The Brisbane Sound - Adults Today

Just a tad late on this one I know (it was the 7-9 March), a misplaced camera cord was the reason for the delay. This also means most of the details have floated away from me so this will be a little brief. While I did have tickets for all three performances at the Judith Wright Centre, sickness and work meant that I only managed to attend the Saturday night gig. While I caught the rear end of Robert Forster's solid acoustic performance (aided by Adele Pickvance), the next two bands were the highlights.

The first were Adults Today, a band who only played a few gigs in the mid-nineties but are all recognisable faces. Leading the quartet is former Custard drummer Glenn Thompson with the rest of the band essentially comprising of Gentle Ben & His Sensitive Side minus Ben Corbett (Dylan McCormack on lead guitar, Trevor Ludlow on bass, Nick Naughton on drums). The obvious reference point for Adults Today would be Custard, and they competently served up a set of pop-tinged slacker rock on par with Custard's best songs (Thompson, who joined Custard for their third album, wrote the Custard track "Music Is Crap" which Adults Today performed on the night).

The last act were The Apartments, who I'll write a little more about once I can get the video of them uploaded. In the mean time here are some photos of the night, as well as a clip of Adults Today performing a song on the night (I'm not certain of its title sorry).

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Weekly News - January 26th

• The Brisbane Sound is the latest event to showcase Brisbane's musical heritage. Taking place over three days (7-9 March), the Brisbane Sound is touted as an insight into Brisbane's music and art scene from 1978 to 1983. The three nights will see performances from local luminaries such as Robert Forster (The Go-Betweens), Ed Kuepper (The Saints, Laughing Clowns), The Apartments, and The Deadnotes. The exhibition will be held at the Institute Of Modern Art (The Judith Wright Centre to some) and tickets are available now.
  

• The Scul Hazzards have finished recording their new 7" which will be sold during their tour of Australia next month. The release will feature the excellent track 'Last Few Bucks' which you can listen to now on their myspace.
  

• Another Invasion Day, another year of under-representation of Brisbane bands in Triple J's Hottest 100. Even perennial favourites Powderfinger only managed two spots ('I Don't Remember' at 66 and 'Lost & Running' at 15), while The Butterfly Effect made it in at 70 for 'Reach. Gold Coasters Operator Please also scored two entries. Thank god for 4ZzZ's Hot 100.

• And unfortunately this week will see the last performance of two of Brisbane's most promising bands, The Night Crash and Shakes (Which doesn't bode well for my bands to watch list). Both bands are playing at The Zoo on Friday so make sure to catch them one last time.
  

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Pig City Festival (14.07.07)

It'll be a bit hard describing the atmosphere at the Pig City Festival as it was unlike anything I've experienced before, but I'll give it my best shot. First off a massive congratulations to the Queensland Government, 4ZZZ, and anyone else involved in organising the event. I was unsure what to expect but the Festival definitely exceeded all expectations. Around 6,000 people turned up to the University of Queensland on the day, and they squeezed into the big top marquee. Another congratulations is in order, this time for the sound crew. Pig City was probably the first festival I've been to where there hasn't been a major technical fuck-up. But now to the performances.

First off were the Apartments. The opening slot is a hard ask for any band, and Peter Milton Walsh led the band through a well preformed set; albeit one lacking in any sort of fanfare. With a selection of old and new tracks the Apartments set an excellent precedent for the day.

Next off the mark were Screamfeeder. The trio, sporting stalwarts Tim and Kellie and new recruit Steph on the drums, launched into a set made up of some of their more energetic songs. 'Explosive Friends', 'Hi C's' and '1 2 3 4 5' were stand out tracks and the band left the stage with the crowd salivating.

The Ups & Downs were the only band on the lineup I was unfamiliar with, and after their first few songs I was still skeptical. I was soon swept away by their beautiful melodies, however, and by the time they broke into 'The Living Kind' the entire crowd was singing along. 'In The Shadows' and 'Perfect Crime' capped off a perfect set; one which the band seemed to enjoy as much as the crowd.

While at first glance Kev Carmody may have seemed an odd participant in the festival, his banter in between songs demonstrated how integral part of Brisbane music he is. Kev is as much a storyteller while speaking as he is singing, and his tales of Brisbane's past entranced the crowd, as did the songs 'Thou Shalt Not Steal' and 'Images of London'. A beautiful rendition of 'From Little Things Big Things Grow', in which the entire crowd sang out the chorus (as they did for Kev's take on 'Midnight Special' also), had to be one of the highlights of the day.

Following on were the ever-entertaining Pineapples From The Dawn Of Time. The seven-piece, which included go-go dancers and clergymen among its numbers, got the crowd rocking and dancing with its quirky psychadelia. 'Saha' and 'Too Much Acid' were set highlights (probably the only band who you'll ever hear sing "one day I'll shave my back for you").

My failure to read the set times properly meant that I missed the one-song set by The Parameters and thus the next band I saw were Dave McCormack and the Polaroids. Kicking off with one of my all-time favourite tunes, 'Bedford', Dave & co. played a tight set comprising mostly of Custard songs (with a little laser gun thrown in for good luck). An amazing performance of 'Alone' was followed by 'Girls Like That' and 'Apartment'; both of which got the crowding singing and dancing again.

The singing and dancing didn't stop as The Riptides hit the stage. While many of the songs lacked the rawness of the recordings nothing could stop the crowd from jumping around. The Riptides upped the ante towards the end with 'Shake It' and 'Sunset Strip' both of which received rapturous applause.

Regurgitator were the first band of the night to run into trouble (keyboard and microphone malfunctions, both of which were soon rectified). Fortunately they were also the most energetic band of the night, and blew away the problems with and excellent set. The band mixed a set of classic songs ('I Sucked A Lot Of Cock', 'My Friend Robot', 'I Wanna Be A Nudist' some of the best) with two excellent sounding new songs (the questionable 'Blood & Spunk' being the best of the two); all in all a perfect entree to The Saints.

Next up was the Go-Betweens tribute featuring Kate Miller-Heidke and the Brisbane Excelsior Band. While the set may have been awkwardly placed between the two loudest bands of the night, the crowd enjoyed the short set comprising of soaring versions of 'Streets Of Your Town', 'Clouds', and 'Cattle And Cane', the latter of which ended in some opera from Miller-Heidke; something which seemed to unsettle the elderly punks standing behind me.

Well, what's there to say about The Saints? Arriving on stage to tumultuous applause the original trio, aided by a stand-in bassist and a three-piece brass & saxophone section, quickly launched into a searing version of 'Swing For The Crime'. While the band perfectly executed the first three numbers they didn't hit their stride until 'No Time'; a song frontman Chris Bailey claimed resulted in the band being kicked out last time they played it at UQ. The song, now with added brass section, showcased the amazing roar of Ed Kuepper's guitar. A crowd sing along to 'A Minor Aversion' preceded a hilarious monologue by Bailey which segued into the Saints' trump card '(I'm) Stranded'. While Bailey mistimed the first few lines of the song it was difficult to notice with thousands of people singing along. The set reached another highpoint with 'Know Your Product' with it soaring trumpet and Bailey's massive stage presence sending the crowd into hysterics. Following this was a soaring rendition of 'Messin' With The Kid', a song that benefited greatly from the touch of horn the Saints added. The band rounded up the set with an epic 7-minute rendition of 'Nights In Venice'. Returning to the stage for the encore they performed a haunting version of a song I can't for the life of me name (points for you if you can tell me what it was) as well as a fired up version of 'River Deep, Mountain High'. Overall I enjoyed The Saints first proper gig in over 25 years. While a few people were taken back but the achingly over the top performance Chris Bailey gave (To quote MP: "the self-indulgent little turds."), the contrast of Ed Kuepper's and Ivor Hay's excellently subtle performances combined for an amazing spectacle in my eyes.

All up it was the best day I've had all year and here's to the Queensland Music Festival rocking it out next year!

Check out the photos I took here.

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Pig City: The Apartments

While the Go-Betweens may now be defunct following the death of Grant McLennan, the Pig City festival will play host to their closest relative, The Apartments, a band that share striking parallels with Brisbane's most critically-acclaimed band.

Led by Peter Milton Walsh (himself a former Go-Between), The Apartments are one of most fondly remembered bands to emerge from the Brisbane music scene in the late 1970's. The band formed in 1978 and, under the able leadership of creative spark Walsh, soon became a formidable band. The Apartments, however, were a stark contrast to the punk bands which made up the Brisbane scene, and the band had quickly fallen apart by October 1979. They posthumously released their debut EP, Return Of The Hypnotist, later that month.

In 1984, Walsh revived The Apartments and began recording their debut album, The Evening Visits And Stays For Years. The album, released in 1985, showcased their unique influences, melding the familiar style of acts such as the Velvet Underground and Bob Dylan with more diverse influences, ranging from Serge Gainsbourg to Big Star. The Evening Visits... became a cult classic in Europe, yet, similar to the Go-Betweens, received little attention in Australia.

Their follow up, titled Drift, was not released until 1992. Drift built on the success of its predecessor, with a heavier, post-punk inspired sound heard throughout the album. 1995 saw the release of their third LP, A Life Full Of Farewells, which is considered by many to be their greatest album. The Apartments, now based in France, quickly followed up this success with Fête Foraine in 1996, and Apart in 1997. Both of these albums continued the form found on A Life Full Of Farewells. Following the release of Apart the band broke up for a second time, and Pig City will see what is only their second show in a decade(they played The Troubadour a week and a bit ago).

To hear just what your missing check out these treats:

The Apartments' Myspace

Mp3: The Apartments - Help (Return Of The Hypnotist EP)

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