Cloud Control: Album Preview Show

Tash and I were very excited when Cloud Control announced a sideshow in Melbourne at the Corner Hotel while they were in Australia for the Vivid LIVE festival in Sydney.  It has been a couple of years since I last saw them play as they are now located in the UK, and this was our first chance to hear songs from their upcoming album Dream Cave.

The first act of the evening last night was Melbourne singer-songwriter Ali Barter, who played a solo set on electric guitar.  Her songs sounded good and she also did a cover of the Foo Fighters' "Tired Of You."  Next up was Sydney band Bloods who I just loved.  A girl punk band with a boy drummer, they reminded me of 1990s riot grrrl bands.  I thought they had a fantastic energy, good humor and found them to be very impressive.

The Corner was absolutely packed by the time Cloud Control took the stage.  As this was an album preview show, the set list alternated between old songs and new ones.  The new material sounded great on first listen, with a couple of really stand out tracks.  We were also treated to many songs off of their debut album Bliss Release, including my favorites "Gold Canary," "There's Nothing In The Water We Can't Fight," "My Fear #2" and "Ghost Story."  For the encore they played the title track "Dream Cave" and finished with their first hit single "Buffalo Country."  I am looking forward to the release of Dream Cave as well as their album tour later in the year.

Here's the new single "Dojo Rising"

Cloud Control: Bliss Release Tour

Last night Clinton and Kevin came to pick me up (saving me walking in the cold) and we headed to The East Brunswick Club to see Cloud Control's sold out show in support of their fantastic new album Bliss Release. When we arrived Richard In Your Mind was starting their set. I thought they were okay but after a while I found the lead singer's voice to be annoying and their songs didn't really draw me in to their performance.

Cloud Control came out onto the smoky stage to enthusiastic cheers from the crowd. Their set list consisted of songs from the new album and their self-titled EP. My favorites for the evening were "There's Nothing In The Water We Can't Fight," "The Rolling Stone," "My Fear #2," "Vintage Books" and "Gold Canary," which received the biggest response of the night likely due to its airplay on Triple J. They finished their set with "Buffalo Country" and we thought for sure there would be an encore but the lights went up and the show was over. It was a bit disappointing as they could have easily played 2-3 more songs. The boys gave me a ride home and I even got a couple pieces of homemade cake to take with me.

Vampire Weekend

Danny and I headed to Festival Hall tonight to see the second Melbourne show for New York band Vampire Weekend. It was an all ages gig and I was flattered to have been carded at the door (although they may have been doing that to everyone). The opening act was Sydney band Cloud Control, who I have been wanting to see for a while now. Their set was full of lovely harmonies and "Gold Canary" and "Buffalo Country" were highlights of the evening.

Vampire Weekend came out to huge cheers from the crowd. I am not as familiar with their music as Danny is, but they put on a solid set playing the majority of the songs from their two albums. Their indie rock sound is infused with Calypso rhythms, and while interesting, some of songs started to sound a bit the same after a while. My favorites of the evening were "Oxford Coma," "Cousins," "A-Punk," and the current single "Giving Up The Gun." They closed out the night with "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa," which I found amusing since kids from Melbourne were singing along to a song about Cape Cod. All in all it was a good night of music, and my first time in the box that is Festival Hall.