Friday, April 13, 2007

Stuffwelikelive: 2007 Trimester 1

So, it's about time to start making some recommendations about some of the best live local acts we've seen for the first time for the last few months. And we don't want to make this a recommendation of acts that already have a huge profile, but instead it's going to be more about acts we didn't know much about before we saw, but were mega impressed, so impressed we going to highly recommend that you pay your $5 (or maybe even a whopping $12) and go and see these acts whenever they play their next Melbourne gig.

It's not an exhaustive list. Yep, that's right, shock!, horror!, we don't actually go to local gigs every night of the week, so there's probably plenty of other stuff we've missed that is from Melbs, is fantastic and we haven't discovered yet.

Enjoy! And stay tuned for the next instalment in about three months time.

The Basics



These three pop revivalists must be about the best live band in Melbourne at the moment. Tight like a nun, happy like a dimwit and infectious like ebola, they're guaranteed to pick you up from the dourest of moods. Your feet will tap, your face will split, your shoulders will shiver. They're on the verge of turning into some sort of multi-national monster so get in early.

Catch them at their tristate residency all month in April - for Melbourne it'll be Thursdays at The Empress - they'll never play such a small venue again! Their new album Stand Out/Fit In is in stores from May 5th.

[website] [SimpleSpace]

Black Pony Express



It's alt-country, but not as you know it. In fact, it's more alt-blues-country-gospel-rock. Partly about Katrina Morgan's bow (always the cute violin player) but more about the dressed-in-impeccable-black Justin Cusack, rampaging across the front of the stage with just a touch of Cave or Cash or Cage (Johnny). They begin coaxing sounds from their instruments, sneaking up on you until they're ripping the place apart. More appreciated in Europe than here, don't make them go overseas again for an album release.

Get Love in a Cold Place from most record shops. See them at The Spanish Club, April 20th.

[FastHorseSpace]

Emma Heeney



There's something about Emma Heeney which puts her, for me, a little above your standard chick-with-guitar stuff. I think it's because, while she does the obvious melancholy stuff just as well as H-Thro or C-Bow or L-Jean, she's also got poppy bits and upbeat, toe-tappin' smiles. She's comfortable on stage; hardly Jagger-esque but not hiding behind her music-maker, either; really endearing and all aspects of nice. Nice winter tunes and clean song-writing.

Get the album, Dreaming of Bridges, from her site. The Empress plays host to her Thursdays in May, with the likes of The Basics and The Little Stevies, so get on down there.

[HeenSpace]

International Karate



IK deliver a live show with the full bag of post-rock tricks – from the troughs of dark and dense textured guitar and keyboard ambience to the peaks of pulsating piercing chaotic amplified noise But they do it in tight 3 or 4 minute packages rather than slipping into meandering ten minute epic extravaganzas like most of their post-rock cousins. Visually they’re interesting too - drummer Aaron Pepper is devastatingly intense with the kit.

IK have a headline show to promote the recent release of their third record More of What We’ve Heard Than We’ve Heard Before at the Spanish Club on Friday May 18.

[website] [MacchioSpace]

Pikelet



The delay pedal revolution is upon us. In Melbs we saw recently possibly the best exponent of the device - Andrew Bird. The bashful Pikelet (a.k.a Evelyn Morris) is not quite in the Birdman's league yet, but there's definitely potential - her loopy whimsical melodies simmer and bubble below her angelic voice. And she's not just a guitarist either. She's a drummer, accordianist and glockenspielskist as well, cooking up a pastiche of experimental ethereal gems right in front of your eyes.

The Lil' Panckake Lady will be launching her debut album in May, so watch for that, though her next gig is before that, supporting The Bedroom Philosopher, May 3rd @ Wesley Anne.

[BatterSpace]

Silver City Highway



A side project of members of SubAudible Hum, Redfish Bluegrass and a few other Melb bands the multi member (8 at last count) dark melodic post-alt country supergroup Silver City Highway have been active travelers on the pub circuit, taking their luscious mournful dirges all the way from Northcote to Brunswick and then over to Fitzroy and back again over the past few months. Best accompanied with a glass of shiraz or pint of Guinness.

As far as I know the next time you can see them is at the Tote on April 28th with their buddies Clinkerfield and a bunch of other acts.

[BrightRoadSpace]

Wagons



Have you always thought good ole fashioned country-rock was hick and boring and only suited to a Sunday arvo at the local? Well, think again, cos its time to dust of the Blundstones, take the check shirt out of mothballs and get on board with Wagons. Henry Wagons is a rambunctious passionate frontman with a full routine of dry acerbic gags. The band, are great too. While usually sticking to their shoot em down knee slappin' toe tappin' numbers (complete with washboard), they've also been known to genre shift too, and i’m talking something a little further leftfield than simply alt-country here...

I think they'll be a new album later from Wagons later in the year.

[website] [PilgrimSpace]

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home

Contact

Out There

Bloggin' Melbourne

Melbourne Radio

Melbourne Venues

Other Stuff in Melbs

Local Labels

Local Record Shops

Local Tours

Bloggin' Oz

Sites Oz

Bloggin' the Globe

Sites Worldly

Previously


Across the Rooftops 2006