Birdz and Omar Musa- The Voodoo Laksa Tour

Birdz and Omar Musa are on a joint tour around Australia and tonight was their first show together at The Toff In Town. Opening up the evening was singer-songwriter Alice Skye. She and her band played these dreamy yet sad songs, and she joked about the contrast between her and the rest of the bill musically.

Omar Musa and his DJ Sezzo Snot were up next, and his set featured songs from his latest album Since Ali Died, including "Assimilate," "Rose Gold Lover" and the very catchy "Like A Cat Move." Omar is such a brilliant lyricist and someone who continues to tackle the social justice issues of the day in his music and poetry. It was good to hear songs off his previous EP with "Dead Centre," "Freedom" and my favorite "Lak$a," which got the audience moving.  To finish his set he did a spoken word version of his song "UnAustralia." I only wish that he had played for longer as his set went by too quickly.

Birdz hit the stage with a DJ and drummer, which added a lot to his set. He played a lot of songs off his debut album Train Of Thought, including "Crown Thieves," "This Side," "Rise" and "Black Lives Matter." Birdz is another strong rapper on the scene who is addressing serious topics in his songs. He brought Omar Musa up on the stage to perform their new song together "About Me," and finished off the night with the powerful track "Testify." It was great to get the opportunity to see both Omar and Birdz touring together and playing in such an intimate venue.

Here's the new video for their joint single "About Me"

The Harpoons- Reassurance Single Launch

The Harpoons have recently released their latest single "Reassurance" and tonight was its launch at Howler. Lead singer Bec Rigby did a Welcome to Country and was wearing her overalls with "Always was, always will be" painted on them. They opened with "Pressure" and played a few other songs such as "Reassurance" and "Do You Want My Love" off their upcoming album, which is finally coming out in April 2018 (the band thanked everyone for their patience).

There was lots of dancing and singing in the crowd throughout their hour long set. They also played some older tracks including "Can We Work This Out" and "Unforgettable," and finished the evening with "Faith." Despite some technical glitches they persevered and played an entertaining set. I'm looking forward to their new album finally getting released.

Here's the video for "Do You Want My Love"

Beck- Colors Tour

It's been five years since Beck last played in Australia, and a couple of decades since I last saw him live during university in the mid-1990s. Surprisingly only the front half of Margaret Court Arena was used for this show. The opening act was Australian artist Meg Mac, who played her own soulful tracks with her full band as well as a cover of Tame Impala's "Let It Happen" (which she had previously done on Triple J's Like a Version).

Beck's band entered the stage first before he joined them to launch into "Devil's Haircut." It was a powerhouse opening with well known tracks such as "Black Tambourine," "The New Pollution" and "Mixed Bizness" in the first part of the set. Throughout the evening Beck danced around the stage, did poses and was generally his cool self. He slowed things down a bit with an acoustic section that included a sing along to part of Prince's "Raspberry Beret," a bit of "Debra" by audience request (where Beck replaced Debra with Shelia a couple times), and the Sea Change/Morning Phase tracks "Lost Cause" and "Blue Moon."

It was the songs from Beck's latest album Colors that I was really eager to hear, and they were played in the second part of the set with "Seventh Heaven" (one of the first times they've played it live) "I'm So Free," "Wow," "Dreams" and "Up All Night." They all sounded great and kept the energy going. To close the main set they tore through E-Pro, and then for the encore Beck came out in a white blazer and hat and played "Loser." The final song of the night was an extended version of "Where It's At," which included mini band introductions to their own song such as Talking Heads' "Once In A Lifetime," The Rolling Stones' "Miss You," and The Doobie Brothers' "Takin' It To The Streets." Beck got on harmonica for a bit of his own song "One Foot In The Grave" before the band reprised "Where It's At" to finish the evening. Beck put on such an amazing live show both musically and visually and he seriously doesn't look like he has aged one bit.

Here's the video for "Wow"

Neil and Liam Finn- Zoo Twilights

For the past two nights I have been at the Melbourne Zoo to see Neil Finn and Liam Finn play two of their three sold out Zoo Twilights shows. Opening both nights was Donny Benet (Kirin J Callinan; Jack Ladder and The Dreamleaders) and his show band. He played a set of 1980s yacht rock and smooth jazz inspired songs. His intros to each song were quite humorous as he took us on a journey with tracks such as "Santorini" and "Konichiwa" from his latest album The Don.

Neil and Liam Finn have recently recorded their first album together, which is due out later in 2018. These shows allowed them to preview some of these new tracks along with old favorites from each of their back catalogues. Joined by the Finn family band, we got similar set lists on both nights. You can definitely hear Liam's influence on the new songs, with "Meet Me In The Air" and "Anger Plays A Part" (Friday only) being the standouts for me. While I was hoping we would get to hear some of Neil's latest solo album Out Of Silence live for the first time, the only track that was played was "Chameleon Days" on Friday night.

The Split Enz tracks got a good reaction from the crowd with the hits "I Got You," "History Never Repeats" (Saturday only) and "Message To My Girl," which included a surprise marriage proposal on stage on Friday night (thankfully she said yes). I really enjoyed hearing the Liam solo tracks "Fire In Your Belly" (Saturday only), "Cold Feet," "Miracle Glance" (complete with theremin solo) and the energy of "Second Chance" and "Better To Be," with its dramatic frozen pause by the band in the middle of the song.

As expected there were a few funny moments at each show. On Friday night there was a walkway in front of the stage, and Neil encouraged people to dance their way across and included commentary on their efforts (the kids really brought it). Neil and Liam were happy to be back in Melbourne and joked about wanting to film a new video for the album at the Royal Woman’s Hospital that would reenact Liam’s birth (I think Sharon was slightly horrified). On Saturday night the band members gave us zoo facts about meerkats, lemurs and butterflies. Let's just say I don't think all of them were true.

The Crowded House songs constituted a large portion of the set list on both nights. The Together Alone tracks dominated with "Pineapple Head," "Distant Sun" and "Private Universe," followed closely behind by the Woodface tracks "Four Seasons In One Day" and "Weather With You." Everyone sang along to "Don't Dream It's Over" at the end of the set, with the surprise inclusion of "Better Be Home Soon" to close out Saturday night, complete with Liam and Sharon Finn slow dancing together and Sharon dipping Liam. Overall both nights were fun, and it will be interesting to hear the new Neil and Liam album when it is released.

Here's the video for Neil's single "Chameleon Days"

White Night Melbourne 2018

It's one of my favorite events of the year - White Night Melbourne! This year the crowds seemed a bit smaller than in previous years (noting that I arrived around 1am). While there were some interesting works, I didn't feel this White Night was as strong as other ones I've been to. These were my highlights from the evening:

In the Queen Victoria Gardens was the whimsical Neon Dog Park installation by Carla O'Brien. People had lots of fun interacting with these glowing dogs.

There was a bit of a space theme in the Alexandra Gardens with the inflatable installations of the solar system La Terra Al Centro Dell' Universo by Namaste Europa and the spaceman coming out of the ground Calling Occupants by Felipe Reynolds.

Floating over the Yarra River were the illuminated birds of Le Bal des Lumineoles by Christophe Martine, which added some movement to the night skyline.

The Flinders Street light projections The Secret Life of Buildings by DAE White Night and The Electric Canvas highlighted different eras of pop culture. These projections were more static than in previous years, with the ones on The Forum being the best of the three buildings.

In St Paul's Cathedral was a fantastic piece by Victoria University's Skunk Control with Altar to the Future. It appeared to change colors due to the large rotating circular portal that you viewed the work through. It was exciting to see them have a piece at White Night as I've been such a fan of their windows at the Gertrude Street Projection Festival.

At the Melbourne Town Hall were more beautiful light projections by DAE White Night and The Electric Canvas to accompany the Guerrilla Opera performances by BK Opera on the verandah. It was a nice respite to stop and listen to them sing.

One of the most innovative pieces of the evening was PlusMinusZero by Alexander Mitchell. Incorporating projections onto a large paste-up mural in a car park off Lonsdale Street, you could download the EyeJack app to see the work come to life in augmented reality.

Inside the State Library Reading Room was another work by DAE White Night and The Electric Canvas called The Secret Life of Books, which showed what might happen to the books after hours in the library.

The site at Carlton Gardens expanded to include even more works this year. Phantasmagoria by Christopher Langton was a fantasy land of giant inflatable toys and animals as you walked toward the Royal Exhibition Building.

The highlight of the light projections was What If... on the Royal Exhibition Building by Limelight Projection Mapping. The 3D video mapped projection made it look like the building was changing shape and it raised the bar from previous years.

Finally, on the Melbourne Museum Plaza were two interesting pieces. One was The Serpent Mother by Flaming Lotus Girls, which was a reptile with a moving head that had flames coming out of its spine. The other was Birdmen by Close-Act, where these Technosauruses roamed around the plaza as the puppeteers on stilts interacted with people and each other.

Father John Misty- Pure Comedy Tour

As part of his sideshows for the Laneway Festival, Father John Misty (aka Josh Tillman) played a sold out show tonight at The Forum in support of his latest album Pure Comedy. This was a bigger, more traditional rock venue than when he came through town last year. Opening the evening was Jack Ladder and The Dreamlanders. They mainly played new tracks off their upcoming album, with the single "Susan" being my favorite song in the set.

The driving drum beat of "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings" kicked off Father John Misty's set as he walked out on stage. It was a sign of things to come as his first two albums featured prominently in the set list, which mixed some deep album cuts along with better known tracks such as "Nancy From Now On," "Only Son Of A Ladiesman," "Fun Times In Babylon," "Chateau Lobby #4 (In C For Two Virgins)," "Bored In The USA" and "I Love You, Honeybear."

Josh himself was unusually quiet for most of the evening and limited his banter in between songs. The middle section of the set was more slow and country tinged, which could have been a hint at his mood. One of the most meta moments of the evening was when he performed "The Night Josh Tillman Came To Our Apt." complete with the video which stars him in all the roles playing on the screen behind him.

I was happy we did get some Pure Comedy tracks in the second half of the two hour set, including "Total Entertainment Forever," "Things It Would Have Been Helpful To Know Before The Revolution" "Ballad Of The Dying Man" and "Pure Comedy," which kicked off the encore. It was during the encore that someone in the crowd started blowing bubbles, which made Josh crack a smile as they flew past him on stage. The night finished with "Holy Shit" and a rocking version of "The Ideal Husband." It sounds like there is a new album on the horizon for this year, so hopefully he will be back soon for another show in Melbourne.

Here's the video for "Things It Would Have Been Helpful To Know Before The Revolution":

NGV Triennial

The NGV Triennial is an international exhibition of over 100 contemporary artists and designers from 32 countries that opened in mid-December 2017. It showcases works in different media across cultures, scales, geographies and perspectives throughout all four levels of the NGV International.

Ebony and I went this morning to check out the exhibition before it got too crowded. These were my main highlights out of the many different pieces we saw. On the ground floor was the large sculpture installation Eternity-Buddha in Nirvana.... by Chinese artist Xu Zhen, which combined replicas of Buddhist and Greco-Roman, Renaissance and Neoclassical sculptures.

American artist Pae White's (Untitled) installation used paint and acrylic cord in different colors to create three-dimensional shapes that ran across the room and from the floor to the ceiling. As you moved around the space you got a different perspective on each piece. The room was slightly disorienting and I worried that I might accidentally bump into one of the pieces.

Another cool and interactive room was the immersive digital installation Moving creates vortices and vortices create movement by the Japanese art collective teamLab. As people moved around the room sensors created a continuum of digital particles on the floor. Therefore, the faster you moved, the stronger the vortex or flow became.

One of the most popular pieces in the exhibition is Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's Flower obsession. Created as a little apartment, each attendee is given a red flower sticker to place anywhere in the various rooms as you walk through. Over time, all the surfaces will become covered in red flowers.

Upstairs on Level 1 is one of the most creative fashion collections I've had the pleasure of seeing in person. Chinese fashion designer Guo Pei's spring-summer 2017 couture collection Legend was inspired by the Cathedral of Saint Gall in Switzerland. The pieces are ornate and beautiful, and you can also watch footage of the fashion show to see how the garments move.

One of the most confronting works in the Triennial is Australian artist Ron Mueck's Mass, which is located on Level 2 within the historical collection galleries. The piece is comprised of 100 large-scale sculptures of human skulls that are mainly piled up in one half of the room. It reminds you of the Paris catacombs as well as genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda and other places.

The NGV Triennial is free and runs until 15 April 2018. Definitely make an effort to check it out if you are in Melbourne.

I, Tonya

Despite her talents, Tonya Harding was always going to face challenges achieving her dreams due to classism and standards around femininity in the world of figure skating. The movie I, Tonya gives the back story of Tonya's life and shows how she overcame adversity to become a US figure skating champion in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It is a mockumentary-style film which uses interviews to present the often times contradictory perspectives of the main players in Tonya's life in the lead up and aftermath of the infamous 1994 attack on Nancy Kerrigan before the Winter Olympics.

Tonya (Margot Robbie) did not have an easy life growing up in Portland, Oregon and was the victim of family violence starting with her mother LaVona (Allison Janney) and then her husband Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan), who she married at 19 years old. The movie showcases Tonya's rise in figure skating, with one of the main highlights being the first American woman to land a triple axle jump in competition in 1991. From there Tonya struggled, finishing fourth in the 1992 Winter Olympics. She gave international competition one last shot by trying to make the 1994 Winter Olympics team. The movie focuses a lot on this period and leaves it up to the viewer to decide how much Tonya knew about the attack on Nancy Kerrigan.

The other narrative of the film is around celebrity culture and the media that drives it. In one of the most pointed scenes in the film Tonya breaks down the fourth wall and calls out the viewer, saying that we are all her abusers. The media circus around her in 1994 was unrelenting (and this was pre-internet), and only moved on when the next big story broke - O. J. Simpson and the murder of Nicole Brown. Tonya's life ban from figure skating by the US Figure Skating Association meant she could no longer professionally be involved in the sport she loved and dedicated her life to. The film ends with Tonya's short lived boxing career (which I had forgotten about).

Overall I, Tonya is a good film, with great performances by Margot Robbie and Allison Janney. It also makes you wonder if Tonya was skating today instead of 25 years ago what kind of reception she would receive from judges and the public.

Gotye and MESS Present Jean-Jacques Perrey Et Son Ondioline

On what would have been electronic pioneer Jean-Jacques Perrey's 89th birthday, we were treated to an intimate tribute to the man by Gotye (aka Wally De Backer) in the Salon at the Melbourne Recital Centre. Mary and I attended the first of two sold out shows this evening, which were presented by arrangement with MESS (Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio), a not-for-profit organisation supported by Wally that is dedicated to the creation of electronic sound and music.

Unlike the other Australian shows over the past couple weeks that Wally has done with the Ondioline Orchestra at Mofo in Launceston and the Sydney Festival, this one was just him solo talking about the career of Jean-Jacques Perrey and the Ondioline (invented by Georges Jenny). The Ondioline was an early precursor to the modern synthesizer, and Perrey was a virtuoso on the instrument which produced some unique sounds. Wally got to know Perrey and his daughter Patricia in the last few years of his life and was given access to a treasure trove of recordings and other rare materials.

The research and archival work Wally has done resulted in the release of the vinyl compilation Jean-Jacques Perrey et son Ondioline on his label Forgotten Futures. Wally took us through many of the songs on the record that highlighted the different whimsical styles of Perrey's work, and told stories about the people he collaborated with (including Edith Piaf and Angelo Badalamenti). Wally's enthusiasm and love of Perrey and the Ondioline was so infectious throughout the night as he spoke about and played along with some of the songs. I really liked when he said Perrey's songs have humor in them, which is something he strives to bring to his own music.

The effort it has taken to find and restore these Ondiolines and get them playable again is pretty impressive. Wally has even gotten the original Ondioline manuals and instructions translated into English so those that are interested can understand how the instrument works. Some of the highlights of the hour and a half show were getting to watch Wally play "Chicken On The Rocks" and "Cigale," as well as sing in French the song "The Soul Of The Poets." This has clearly been a passion project for Wally and it's great that he's preserving the works of these innovators so that they are not forgotten.

Fleet Foxes- Palais Theatre

Tonight I headed down to the newly renovated Palais Theatre in St Kilda to see Fleet Foxes play their only Falls Festival side show in Australia. Opening the evening was Australian singer-songwriter Gordi (aka Sophie Payten) who played a solo set on acoustic guitar and keyboard (with some loops and vocal effects thrown in). Besides her own songs she also did a cover of Courtney Barnett's "Avant Gardener."

It's been six years since Fleet Foxes last played in Melbourne, although I was fortunate enough to see them last year in May at Vivid in Sydney. They started the evening with the opening tracks "I Am All That I Need / Arroyo Seco / Thumbprint Scar" and "Cassius, -" off their latest album Crack-Up. It was good to hear these album tracks again now that the band have been touring them over the past six months, especially my favorites "On Another Ocean (January / June)," "Fool’s Errand" and "Third Of May / Odaigahara."

The band powered through their set, often not stopping in between songs. There was an energy and joy as they sang each song, and the harmonies were amazing as they worked their way through their back catalogue. There were so many highlights, including "The Shrine / An Argument" and "Grown Ocean" off Helplessness Blues and "White Winter Hymnal," "Ragged Wood" and "Your Protector" off their self-titled debut album. The most special moments though were when lead singer Robin Pecknold took to the stage solo with just an acoustic guitar to sing "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" and "Oliver James," which had the crowd silent and transfixed.  They finished off the night with an impassioned version of "Helplessness Blues" and the audience sent them off with a standing ovation.

Here's the video for "Fool's Errand:"

Indie Australia Sampler Vol. 8

It is New Year's Eve and I just arrived back in Melbourne this morning. In celebration of the end of the year, here is my annual compilation of some of my favorite Australian songs of 2017. Once again it is a mix of different genres and shows the diversity of music that has been released here this year.

1. Alex Lahey - "Every Day's The Weekend"


2. Bloods - "Bug Eyes"


3. The Preatures - "Girlhood"


4. Dan Sultan - "Hold It Together"


5. Cloud Control - "Rainbow City"


6. San Cisco - "Did You Get What You Came For?"


7. The Harpoons - "Do You Want My Love"


8. Omar Musa - "Like A Cat Move"


9. Sensible J - "Fire Sign"


10. Saskwatch - "Shrinking Violet"


11. Holy Holy - "Amateurs"


12. RVG - "Cause And Effect"


13. The Ocean Party - "If I Blink"


14. Oh Mercy - "National Park"


15. Slow Dancer - "It Goes On"


16. Sampa The Great - "Inner Voice"

Call Me By Your Name and All The Money In The World

Over the past two Wednesday evenings I have been catching up with friends from school for dinner and a movie. Last week Lynne, Gabby and I went to see Call Me By Your Name, which is based on the novel of the same name by Andre Aciman. Set over an Italian summer in the 1980s, it centers around 17 year old Elio (Timothee Chalamet) and his family, who take in an American grad student each summer to work with his archaeology professor father. On this occasion the person who comes to stay with them is 24 year old Oliver (Armie Hammer). Oliver has a more outgoing personality than Elio, who likes to read and focus on his music. In this coming of age story told from the point of view of Elio, he becomes more infatuated with Oliver as the summer progresses, and eventually they start a romantic relationship in the last weeks of Oliver's stay. The movie is very well done and shot in a beautiful location. The only problem I had was that the actors look like the age gap between them is much more than in the script, which was a bit distracting and could be perceived as slightly predatory in this day and age.

Tonight Lynne and I saw All The Money In The World, which is based on the true story of the kidnapping of 16 year old John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) in Italy in 1973. As the grandson of the richest man in the world, J. Paul Getty (played by Christopher Plummer, who replaced Kevin Spacey in the role), the kidnappers assumed that they would get their ransom immediately, but Getty refused to pay it. The film mainly follows how Paul's mother Gail Harris (Michelle Williams) and Getty's adviser and ex-CIA operative Fletcher Chase (Mark Wahlberg) work to try and negotiate with the abductors around the ransom payment and get money from Getty in order to pay it and free Paul. It's definitely a good crime thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat at many points and in disbelief at the cruelty and greed displayed by J. Paul Getty even in regards to his own family.

Merry Christmas

It's been two years since I was last home for Christmas. Since my brother was working on Christmas Day he and the kids came over to my parents' house a couple days early on Saturday for lunch and to open presents. Logan, Kylie and I also baked some Christmas sugar cookies together. It was really nice to get to spend some quality time together.

Today we had our annual Christmas dinner with my Aunt Chris and cousins Lei, Mei and Fiorella. It was our usual menu, which allowed me to get some of the Thanksgiving meal I always miss out on. We began with different cheeses for hors d'oeuvres also had my favorite mulled apple cider. For dinner we ate my Mom's famous jello salad and then had turkey, stuffing, scalloped potatoes and green beans for the main meal.

After digesting and opening presents we had dessert, which is always my job to prepare (I did all my baking yesterday). We had a selection of pumpkin pie, sugar cookies, snowball cookies, and mini gingerbread houses, which came out really cute considering it was the first time I made them. We were very full by the end of the night, but everyone had a good time. I'm very happy I was able to spend the holidays with family this year.

Museum Of Ice Cream San Francisco

The Museum of Ice Cream is a pop-up interactive museum located in different major cities across the United States. The San Francisco museum is housed in an old bank building at 1 Grant Avenue. Tickets to get in are hard to come by, so I was very excited when my cousin Lei informed me a couple months ago that she would be taking me along with her sister Mei and daughter Fiorella.

We had tickets for 6pm, and when we arrived they put us into a small group with other attendees to explain the philosophy and rules for the venue. The decor is a sensory explosion of color (mainly pink) and kitsch design as you enter each themed room. Our first stop was Marye's Diner, which was themed like a 1950s diner and served up some local peach flavored ice cream. Fiorella had fun dancing to the tunes, and the records on the wall had their artists and song titles changed to be more ice cream themed.

The Make A Statement room was where you could spell out a message on the wall with pink magnetised letters. They also served My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream, which is ice cream wrapped in mochi dough. I had the cookies and cream and it was really good.

Next up was the Cherry on Top room, where we got cherry flavored cotton candy sprayed with glitter to eat. The room is a social media dream with its giant cherries and clouds hanging from the ceiling.

The Gummy Garden room is like walking into a life-size Candy Land game with its giant gummy bears, lollipops, candies and macarons.

The Ice Cream Truck Pick room takes its inspiration from the different types popsicles you can buy from an ice cream truck (although normally they wouldn't be protruding from a wall).

The Rainbow room is a tribute to San Francisco's history and includes a unicorn! They even served little cones of unicorn milk ice cream. The room next to it was inspired by Pop Rocks with an entire giant geometric pop rock wall.

The most popular room at every Museum of Ice Cream is the Sprinkle Pool, which as you can guess was a giant pool filled with plastic sprinkles. When you step into the pool you immediately sink down into them. We only got to spend a short time in there, but it was Fiorella's favorite spot (and she was upset when we had to get out).

After shaking and blowing off the sprinkles hiding in our clothes we headed out to a row of themed spaces with swings before ending up at the gift shop. The Museum of Ice Cream is a lot of fun, and really built for kids and those young at heart. The San Francisco museum has been extended until February 2018, so if you get the chance to go take advantage of it.

SFMOMA

I took the Golden Gate Ferry into San Francisco today to explore some of the latest exhibitions at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). My first stop was the retrospective of photographer Walker Evans work. It contained 300 prints and around 100 other objects spanning the Great Depression and postwar period which documented everyday American life in the twentieth century. The exhibition runs until 4 February 2018.

Robert Rauschenberg: Erasing the Rules contains more that 150 of his artworks from throughout his career. He often collaborated with other artists and combined multiple disciplines and media within his work while commentating on various cultural and social issues of the time. The exhibition runs on Floor 4 through 25 March 2018.

Next I checked out Louis Bourgeois Spiders. I have seen some of her spider sculptures in the past, and this exhibition featured spiders in a range of different sizes and materials. It's located in the sculpture gallery on Floor 5 and runs until 4 September 2018.

The final exhibition I saw (and heard) was Soundtracks, which featured works from different artists across the entire museum, but mainly spanned Floor 7. This large-scale exhibition focused on the role of sound in contemporary art and how it relates to space. There were so many different types of works, from sculptures to immersive installations to recorded performances. It was really interesting to walk around and experience the different soundscapes of each piece. If you would like to check it out get in quick as Soundtracks finishes on 1 January 2018.