Archive for the ‘ Pictures ’ Category

Lawrence English @ The Judith Wright Centre

November 29th, 2011

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Event: “The Evening”
Date: November 17, 2011
Venue: The Judith Wright Centre for Contemporary Arts
Acts: Lawrence English

There are generally two parts to any Lawrence English-curated performance. The first is a short welcome where he provides a introduction to the work about to be performed. The second is, of course, the performance itself.

The above might sound like dull trivia, but it’s one of the things I appreciate the most about English. Listening to him speak, you quickly realise English is not simply there to perform. He truly wants you to grasp the authorial inspiration and purpose behind the music he’s about to perform.

It’s something most artists — largely blessed with all the loquacity of a brick — just don’t attempt. What makes English’s mission trebly difficult is the nature of his works — typically synth-driven instrumental drones that tend to evolve at a glacial pace.

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Nikko @ Woodland

November 12th, 2011

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Date: November 5, 2011
Venue: Woodland, Brisbane
Acts: Nikko, Carsick Cars, Keep on Dancin’s

It’s a little bit the case of playing one-of-these-things-is-not-like-the-others tonight at Woodland.

Jacinta Walker’s Keep On Dancin’s (that errant apostrophe is no typo) and Nikko vie for most maudlin act with equally gloomy aesthetics. Keep on Dancin’s embrace dark, shifting surf tones that smoulder rather than shimmer while Nikko’s approach pitches percussion, guitar and violin into a series of despairing crescendos of sound.

Nikko probably edges the contest — taking honours with an affecting reinvention of the PJ Harvey classic Horses In My Dreams and a “shredfest” conclusion to The Warm Side that leaves nothing in the tank.

The odd bird in the middle of these two acts is Carsick Cars. There’s nothing gloomy about this Chinese three-piece. It’s simply frenetic guitar pop with a strong drumbeat and infectious riffs that’s concerned with nothing except having a lot of fun. Read more

The Gin Club @ The Old Museum

November 11th, 2011

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Date: December 13, 2008
Venue: The Old Museum, Brisbane
Acts: The Gin Club, Clinkerfield, The Aerial Maps, Texas Tea, Jacob S Harris

Built in 1891 to enable the city of Brisbane to host a world exposition, but named after it’s decades-long stint as the city’s museum, The Old Museum tonight plays host to The Gin Club’s Christmas bash. The Ginners have assembled no less than four support slots, and an early start means I miss Jacob S Harris, who performed so well at the Globe just last month.

In fact, I only just catch the start of the Texas Tea set. The local duo are in fine fettle, even if the rarified concert hall atmosphere lends an irritating touch of reverb to their mellow country tune. Many of the tunes are drawn from Junkship, which is all to the good. I’m a little disappointed that they skip the dirge-like Ferry Song, but a remarkable rendition of the Ronny Shannon-penned, Aretha Franklin-performed Never Loved A Man more than makes up for it. Read more

The Gin Club @ The Zoo

November 11th, 2011

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Date: March 21, 2009
Venue: The Zoo, Brisbane
Acts: The Gin Club, Hits, Danny Widdicombe

Floppy-haired local Danny Widdicombe croons “satisfy me” over and over like a mantra to the accompaniment of a drifting guitar arrangement. I’m in hearty agreement. His voice offers a rough-hewn country charm, but too often his finger-plucked tunes slide into frustrating aimlessness. Twanging excursions into the blues hold more verve, but the aggressive stomping of set-closer My Desire highlights the confusing patchwork of his offerings tonight.

“Hi. We’re Hits. Not that we have any.”

Hits are definitely the bastard child of tonight’s bill. Wedged between the alt-country stylings of The Gin Club and Danny Widdicombe, the punk-rock five-piece detonates with the percussive force of a psychotic child throwing the biggest tantrum you could imagine. Read more

Dead @ The Waiting Room

November 8th, 2011

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Date: November 4, 2011
Venue: The Waiting Room, Brisbane
Acts: Dead, Cyberne, Idylls, Acid Snake

My first visit to the Waiting Room in Brisbane’s West End is a profitable one as both Melbourne drum-and-bass duo DEAD and Japanese psycho-noise addicts Cyberne turn in sterling performances that test the sound-proofing of the tiny venue.

Jem and Jace of DEAD seem to be continuing along the rich vein that they unearthed with Fangs of a TV Evangelist. Prick Rodeo, particularly, is laden with heavy stoner grooves and massive blasts of percussion. The stand-and-deliver grunt of the tune conveys palpable menace and gets heads nodding approvingly to the beat.

Cyberne, on the other hand, play more like some wild beast bent on savaging whatever happens to come within range. The Osaka-based four-piece pierce the air with chaotic intertwining riffs, incomprehensible screams and the constant bam-crash of cymbals. It’s 30 minutes of the most wonderful entropy where you’re never sure exactly how a tune is going to go berserk.

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