Worldsend Hotel. 14 Nov 2014
It wasn’t too many years ago that I would spend most of my weekend evenings out watching the best that local music had to offer, predominantly hanging out around the heavier end of the spectrum. As I’ve gotten older and my horizons have broadened, I’ve managed to see less local offerings, and at the same time, there have been fewer venues prepared to host a good variety of local talent. There have been mainstays, of course, but there have been plenty of places that have come and gone too. Thankfully, I’ve always kept my eyes out for local shows that might grab my attention, and a free show at one of my favourite haunts, Worldsend, did the trick to drag me out on a warm Friday evening.
Arriving fashionably late, unfortunately I missed the first band of the night, an indigenous metal group called Mism. I say unfortunately, as going by the reports of my fellow metal-heads, these guys were awesome, having a dark Opeth-esque style. I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for another opportunity to see them!
Raven Black Night was the band that had grabbed my attention and drawn me away from my couch this evening, and I’m very happy to say that their performance made the effort very much worth my while! I’d been a big fan of these guys from years ago, but in recent times, the band has played fewer local gigs, meaning the ones they do play really count. With a few albums under their belt, including an international record deal with Metal Blade, Raven Black Night have come of age and were in fine form for the healthy Worldsend crowd.
Their style hovers around the bluesy side of the metal spectrum, fitting for the dark and broody blues metal of the ’70s, and perfectly up my alley of favourite musical styles. Massive guitar solos, thumping bass and rock steady rhythms made for a great performance, enjoyed by a good crowd mix; including a bunch of enthusiastic Chinese students, dreadlocked metal heads, denim-clad thrash guys, and a sizeable proportion of metal ladies – I tell you, when I was a single man checking out metal shows week after week the metal girls weren’t like those that comes out these days! It’s great to see! The band’s set culminated in a deadly-paced cover of Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’, before coming to a close.
The final act was Hidden Intent, a thrash metal three-piece who were certainly top of their game. I’ve generally not been a massive thrash metal fan, often not getting much into the vocal style, but I must say, Hidden Intent won me over within the first few bars! Sporting smoother vocals than what I was expecting, I was all too happy to take in the technical prowess and speed of the music, and found myself getting right into the swing of things. By this stage of the night, the beer-garden crowd was pretty healthy, with plenty of people up headbanging and dancing away. It was a great vibe, and certainly some fantastic music!
And so ended a great night of live music at a venue that’s made it clear they have a place for live shows. It was nice and loud with a no-holds-barred approach, which suits me fine. If I leave a show and my ears aren’t ringing, then clearly it wasn’t loud enough! I’ve often frequented Worldsend, but now that they’ve done the place up and got a great little space out the back in their funky beer garden for live music, I definitely plan on heading back.
Luke Balzan
When: Closed
Where: Worldsend
Bookings: Closed
XL Superclub. 16 Nov 2014
I can’t say that I’ve ever really been much of a clubs person. In fact, I’d only ever been to one club before, many moons ago for a mate’s 18th, and I can’t say I was overly impressed. So decades on from that instance, I found myself venturing into the unknown realms of a night club once again, all in the pursuit of music. I didn’t really know what to expect, apart from the main dude I’d come to see, and as I always try to do, I went in with an open mind.
It turned out to be an evening of mixed emotions on a number of levels, the first of which was a sense of disappointment as the glorified PA music from a bunch of DJs rang out for hours and hours past what was supposed to be the starting time. Even Axl Rose would have been dismayed at the delay in kicking things off! Nonetheless, I put up with the seemingly endless rotation of DJ tunes I’d never before heard in my life (though, given the amount that people were singing along, I’m sure I was the only blissfully ignorant person in the room!), and by around 11pm, first act Mya came out for a bit of a sing on stage. I can’t say that I’d ever heard any of her music before (I’m really not much of a pop music person in the slightest), but she can certainly carry a tune!
There were a couple of oddities I noticed as Mya took to the stage: it was somewhat unusual for me to see a main act come out armed only with a microphone and accompanied by a dude on a laptop playing what is effectively a backing tape. It makes me wonder even more as to what the delay in starting was - since there was nothing to actually set up. On top of that, as someone who’s watched thousands of bands, performers and artists over the years, I did find it odd to see so many people dancing to the PA music (and I use the term dancing fairly loosely!), only to stop dancing when the main act came out.; still, I wasn’t there to watch people dance badly.
Mya’s brand of hip hop was certainly listenable; singing to a backing tape can be fraught with dangers, but the Grammy award winner hit most of the notes most of the time, and was peppered with plenty of DJ toasting, costume changes, and giveaways, making for an interesting opening act.
Eventually, the main man came out for his turn on the mic. My motivation for coming along was the fact that I’m a massive fan of reggae music from way back, and I’m always keen to hear a bit of reggae and all of its derivatives (that’s right, Sean Paul shares more with reggae music than just his Jamaican heritage!). Despite not being a ‘clubby’ person, I actually don’t mind reggae’s latest offshoot, dancehall, and I was pretty keen to hear what Sean Paul could do live.
I’m pretty sure I was the only reggae purist in the room (apart from maybe a few kiwis who were also hanging about, like me!), and I missed Sean Paul a few years back when he was scheduled to play as a part of the Raggamuffin festival here in Adelaide - he pulled out at the last minute - so I hoped this performance would make up for it. I’m pleased to note, Sean Paul did indeed put on a good show! He played through a range of tunes from his back catalogue, and though I can barely understand a word he sings about, the music did all the talking. Dancehall is something of a mix of traditional reggae grooves, re-envisioned for a modern electronic vibe, with funky beats and grooving rhythmic vocals, and is definitely worth shaking a bit of arse to.
It was bittersweet when things came to a close, as it had been a good show, albeit the most bizarre show I’d ever been to (I did manage to get past the oddity of myself being in a club with all these club people), but being rather late on a school night, I was happy to head home, fulfilled at finally getting to see Sean Paul.
Luke Balzan
When: Closed
Where: XL Superclub
Bookings: Closed
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Adelaide Festival Theatre. 7 Nov 2014
For two years in a row the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra has programmed full concerts devoted to the music of Gershwin. Last year in August it was in the form of a Master’s Series concert, featuring signature works such as ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ and ‘Concerto in F’ and ‘An American in Paris’, and this year in the form of a Spectacular Series concert that concentrated on Gerswhin’s prolific output of songs.
Last year I doubted the merits of a Master’s Series concert being given over to the episodic music of Gerswhin, but I have no doubt about the format of tonight’s concert. It was toe-tappingly terrific, and the huge audience in the Festival Theatre just loved it, as they bobbed their heads in time with the infectious rhythms and unique melodies, including the ‘Three Preludes’.
Gershwin’s music has an appeal all of its own and brings different demographics into the concert hall (I note that Gershwin does not feature in next year’s ASO programme, which is appropriate, arguably). Gershin lived a short life – he tragically died in 1937 of a brain tumour when he was only 38 years old – but he was a prolific composer of catchy songs and tunes and his memory will survive for many years to come.
The Festival Theatre stage was swollen with additional instruments; apart from the usual ASO instrumental line-up there was also a grand piano, an enlarged percussion section including a drum kit, rhythm (double) bass, and guitar. Although several of the principal players were away on other assignments, it was pleasing to see the return of Ike See as Guest Concertmaster and several others step up as section leaders or associate principals, including Imants Larsens, Hilary Bruer, Julia Brittain and Cameron Waters. Pleasingly, the mighty ASO has great depth, and it was superbly conducted by the talented American guest conductor Keith Lockhart, who is the conductor of the internationally famed Boston Pops Orchestra (amongst others!).
The music of Gerswhin is quintessentially American: its rhythms and melodies are idiosyncratic; it is jazz inflected; it bears some of the impressionistic hallmarks of Ravel and Debussy. Lockhart was able to imbue the ASO with a clear understanding of what was required to bring these influences to the surface, and the result was a clear reading of the style. Gershwin’s ‘Three Preludes’ were beautifully performed, and the second in C Sharp Minor was a highlight. Ji Won Kim’s performance of Alexander Courage’s arrangement of Gershwin’s ‘Fantasy on Porgy and Bess’ didn’t quite reach the same heights of authenticity of style, although her superlative technique is undeniable.
The second half of the program featured soprano Julie lea Goodwin and bass baritone Rodney Earl Clarke who sang and acted their way through a set of Gershwin’s most iconic songs, including ‘Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off’, ‘A Foggy Day’, ‘The man I Love’ and ‘I Got (Fascinating) Rhythm’. Both Goodwin and especially Clarke have exceptional voices, with Clarke being a seasoned exponent in important roles on the operatic stage. They inhabited the characters of the songs, and their duets were sassy, humorous and sexy. A highlight was Clarke’s performance of ‘Slap that Bass’ alongside ASO bassist David Phillips who demonstrated an alternative, and totally appealing, side of an orchestral player!
The large and diverse audience left very happy.
Kym Clayton
When: Closed
Where: Festival Theatre
Bookings: Closed
The Governor Hindmarsh. 31 Oct 2014
I have to admit, I’m a sucker for old school blues rock, so when I heard that ‘Third Stone – The Hendrix Experience’ was set to take a berth at the Gov on All Hallows Eve, I just had to get down to check ’em out! And I’m pleased to say, the experience was well worth bracing myself against ensuing thunderstorms, rain and the odd trick-or-treater!
Opening for the night was Big Tom’s Blues Band, a trio who pay tribute to blues rock of the bygone era, incorporating everything from old school blues like Muddy Waters and Elmore James to the more metal side of the spectrum, with tunes from the likes of Zeppelin and The Doors. Very cool stuff, and the perfect opener for a night of Hendrix heaven!
Third Stone soon took the stage, and while guitarist Jimmy (who also plays in local metal bands the Loving Tongue and Raven Black Night) was channeling that other Jimi with his headband and tie-died singlet, this tribute act are well and truly focused on the music and not the image. And that is what makes a true tribute act stand out from the fakers… Of course, taking that tack requires significant talent, particularly when it comes to the music of Jimi Hendrix, and I’m pleased to note that these guys had plenty of that in the bag! As incense burned on the stage, the band opened with a bang with ‘Killing Floor’ and ‘Are You Experienced’, then a rousing ‘Stone Free’ really got the blood pumping, with interludes of ‘Gypsy Queen’ thrown in for good measure.
The pace was kept up with the thumping ‘Manic Depression’, complete with a behind-the-head solo, and a funky take on ‘Spanish Castle Magic’, before the mood mellowed slightly for a trippy quartet of ‘Bold As Love’, my favourite, ‘Little Wing’, ‘Wind Cries Mary’, and ‘Castles Made Of Sand’. The pace was quickly picked up again, with an awesome take on ‘Fire’, with a solo-by-teeth, before heading into a bit of Band Of Gypsies stuff, ‘Hey Baby’, and ‘Machine Gun’, which surely has one of the coolest bass lines in rock! It was back to the hits next, with the great-grandfather of the (crappy) pop song ‘Single Ladies’, the original ‘Foxy Lady’, and the bluesy ‘Red House’, complete with a special guest on blues harp.
Into the home stretch there was an earth shattering rendition of ‘Advance Australia Fair’ (beautifully taking the place of ‘Star Spangled Banner’!), seamlessly flowing into ‘Purple Haze’, and climaxing with the riff from ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’. But unlike a typical Hendrix set, things didn’t end there, as a sensational jam on ‘Voodoo Chile’ rang out, followed by the cruisy ‘Third Stone From The Sun’ bringing the main set to a brilliant close. Not content to end it there, the crowd cheered on an encore of ‘Hey Joe’, which wrapped things up beautifully. The guitar was on fire, and I’m sure Hendrix would have been looking down from the big band in the sky with a big smile on his face! Awesome stuff!
Luke Balzan
When: Closed
Where: The Gov
Bookings: Closed
Masters 8. Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Adelaide Festival Theatre. 10 Oct 2014
Benjamin Northey, guest conductor, and Piers Lane, piano, headed the billing for the ASO’s homage to Spanish music, but it was a mostly French affair with the music of Ravel dominating the program and his iconic and much loved Boléro stealing the lion’s share of the applause from a otherwise restrained audience. Sure, the audience enjoyed the evening but I think many of them wanted a more substantial program.
Chabrier’s ‘España’ is probably his best known work, and once the first theme on muted trumpets establishes itself one senses that an old friend has come to visit and the toe tapping in the audience is almost audible.
Resplendent in his formal attire, shock of curly hair, and red and green socks, Piers Lane joined the orchestra as a first amongst equals in what is really an impressionistic score of three independent pieces that evoke the drama of nature. Piers played with just enough flashiness while Northey kept the dance rhythms fresh and lively and didn’t allow the clatter of a dropped bow, courtesy of one of the violists, to distract.
And then the rest of the evening belonged to Ravel. The ‘Alborada del gracioso’ and the ‘Rhapsodie espagnole’ evoke the very pulse of the life of Spain. The polished musicianship and skill of the orchestra was laid bare for all to see in the fast sections: crisp, rhythmic and dance-like.
The ‘Pavane pour une infant défunte’ aroused sighs of serenity from members of the audience but Northey did not plumb the depths of pathos that the composition should yield up. The dynamics at times overshadowed the woodwinds which should exemplify the deep piece’s intense introspection.
But the highlight of the evening for the audience was Ravel’s ‘Boléro’. Folklore has it that Ravel once said of the ‘Boléro’ that “it contains no music." As we all know it is a continuous repetition of two melodies with a persistent underlying pattern on the snare drum. Instruments are gently added one by one in waves, starting with the woodwinds, and it slowly builds towards a climax that shifts and builds into something expected but also surprising. The final and tremendous tutti chews you up and spits you out! It’s exhilarating and the audience roared with pleasure.
Kym Clayton
When: Closed
Where: Adelaide Festival Theatre
Bookings: Closed