4ZzZ FM's Modern Love: Hungry Kids of Hungary, Rocketsmiths, Nikko, Mass Migration @ The Zoo (30.05.09)

(This has been sitting on the server in a mostly complete draft form for about a week, so apologies for my tardiness in releasing it.)

4ZzZ FM have been striving to improve the services that they offer recently, and as part of this push we've started to see a wider range of 4ZzZ presents shows being organised. Branching out from the usual Zeds staple of punk/ska/dub, 'Modern Love' showcased two relatively high profile local indie pop groups (Hungry Kids, Rocketsmiths) and two more reflective, artier groups (Nikko, Mass Migration).

Mass Migration started the evening in front of a still sparse audience, playing their final ever show. When I first saw Mass Migration back in 2007 I thought that their take on guitar-based post-rock (of the Mogwai / Explosions In The Sky variety) was occasionally a bit one dimensional. Over the intervening years they've improved their songwriting considerably, becoming a more layered musical act in the process. Songs like 'Green' and 'Sepia' showed a band that had gained an understanding of dynamics, and also of the power of utilising traditional song structures to move a song along ('Sepia' is pretty much a pop song, despite being instrumental). At times their live shows have been a bit inconsistent, often due to effects settings that seemed to suck the power out of the guitars when things really needed to take off - this show had few of these issues, and as a result the inherent power of the songs was allowed to come through. The two new songs the band showcased indicated that things would have improved further, with one song in the middle of the set gradually swelling in a psychedelic haze before falling away and building up to even greater heights (and volume) than before. As far as final shows go, this wasn't at all a bad one to go out on, and the gradually swelling crowd seemed to agree.

Nikko are a band that I've enjoyed live a few times, but from whom I'd not yet seen a set where everything had gelled together to provide the kind of performance I've thought them capable of. Sometimes their guitars have gone way out of tune, sometimes the vocals have been gratingly off key, and sometimes their setlists have been uneven, resulting in the set dragging by its end. This show was the first I'd experienced where everything fell into place - the guitars were all locked in together and sounding suitably immense when necessary, the set was well paced and, crucially, singer Ryan Potter's voice was sounding good (although still far from pitch-perfect, but that's part of its character). Nikko fall somewhere in between a fairly straight-up post rock band (such as Mass Migration) and more atmospheric indie rock/pop bands (like Seaplane or The Rational Academy), with songs that are usually quite stretched out but that often still contain recognisable structures and vocals. I find them to be at their best when they mix these two sides of the band together in fairly equal amounts, with Potter's drunken baritone providing a steady emotional centre while the rest of the band rises and falls around him.

Oh, and the bass player is lots of fun to watch.

For some reason I when I think of Rocketsmiths (no 'The' anymore) I tend to think of them as a band that I like well enough but of whom I'm not really a huge fan. However, when I see them live I oftentimes reconsider this opinion. On their night they really are one of the most entertaining bands in Brisbane, and their songs are packed with so many turns and hooks that it seems unfair to deny them their kudos in the songwriting department. I'm not sure what makes me continually revert to my previously mentioned stance towards them, but perhaps this show will be the one that convinces me to permanently recognise that they're damn good at what they do (that being pumping out rockabilly influenced bar-room rock suitable for getting really really drunk to). Dom Miller is an unlikely rock frontman, but by the end of a show he tends to have the vast majority of the crowd paying attention to his every drunken between-song rant. Oh, and is it just me or have Rocketsmiths really ramped up the heaviness in their songs? It seemed as though 3/4 of their set was surging ahead at full pace, with guitars swathed in masses of distortion and playing some deceptively evil sounding riffs? Many of of their songs sounded like some soundtrack to a B-grade vampire movie set in the south of the USA. That's a good thing.

For a few songs it seemed as though Hungry Kids of Hungary were going to convince me to reconsider my opinion of them, much as Rocketsmiths had done. I've not really seen the appeal of this band previously (I've generally found them to be quite bland), but with many people whose opinions I respect singing their praises it seemed as though maybe I'd missed something. Certainly, for maybe three songs I was fully ready to change my thoughts on the band - their songs were bouncy, melodic and enjoyable. I began to think that maybe these people were right, and that they really were a great indie-pop band who were (at least somewhat) deserving of the hype being thrown their way. But then... they lost me. The songs started to blur into one another, and I found myself getting bored of the band. Ultimately I left the venue thinking that while they may have a handful of quality tracks they're also not the band that certain press clips would have you believe. For now I'll lump them in with Yves Klein Blue as a well regarded pop band whom I personally don't feel have justified themselves, as opposed to vaguely similar bands like The John Steel Singers and (as of this night) Rocketsmiths.

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The Rational Academy, Do The Robot (supporting Mum) @ The Zoo (15.3.08)

I had been looking forward to this show for quite a while, and not only because of the headliners (to be honest, I don't own any of Mum's album and really only have a passing familiarity with their music - I just figured that they'd be a fairly safe bet for a quality gig, and I was right). Both Do The Robot and The Rational Academy are among my favourite local bands, so I was keen to see them on The Zoo's stage (with accompanying sound system).

I entered the venue just after Do The Robot started their set. The band has now been officially drummer-less for a while now, sticking with the basic lineup of Matt on guitar & backing vocals and Kathleen on lead vocals, keys and second guitar. However, this evening was the first time I've seen the band use a drum machine (or, more accurately, the drum rhythms that came supplied with their keyboard). The drum machine gives their music an interesting spin - back when they had a live drummer they had the vitality and energy of a rock band (albeit a repetitive, dreamy rock band), while when they were just playing as a percussion-less two-piece there was a stripped back, almost folky vibe to them. With the new mechanical beats their sound falls somewhere in between those two points, and yet also ends up somewhere entirely different. They seem even dreamier, more aloof, more austere, more ethereal than they used to. They're kind of the aural equivalent of an ice sculpture - beautiful, cold and fragile. A repetitive ice sculpture, at that. Indeed, I can imagine that a lot of people will find Do The Robot kind of boring, as enjoyment of their music largely comes down to whether you can get yourself into the somewhat trance-like stated required to appreciate the repetition inherent in their music, as most of their songs consist of a verse and maybe a chorus repeated ad infinitum.

I haven't managed to see The Rational Academy in a while (they haven't really been playing much, as far as I've been aware), so I was hoping the band would put on a quality show. This they did, and more (and all without their bassist... then again, they've had more than enough practice at playing sans bass). In fact, I would say that it was one of the very best shows I've seen them play - a pretty impressive feat when you take into account they took the entire set from their forthcoming album 'a heart against your own' (with the exception of the closer, 'Turin') and eschewed their relative hits such as 'Beach Party', 'Pop Repeats' etc. Considering most of the songs on the new record are still comparatively new, if I wasn't already sold on the album then this show would have sealed the deal (luckily I was pretty in love with the album anyway - review coming soon!). They pulled off every song perfectly - of special note was their performance of 'Squid & Whale', which came across as much more cohesive than it does on record, and the aforementioned 'Turin', which was transformed from a pristine electronic number into a visceral guitar epic.

I should also mention that this was my first time seeing the band with new recruit Ollie Makay on drums. I'm generally pretty picky when it comes to drummers, especially new drummers in my favourite bands, so I'm happy to report that Ollie fits in with the band perfectly. His playing has just the right mix of simplicity and complexity, and he gives the songs the degree of heft mandated by the huge twin-guitar attack. He also jumps out from behind the kit to add some extra guitar-noise when Ben and Meredith head off on their between-song feedback sessions (because we all know that what The Rational Academy needs is more guitars).

Oh, and I just wanted to make mention of the fact that for once The Rational Academy didn't have any technical difficulties, except for one little hiccup with the drum stool (which the sound guy hilariously tried to fix with gaffa tape).

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SixFtHick @ Brisbane Sounds (02.02.08)

It's a little late for a review, so here's some footage of SixFtHick instead.



I also took some pictures of the rest of the night which are available here.

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Joel Saunders, Night Crash, Shakes, Rialto Decibel Choir @ The Zoo (1.2.08)

The Lifted Brow may be one of the premier literature-related zines 'round these parts, but the wordy types involved in said publication also seem to know a bit about music. Exhibit A: the countless great bands who have been involved in the various launches and fundraisers for the zine. This particular show was no exception, with The Lifted Brow putting together a great local lineup to say farewell to a whole list of people who are soon to be leaving this city of ours.

Opening the night were Rialto Decibel Choir. This is a band who obviously takes pride in their craft. Their songs are polished, well put together and delivered with confidence (even when the band announces before a song that they don't know it very well and will probably screw it up). They've recently released their (quite fine) debut EP, and many of the songs from said release were given an airing on this particular evening, my favourite of which being 'Like Folding Chairs' with its drum and bass outro. Furthermore, many of the songs that weren't included on the EP are even better than those that did make the cut, and often displayed a sense of pop-craftmanship that isn't readily evident on the available recordings. Apparently there are plans to record an album soon, so that's something to look forward to.

Shakes were next up, playing their final ever show. Originally Shiver Like Timber was supposed to play in this slot, but since Shakes planned farewell show last weekend (at a house party) was shut down by the police it was decided to swap the two acts around. No major issue there, as Shiver Like Timber (aka Betony Dircks) also doubles as the singer in Shakes. Anyway... previously Shakes have been a band whom I've always enjoyed but have never been 100% head over heals in love with - always guaranteed to put on a solid show with some well written songs, but not really the sort of band to get you raving about how amazing their show the previous night was (then again I've only seen them maybe four times). This show was probably the closest I've ever seen to them getting to that level. With The Zoo's sound system they were really able to fill the room with the full volume of their twin guitar, bass and violin attack - they're a band who thrive on bombast and drama (much like Rialto), and on this night they were able to spread themselves out in full flight. It was probably the best I've seen from them, and it makes me sad that I didn't get to see any more of them.

The Night Crash. This was another final gig, and if you never got to see this band then I pity you. I remember at my first Night Crash show turning to a friend after pretty much every song and exclaiming something along the lines of 'holy shit!' or 'how the hell do they play that!?'. After a couple of years they can still have that effect, even after having to rein themselves in slightly when adding a third member on bass. As a band who spent the majority of their life playing D.I.Y. venues, being up on The Zoo's stage was obviously awkward. I know this because before they played a single note they announced as much on the mic, and invited anyone who was game to join them onstage. I gladly took them up on their offer (after an initial attempt at jumping up where I almost bashed my knee cap out of place... *fail*) and enjoyed watching the first song of their set standing right next to the band, along with maybe 15-20 other people. Unfortunately the venue staff weren't too happy with this arrangement, and security firmly ushered everyone offstage as soon as the band finished the song. While it was a damn shame that the Night Crash weren't allowed to play their final show in this manner, they didn't really let it affect their performance: it was a typically impressive show, with the players showing their ability to a) change dynamics on a dime and b) remember more parts per song than most other bands would have to remember thoughout an entire set. Truly, their hardcore-technical-jazz-math-punk will be missed.

Headlining the night was Joel Saunders, joined by his new band Crazy Hearse and the Illage dancers (who also took the spotlight for a rap song of their own). This is the third time I've seen Joel play with Crazy Hearse, and personally I think it's a sizable improvement over his previous setup. With a DJ in the band (Dan of Monster Monster fame) he can still include his electronic and noise elements, but the utilization of 'real' instruments (a second guitar, keys, backing vocals, accordion and live percussion) gives things a more organic feel. Additionally, using a DJ instead of complete backing tracks gives the band the freedom to extend sections for as long as feels appropriate. It also gives the band an added safety net when things don't quite go to plan.

Things didn't seem to quite go to plan on this particular night. While the first two Crazy Hearse shows I saw lead me to believe that the days of Joel struggling with his machines were behind him (and us), there were a few times at The Zoo where things definitely fell apart - I'm not sure what the reasons for this were, as their previous Zoo show with Girl Talk was pretty rock solid. I guess it's merely a case of getting comfortable with the new setup - it's only their third show after all, and playing along with live beats is pretty hard (oh yeah, full disclosure: one of my bands has played with Joel Saunders as his backing band a couple of times, so I know how hard it is to stay in time with those beats). In any case I don't want to make it sound like it was a huge problem, at worst it was a case of waiting through an out-of-sync chorus for the band to re-orient themselves with the programmed beats, while at other times it really didn't have much of a negative impact at all. Personally I'd rather see the band put their all into their performance and perhaps go somewhat 'off' than watch them rein themselves in to play more 'professionally'. I mean hey, they may well be playing covers of Top 40 hits but there's still a lot of punk rock in their methods - it's exciting to watch a band like them play. Oh, and don't forget that they play originals too - Joel Saunders can write a SONG (see: 'Porch Song', my favourite local song of last year).


So there you have it. Two bands who chip away with consistent performances and tried-and-tested songwriting, two bands who attempt to 'bottle lightning' with shock-and-awe displays of dynamics and noise. It's a shame that in 6months time only Joel Saunders will still be playing - the others are all breaking up or relocating. But hey, reunions are all the rage these days, right?

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Secret Birds, Nikko @ The Zoo (31.1.08)

Although Gav has said that I'm supposed to be writing a review of this show, to be honest I was only in attendance for 2 of the 4 bands - Influenza weren't really my 'cup of tea' so I took the opportunity to get some dinner during their set, and I was way too tired to stick around for Scul Hazzards (and figured I'd see them at their 7" launch later this month... you should do the same). That really only leaves us with Secret Birds and Nikko.


Walking into The Zoo I was greated by Secret Birds (two guitarists, a bassist, a keyboardist and four drummers) playing a repetitive, descending riff while the drummers pounded out separate, interlocking rhythms. That pretty much sums up the Birds' modus operandi: repetitive riffs (all of varying degrees of 'massive') over the top of constantly shifting rhythms. Really, the drums are the focus of this band - the riffs almost seem like an excuse for the drummers to head off and do their thing. And do their thing they do, in one constantly moving piece of music (there's no inter-song breaks or stage banter for Secret Birds).

I imagine this isn't music for everyone. If you're looking for catchy melodies (or really, melodies at all) then it's probably best to look elsewhere. Secret Birds are all about the trance-inducing potential of pure rhythm and volume. The best moments were those when the guitars hit upon an appropriately massive riff which allowed the drummers to pound out their rhythms to maximum effect. By the same token, the least satisfying moments were when the accompanying riffs weren't quite thick enough to give the necessary wall of sound needed to make this style of music work. Thankfully the band hit the mark (a lot) more often than not.

That's not to say that Secret Birds were constantly going for 'everything-in-the-red' aggression. There was probably a 60-40 split between the band's loud sections and more ambient, introspective movements. During these quieter times the band seemed like a more guitar-oriented Godspeed You! Black Emperor. It was a good mix, with the more subdued sections helping to reinforce the impact of the band going all out. Actually, it was more than that - sometimes I found myself enjoying the quieter sections more than the loud ones.


For the first third or so of Nikko's set I thought they were some epic instrumental rock band (of the Explosions In The Sky / Mono variety). In this mode they were pretty enjoyable - not really mind-blowing, especially coming after Secret Birds, but good at that style of music. But then... they started singing. The vocalist attempted to sing in a mumbled baritone that was kind of juxtaposed against the music underneath. If it had worked, it would have been pretty cool (kind of like Wilderness, I suppose). However... it just really didn't work. The guy just doesn't have the vocal range to pull it off, and because of that he was hugely out of key for most of the time (as opposed to every other aspect of the band's music, which were generally pretty tight and relatively 'note-perfect'). Additionally, he doesn't have the necessary vocal gravitas to make such a style work - he sounds like a youngster (which he is) trying to sound 10 years older. With 5 years of constant smoking and whiskey drinking he might be able to make a pretty good go of it, though. Basically I think they have a good idea but aren't really able to execute it properly (yet). Still, they're instrumentally a good band, so maybe they'll get the singing thing working and everything will be peachy keen.

Oh, and they played quite a long set. Probably a bit too long.

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Weekly News - November 30th

New segment coming at y'all! This one's fairly self-explanatory.

• Post-punk revivalists Yves Klein Blue have signed to Brisbane's foremost independent record label, Dew Process. Apparently the label was attracted by Yves Klein Blue's "clashy blend of classic pop, old punk, gypsy jazz and indie rock." Personally I'm a little skeptical about Yves Klein Blue's "gypsy jazz" origins, but you can find out for yourself December 11th when the band plays The Zoo alongside The Grates, Dr Dog, and Whitley for the Dew Process Xmas Party.

• Virgin has announced the first lineup for 2008's V Festival. The list is short but sweet, including luminaries like Smashing Pumpkins, Jesus And Mary Chain, Queens of the Stone Age, Duran Duran, and Air. Unfortunately the only Australian acts announced are Sydney's The Presets, and Melbourne's Plug In City, so fingers crossed some Brisbane acts fit into the final lineup. The local leg of the tour occurs March 30th on the Gold Coast, with tickets on sale next Thursday.

• December is a month of birthday celebrations for Brisbane's musical institutions. 4ZzZ is in line for a mid-life crisis at 32, while The Zoo ups the ante with some teen angst 15 years after they opened their doors. Both 4ZzZ and The Zoo will be holding shows to celebrate so keep an eye on Cam's gig recommendations.

• Local folk-poppers Rialto Decibal Choir are set to drop their debut release, The Parade EP, in January next year. Head over to their MySpace page to check out the first offering from the EP, 'Four Posts'.

• Tragic/Athletic are also gearing up for their latest EP, Brakes, which will be available sometime in December (or possibly June/July 2008 as I've heard elsewhere, I'm going to give December the benifit of the doubt though). Two of the four tracks, 'Three Months At Sea' and 'We Set Sail When The Wind Came', are available on their MySpace so I recommend investigating.

• If you can't wait for the above two releases then be sure to pick up Joel Saunders Girly Music EP which will be launched at Lofly Hangar tomorrow night. The EP features Joel covering songs by female artists, including an impressive remake Rihanna's 'Umbrella' (To the point were the song is no longer annoying!). As a lead up to the launch Joel has been blogging about his favourite cover songs, among which sits local band Shakes' cover of Cyndi Lauper's 'Time After Time'. I recommend having a look at the post here.
  

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Wind & Brackets, Stature:Statue, D'arcy @ The Zoo (27.7.07)

Hey readers, sorry about the lack of recent posts but we've had a few extra-curricular activities occurring here (Uni for me, touring for Cam). I'm off to Splendour In The Grass this weekend but hopefully I can squeeze of a few more posts before then. But now to the review.

D'arcy are a member of a crop of similar sounding, but very talented, up and coming southern bands (I was mainly reminded of The Temper Trap). Hailing from Sydney and with indie rock as their weapon of choice they played a tight set comprising of melodic verses and abrupt choruses. Jordy Lane's vocal skills came out the most on 'Great Day', but the set highlight was most definitely the shouty, fast paced 'Abercrombie St.'

Next up were one of my favourite band at the moment, Stature::Statue, who kicked off with the explosive 'Forum Of Wolves'. Trying to photograph the ever-moving proved frustrating so I gave up and just danced after the second song. And that, for me, is the beauty of the band; they have the ability to combine a rhythm section, courtesy of Damien and Ross, that would but Gang Of Four to shame, with the hyperactive, incomprehensible vocals of Luke (Cam's comparison to At The Drive-In is quite apt for the singing), and the heroic guitar work of Dion. I have trouble describing Dion's guitar style, due to the fact that it varies so wildly, but I decided it came down to three things; lots of punk, lots of post-punk and lots of pedals. All of these factors came together perfectly on set-closer 'Make Haste Roman' which got the crowd at The Zoo dancing uncontrollably. Definitely a band to see live if you haven't already.

Finally came Wind & Brackets, a band I hadn't seen live before, and I was immediately struck by how odd the band looked (I was going to say Odd Couple, but there's five of them, Odd Quintet maybe?). Vocalist Tommy looks like a member of a goth or industrial band, lead guitarist Andru rocked a Tupac tee, drummer Wil would have looked more at home playing for Jet, and guitarist and bass players Seagull (That's his name apparently) and Clark come off as run of the mill indie-types. All reservations were put aside as they launched into an energetic set however. The band exuded a very British style of rock, and while the numerous comparisons to The Libertines i'd previously heard were definitely close to the mark, I was reminded of the hardcore influenced sounds of ¡Forward, Russia! and Test-Icicles. Tommy's stage presence and vocal skills, as well as the excellent drumming of Wil, prevent Wind & Brackets from being one of the average indie/post-punk revivalist bands that seem to be flooding Brisbane at the moment. They also have an excellent array of material, with songs such as 'Nu Nu Za Za' and 'Hospitality' certain to stand the test of time. All that said though, the main reason I love these guys is because they closed with an excellent cover of Daft Punk's 'Da Funk'. Enough said.

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Capital, Shakes, Rialto Decibel Choir @ The Zoo (30.5.07)

Here's another live review for you (hopefully 'you' is a few more people now).

Last Wednesday saw The Zoo hold host to local bands Capital, Shakes, and Rialto Decibel Choir. I must admit that I had never heard any material from any of these prior to the night in question; my only motivation for attending was the juicy description in last weeks Time Off of Capital combining 'good looks and pop hooks in a similar fashion to The Beatles and Franz Ferdinand before them.' Never one to dismiss hyperbole, I made my way over to The Zoo.

As the two-piece Rialto Decibel Choir came on stage, to a crowd of less then a dozen people (including bar staff), my mate and I were queried by the sound techie as to whether or not we were Shakes. While I did entertain that thought of fulfilling my lifelong dream of rock stardom and taking the stage my complete lack of musical prowess persuaded my otherwise and I resigned myself to just watching on. I had heard positive comments about Rialto Decibel Choir before and I found their set to be charming, yet, at the same time, underwhelming. Vocalist Ashleigh came off as a Broadway-style Joanna Newsom which quickly lost its novelty appeal as the set went on. Accompanying guitarist James picked up the slack though with some beautiful melodies that could only come from a Brisbane-bred band.

Next up were Shakes who definitely did live up to the hype I had heard previously. While a comparison to the Arcade Fire on account of the presence of a violinist in their midst would just be plain lazy there is definitely something Canadian about this band. Their songs constantly contained the noise and feedback so many Brisbane bands ply these days, while at the same time combining the melody of a pop song with the calculated sound of post-rock, resulting in a very atmospheric performance. The only negative point in their set was the almost completely static performance. Shakes are definitely one to keep an eye on in the next few months.

By the time Capital was up i had lost my sobriety and was beginning to dance to The Smiths' 'This Charming Man' when the song was switched halfway through to enable Capital to hit the stage to The Libertines' 'Boys In The Band'. Such a move did not endear the band to me, but they soon redeemed themselves in my eyes with a well-placed Might Boosh reference. The four piece came on strong with some tight pop numbers that got many of the patrons dancing around. It soon became clear to me that each of Capital's songs all have an obvious influence; whether it be the Futureheads, Franz Ferdinand, The Beatles, The Libertines, Razorlight or whichever British band they were listening to when they wrote the song. This is not to be taken as a bad thing, however, as the songs they performed were all highly enjoyable (the comparison to Franz and the Beatles was definitely justified).

If you're wanting to catch Capital, hit up Ric's on the 25th June, I guarantee you won't regret it. You can also catch Shakes at Ric's this Friday, and Rialto Decibel Choir will be playing the Troubadour on the 20th June.

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