Last week, Brisbane’s newest festival filled the Old Botanical Gardens with fantastic music on three stages over two mid-week afternoons. Sunset Sounds was brought to Brisbane by the same folk who run that festival down south called The Falls Festival. Overall it was a really nice festival and it was great to leave work and head down to the gardens and enjoy the music and the gardens.
Some of my highlights would have to have had included The Cat Empire (so great seeing them live), Tegan and Sara (haven’t got into them on the radio but live they were great), The Kooks (they were so great to photograph), Skipping Girl Vinegar (just so fun, they made me smile), Blue King Brown (no explanation needed there), I Heart Hiroshima (Brisbane, fun, crazy and great).
The gallery from Day 1 is up on The Dwarf and both days are up in Sunset Sounds ’09.
Man, today is the 28th of November and I am so glad that there are only two days left in November, this daily blog posting has been quite an adventure. I have no intention of keeping it up but hopefully it has taught me to blog more regularly. I think one of the reasons I have not been so regular (gee that sounds like an ad for All-Bran) is that since moving out of home, I haven’t found a really comfortable typing location. The chair isn’t right, the desk isn’t right, getting the laptop the right distance from the keyboard. ahh so many different combinations, none of them optimal. That is life though. and excuses are excuses, though other than my family and some friends I am not really sure who even reads this anymore so do me a favour and say hello!
Last night I went to The Globe for a very special show. Dan Kelly and The Ukeladies are in town supporting Augie March (playing tonight/now at The Tivoli) and oh what a darling show it was. It was a show of great stories from love in the supermarket to attempting to scam the insurance company and how SUV cause climate change. As well as other suitable songs including a cover of the Sinead O’Connor/Prince song Nothing Compares To You. I now have oohh four gigs that I haven’t blogged about, three of those were gigs that knocked a bit of my socks off. I hope to get to them soon. I will share this one photo though from the show last night. A girl near me had a little bottle of bubbles and was having a great time blowing them round the room.
The post today is a quick shot from the Kate Miller-Heidke show I went to tonight at the Tivoli. The supports were Madeline Page and The Boat People (man, I forget how much The Boat People rock, they were fantastic). KMH is one very very good performer, her stage show has changed a lot since I first saw her and one day soonish I can see her on the stage at the Entertainment Center. She has just such a fantastic stage presence.
This post is so long overdue it is not funny and Ange I hope I do you justice. The other week, ok a few other weeks ago I received a package in the mail. The package contained a CD. A CD that made me smile when I opened it. A CD that I had been looking forward to for quite some time and I am pleased to say it most certainly exceeded my expectations.
That CD was Aniseed Tea by Ange Takats, a collection of 9 charming songs.
First I smiled at the CD cover of a woman with parrots climbing over her, then I smiled at the linear notes. Then I put the CD in the stereo and I smiled at hearing the first strains of My Song. It is rare for me to stumble across a CD that takes all the best things from a live performance (obviously what I enjoy most) and makes it a 1000 times better. This CD is like that, the production, the “noise” is just jaw dropping. I have played the CD countless times over and every time I love it more. The instrumentation is understated and serves with the whole purpose to accentuate the fragility and gentleness in Ange’s voice. The voice that won the Lis Johnston Award for Vocal Excellence at the National Folk Festival this year.
One thing I have adored about Ange’s songs is that they are simple songs telling the tale of life. Songs about temptation, longing, individuality and living. Just plain simple songs with meaning, love and a tune.
Of course one reason I love this CD is also the fact that on one of my photos grace the CD booklet.
Go to Ange’s Myspace and have a listen or pick it up on iTunes or catch her live at Woodford (I can’t wait till Woodford)
Holly Throsby, man oh man what I can say about her and her duo of support (Bree van Reyk and Jens Birchall). I went on Friday night for The Dwarf and I went back on Sunday night to see her again. I have known who Holly is for quite a few years now and have adored her version of Not the Girl You Think You Are from the Tim and Neil Finn tribute Album She Will Have Her Way. However I have never gone to a concert, I have thought about it many times nor I have listened to much of her work. I did have a brief listen on Myspace before the gig on Friday night to brief myself a little but in all honesty listening to them on Myspace didn’t sell me on her. Clare was hoping to come along on Friday night as she was already in the Valley but by the time she got to the door the gig was sold out. I grabbed some floor space down near the front and caught the last bit of the support band Firekites and in all honesty I can’t remember much of their set three days later. By the time the support had finished the Troubie was filling up nicley and the security man walked through the sea of people sitting on the carpet and told us all to stand up and with much protest we all stood up. Then Holly came on stage and after she had said hello, a few people yelled out “Can we sit down?” to which she answered “I don’t care” and on that last word, everyone collectively sat down again. To which Holly made a few comments about that now she feels really tall.
A couple of seconds after she started singing, I sat up a little bit straighter and took a deep breath. Man oh Man, where I have been? Such an incredible sound, the little trio, soon to be known as Holly Throsby and the Hello Tigers (as of Sunday night) were just so tight in their sound, it sounded like there was just one person on stage. One of the sweetest things or perhaps I should say one of the nicest things was that at the end of the gig, it was Holly and Bree who were the merch stand and as I bought On Night on Friday, I told her that I had been meaning to go a gig for years but never got there and tonight she had blown the expectations I had for the gig by about 1000%. I was so sold that two nights later I bought the other two LPS A Loud Call and Under the Town and I would have bought a shirt but I don’t do black shirts.
The set list for Friday was as follows
1) And Then We’re Gone
2) A Widow’s song
3) Now I Love Someone
4) On Longing
5) Don’t Be Howling
6) The Time It Takes
7) One of You for Me
8) Would You?
9) Some Night Are Long
10) Warm Jets
11) Berlin Chair (You Am I Cover)
12) Things Between People
13) What Becomes of Us
14) Up with the Birds
15) Making a Fire
16) A Heart Divided
17) The Shoulders and Bends
Friday blew me away but Sunday was bliss, a lot slower, a lot calmer, more talking and the music just leading the night away.
Set list for Sunday was as follows
1) To Begin With
2) If We Go Easy
3) On Longing
4) Now I Love Someone
5) The Time It Takes
6) One of You for Me
7) A Widow’s Song
8) Don’t Be Howling
9) Come Visit
10) Things Between People
11) Berlin Chair (You Am I Cover)
12) What Becomes of Us
14) Up with the Birds
15) Making a Fire
16) A Heart Divided
17) The Shoulders and Bends
There might have been one or two songs that were changed around but my lists are from the set lists that I picked up off the stage at the end of the shows.
The Troubie whilst I love it and love it and love it is not a venue that is at all friendly for people wishing to take photographs. The lighting is two lights and a floor lamp but I wouldn’t change the fact that there is comfy lounge chairs, carpeted floor to sit on and a trendy bar. There were just so many cute, quint, funny bits that just made me smile. At the show on Sunday night, Holly asked if anyone had come to the gig on Friday night and raised my hand ever so slightly and she said that she had been thinking about wearing the same dress tonight but decided against it just in case people such as my self from Friday turned up on Sunday as well. Next time Holly Throsby is in your town make sure you go! If you don’t and I find out, well it may not be pretty.
Here is a youtube video of Holly doing Berlin Chair, the You Am I cover at the gig on Friday night. This user also has a few more videos from the two Brisbane shows.
Another thing I can’t contain my love for is the design of the CDs. All three follow the exactly same design for the CD and sleeve artwork. It is just perfect! Such a tiny thing like the fact that the
I am sitting at my desk, looking out at the bottle brush, waiting for the family of possums who live in the tree to wake up and start their evening’s play and I just glanced at the corner of my desk and caught my eye on the brochure from the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra concert I went to about ten days ago and thought I really should write about that.
I have every intention of catching the train to QPAC in my refined orchestra listening clothes but time very much got the better of me and the shawl I wanted to wear was at Mum’s place so I ended up driving but I wasn’t going to pay for parking! I parked on the street outside Gambaros at South Brisbane and walked the streets of South Brisbane in my finery instead.
They played three of the Water Music Suites first (D major, HWV 349; G major and minor, HWV 348; F, HWV 348). Which was a reasonable treat but I fully admit I dozed on and off through it (just like I always do in the first half of any performance). After the interval it was time for what I was just begging to see, Music for the Royal Fireworks. The females in the orchestra had changed outfits from black tops with purple skirts to black dresses of a wide variety of styles. It was everything I thought it was going to be and more. The opening strains had me sitting upright in my seat, eyes sparkling as I watched the various sections joining in.
I have no shame in admitting that one of the reasons that I like Music for the Royal Fireworks so much is that at the first concert for the king it featured a nice large number of bassoons ( the superior instrument) and oboes.
It was so great seeing the cellists playing cellos with no endpins, just holding it between their knees. It was also humorous watching the various horn players (all with no valves) constantly empting the spit. One of the cool things was the theorbo player, I had never seen one before it was quite interesting to watch. The funniest thing though was watching the Paul Dyer the founder/artistic director/harpsichord player get really excited during sections and get up from his bench and play with great vigour. It was a fantastic night and I am going to keep an eye out next year to see what the Orchestra offers on their next tour away from Sydney.
