Millions- For Your Leisure & Pleasure Tour

Brisbane band Millions released their debut album Max Relax a few months ago, so it was great to get to see them play in support of it last night at the Northcote Social Club.  The opening act for the evening was Ballarat indie rock band Them 9's.  Although they were down a band member I was impressed by their songs and felt they had a bit of a special spark to them.  Next up was Sydney four piece band High-tails, who I thought were ok but their songs didn't really stand out to me.

Millions came out onto the stage with all the band members wearing long sleeve white shirts, with 3 of the 4 of them in matching turtlenecks.  They kicked off their set with "Slow Burner" from the Nine Lives, Six Degrees EP.  Unfortunately it was a disappointingly small and lacklustre crowd in the venue, which I think was due to the number of competing gigs on last night in Melbourne (e.g. I had two other shows I would have liked to attend).  While this seemed to frustrate the band, particularly lead singer Dom, they kicked things into another gear with "Champagne" and "Those Girls," which got the crowd moving and more involved.  Other highlights of the set included "Clementine," "Agony & Ecstasy," "Writing On The Wall," "Daydreaming" and a lovely cover of Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody."  By the time they finished the evening with "Nineteen" nearly everyone was dancing along.   Hopefully the next time they come to town they will be playing in front of a sold out crowd because they are too talented to be saddled with a half full venue.

Here's the video for the current single "Clementine" (note the matching white shirts):

Oh Mercy- Deep Heat Tour

Last night the Deep Heat Tour rolled into Melbourne as Oh Mercy played at The Hi-Fi Bar.  I met up with Mary in line and we headed inside the venue when the doors opened and found a spot against the wall for the evening.  The opening act was Split Seconds, a five piece indie band originally from Perth but now based in Melbourne.  I thought they sounded pretty good and enjoyed their set and songs.

Next up was Brisbane four piece Millions, who were very impressive.  I really liked their songs, which had some good grooves to them.  "Those Girls" was a highlight of the set and reminded me a bit of Supergrass.  They also did an excellent cover of The Ronettes' "Be My Baby."  Definitely a band to watch!

Oh Mercy's stage backdrop was all in gold with "Deep Heat" spelled out in helium balloons.  Rohan walked out to his drum kit and started the beat for the title track before the rest of the band joined him on stage.  Alex was sporting a gold lame jacket with Deep Heat embroidered on the back, which fit his current stage persona and the party atmosphere of the show.  The second song of the night was their current single "My Man," and we were lucky enough to hear all of the Deep Heat album played live.  They had a saxophone/flute player to help fill out the sound, as well as very special guest Robert McComb from The Triffids who played violin on "Fever," the reggae-tinged "Still Making Me Pay," and my favorite track off the album "Pilgrim's Blues."

Alex was in good spirits and full of energy throughout the set.  Older songs such as "Broken Ears," "Keith St." and "Lay Everything On Me" got new arrangements to fit in with the vibe of the new album.  They invited all the support bands onto the stage for a raucous version of "Drums" before playing "Stay Please Stay" and finishing off the night with a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "State Trooper."  I felt this show was one of the best ones I have seen them play.  Afterwards we caught up briefly with Alex, who said it was nice to see familiar faces and was still cursing all the pollen in the air during the day and its effect on his voice.

Here's a short video from when the band hit Byron Bay, featuring some of "My Man" live:
  Oh Mercy from Corona Extra on Vimeo.