A few beverages with friends last night at the middle bar (nice view of the setting sun and the bats flight path from the balcony) and gaslight (with some mad dogs_taking_over_the_world film showing on the tv.. must check the guide and figure out what that was) and then I found myself at Spectrum – a whole 48 hours had passed since the last time.
First up: The Null Set. They have a great drummer. I’ll leave comments at that.
The place was filling, and filling, and surely they were stopping people at the door but it kept filling and filling. Boud did the sensible thing and lead the way to the front while more and more bodies arrived. The Morning After Girls. Was it the drum media cover? The videos played on rage? The new ep? The sxsw hype machine? The Sydney Morning Herald mention in the day’s Spectrum? Have I mentioned I don’t like squishy gigs?
The intro began around 11 and the projector started spinning their logo around. They looked smart, sounded good, got people moving about. hi skies left me a little flat again compared to the recorded version but it could have been from standing in an inconvenient spot. A few of the slower songs that aren’t recorded left my mind wandering and taking photos of their feet for Trev. I’m sounding like I didn’t enjoy it but that’s not the case – overall they’re the best band I’ve seen in a very long time. Incredibly strong sound when they let themselves fly. Tambourines rock. They know how to make a damn good song, when to stop and when to start. And the vocals are luscious. I was very impressed, again.
They’ve outgrown Spectrum. And I was tired. And feeling conscious of having recommended them to a handful of people who were lost in spots around the crowd. But they did what they do incredibly well. Get an album out, do bigger venues, that’s all.
edit on Sunday 23:45: I’ve been informed that the gig broke attendance records at Spectrum so I wasn’t whinging for nothing.
Hi, this isnt a comment as much as an apology.
I must have accidentally put my friggin dancing shoes on before i got to Spectrum.
It was about 3 when I remembered you guys retreated to the Judgos.
I try not to dance too often but sometimes….
Hey have you seen The Golden Age? Theyre at the Hoey thurs nite.
Probably checking out Bill Henson on Wed nite too.
Heh, first set of band photos I’ve seen from you in ages where all the members don’t look incredibly… Australian 🙂
Nice pics.
Mark – I wondered where you’d got to but left the juggie at 2 to sleep all those extra hours I’d lost at the end of last week. Haven’t seen the Golden Age but I might check ’em out on Thursday. I’m probably going to see Riff Random there on Friday to figure out what their fuss is about.
And Sumption – I haven’t got a clue what you mean! The Aussies have endless oodles of style. Serious 🙂
And Trev – wow! Absolute heaven. You should post them some of your superpopstar feet.. mmm… reid and lurie shoes.
An idea for a new ultra cool web site: guess which stars feet these are. hehe.
some mad dogs_taking_over_the_world film showing on the tv
must have been Cats & Dogs.
The Russian cracks me up.
I didn’t mean the Aussies weren’t stylish (well, some of them at least), just that they have a certain… well, Aussiness about them. Like, you could intersperse members of the various bands you’ve seen over these last few months in some kind of multinational identity parade, and I’d be able to pick ’em out every time.
Well, I exaggerate, of course. But it is something that’s struck my when looking at your pics lately. They look different from Brit bands.