Kindness

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, haven't had much to say but have some fun stuff coming up soon. In the meantime, check out Kindness, a strange but funky bunch who like to cover old songs like Anita Dobson's 'Anyone Can Fall in Love', the theme from Eastenders! Go check it on their Myspace, it's beautiful. These guys are going to be huge in '10 so make sure you drop their name at all the upcoming Christmas parties, you coolsie fucks.

Ladyfest Melbourne

I'm a little late posting this as it kicked off last night, but the first Ladyfest Melbourne takes place over the next few days. There's some really cool stuff happening; I won't be able to make half of it but am going to try to get to the panel discussion on the Riot Grrl revolution and Australia's own female rock history on Saturday and then to the gig in the Workers Club that night featuring Partyline (Alison Wolfe from Bratmobile's new band). Partyline are also playing an all-ages gig (need more of those) on Sunday at Irene's Warehouse, along with HERRS, a girl rock band made up of ten year olds - brilliant! There really is a lot going on and the lesbos definitely deserve your support - check the full listings here.

Home Truths - 'Sup Magazine Belfast Takeover

This blog was and is supposed to be primarily centered around the Melbourne music scene, with diversions further afield as I see fit/to fill in the blanks. However, I want to take the liberty of bringing attention to a week-long feature in 'Sup Magazine focusing on the small but vibrant underground music scene in my former home of Belfast. Belfast, for such a small and parochial city has for the last 5-10 years produced some of the most striking, visceral and original bands I have come across. And in the last few years, elements that have been bubbling on the surface seem to have erupted and an actual exuberant scene of diverse but like-minded acts have come together to create, what seems to me thousands of miles away, the most interesting period for Belfast esoterics in a long, long time. I guess they were all just waiting for me to leave.

It may be that the attention lavished on my small but lovable former home and the people interviewed are dear friends of mine, is what makes these articles interesting to me. But hopefully if you are a Melbournian reader, you will get a kick out of this rare insight into the underground workings of a formerly-troubled city.

Part 1 focuses on the uber-cool lo-fi surf two-piece Girls Names and Part 2 on DIY gig collective Ordinary Days, whose head Dude, Mark Reid, gets top marks for surmising Belfast's scene - 'Luckily, not too many people in Belfast have the pretence of being hip so we can just get on with partying.'
Melbourne hipsters take note.

Yo La Tengo - Melbourne - Feb '10

May '06 - Primaverasound Music Festival - Barcelona
Night numero uno of my first visit to the imperious music festival in the greatest city in the world was mighty fun for the first few hours but somewhat of a slow-starter on the music front. Glimpses were caught of the Drones, No-Neck Blues Band and Why?, before new buddy Aggie and I decided to have some pseudo-ironic fun at Motorhead (I'm still not sure what they were doing on the bill). Fun turned into ridiculous, ultra-raucous boogeying amongst the hoards of leather-jacket wearers present at the fest for one night and one reason only, meaning that by time the 'Head had finished, we were well and truly pooped.

The huge steps a ways back from the main stage provided the perfect place to sit, have a few beers, recoup and easily watch the next band, whom neither me nor Aggie were entirely into - YLT. The next 45 minutes or so go down are some of the most overwhelming of my life. In my ignorance I was expecting some lofi indie-pop to pass the time until 2manydjs took the stage, what I got was a full-on aural assault, the pinnacle of which was the unleashing of then new track, 'Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind.' By the end of this 10-minute beast, during which time Ira Kaplan ripped his fender apart, slammed it into against and on top of a wall of Marshall stacks, while Georgie Hubley and James McNew continuously played the same beat (for ten minutes!), Aggie and I were giving each other genuine, sincere man-hugs at what we had just witnessed. This may sound corny as all fuck, but it really was that special.

And the point of all that is Yo La Tengo have just been announced they are playing Melbourne in February next year. Naturally I do not believe it will be as good as Barcelona in 2006, but when the band who is responsible for one of your all-time highpoints in life are coming to town, it's hard not to smile.

Happy weekend doods.