Gig Reviews

Here's some of the highlights in my last month of live music for you to peruse:

Bluejuice

If you had of told me a year ago that I’d be going to see Bluejuice, I would have laughed. This is because for all intensive purposes, they are a hip-hop band. And according to the laws of the universe, I don’t like such bands. I remember they had a song called Unemployed which I found amusing, but still far from my thing. Well this all changed with the release of Vitriol. As one of the years best Aussie songs, it pulled me into the crazy world of Bluejuice. I knew that if I went to see them, most of the show would be hip-hop. But on the merit of this song, it was a gamble I was willing to take.

To put it simply, the show was amazing. From start to finish, the intensity was at full throttle and I was swept up in the sheer insanity of it all. Of course Vitriol went off, but it was the other songs that impressed me most. Unknown and at odds with my tastes, they had me dancing like a lunatic. It’s testimony to the incredible energy that this band creates. From Jake climbing along the roof and then into crowd to the song where they got half the crowd up on stage, the whole night was a blast. If you ever get a chance to see Bluejuice, just do it.






MP3: Vitriol

(I wanted to get a different song to use but alas I didn’t have time. Ah well, the brilliance of this makes up for it)

Silent Riot

Silent Riot is a great little festival that takes place at the Abercrombie Hotel. It’s on pretty frequently so you can always be sure there’s one on the horizon. Basically they get a bunch of bands and a bunch of DJs and put on a great night where the proceeds go to charity. The one I went to last Saturday was great fun.

Admittedly I was playing in it, so I’ll try not to sound biased, but I think not to mention it would just be biased in the other direction. Early on were John Columbus who I’m really coming to like. I seem to be seeing them at a rate of about once a week, but I think I’ll save the praise for when they put out their EP in October.

The Statics were entertaining as always, busting out an entertaining set despite missing a band member. It was a highlight when Pat joined the stage with The Small Hours and John Columbus to perform an ill-rehearsed, yet lively cover of The Go-Betweens’ Spring Rain. The video can be seen below.

It was also good to finally get to see Ghosts of Television. For some reason my expectations weren’t very high, but on the night were definitely impressive. They have a sort of performance aspect to their show, like they’re trying to mess with your mind. I dunno how to feel about it, but I think it worked quite well. The weirdest part was their lead singer was the spitting image of a friend of mine. That really was bizarre.

All in all, a great night. Can’t wait for the next.





Belles Will Ring

Last night I got to see Belles Will Ring for the first time in a long while. I was beginning to wonder whether all the hype surrounding them was just that, hype. Well it didn’t take long for me to realise that that was far from the truth. The dual front men are quite simply superb. Their vocal harmonies are dynamic, their guitar playing energetic and general stage presence spot on. They are Belles Will Ring. Sadly I can’t say the same about the others. The drummer looked positively bored, the bassist did little more than provide the necessary notes and whilst the keyboard/tambourinist was energetic, she seemed a little superfluous. I guess you can’t expect to have a band full of stars, but I did find it a little distracting. Beyond my minor quibbles, Belles Will Ring make some excellent music and their front men are sure to put on an excellent show for you. They’re currently on a tour with The Lovetones so you still might have a chance to catch them.

MP3: Mad Love