Before I Go To Sleep

Continuing the theme of psychological thrillers, Onagh and I went to see Before I Go To Sleep after work tonight at the Kino Cinemas.  Based on the novel by S. J. Watson, the film stars Nicole Kidman as Christine Lucas, a 40 year-old woman who wakes up each morning with no memory of her life post her early twenties.  Her husband Ben (Colin Firth) has to patiently explains who he is each day and that she suffers from amnesia after a traumatic brain injury ten years earlier.  Wanting to get better, Christine starts to secretly see Dr. Nasch (Mark Strong), a neurologist who gets her to keep a video diary at the end of each day with any thoughts and memories she has.  He then rings her in the morning to tell her about the camera and gets her to watch her previous recordings.  He also takes her to places that will hopefully jog her memory in order to put together what happened to her.  The movie is tense throughout as you learn more about her past and the fact that Ben is hiding things from her.  Overall I thought it was good, but I really didn't like the ending at all as it didn't fit with the tone of the rest of the film.

Kris Schroeder- Victoria Hotel

Continuing my gigs in Brunswick weekend I headed over to the Victoria Hotel this afternoon to see Kris Schroeder from The Basics play two solo sets on acoustic guitar in the beer garden.  Kris chose a wide selection of songs, including a couple solo tracks and some of the newer Basics material such as "Tunaomba Saidia," "Whatever Happened To The Working Class" and "To Think Of You."  Kris was in good spirits as he whipped through his set list in front of the small crowd, even though some weren't really paying attention.  Melbourne may be a music town but audience chatter when musicians are playing is a continuous and annoying problem.

Having two sets allowed for some rarely played Basics songs to make an appearance, including "Memory Lane," "Feels Like Love," "I Don't Need Another," and a selection of tracks off the Keep Your Friends Close album: "Keep The Door Open," "The Day Mairead Goes Away," "What Do You See In Me?" and "All Or Nothing."  To finish things off we were treated to covers of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" and Crowded House's "Better Be Home Soon."  Kris says he will be playing a number of solo shows in the coming weeks around Brunswick so I look forward to catching him again very soon!

The Harpoons- Falling For You Tour

It's taken over six years but The Harpoons have finally released their debut album Falling For You, which they launched at a sold out show at Howler in Brunswick last night.  Although this venue is very close to home, it was the first time both Belinda and I have been inside.  The design of the space is quite nice and the band room has a big stage.

We arrived midway through the set of opening act Dorkus Malorkus (aka Cassie Wood), who had more melancholy songs that she played both solo on electric guitar and with a couple other musicians.  Next up was Kirkis, a five piece jazz-funk band headed up by Matthew Kirkis, which sounded pretty good and brought a lot of energy to the room.  They played their songs live on instruments while also incorporating some samples into the mix. 

The room was completely packed by the time The Harpoons hit the stage and launched into "Keep You Around."  Most of the songs played throughout the night were off their debut album, with the highlights being "Never Stop Loving You," "Can We Work This Out" with Martin King up the front of stage singing, "Falling For You" and "Walk Away."  Bec Rigby absolutely nailed her vocals on the soulful "Ring Ring" and old favorite "Faith," which was great to hear live again.  We were even treated to a couple new songs by Henry Madin.  Towards the end of the set they brought out members of the opening bands and other friends to sing and play along on some songs, including the single "Unforgettable," which got the biggest crowd response of the night.  For the encore they did a cover of John Paul Young's "Love is in the Air."  I'm so happy The Harpoons have finally released an album, and I hope we don't have such a long wait for the next one.

Here's the video for the latest single "Can We Work This Out"

Gone Girl

In order to escape the warm weather today Onagh and I met up at the Kino Cinemas for a midday showing of Gone Girl, based on Gillian Flynn's book of the same name (she also adapted the screenplay).  The basic plot is that Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) discovers that his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) has gone missing on their fifth wedding anniversary.  As the police investigate her disappearance, Nick becomes the main suspect.  Without giving too much of the plot away, the movie flashes back between the past and present as you learn about their relationship and life together.  I went into the film not knowing anything about the story, so I found it to be a good psychological thriller with many plot twists.  I also thought it was a great commentary on the current state of 24 hour news channels and trial by media, which happens all too often in the USA.  I would definitely recommend seeing this film- especially before you get spoiled about the ending.

Afterwards we went and had a late lunch at Chin Chin on Flinders Lane, which amazingly was the first time I've eaten there.  We got a table pretty quick but it was still packed out even though it was mid-afternoon.  The South-East Asian flavors were really good, especially on the salmon dish we shared.  I look forward to going back there to sample more of their extensive menu.

Essendon v North Melbourne Elimination Final

Twelve months ago Essendon finished eighth and should have been in the finals, but due to penalties by the AFL for the supplements scandal were stripped of the opportunity.  This year we finished seventh and tonight faced the sixth place North Melbourne in an elimination final at the MCG.  Both teams have not played that consistently throughout the year, so it really was anyone's game.  My ticket guardian angels for this season Simon and Colette were kind enough to let me join them for the match.  Essendon had an excellent start kicking the first two goals, but North played well in the second part of the quarter and brought the score back to within a point.  However, the second quarter was all Essendon as we gained a 27 point lead and held North to only one point for the whole quarter.

Essendon's lead was up to 33 points early in the third quarter, but then the tide turned as North managed to kick five goals in eleven minutes.  The burst came out of nowhere and completely shifted the momentum of the match as North got to within 3 points.  Both teams kicked goal for goal for a period, but as we entered the fourth quarter you could sense it was only a matter of time before North hit the lead.  Once they did, Essendon managed to get back in front, but from there on it was a nail biter as the lead switched back and forth.  Within the last four minutes North managed to kick two goals and that was it for Essendon and our finals hopes.  It was a disappointing loss as we shouldn't have given away the game after such a big lead.  Not playing for the full four quarters has been an issue all year and this time it cost us dearly.  Considering all the distractions the players have faced it was a great effort to make it into the finals.  Hopefully they will take some lessons from this season and come back next year mentally stronger.  I also hope that Mark "Bomber" Thompson stays at the club as he has been so entertaining as a coach this year while James Hird was suspended.

Final Score
North Melbourne: 14.9 (93)
Essendon: 12.9 (81)

Boy & Bear- Get Up & Dance Tour

It's hard to believe it has been nearly a year since I last saw Boy & Bear play live.  They have been busy touring all over the world in support of their latest album Harlequin Dream, so it was nice for them to come back to play some more shows for their Australian fans.  Our show at the Palais Theatre was the second in Melbourne this week, but the first one that went on sale and sold out.  The opening act tonight was the wonderful Holy Holy, who sounded fantastic in the acoustics of the Palais.  Mary and I were happy to get to see them again and they played lots of new songs in addition to the previously released tracks "Impossible Like You," "House Of Cards" and new single "History."

Every time Boy & Bear come through town they play bigger and bigger venues, and there was a wide range of ages in the audience tonight.  The set contained songs from all of their releases, and I was really happy to hear "Rabbit Song" so early on in the evening.  They tended to play many of songs back to back with no break, and sounded really solid after all the touring they've been doing this year.  Some of the many highlights included "Lordy May," "My Only One," "Back Down The Black," "Milk & Sticks" and "Old Town Blues."  They also brought back their cover of Crowded House's "Fall At Your Feet" into the set, which was great to hear and my third Crowdies cover of the week after The Basics shows.  Dave Hosking apologized to everyone for calling this the Get Up & Dance Tour since they were playing a seated venue where you weren't allowed to stand.  This didn't stop a small group of people in the middle section though who popped up to dance during "Southern Sun" and "Feeding Line."  I have to give the band mad props for keeping up their no encore policy, which they warned everyone about toward the end so no one would be disappointed (or stick around clapping for no reason).  The last song for the evening was the lovely and touching "Big Man." 

Here's the video for the latest single "Old Town Blues"

The Basics- Gasometer Hotel

I have spent the past two nights at the Gasometer Hotel in Collingwood for a couple intimate shows by The Basics.  The opening act both nights was six piece band Sugar Fed Leopards.  Wearing fabulous leopard print and sequins outfits (with sole male member David Bramble in a gold lame suit), they sounded like a 60s girl group with a mix of songs drawing inspiration from Motown, calypso and disco.  Besides having great energy, lovely harmonies and a plethora of different dance moves, they were very entertaining and a lot of fun.

September 2

It was Mary's birthday tonight so we were excited to get to spend it with The Basics.  For the first half of the set we were treated to brand new songs from their upcoming album that has just been recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London.  It was a bit of a bizarro version of The Basics as Tim was playing bass and Kris was on acoustic guitar.  I really liked the political tone of a lot of the new material, with "Whatever Happened To The Working Class" being a true stand out track.  In between the new ones we also got a few covers, including two Crowded House songs: "It's Only Natural" and "Four Seasons In One Day" which led to an interesting discussion of Neil Finn's lyrics.  Unfortunately for Kris he managed to break two strings on his guitar a few songs in, which lead to a funny search for another guitar, and then since it didn't have a strap trying to find something for him to sit on so he could play.  Someone handed him a milk crate, which was really low to sit on so Tim and Wally got to Kris' height by kneeling down, which was funny.  Thankfully they did manage to find a stool for him soon after.

After Kris did a solo version of "All Or Nothing" the boys came back on stage and Kris and Tim switched back to their normal instruments.  They launched into their more well known songs, commencing with Tim singing "Hey Rain."  Poor Wally was a bit hoarse tonight and couldn't really hit the high notes in "So Hard For You" so Kris took over half way through.  Next they played "Lookin' Over My Shoulder" which was restarted in a lower octave so Wally could sing it.  His drum solo was particularly manic as I think he was hitting out his frustrations with his voice.  We were also treated to "Feels Like Love," which included a flute solo by Gideon Brazil (who also played saxophone throughout the night), "Have Love, Will Travel," "My Baby" and the upcoming single "The Lucky Country."  It was a bit of a loose show, but still entertaining.  Mary also got "Happy Birthday" sung (although it was directed at someone else in the room) as well as a quick chat and photo with Wally after the show.

September 3

People may question why I would go to see The Basics on consecutive nights, but it's because no show is ever the same.  Tonight's set was much tighter and focused than last night.  I'm not sure if it was because the ABC was doing some filming or just the fact they had a play of those new songs under their belts.  They started the show once again with "Ashleigh Wakes," and played many of the new songs from last night including "Time Poor," "Whatever Happened To The Working Class," "Goodnight Sunshine" and a song I really like with African beats and Swahili chorus.  Hearing these new songs for a second time allows you to see which ones stick in your head, and there is a Beatles sounding song with a soaring double chorus that I think could be a bit of a sleeper hit.  They once again covered Crowded House's "It's Only Natural," which led to someone in the crowd shouting out they could go on X-Factor.  Wally then told a story about talking to an older woman, and when she asked about his music career he admitted she may have heard one of his songs.  Her response to knowing this worldwide hit was, "You should go on X-Factor!" to which Wally replied "Do I have to?"

We got some new songs in the set tonight, including "Hey There!," "Just Hold On," and newish tracks "Roundabout" (which had the audience clapping along), "I'm A Woman" and "To Think Of You."  Tim played "Hey Rain" and "Have Love, Will Travel" before they finished the main set with a blistering version of "The Lucky Country."  For the encore we once again got a cover of Crowded House's "Four Seasons In One Day" and an audience request for "Better" which was a pretty epic way to end the show.  It was such an amazing gig and I'm super excited for the new EP which is due out next month.  In addition, if the Basics Rock'n'Roll Party (BRRP) gets registered I may even get to vote for them in the Victorian State Election in November.

Slow Dancer- Surrender Album Launch

To celebrate the release of his debut album Surrender, Slow Dancer (aka Simon Okely) did an album launch over the past two Sunday evenings at The Workers Club.  Last week the opening act was DXHeaven, featuring Nicholas Lam on vocals, keyboard and samples.  The group had an electronic/R&B sound to them which I enjoyed, and for one song they invited Eliza Lam and Simon on stage to play with them. Next up was Melbourne indie six piece band Ciggie Witch, which contains two-thirds of The Ocean Party (Zac, Lachlan and Liam) and sounds a bit similar but less polished than them.  Unfortunately they seem to be contributing to an annoying trend I've noticed at gigs over the past few months: having multiple people in a band on lead vocals when not all of them should be.  If you can't sing in tune, please spare the audience having to sit through it.

This week's show opened with Dr. Doctor, a four piece band featuring Eliza Lam on lead vocals. The songs were really driven by the groove of Eliza's bass lines, and it was good to see Rohan Sforcina out from behind the drum kit and playing guitar (an instrument he has only picked up in the last few months).  Next on stage was singer-songwriter JP Klipspringer (aka Jack Poulson).  He started solo on electric guitar and then invited his band on stage, playing songs from his recent EP as well as some new ones.

It's been a while since I last saw Slow Dancer play and I was excited to get to see him live again as I love Simon's guitar playing and the general chill vibes of his songs.  His set lists over the two Sundays included some of my favorites such as "Too Great," "We All Make Mistakes," "Home," "Leave It To Me" and "Cornerstone."  Simon invited many of his musician friends up throughout the evening to play with the band, which led to the funny comment "I'm collecting Lams and Woottons" as siblings took over the stage.  The final song for each night was a cover of Womack & Womack's "Teardrops."  Do yourself a favor and buy Surrender- I promise you won't be disappointed.

Here's the video for the latest single "Took The Floor Out" (which I think is a secret tribute to Body Balance):

MIFF- Advanced Style

I've been a complete failure at attending the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) this year, only managing to catch a film on the last day of the festival.  However, it was one I was really interested in seeing- the documentary Advanced Style.  Based on Ari Seth Cohen's blog of the same name, it focuses on some of the stylish older women from New York City that he has photographed for his blog.  I found it interesting to learn about their backgrounds and how their personal style has developed and evolved over the years.  The film also challenges the notion that fashion is only for the very young.  These women have a wonderful spirit and are a true inspiration to live your life the way you want to no matter what your age.

Italian Masterpieces and New Gods

Only in Melbourne will you find a major art exhibition combined with local bands playing.  After a quick dinner from the Mr Burger food truck at Fed Square (and avoiding swooping seagulls as we tried to eat), Mary, Belinda and I headed down to the NGV for Friday Nights at Italian Masterpieces.  The exhibition features paintings and drawings of Italian art from the 16th - 18th centuries that were collected by Spain's Royal Court and are part of the Museo del Prado's collection in Madrid.  There are some beautiful paintings within the 7 rooms of the exhibition, and growing up Catholic was definitely an advantage to understanding what was portrayed as many of them contained religious imagery.  Italian Masterpieces closes on 31 August so try to check it out if you can.

Another fun exhibition currently on in Federation Court is Paola Pivi's You Started It... I Finish It which features eight life size polar bear sculptures in different poses covered in colorful feathers.  The playful bears definitely are a sight to behold, and I'm sure little kids would absolutely love them.

Of course we were excited to get the opportunity to see New Gods play in the wonderful acoustics of the Great Hall, which is why we chose to come this week.  The set started with their more introspective indie songs before segueing into the dance style music they've been creating as of late, which had people bopping along.  It will be interesting to see what musical direction they end up taking, with even Dom admitting it would be easier to just be an indie rock band.  They finished their hour long set with an impassioned version of "Eyes Of Love" off their debut album Beloved.  All in all it was a great night and another fun experience at the NGV.

Greenline Grooves

The Thin Green Line Foundation is an amazing organisation that protects nature's protectors: the park rangers who are on the front line in the battle to protect animals from poachers.  Founded by Sean Willmore, the foundation provides rangers with essential anti-poaching equipment and training, as well as financial support to the widows and orphans of park rangers killed in the line of duty.  I would never have been able to see the number of animals I did on my African safari trip in Kenya and Tanzania last year if it were not for the conservation efforts of the rangers in the national parks.

Greenline Grooves has become a bit of an annual event to benefit the foundation and celebrate World Ranger Day.  All of the artists on the bill at the Melbourne Town Hall last night donated their time to perform.  First up was singer-songwriter Damian Howard on acoustic guitar, who's set was filled with country-tinged songs.  Next was Makana, a Hawaiian slack key guitarist who was amazing to watch play.  He joked that he was enjoying the cold Melbourne weather because it allowed him to wear layers.  He sang "The Ranger Song" which he wrote a day or two beforehand after hearing Sean speak about the foundation, as well as a cover of James Taylor's "Fire and Rain."  The last of the warm up acts was Melbourne roots/folk band Tinpan Orange, who played a lovely set of music.

Sean Willmore then came out onto the stage to speak about why we were there, inviting all the artists on the bill to stand behind him.  Tex Perkins told a story about how his mum had watched the Australian Story episode about Sean a couple weeks ago and was so impressed that she wrote a $200 check to the foundation, which Tex then presented to Sean.  Sean also spoke about the number of park rangers who have lost their lives this year and requested a moment of silence before a bagpiper came out to play.

After everyone exited the stage is was time for the main event- The Thin Green Line Ambassador All-Stars featuring Gotye, Tex Perkins, and Nicky Boomba (along with members of the Melbourne Ska Orchestra).  Each of them took turns singing songs from their own catalogues as the others joined in.  Mary and I were really there to see Gotye and Wally did not disappoint as he sang the beautiful "Hearts A Mess," "Learnalilgivinanlovin," which featured the Melbourne Ska Orchestra horn section and a dual drum solo by Nicky and Wally, and of course his worldwide smash hit "Somebody That I Used To Know" where he turned the mic toward the audience to sing Kimbra's verse of the song.

The set also contained some great covers.  Tex sang lead vocals on The Specials' "Ghost Town" and Blondie's "The Tide Is High," complete with an audience sing along.  Wally absolutely slayed it vocally with his versions of Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed" while playing piano and The Beatles "Oh! Darling" while on drums (I think he may have been inspired by his recent recording session at Abbey Road with The Basics).  For the encore all the band members returned to the stage in animal onesies and they closed the night with Nicky singing lead vocals on Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds."  It was a pretty amazing evening and a very entertaining concert for such an excellent cause.

Here's the World Ranger Day message from HRH the Duke of Cambridge:

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"

Essendon v. Adelaide

It's been a tough few weeks for the Essendon Football Club as we've likely lost captain Jobe Watson for the rest of the season due to a hip injury, had 34 current and former players issued with show-cause notices by ASADA over the 2012 supplement program, and managed to lose to Melbourne last week by one point (after kicking 17 behinds). We weren't favorites going into tonight's game against Adelaide, but I had a feeling the players might stand up and fight this week.  Essendon had a fantastic first quarter scoring 7 straight goals to Adelaide's 2 goals and 6 behinds.  This helped set us up for the rest of the game as each side had patches of strong play, including former Bomber Josh Jenkins who kicked 4 goals.  Adelaide managed to close the margin down to 9 points a couple times during the last quarter, which made for a nerve-racking finish, but we managed to hold on and get a confidence boosting win.

Final Score
Essendon: 15.11 (101)
Adelaide: 14.8 (92)

The Good China Farewell Show

It was very sad when The Good China announced they were calling it a day after six years together, so Mary and I were determined to make their farewell show last night at the Northcote Social Club.  The first band for the evening was Rich Davies and The Little Devils, who played a set of alt-country songs along with a cover of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game."  Next up was art rock two piece The Stiffys, who may be my new favorite live act.  A hilarious band with positive messages, both members were dressed in matching sailor suits.  They played songs about champagne, being groovy boys and (not surprisingly) sex.  The highlight of their set was when they got an audience member to ride a board on top of the crowd for "Boogie Boarding."

The Good China came out and launched into their newly released song "What You Learnt From The Self Help Section" (which contains the mantra "You won't die alone / You will find new love").  The crowd was really into every song from the start and sang and danced along to old favorites like "You Looked Better A Brunette," "If Pain Persists," "We Found 3 Whistles," and "No More Maps, No More Roads."  There were even a couple new songs in the set, including the other new release from this week "Your Ancestors Were Dinosaurs."  The group paid tribute to the band that inspired them to form with a cover of Arcade Fire's "Wake Up."  It was also nice to hear older and rarer songs like "A Million Little Pieces" that haven't been played live in a while.  I thought the band members did remarkably well to hold it together on stage, and many of them took turns telling little stories between songs throughout the evening. 

For the encore they started with a cover of Jen Lekman's "Maple Leaves" and then we were all ready to hand clap during "All Nothing."  Cara gave her farewell speech and thank yous before the last song of the night, which was the very appropriately titled "We Knew That We Had To Leave."  The band had a group hug before taking their final bows and leaving the stage.  It's so depressing when one of your favorite bands calls it quits, but at least we were able to attend this final show.  All the best to each of the members of The Good China- you will be missed!

The Harpoons- Unforgettable Single Launch

Last night I headed to the Shebeen Bandroom on Manchester Lane for the sold out launch of The Harpoons' latest single "Unforgettable."  The first act was electronic synth pop trio Habits, who ran effects on their vocals and utilised layered loops and a keyboard in their songs.  Sometimes it worked and other times it was a bit of a mess, but I did appreciate their attempt at covering Silk's "Freak Me."  Next up was a DJ set by male and female duo Friendships.  I liked that they included visual projections to go along with their set, which included their remix of The Harpoons' "Unforgettable."  Both acts were rocking a bit of a hipster chav look, which I guess must be a thing.

The crowd had really built by the time The Harpoons hit the stage.  They started their set with "Keep You Around" and played a mix of new songs and more recent tracks such as "Falling For You," a funkier version of "I Walk Away" and "Hold On."  Bec Rigby's voice was absolutely divine and soulful as always, and each band member took a turn on lead vocals throughout the night.  Towards the end of the set they invited the support acts up on stage to play percussion and the audience to sing along on the last three songs, including the single "Unforgettable."  It's always uplifting to see The Harpoons play live and it looks like their debut album will finally be released in August (although I think I'll believe it when I see it).

Here's the video for "Unforgettable"

Rue & Co

Rue & Co is the latest pop-up food venture in the Melbourne CBD located on the corner of Exhibition and Collins Streets.  Open all day it features three different food options from the popular eateries St. ALi, Jimmy Grants and Kong BBQ.  There is also a gorgeous eight-story portrait on the side of a building by street artist Rone that needs to be seen in person to really appreciate its scale.

I have been to Rue & Co two times now for lunch with work colleagues and each time it has been full with people from the surrounding office buildings.  As I have previously eaten a few times at Jimmy Grants on Smith Street I was eager to try out the other two eateries.  On my first visit I went to Kong BBQ and ordered the BBQ lemon and gochujang chicken SSAM roti roll with Korean chili paste, slaw and zucchini kimchi.  It was pretty tasty and a good meal for lunch, although I still had room for dessert on the way back to the office, which was a stop at La Belle Miette on Collins Street for a few macarons.

Today I tried out St. ALi, who have smartly got a designated special burger for each day of the week which should result in repeat business.  As it was Friday I tried the "Pork Me!" burger with pulled pork, celeriac coleslaw and apple sauce, along with a serve of french fries.  Both tasted good, and I also couldn't help myself and got an espresso custard donut (which was from Cobb Lane in Yarraville) since the salted caramel ones were sold out.

All in all the atmosphere at Rue & Co is fun but it will be interesting to see how they go as we head into winter.  If you are looking for somewhere new to try to break up your regular lunchtime routine be sure to check it out.

Major Tom And The Atoms- Cherry Bar Residency

Throughout the month of May Major Tom and The Atoms have been doing a weekly residency at Cherry Bar on Wednesday nights, with each week devoted to a dearly departed legend of rock.  Tonight I met up with Mary as the opening act Casey Dean from the band Secret Tsunami was starting his solo set on acoustic guitar.  He played a mix of bluesy rock songs as well as covers of the Foo Fighters' "Everlong" and R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion."

Major Tom and The Atoms began the evening with their latest single "Boom Boom Boom."  Tom Hartney was wearing a very impressive plaid suit (on the Matt Preston scale for loudness).  The set list featured many songs from their debut album Heroes, Villains, Boom Boom Boom! including "Bloodhound," "Confusion," "Evil Angel" and "Hey Flo."  It was also good hear old favorites like "Merri Creek (Dead & Gone)."  This week's residency was devoted to English singer-songwriter Nick Drake so the band did covers of "River Man" and invited Venice Music on stage to sing lead vocals on "Hazey Jane II."  To finish off the night and their May residency they had people up and dancing to "The House That Love Built" and "Mockingbird."

Here's the video for "Hey Flo"

Things Of Stone And Wood- 25th Anniversary Tour

It's been 25 years since Things of Stone and Wood formed so the original line up have reunited and hit the road for a small run of shows to celebrate their 25th anniversary.  Taking advantage of a special dual show ticket price, I have spent the last couple days at the Northcote Social Club for their first two sold out Melbourne shows- an evening performance on Saturday and matinee show today that included quite a few kids in the audience.

The opening act was singer-songwriter Carus Thompson who played a solo set on acoustic guitar and harmonica.  His songs told stories about current events, personal experiences and his travels.  For the song "I Found Love" about a prisoner he encountered at a jail house gig in Germany, he came into the audience to sing and got us all to join in on the chorus.  His set was engaging and entertaining.  The next act was Gentle Persuasion, another early 1990s Melbourne folk-rock band that was around at the same time as Things of Stone and Wood which has also come out of retirement for this tour.  I had never heard of them before as they disbanded before I came to Australia for the first time, but there were some definite fans in the audience who were singing along to the songs in their set.  I think they are the only opening band I have ever seen come back on for an encore!

Both Julie and I commented that the guys in Things of Stone and Wood really haven't aged that much over the years.  The set lists for both shows were pretty similar, with a strong focus on songs from their debut album The Yearning.  It was great to hear "Share This Wine," "Beg," "Rock This Boat," and beautiful acoustic versions of "Rain Fell Down" and "Single Perfect Raindrop."  As expected there was a huge audience sing along for "Happy Birthday Helen," and pogo jumping by both the band and crowd for "Barkly Street," with Greg Arnold and Mikey Allen joking that they were risking middle-aged soft tissue injuries to do it. 

Justin Brady had a very impressive two harmonica solo at the opening of "Hand Grenade," and at today's show Greg played a solo acoustic version of "The Yearling" (which he said he last played live in 1994).  The hour and a half sets also included my faves "She Will Survive," "Beautiful Wonderful" and "Wildflowers," although it was disappointing that there were no songs played from the album Whirligig.  It was great to hear some stories about the band's history in between songs, and for today's finale a couple members of Gentle Persuasion came on stage to sing "Roar" which was a song by their combined folk super-group back in the day called Four.  All in all these two shows were pretty special and I feel fortunate to have been able to see the original line up live and in such great form.

Essendon v. Sydney

It was a big Friday night of footy at Etihad Stadium as Essendon faced the Sydney Swans and our nemesis over the years, former Hawthorn and current Sydney player Lance "Buddy" Franklin.  Considering how we have been playing lately I wasn't overly optimistic about this match, but I did not expect us to only manage to score 1.1 and be 6 goals behind by the end of the first quarter.  It was good to see Tom Bellchambers back from injury, and that freed up he and Paddy Ryder to go forward from the ruck at times, although it didn't have a massive impact on the scoreboard.

Of course, the biggest worry was Buddy, and he was up and about getting 3 of his 5 goals in the second quarter.  In the third quarter an umpire collided with a Sydney player and was down on the ground motionless for 5 minutes before being stretchered off.  Some in the crowd were actually booing him, which was a bit rough (Onagh and I even had a guy sitting behind us who wanted him put down like a race horse).  Part of the reason for the booing was likely the bad umpire calls, with the last straw being Michael Hurley getting a head high bump from Sydney's Dan Hannebery that put Hurley on the ground for a few minutes and resulted in no free kick.  Jake Carlisle was our sub for the game and managed to kick 2 goals, so hopefully that is an indication of his form starting to improve.  In the end Essendon lost by 50 points but at least we managed to stop Buddy from getting his 600 career goal!

Final Score
Essendon: 9.10 (64)
Sydney: 18.6 (114)

Eurovision 2014

I have spent the past three evenings enthralled by the Eurovision Song Contest, which was held in Copenhagen, Denmark this year.  It was a tight race up to the end with a bit of geopolitical intrigue as any votes for Russia were booed by the audience.  For once my top three was fairly close to the final voting results.  The winner was the amazing Conchita Wurst (Austria) with her song "Rise Like A Phoenix," an epic power ballad which could easily be the theme song for a James Bond movie.



My second choice didn't make the top three, but was my favorite dance song in the competition: Freaky Fortune featuring RiskyKidd (Greece) with "Rise Up"



My third choice ended up finishing second on the night: The Common Linnets (The Netherlands) with their alt-country song "Calm After The Storm"



Honorable mention must go to Carl Espen (Norway) for his sensitive and lovely ballad "Silent Storm"



In the second semi-final Australia got a special segment while the votes were being counted due to our obsession with Eurovision and desire to participate in it (even though geographically we cannot).  After what could be considered a cringe-worthy skit of Australian stereotypes our very own Jessica Mauboy got to sing a song she especially wrote for the Eurovision stage:



All in all it was another good year with a truly stand out winner.  Congratulations Conchita!

Essendon v. Western Bulldogs

It's been a mixed start to the season for Essendon.  After the first three rounds we had two wins and a close loss to the reigning Premiers.  Everyone was very optimistic for our prospects this year.  However, we have lost the last three games and have not been playing consistently, so it was very important to get a win tonight against the Western Bulldogs.  As Belinda is a Bulldogs fan she joined me at Etihad Stadium for the match. 

It was a scrappy game from the start with the Bulldogs going into half time with a 14 point lead as we had another disaster second quarter for the second week in a row and did not score a goal.  After watching Darth Vader and some Stormtroopers walking along the boundary at half time (there was some strange Star Wars cross-promotion going on) I was hoping the force would be with Essendon in the second half.  Thankfully a few minutes into the third quarter the boys started to show some life and kick goals again, and we went into the fourth quarter with a 13 point lead.  The last quarter was tense as the Bulldogs got within a goal, but we managed to hold on for a gritty win as our senior players stood up.  Dustin Fletcher had an amazing game but we are still having issues with the forward line.  Hopefully the team can start putting together a full four quarter effort and play better in the coming weeks.

Final Score
Essendon: 10.13 (73)
Western Bulldogs: 9.11 (65)