Last night I headed off to The Workers Club for the debut single launch by Quang Dinh's band Naked Bodies. The first act for the evening was Melbourne singer-songwriter Grizzly Jim Lawrie. He played a beautiful set of his folk songs on acoustic guitar, including "Take Things Fast" and "Over The River." He's been a part of the local music scene for years and his debut album is out this week. Next up was Melbourne four piece Quince. They played an energetic set of psychobilly and punk music.
The room was much more full by the time Naked Bodies took the stage. The band were launching their double A side single Fiction Tree/Monkey Blues, both songs which they played on the night. The other songs in the set were good as well with a couple standouts. Having a band member on violin for some tracks added a unique dimension to their sound. It was good to see Quang back in the swing of things and I look forward to future releases from them.
Last night it was time to get atomic again for the Shake It Til You Break It EP launch by Major Tom and The Atoms at The Evelyn Hotel. Mary and I took advantage of the deal to received the EP for free with a pre-purchased ticket.
The first act for the evening was Quang Dinh and Band (tentatively called Naked Bodies). It was good to see Quang playing solo again as he has always been my favorite Little Red songwriter (shh, don't tell Tom). He was joined on stage by a solid backing band for a short set that included the songs "Hollywood Blvd," "For Jane" and "Monkey Blues" (which I remembered from when I saw him play a few years ago).
Next up was Red Rockets of Borneo, a psychobilly sounding rock band from Melbourne. Their front man was very charismatic and entertaining as he danced around and I thought their songs were good.
Major Tom and the Atoms emerged onto a dimly lit and smoky stage to big cheers from the crowd. They played a tight set of songs from the EP as well as other unreleased tracks. Sean roamed into the crowd several times while playing the saxophone and highlights of the set were "Rolling Stone," "Hey Flo" and an absolutely cracking version of "The House That Love Built." They finished the night with their current single "Mockingbird" and had everyone clapping along to the rhythm. It was great to see such a big turn out for the launch and lots of people dancing at the front of the stage. I highly recommend the EP, which you can order from their website.
