Fashion Detective and Mid-Century Modern

There are a couple great exhibitions currently on at the NGV Australia in Federation Square.  Ruth and I first checked out Fashion Detective, which explores the origins of 60 unidentified garments and accessories from the Victorian era within the NGV archives.  The purpose of the exhibition is to explore the clues in a garment that can be found through x-rays (to see how they are constructed) or analysis of the colors and dyes used in fabrics to try and tell a story about their origins.  Crime writers have even been commissioned to create short stories based on some of the displays.  There are some great pieces in there, including a wrap made from platypus pelts!  Fashion Detective is on until 31 August and it's free to explore.

Next we met up with Ruth's friends Heather, Inge and Toby to see the Mid-Century Modern exhibition, which covers Australian furniture design from the 1950s - early 1970s.  It includes more than 100 furniture pieces, photos and home magazines featuring the work of popular designers of the era such as Grant Featherston, Clement Meadmore, Douglas Snelling, Gordon Andrews, Fred Lowen, Lester Bunbury and Schulim Krimperas.  The modern interior vignettes displayed how pieces would be put together in a room and demonstrate the evolving style through the years.  It was such a great opportunity to see these pieces up close and learn how they were crafted.  Mid-Century Modern runs until 19 October and with only a $10 entry fee is an absolute bargain.

 

Gertrude Street Projection Festival 2014

The annual Gertrude Street Projection Festival is currently happening in Fitzroy until Sunday night.  Between the recent rain and cold weather it has been hard to pick the best night to go, but I finally managed to check it out tonight after work.  As usual there are some great projections that have been done, and it's nice to make discoveries as you walk along the street.  Here were some of my favorites:

Freya Pitt- "The Beast"

Animatism

Anika Cook & Leigh Mannes- "Snjor"

Arika Waulu- "Young Blood"

Olaf Meyer- "The Peoples Car"

Skunk Control- "Pestilent Protrusions"

Lin Finch- "Progress"

Of course, one of the biggest attractions each year is the large scale projections on the Atherton Towers.  This year Nick Azidis brought his piece "Lighthouse."  The faces are probably the signature image from this year's festival.

Holy Holy- The Pacific EP Tour

I had been looking forward to seeing Holy Holy live ever since their mini-tour for The Pacific EP was announced.  Mary and I made it into the Shebeen Bandroom last night just as the weather turned to rain outside.  The first act for the evening was singer-songwriter Oscar Lush, who played an indie/folk set both with a band and solo that sounded really great.  Oscar has a lovely voice and some excellent songs- a definite talent.  The same could not be said for the next band on the bill, Hollow Everdaze.  I really didn't care for the lead singer's voice and the best song in their thankfully short set was the one sung by their keyboardist.

Holy Holy came out onto the stage to an appreciative sold out crowd.  It was good to see Ryan Strathie (ex-Hungry Kids Of Hungary) playing drums again.  Their set sounded fantastic and featured old and new material, with the singles "House Of Cards" and "Impossible Like You" being the standout tracks.  To complement the 70s rock vibe of their music they also did a cover of Neil Young's "Southern Man."  Overall it was a great set and I'm really looking forward to seeing them play live again when they open for Boy & Bear in September.

Here's the video for "House Of Cards"

Saskwatch- Nose Dive Tour

Last night Mary and I met up at the Corner Hotel for the second sold out show by Saskwatch in support of their latest album Nose Dive.  The opening act of the all Melbourne bill was Grizzly Jim Lawrie.  This was the first time I've seen him with a full band and they played a fantastic set of alt-country and 70's rock sounding songs.  I really liked the new single "Midnight Run."

Next up was New Gods, who amazingly was the one Little Red offshoot band I had never seen live before.  They played an eclectic set of dance/funk and more guitar-based indie rock songs.  Dom seems to have been attending raves as he had the waving arm and hand movements down pat.  The Saskwatch horn section came out to play with them on their last song which got the crowd excited.

Saskwatch has been on the Melbourne music scene for a few years and I was excited to finally see this nine piece soul band live.  The Corner was absolutely packed by the time they hit the stage.  Their set was very entertaining as they played a mix of songs from both their albums, including "Don't Wanna Try," "Your Love," "Give Me A Reason," and "Keep Me In Mind."  The ballads "Left Me To Die," "Call Your Name" and "Now That We're Alone" really showcased Nkechi Anele's amazing voice.  They also played their cover of Little Red's "Coca Cola" but for some reason didn't get Dom and Adrian out to play it with them.  The main set closed with "Hands," which had the whole crowd clapping along, and after returning to the stage for a one song encore it was all over.  It's great to see Saskwatch gaining success and building an even bigger following as they are a very talented band.

Here's the clip for "Born To Break Your Heart"

Major Leagues and Bloods

Despite the chilly Melbourne winter weather Belinda and I headed down to Shebeen Bandroom tonight to catch the joint headlining tour by Major Leagues and Bloods.  The first act for the night was Melbourne's Zone Out, a four piece with a female lead singer/guitarist, drummer and keyboard player, and male guitarist.  Their set contained very dreamy indie sounding songs with some nice harmonies sung in the choruses by the lead singer and keyboardist.

To determine the next band to play there was a rock, paper, scissors contest between the two co-headliners.  Brisbane's Major Leagues lost so they were up second.  It was good to see yet another female dominated indie band.  The three ladies took turns singing lead vocals, although it was difficult to hear them at times due to a bit of a muddy mix up front.  Their set included a cover of "Pure Shores" by the UK girl group All Saints.

The final act for the night was Sydney punk trio Bloods (the main reason I wanted to see this gig).  We were lucky to be treated to a lot of new songs that they are currently recording, including the new single "Want It."  They also played old faves such as "No Fun," "Into My Arms," "Hailing Down," "Goodnight," and "Bodies."  It was an awesome set full of great energy from the band and the new material sounds really promising.  As the lights went up Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over" was played over the speakers in honor of the end of the tour.

Here is Bloods with "Want It"