hope you have had (or are planning to have) a great day. This year my manager Elvira took pity on me and invited me to join her family for Christmas lunch. We had quite the traditional/Italian feast with antipasto dishes, snapper, turkey, stuffing and roast vegetables. As we were resting from this yummy meal the hot weather became thunderstorms and we got hit with a massive hail storm- some of which were the size of golf balls. It was pretty insane and the ground was covered in hail (a white Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere, if you will). This kicked off a series of about four different massive thunderstorm episodes throughout the rest of the afternoon/evening with thunder, lightning, hail, torrential rain and even a tornado warning throughout Melbourne. I've never seen anything like it before. We watched each storm in amazement as we continued into our dessert of fruit, cheeses, pavlova and Christmas pudding. At one point lightning struck one of the transformers on the street and the power went out with a huge explosion. It will definitely be a day we won't soon forget.
