Little Red

I had a very interesting tram ride down to Richmond last night as the tram was chockers with a large group of senior citizens. My guess that they were heading to Rod Laver Arena was correct as about 40 people got off at that stop. I could also see more groups of older people streaming down from the pedestrian bridge but had no idea who was playing (turns out it was Andre Rieu). Tash also got caught in the Rieu traffic, but we eventually met up at Mexicali Rose so I could treat her to a belated b-day dinner. After eating and chatting we headed down the block to The Corner Hotel for a one off show by Little Red before they head to London for some shows in November.

When we arrived The Box Rockets were playing their set. I really should like this band because they have an 80's British guitar inspired sound, but I still find them to be dull. The next band, The Vasco Era certainly weren't boring and had lots of energy in their set of bluesy rock. I was, however, concerned about singer's throat as his screams sounded like he was shredding his vocal cords.

Little Red came out to lots of cheers from the hometown crowd. The set was an equal mix of new songs and ones from their debut album. There were also a few older new songs like "Lazy Boy" (complete with a faster chorus), "In My Bed," and "Rock Until The Break of Day." Many of the new songs show a maturity and growth in the band's sound but still have elements like the harmonies that you identify with Little Red. The Hunters & Collectors horn section came out to play on several songs and Wilbur Wilde played saxophone on "Jackie Cooper" (as he did on the album). The boys played for an hour and finished up the set with "Coca Cola" and "It's Alright" before coming back on for an encore of "Fight Song." I hope the band have a successful trip to the UK to launch their album Listen to Little Red and also start working on recording the new one.

The Worst Album Cover of All Time?

I adore Adam Lambert and thought he was brilliant on American Idol, but I cannot believe how shockingly bad his debut album cover is:


Not only is it hideous and dated, but it reminds me of this:


Do you really want me thinking of Tiffany when pondering whether or not to buy your album Adam? It does not give me great confidence about how it will sound. I am hoping the cover is not a reflection of your music, because if it is your career may be over before it even started.

Sarah Blasko

Last night I met up with Tash and her sister at The Forum Theatre to see Sarah Blasko. The opening act was Sweden's El Perro Del Mar (aka Sarah Assbring). She was accompanied for her set by a guitarist and also used some percussion loops for the songs.

Sarah and her band came out and launched into "Down On Love." The entire first set contained songs from her brilliant new album As Day Follows Night. Sarah was wearing the most amazing white dress with these huge structural puffy sleeves. A few songs in she revealed a heart on the front of the dress, and then closer to the end of the set she opened up the top part of the sleeves to reveal this kaleidoscope of geometric shapes in different colors. She finished the set by playing a couple of songs from the bonus Cinema Blasko disk: "Seems Like Old Times" and "Xanadu." After a costume change Sarah came back out and played a second set of songs from her first and second albums. The nearly 2 hour show was excellent and all the songs from the new album were both beautiful and touching. It was definitely one of the best concerts I have seen this year.