Blog — Page 216 of 278

The Pixies @ the Fillmore Auditorium, Denver Colorado

October 18, 2017

Black Francis is a man of few words. This would be detrimental as a stockbroker, but as the frontman for one of the most seminal bands of the 90s it comes in handy when you’re trying to squeeze a seemingly limitless musical career into a single show and not go past curfew. They almost did it, with the house lights coming on towards the tail end of the set. Interesting to see both the crowd and band bathed in house lights but come on, Fillmore - that's just rude as shit. 

As an old, old man, I feel no small degree of shame that this was my first time seeing The Pixies live. And now, having scratched the name off an extensive band bucket list, i must ask myself - “what the fuck took you so long?”

The energy and anticipation was palpable before the lights went down over the crowd of mostly over 30s. And as soon as Francis, Joey Santiago, David Lovering and Paz Lenchantin sauntered out, and began playing, the emotions broke under the wave of adoration (no word play intended) emanating from the crowd. What becomes evident as the band played on is how well this band knows their audience and, more importantly, how much they trust their audience. The significance of The Pixies’ legacy came through with every chord played, whether it was Nimrod’s Son off their 1987 debut, or Bel Esprit off their latest 2016 release. Essential becomes the secret word of the evening. And although they are far from “tight” in the parlance, there’s an endearing freedom and looseness in the way they play that even when bordering on dischordant, never looses its power. 

2016’s Head Carrier was the first album to feature bassist and vocalist Paz Lenchantin, whose previous resume speaks for itself and in a live setting, to even mention any former members of the band would be a disservice as she played and executed her role with such ease and aplomb, it was like she’d been there since the band’s inception.

But, like so many bands, a leader must be appointed to make sure the trains run on time, and Black Francis is that leader. Not working off a setlist, it would appear that the set is wholly dictated by Francis, who works off no printed list, but has a separate mic to communicate with the band, telling them the next song as soon as the previous song is finished. It’s a real testament to the skills of the band as a whole to be able to access that information and play with as many seconds as it takes for Lovering to count them down. 

If you haven't seen The Pixies live yet, don’t be a fool like I was. Learn from my mistakes. The band starts the next leg of the tour November 29 in Portand, OR so you still have time to get tickets. Tickets also make excellent early gifts for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah and Kwanzaa. 

Setlist

1. Wave of Mutilation
2. Um Chagga Lagga
3. Caribou
4. Magdalena 318
5. Mr. Grieves
6. I Bleed
7. Isla de Encanta
8. Head Carrier
9. Velouria
10. Havalina
11. Snakes
12. Gouge Away
13. Bel Esprit
14. Monkey Gone To Heaven
15. There Goes My Gun
16. Something Against You
17. Rock Music
18. Tame
19. Hey
20. Might As Well Be Gone
21. No. 13 Baby
22. Subbacultcha
23. All The Saints
24. Here Comes Your Man
25. Nimrod’s Son
26. Ed Is Dead
27. Crackity Jones
28. Cactus
29. Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)
30. Where Is My Mind
31. Vamos
32. Broken Face
33. Winterlong

Encore
34. All I Think About Now
35. Debaser
36. Bone Machine

Alice Cooper

Hordern Pavilion

Sydney, AU

October 21, 2017

Alright.

If we have to start off by dancing out that Alice Cooper is the architect of not merely shock-rock by introducing horror elements but theatrics in rock’n roll in general and the massive impact he most likely had on informing the sound of your favourite bands, even unbeknownst to them, then stop reading.

It is also not a the most guarded secret that the man behind the moniker Alice Cooper is a witty-as-Wilde and sociable personality outside the confine of a stages, whose endeavours and accomplishments transcend having shaped the sound and look of heavy metal: Film actor, golfer, restaurateur and accomplished radio DJ with his enjoyable classic rock show

March 2017 marked the fortieth anniversary of the entity known as Alice Cooper first incarnated on terra australis and to celebrate the occasion, he and his worthy constituents return for seven-date national tour.

Now, witnessing Alice Cooper hold court is a delight under the worst circumstances, but tonight’s show exceeded expectations: His grandly theatrical brand of hard rock was delivered pitch perfectly by a tight band (the charismatic three guitar ensemble of Nita Strauss, Tommy Henrikson and Ryan Roxie, backed by longtime bassist Chuck Garric and drummer Glen Sobel are a force to be reckoned with and great engaging performers) and framed within the context of a stage show that was calibrated at just the right level.

Despite tested and tried vaudevillian elements and less than subtle, intentionally clichéd nods to horror elements, e.g. guillotines, fake blood galore, the fed Frankenstein parading the stage, the ride through Alice’s fun house was calibrated at exactly the right level and electrocutions, sword wielding, a ballad performed restrained in a strait jacket and other shenanigans made for a scripted and dramatic show that was a feast for both eyes and ears.

Apart from songs off his latest album Paranormal, the set was paved with his extensive catalogue of hits and anthems, including “I’m Eighteen,” “No More Mr Nice Guy,” “Elected,” “Poison,” culminating in a celebration of “School’s out” with a lapse into a Pink Floyd classic.

Fifty years in the game, nearly seventy years of age, top hat and tails intact and still on top of it – Alice Cooper in 2017 – a spectacle like no other that just does not get old and one you want to have in your books.

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Photos by KAVV

Toruk – the First Flight

Cirque du Soleil

Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney

October 19, 2017

Toruk - the First Flight, a stage show by Cirque de Soleil, is based on James Cameron's Avatar films, located on the planet moon of Pandora, where the blue skinned Na'vi with long tails live together in harmony in a lush neon-coloured jungle thousands of years before the events depicted in the movie and before any homo sapiens set food on Pandora.

Does not sound enticing?

Well, you might be mistaken, because the story is not what really matters here.

It merely serves as the foundation for dazzling acrobatic acts framed in a visually stunning and spectacular live setting courtesy of the pioneering artistic vision of directors and multimedia innovators Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon.

Epic.

Trippy.

Hypnotic.

Enchanting.

Cirque du Soleil on a arena level, magnificent scale that makes use of an arena sized setting: Infused with its signature style, Toruk: the First Flight presents a rich mélange of the trademark acrobatics (with the aerial stunts and an act using a giant backbone skeleton / vertebrae as a spinning see-saw contraption being particularly noteworthy), masterful puppetry and is guided by the narration of a Na’vi storyteller providing the thin red thread and storyline for the visual spectacle that at times resembles perfectly orchestrated chaos.

It proves to be difficult to not feel immersed in the Avatar-styled world of Pandora with camouflaged set lights incorporating the audience, the show offering to use an app to interact with aspects of the performance and the whole arena serving as a stage thanks to the video and light projections that help seamlessly transition sets from a myriad of contexts that could not be more dissimilar in nature.

Your humble narrator was also intentionally whipped by one of Na’vi’s blue tails, which gave audience interaction another dimension.

The costuming is superb, extremely detailed, intricate and capturing the aesthetics of the Na’vi in the even most contorted positions and the display of overwhelming talent permeates every facet of the performance.

Composers and musical directors Bob & Bill meet the challenge of creating otherworldly transitions between scenes that blend in perfectly with their cinematic yet organic sounding music.

Having been witness to quite a few of Cirque du Soleil’s previous incarnations, with the franchise at times struggling to maintain the original DNA with some of the newer productions, Toruk - the First Flight certainly not only accomplishes the main tenet of the company’s mission statement, i.e. to invoke the imagination and provoke the sense, but this “Flight” takes it to new unprecedented heights – pun intended.

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Images from Cirque du Soleil website.

What Rhymes with Cars and Girls

Riverside Theatre

Parramatta

October 14, 2017

What Rhymes with Cars and Girls was You Am I’s frontman Tim Rogers’ first solo effort released toward the end of last millennium, a lyrically rich and  emotionally raw one at that, which has been morphed into a lively romantic comedy musical. 

Writer Aidan Fennessy, known from his stint as the  former associate director at the Melbourne Theatre Company, channeled Rogers’ trademark songs into something much less cliché laden and more enjoyable than the theme revolving around the outworn poor boy meets rich girl trope would suggest.

Yup, you guessed it – star crossed lovers - class boundaries matter until you are in love, which is when they are magically overcome.

A less bloody West Side Story with a distinct Aussie flavour.

The rambling lyrics, swagger and themes of Rogers’ album serve as a foundation and landmarks, with the blanks in between filled in with Fennessy’s narrative thread, interpretations, at times overworked metaphorical elaborations and discourse on classicism, playing with songs and framing the lyrics in context; with Johnno and Tash singing and telling their story directly to the audience and Tim Rogers surrendering the stage for them.

The performance is accessible, well-executed, earthy musical romance, a tinge of bit alt-rock, and easy to enjoy. Clare Watson’s direction gives depth to the interaction between the main protagonists, making it more than an enactment of an album.

The set design along with the character-defining costumes weave the band’s presence in in an authentic manner, which helps to seamlessly transition from dialogue to song.

A great show for date night.

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Photos provided

Napalm Death

Factory Theatre

Sydney, Australia

October 11, 2017

Finally after more than 25 years, I got to witness the herb drenched Brujeria storm a stage. A band that has always had an intriguing edge both musically and aesthetically with their very own melange of death and grindcore.

Napalm Death has always been an interesting and subversive animal and their latest emission, Apex Predator – Easy Meat does not disappoint.  Based on a foundation of their trademarked speed charged grindcore, peppered with the right amount of dirge core and dystopian visions that are dealt with in the lyrical department, while the message is one of peace, love and looking out for one another – heavy topics set to heavy music without lacking the occasional indication of a sense of humour.

In a live environment Napalm Death remains a crushing force that excels and exceeds what is presented in recorded form. The diverse set comprised of new songs alongside crowd favourites was received adequately by the local aficionados on a school night that reveled in being battered.

An evening that cemented Napalm Death’s relevance.