Major Tom And The Atoms- Shake It Til You Break It EP Launch

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.

Here's the video for "The House That Love Built"

The Good China, The Box Rockets, and Quang Goes Mangoes

Tonight Tash and I met at The Empress Hotel for an evening of music. The opening act was one Quang Dinh going under the moniker "Quang Goes Mangoes." He played solo with just an acoustic guitar for about a half-hour. It amazes me how prolific a songwriter Quang is as the songs he played were all new to me and didn't even draw on his Little Red or Hondas material. The guy has got talent and an ability to convey emotion through his lyrics and vocal range. It was nice to have a bit of a chat with him after his set (even if he was "toasted").

Next on the bill was The Box Rockets. They were pleasant and have a bit of an 80's British band sound to them. While enjoyable to listen to, their songs weren't really that memorable and blended together a bit. The headlining act for the night was The Good China in the first week of their residency at The Empress. The band is a group of 9 multi-instrumentalists, and they are a lot of fun and play very happy and uplifting music. Both Tash and I were impressed by them and how they rotated turns singing at the front of stage and swapping instruments for each song. You never knew what instrument would make an appearance next. It was a very democratic music collective! If you get a chance to catch them around Melbourne go for it- you won't be disappointed.