The Cure - Sydney Opera House 31/05/11

 'Expect the Unexpected' would have been an appropriate introduction to a night whose official epithet was 'Reflections'- The Cure's stroll down memory lane, a stroll that took them all the way back to their post punk beginnings. The setting was the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House - a modest seating capacity of around 2,500, which for a band of the stature, importance and following as The Cure, it's about as intimate a performance as you could get.

The official show program revolved around The Cure playing their first three studio albums (Three Imaginary Boys, Seventeen Seconds and Faith) in their entirety (complete with past band members appearing throughout the night) - no mean feat considering the first of the trilogy was recorded in 1979. The latter two albums comprise of perhaps some of the 3 most important pieces of work in modern music (The third being 'Pornography') - not only for crafting a sound that would become synonymous with The Cure but providing a cultural foothold into contemporary music for the Gothic and Romantic movement as well as being a continual source of influence for countless bands and new evolving genres. These three albums were also the bands most morose, dark but paradoxically beautiful pieces of work - the emotional strain of recording and performing these albums took its toll on the band resulting in a brief moment in exile while Robert Smith regathered his thoughts and established a new direction that related them more with their recognisable brighter "pop" sound but with much more of an emotional disconnect. Ok, so let's dispense with the introduction to The Cure 79'-82 and get on with important subject - the night of sublime and emotive music.

The night began with first album 'Three Imaginary Boys', the trio of Robert Smith, Simon Gallup and Jason Cooper walking on stage - with Robert moving sheepishly into the limelight, almost like a shy school boy. A rather subdued start (I never really got into this first album and Robert Smith has often quipped that it was a very superficial piece of work and not his favourite, this was reflected in their delivery). Don't get me wrong it was great hearing '10:15 Saturday Night' and 'Fire In Cairo' and they did sound great but compared to what was to come - they seemed to be warming up. At the end of that set, Robert Smith did make a comical but poignant remark about that in the old days this would have been the end of the concert but today, they would be back and off they went for a well earned breather.

The stage set was expanded with the addition of a keyboard - this time 4 members appeared with past keyboardist Roger O'Donnell in tow in preparation to reflect on their second studio album 'Seventeen Seconds', which is in my top 10 list all time favourite albums. They were about to play it live, so to say I was excited at this stage would be severely understating the situation. 'Play For Today' was met with rapturous applause and that familiar Cure sound was starting to emanate from the stage. I have never witnessed 4 chords to cause such euphoria as the intro to 'A Forest' - understandably so, probably the seminal Cure song, had brought the crowd into a frenzy. There is a moment on 'Seventeen Seconds' where 'The Final Sound' morphs into 'A Forest' and it was that brief moment that was utterly enchanting. For me, time literally stood still, I was transformed back to a time in high school when I first heard those same 4 chords, which lead to my first hearing of 'A Forest' and a subsequent lifelong penchant for what was The Cure. By the time the albums title track finished off the set, the crowd was totally caught up in the moment with a salacious desire for more as the band took their second break of the night.

The stage was again reset - this time for the third album 'Faith' and like a perpetually expanding vortex another keyboard and percussion area was erected for the one and only, founding member Lol Tolhurst and he was appropriately welcomed by the appreciative crowd with thunderous applause - the original trio have now become quintet, which is kind of reflective of their growth as a band and in their sound. The sullen and sombre sound and lyrical content were turned up another notch by now but honestly, musically this sound did not age one iota - full, gracious and emotive, it sounded every bit as good as the album - the stage lighting was absolutely mesmerising and used to full effect to bring out the impassioned melancholic sentiment that embodies the album. 'Primary' my favourite Cure track and easily in my Top 5 favourite all time songs was an absolute gem - the strobe lighting flashing in time to that underlying fast paced bassline - my only wish was that Robert Smith slid on a bass guitar and joined Simon Gallup to deliver a double bass line onslaught that the song is renown for. 'Funeral Party' was so gut wrenching, you couldn't help but listen and hang onto every note as the song moved through you in a continuous wave of emotion - judging by the silence in the Concert Hall, that song was having the same affect on all. By the end of this set, the official program  had come to a climatic end and of course most of the seething crowd would have expected "AN" encore - so off stage the
band went, to a standing ovation I might add (not one person was seated - 2500 on their feet responding with a resplendent reaction to what they had just experienced) and it was then the crowd began to chant.

What was to follow was 'the unexpected' I eluded to earlier, not one, not two but three encores - these three encores could have been a concert in themselves spanning 14 songs!. The song list was an eclectic mix - ranging from a taste of the third album from the 'Dark Trilogy' 'Pornography'('Charlotte Sometimes' and 'The Hanging Garden') , some rare tracks and b-sides ('World War','Plastic Passion', 'Descent' and 'Splintered in Her Head') to songs from their transitional phase ('Let's Go To Bed', 'The Walk' and 'Love Cats')  that help thrust them from their lachrymose Goth period to their more upbeat Pop offerings. The lyrics of 'Killing An Arab' were replaced with the more politically correct 'Killing Another' and 'Boys Don't Cry' had everyone up and dancing.

The nights song tally was 44 songs, over 3 and a half hours of music, a night where everyone witnessed a band's ability to continually evolve and reinvent themselves, not only as a unit, but also in their music and most importantly, without compromising their musical importance and status. My thanks to Robert Smith and co, for such a wondrous night is obvious but I need to also thank 2 other people, for without them this night would not have happened - Wendy for the 'inside running' and Nat who practically dropped everything to go online to secure the tix.

As Robert Smith penned 'Boys Don't Cry' but after a night of sheer brilliance and awesome music that paved the path for such a heartfelt journey, they certainly get emotional - well this one did anyway.

Death By Download

The digital age combined with the internet is a perfect vehicle to get music to fans quickly and with very little overhead which, for the artist, presents an opportunity to directly connect with their fan base, so why has it all gone so wrong?  Well, one compelling factor is illegally downloaded music.

In my opinion, The Record Companies are to blame for the free download dilemma that is rife within the cyber world - they should have seen this coming and rallied together to prepare themselves,the industry and their label artists for it.

Napster was a slap in their faces and presented them with a very bitter reality pill to swallow but they were too busy wanking themselves over the next "big" thing to concentrate on events that were unfolding before them, the very events that could potentially cripple the very heart of what keeps them in business - the punters/fan $$$.

Its only recently that the big labels are trying to figure out the correct and most beneficial "model" for the sale and distribution of digital music - despite this being well over 10 years after Napster bent them over and shoved a big G Major up where the sun don't shine.

One main component on trying to rectify the free downloading situation starts with education - the average punter doesn't realise the ramification of downloading music for free - I guess in that aspect the artist is almost faceless - it doesn't occur to the fans that artists are also trying to sustain a living - but how do you educate a teenager (the majority of culprits practicing free downloading) about economics when they probably don't understand the concept of money? What excuse does the older generation have, knowing full well how hard it can be to make ends meet in day to day life?

Then other end of the spectrum are the Internet Service Providers(ISP's) - they need to play a role in thwarting illegal downloading but there would have to be some form of incentive presented to compensate their current business model, for the ISP's file downloads are the basis of their current revenue stream - so why would they implement a mechanism to cut off their own revenue supply?

The main issue is that while music fans can download music without paying for it, all other viable models for that revolve around a "pay for what you use" basis are doomed from the onset - why would anyone pay for music they can download for free?

There are various sites, which I eluded to in my previous blog, that allow users to download music for free (www.guvera.com)  while the artist is duly compensated. These sites will however take time to evolve further and expand their musical libraries, make their sites easier to use and provide quicker search facilities. Unfortunately these sites are fighting a losing battle against their formidable "download almost any song you can think of for free" opponents.

One important point of note that needs to be stressed is that some artists choose to allow their music to be downloaded for free but this is at their own discretion, they can control how long the "free" period lasts and what song(s) they will release for consumer consumption without charge - this form of promotion brings them closer to their fan base. It's also true, major artists such as Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails have established their own independent channel for the distribution of their music but this is the exception to the norm.

What the fans (especially the indie/alternate ones) need to realise is that if this continues, their access to this genre of music will rapidly be depleted over time - they will be stuck with mainstream mindless music - the only music that the major labels will hang onto and keep funding - its a matter of economics. When this happens, well - that's the day that music will truly die.

The Bad Apple

iTunes' ambition to dominate the digital music download market needs to be thwarted: Their dictatorial method of when and where music that you PURCHASE can be played is bullshite to the maximus. I emphasise the word "purchase" as the subject of this piece is music that is legitimately bought and not music that is downloaded illegally. The assumption of being able to play your music when and where you please is a reasonable expectation but have you ever tried playing your iTunes purchases outside of iTunes? Have you ever tried playing music that you purchased on iTunes on a NON Apple device? Have you ever tried to download your music that you purchased via iTunes from your Apple device back onto your PC?(e.g those times when the Hard Disk on your PC has crashed) Notice the lack of options within iTunes that allow for simple interoperability of your digital music and other non Apple musical devices?

Now, I have heard attempts to offer plausible reasoning for these limitations and restrictions, all based around the premise that Apple are making it difficult for digital music tracks to be copied between computers. Therefore making it more difficult to share music via peer to peer networking sites like LimeWire or even simply distributing music between your friends. Hence, the argument goes, Apple has the musicians best interests in mind by protecting their intellectual property. All of this is utter nonsense, Apple's best interests are Apple and their bottom line, they are a corporation (granted a technology leader in developing aesthetically superior computers, phones and digital music players) and as such creating a market where they alienate all competitors by developing their own proprietary hardware and complementary software. Fair enough you may say, after all its just business and all about increased market share but the music at stake isn't Apple's commodity to use as a bargaining chip, exacerbated further by the fact that Apple set their own price on that music. So, paradoxically, as Apples domination grows the more restricted the open digital music market becomes to the consumer(remember the days of domestic air travel in Australia before it became deregulated and we only had two options to choose from?), which is totally counter productive for the owners of the music - the musicians.

The future of music relies on the digital age - the way we consume music today has changed considerably (I don't agree with this, as I am a purist that still enjoys the humble record shop - but that's another subject for a different blog). So, if the  future of music relies on the digital age then surely this new digital market must be an open one? One where the consumer is free to purchase (or legitimately download for free ) music from various sources AND play these their music on devices of their choice? Surely this market should not be controlled by a single entity (especially one with other vested interests blinded by blatantly conflicting ones) but a variety of independent entities that ensure that digital music remains in and accessible via an open market AND that the welfare of musicians is not compromised.

There are examples of viable alternatives, groups that have been doing the groundwork, establishing and finalising agreements with the record industry and artists, the obvious one is MySpace Music, where artists and labels decide what music can be downloaded for free and music that needs to be purchased (Apple has recently launched Ping to try and combat this threat). Another company (an Australian company to boot) is called Guvera https://www.guvera.com/ , which is an example of where the consumer can download music for FREE (a la LimeWire) but the artist still gets PAID per download. Music downloaded or purchased at these sites can be played on any standard digital music player and/or copied onto any of your computers or portable drives.

Hopefully these alternative options represent the blueprint for the future of digital music; the distribution of such in particular - one that provides the consumer a diverse range of download options in addition to providing musicians a medium with which to form a mutually beneficial and harmonious relationship and most importantly, one that is free from domineering corporations.

Placebo - Enmore Theatre 24/02/10

I had to think long and hard on how to blog about my Placebo experience. Its often hard to express a live show to someone who wasn’t part of the audience, so I had an idea, why not express this experience in the form of something that people may be relate to, via the inception, development and the ultimate end of a relationship, complete with the inherent volatility of emotions.
The Search Begins:
The genesis of any relationship begins with the search, not knowing what to expect but prepared to accept the possibilities that what lie ahead; almost like the support act of the main event, which was The Vasco Era. It’s always great to see local support for international acts and that’s the way it should be. These guys played a great tight set and entertained the increasing crowd as they continued to pour in from the multiple entrances at The Enmore. They sounded great and certainly produced some great sound for a 3 piece and bassist ted O’Neil seemed to be rocking in his own world, all in all a solid performance and they certainly fulfilled their duties in building the anticipation of seeing the main act.

The First Date:
The first date is where all initial expectations are either fully realised or fall disappointingly short, it’s the time where you take full advantage of showcasing any new belongings that will electrify and impress with underlying charismatic prowess and create an aura of heightened awareness.
This is exactly how Placebo opened their set, the anticipation was instigated via a huge video screen that acted as their backdrop (which not only complemented the Placebo sound but added a visual body to their music, almost acting as a form of catharsis for the melodic sound) and as they entered the darkened stage the audience erupted, the first date has begun. Brian Molko dressed in his usual black attire, very smooth and dressed for the moment, Stefan Olsdal impressive in his silver, almost metallic, shining suit and Steve Forrest took the more casual route and was clad in tattoos.
Placebo opened with their new material, “For What Its Worth”, ‘Ashtray Heart” and “Battle For The Sun” which sounded as every bit as good as the album versions, in fact Brian’s vocals seemed to have more depth in a live setting. The crowd was certainly in a state of frenzy by now and judging by their vibrant reaction, all expectations were well and truly exceeded. Next came that candle lit moment, a little breathing room after all the initial attempts at impressing were completed, a time where the pace slowed down, Placebo delivered “Soulmates”, “Speak In Tongues” and “Follow The Cops Back Home” in an emotionally wrenching form that captivated the ever so attentive audience, with that huge video screen visually expressing all the feelings that were evident.

Consummation:
With the dating rituals and formalities well and truly completed, the relationship transcends into a more intimate form coupled with a progressive build up of unbridled passion waiting to be released. When Placebo played the first opening chords of “Every You Every Me” the crowd absolutely erupted, you could sense the built up expectations waiting for this song to eventually be played in the well-crafted set list; this was the moment of release. Just when I thought we were done, Placebo pulled out another classic “Special Needs” which simply continued the furore being expelled and then “Breathe Underwater”, from their current CD, followed, sounding even better than in its recorded form. Approaching the half way point, it was slowly becoming evident that Steve Forrest added that extra spark, that additional level to Placebo’s rhythm section, don’t get me wrong former drummer Steve Hewitt was great but held a totally different beat to Steve Forrest and its quite evident upon listening to past and current songs.
After the storm of activity comes the relative lull, some breathing space required after expelling all of that stored up energy. Placebo played a series songs that gave us all some time to reflect on what we had just experienced; “Julien”, “The Never Ending Why”, ”Come Undone”, “Devil In The Detail”, “Meds” were thoroughly enjoyable and gave us an extended period to reconnect with the band before being subjected to their next well planned and delightful stratagem.

Commitment:
The mutual stage when the stars are aligned, the perfect moment; despite any prior minor disagreements or misconceptions, when you find that missing piece and are finally content. This moment came when Placebo opened with “Special K”, those first notes produced a sea of adoration in the form of hands and fingers all raised and swaying in unison, a shadow like backdrop to the bright lights emanating from the giant video screen and upon its completion, Stefan motioned to the crowd to quieten, then as the noise dropped for an ever so brief moment, Stefan opened with the riff to “Bitter End” (yes, he alternated between bass and electric guitar all night ) the crowd were showing their commitment in the form of another flurry of hands, fingers and one huge mass of gyrating bodies all perfectly swaying in time to this all time classic.

This is the end:
All relationships ultimately end in one way or another; the reflective period begins. Placebo’s encore gave us a gamut of emotions in their own way of saying goodbye, “Bright Lights” and “Trigger Happy” transpired into a uplifting farewell, a mutual understanding that all things come to and end, it was loud and it was eruptive, it left us all wanting more. “Infra-Red’; the ultimate end evolves due to a period of growing apart and a feeling of disconnect. “Taste In Men”; the demise as a result of infidelity the ultimate relationship killer; a sense that all was slowly coming to an end was felt as the encore drew to a close. One song that was played during the end of the main set, but I have placed it at the end of my blog (sometimes poetic license is a necessary option) as this should have been the last song played; “Song To Say Goodbye” – a emotive song that captured the feeling of the unavoidable end, the anticipation, the personal encounter, the exhilaration and the bittersweet farewell; “we'll both end up, with just your song to say goodbye”

Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights

It was always going to be hard choosing between two CD’s of equal relevance and quality. I refer to Interpol’s debut and sophomore releases “Turn On The Bright Lights’ and ‘Antics’, respectively. In the end, I chose “Turn On The Bright Lights”, arguably one of the finest, defining and musically poignant debut releases of the post punk era. Interpol are often referred to as the “best dressed” band in the business, (hailing from of New York I guess it's understandable) but it’s their music that sets them apart.

Interpol’s music is dark, broody and full of angst (as are most of their lyrics) yet paradoxically melodic. Carlos Dengler’s deep driving bass, harmonized by the intonation of Daniel Kessler’s rhythmic guitar layered with the lead vocals of Paul Banks, whose low deep voice has often been compared to the late Ian Curtis of Joy Division (then again which singer hasn’t?) rounded out by Samuel Fogarino’s ubiquitous snare drum beat, characterise and define Interpol’s, critically acclaimed, sound and style.

TOTBL, effectively and articulately introduces the distinctive sound of these Indie rockers, with the opening title track, aptly named “Untitled” challenging us to absorb and process the music, without the requirement for an actual track name (effortlessly aided by the extended guitar and drum intro). “Obstacle1” follows next; a favourite track played live, openly expressing an emotive quality to Paul Bank’s low vocal range. “Say Hello To The Angels” (a perfect opener to any mixed tape compilation) instantly delves into a flurry of grinding guitar riffs, which not only lay the song’s foundation but also immerse you into its melodious appeal.

“NYC”, an ode to their city of residence, an introspective reflection on life in the big apple, sometimes bittersweet and fastidious but always becoming and nurturing.” Roland” an accelerating and explosive piece, with obvious lineage to the punk genre, powers through and doesn’t disappoint those who like their music fast and loud. Then there is the somewhat ambiguously titled “Stella Was A Diver And She Was Always Down” – take time and ponder its meaning. My favourite track, “PDA”, is an appealing song that captivated me very late one night and incited my appreciation of Interpol; containing a fantastic instrumental bridge that serenades the subconscious.

The Australian release contained a bonus track “Specialist” which lyrically, is every bit as moody as Interpol can conjure musically. So as PDA claims, there are “200 couches”, so, pick one, lock and load TOTBL, assume the horizontal and assimilate in this highly enjoyable musical moment.

Whitley - Go Forth Find Mammoth

The feeling of unbridled anticipation is one of the simple pleasures that the enjoyment of music brings. It marks the beginning of a beautiful journey and a moment in time, discovering and sharing an artist’s personal reflections and thoughts through their lyrics and melodic sound. Having heard Whitley’s amazing and infectious first single “Head, First, Down” from his, then upcoming, sophomore CD “Go Forth Find Mammoth” (a month out from its official release) that anticipation was well and truly set and growing.

I first heard Whitley about 12 months earlier, performing a stripped back acoustic version of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” and what impressed me, besides his original arrangement, was his voice; a low, husky, whispering tone that put a totally different slant on that timeless pop gem. Yes, I know, ABBA that guilty pleasure much akin to the “M” word, an activity everybody participates in but no one admits to, anyway I digress. That was the last I heard of Whitley (real name Lawrence Greenwood) the 22-year-old musician who hails from Melbourne Australia, for a considerable while but it would not be the last.

“Go Forth, Find Mammoth “(released 31 October, 2009) is a beautifully crafted and addictive musical collection of folk infused pop, that takes you down a path of life’s experiences, setbacks, joys and unexpected mysteries. From the CD’s opening instrumental song “1945”, you seem instantly swept away by gorgeous ambient sounds, subliminally substituted for any lyrical content, effortlessly morphing into the second track “Poison In Our Pocket”. From here the combination of acoustic guitar (fingers plucking away up and down the fretboard) and those unmistakable Whitley vocals, take us on a hypnotic journey allowing us to reflect on times that may have once past us by. The same could be said of “Winter Warmer Sky” and “Killer” where the former acts as the perfect precursor that guides us dreamily into the latter, suddenly opening with the successive progression of catchy chords. However, in my opinion, it’s the lush vocals of Hazel Brown that completely mesmerise the listener, perfectly complementing Whitley on this track.

The sound of a rainstorm introduces (and subsequently completes) the reflective and emotionally stirring track “The Piece You Took From Me”, the interesting fact is that the sound isn’t a synthetic reproduction but an actual recording taken during a storm: - only organic additives allowed on this CD and absolutely nothing wasted. The journey ends, pretty much in the same way that it started, with the coupling of interrelated and intertwining tracks, this time “Facades I” and “Facades II”, provide a fitting closure, a moment that musically marks the end of the road and a time to appreciate.

You can’t help but listen to the stories that unfold musically before you, the entire CD is honestly “all killer with no filler”, no sub standard tracks have been inserted in a bid to flesh out its content. This being said, it’s a CD that really needs to be listened to in chronological order, otherwise you lose the sense of the intended magical and mystical journey that Whitely cleverly paves in the form of the carefully arranged track listing.

As with Silverchair, MGMT and more recently Muse, Whitley has the ability to captivate and attract alternate and mainstream listeners alike, without compromising his musical credibility. So give your ears, mind and soul an early Christmas present, “go forth” and discover this hidden gem of 2009 from a truly gifted and talented artist.

Magic Dirt - Annandale Hotel 06/11/09

“F#&%! Yeah” both articulately and succinctly describes the Magic Dirt experience, in particular to the night of November 6th at Sydney’s Annandale Hotel.

The Annandale Hotel is the Geelong garage/grunge/rock band's home away from home and tonight’s concert was always going to be something special and spiritual. The band came together to pay special tribute to their fallen band mate and co founder, Dean Turner, who passed away from a rare form of cancer a few months earlier, the night was completely sold out . This however did not for one moment mean that this special occasion was going to be a sombre affair, the band rocked, charged, blazed and owned the stage from the opening song, that’s what Dean would have wanted and the only way he knew to deliver a Magic Dirt performance.

Front women Adalita Srsen , as I have always maintained, is the most energetic, entertaining, enigmatic and charismatic female lead singer in Australia (and among the very best within the international music industry) if there is a better woman then she must be so indie, alternate, independent and underground that she’s playing a nomadic cave somewhere in the vast Australian wilderness. Adalita, rocked the stage, traversed the Annandale bar and, in a noble gesture to her hard core fans, jumped off stage into the mosh pit floor for a “meet and greet” and for a period of 5 minutes played lying on her back flanked by her adoring fans and to her credit, she never missed a chord!

Drummer Adam Robertson was totally in his own zone, watching him pound those skins with complete abandon at times he looked like he was channelling late great “skinsmen” Keith Moon and John Bonham. Sweat pouring out of him, almost in synch with the beat, his handy pack of Becks ensured a source of quick liquid replenishment. Guitarist Raul was amped for a huge night, from the time of warming up he was ready to give all and he did, enjoyment personified, rock jamming guitar licks a plenty and he didn’t wane for a second throughout the hour and a half set. Matt Sonic, who replaced Dean, did so with much grace and conviction, a long time friend of Dean’s there was no one more fitting and capable to fill that role, he was solid and did Dean proud.

The setlist, handpicked by the band, primarily consisted of songs that were special to Dean, which meant that they pretty much spanned Magic Dirt’s entire back catalogue and also resulted in the band playing songs like “Snow White”, which by their own admission, had not been played in a long while. For die hard fans this was a definite bonus and they lapped it up with complete insatiable gusto, which drove Adalita into a further rock inspired frenzy. Other Deans favourites that were cranked to the max were ”Dirty Jeans”, “Vulcanella”, “White Boy” and “All My Crushes”, to name just a few.


There was a brief pause about a third of the way into the night where the band stopped to honour Dean. In a hearted felt speech by Adalita, which had the crowd applauding for several minutes before she could continue, she was openly moved by this gesture, then continuing in an emotional epilogue honouring her cofounder and dear friend. A beautiful moment complemented by an ambience and an audience that was engaged in the moment.

As Adalita eluded to earlier on, the night belonged to Dean and the incredible legacy he left behind, through Magic Dirt, his music will live for a considerably long time, an amazing band, an unforgettable night and a heartfelt goodbye… Dirty Jeans forever.