two straws in yr milkshake

news and reviews from brisbane's indie heartland

Friday, May 1, 2009

Gigs + Stoof This Weekend: 1-3 of May

It's looking like a pretty dull weekend of live giggery this week in Brisbane. Nevertheless, as always, there's a couple of diamonds in the rough.

Tonight

The Grates are playing at the new Hi-Fi Bar in West End. I am a bit skeptical about this venue and I am getting over the Grates. But it will still be an okay thing to get along to. You'll probably pay through the teeth to get in though.

In the Valley, Aleks + the Ramps and Toy Balloon are playing. I quite like both of these bands despite them both being a bit weird and electronic (and not in the best way). Owing to them being based in Melbourne, I have never seen A+tR before so I will probably rock up to Rics tonight to check them out for real.

Tomorrow (Saturday 2nd)

Tomorrow is looking even more depressing. Kate-Miller Heidke is rearing her sickeningly operatic head (voice) to play at Hi-Fi, nothing worth writing home about at Rics and the rest of the town is pretty void.

I will probably just dance my sorrows away at Common People.

The Day After (Sunday 3rd)

On Sunday, Live Spark at the Powerhouse features Wind + Brackets and Grand Atlantic who are both pretty fun. This should probably be the highlight of the weekend for me. I love a good chillout at Live Spark so this Sunday should be no exception.

I will also try and get down to the closing night party for the Underexposed exhibition at the Josh Levi Gallery at the Gabba. There's a veritable swag of excellent acts gracing the gallery and what's more, they will be surrounded by what is a fantastic exhibition of Brisbane music photographers. It should be very cool indeed.

Also, don't forget that Buddha's Birthday is on this weekend. Get on down to Southbank and enjoy the public performances, good food and dharma talks. Most of it's free, all of it is quality entertainment for the whole family.

It's also Labour Day this Monday. I march every year. Maybe I will see some of you there...

Written at 9:57 AM by jbutchers.

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Ball Park Music @ The Troubadour

I am SO pissed off that the Ball Park Music gig last night was sold out. I have a bad habit of turning up to shows without a ticket expecting to be let in. Alas, it wasn't to be last night...

In any case, these guys are easily one of my three favourite bands getting around the Brisbane traps these days. (For reference, the other two are probably Hungry Kids of Hungary and Velociraptor.) They were headlining at the Troubadour to launch their debut (self-recorded and produced) album 'Rolling on the Floor, Laughing Ourselves to Sleep'.

These guys are just too good. And I don't say that about a lot of bands. They play an infectious style of nerdy indie pop with boy-girl harmonies from Sam (vox, guitar, plenty of other stuff) and Jennifer (vox, piano/keys, plenty of other stuff) who are the two quirky standouts of this slightly off-centre six-piece. Their sound is augmented by the rest of the band who throw trombone and punchy pop guitars into the mix to create a sound which is highly distinctive but also reminiscent of Belle & Sebastian, The Lucksmiths or Los Campesinos.

Having listened to their new 'mini-LP', I must say I am thoroughly impressed. Most of the tracks are taken from their live repertoire with few which I didn't recognise from regularly attending gigs. Songs like Mr. Maybe, Black Skies and All I Want Is You stand out as incredibly catchy tracks amongst an album which is polished and well crafted. I would urge you all to go out and buy this one because it will be cash well spent.

Ball Park Music have come a long way since springing onto the scene (properly) less than a year ago. I can only hope that their stellar rise continues because I really love this band. Buy their album, go to their shows, love 'em sick!

I will also take the opportunity to plug my good friend Clare Hawley who took the live photo at the Troubadour in December last year. You can check out her photography at Asparay Photographics.

Written at 8:55 AM by jbutchers.

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Sunday, April 26, 2009

IHH @ Rics - Fri 24th April 09

So of all the gigs on offer this week, the only one which really tickled my fancy was the I Heart Hiroshima show at Rics. Being their last show for some time in Brisbane, the place was packed with young and old. Despite

there being a raft of barely legal jivesters more interested in taking myspace shots than soaking up the sweat-drenched atmosphere, the gig was pretty tops nonetheless. It was opened up by a band whose name I have forgotten and whose misgiven attempt at playing hardcore music I wish I could. But once they resigned back to obsoleteness, IHH promptly took the stage and all was at one with the world again.

The band started off shakily, with a few high-hat issues stopping them from hitting the ground running as they usually would. But once they found their groove, the guys went off, kicking up a storm with their unique blend of jangle and crunch. Most of the set was comprised of new stuff from their forthcoming release with a few classic tracks (Teef, Punks, Surgery) thrown in for good measure. If the new tracks are any indication, IHH is set for a very successful tour with bright stars studding their horizons.

If you want to get your hands on their new album, you'll have to order it online as it's not being released in Ausralia at this stage. But don't let that put you off, because it seems like these guys, like a fine wine are only getting better (if not maturing) with age.

Tonight, LiveSpark at the Powerhouse will probably be crap. I am likely to be there anyways. If theres anything worth reporting back on, you might just hear from me later tonight.

Written at 10:57 AM by jbutchers.

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Thursday, April 23, 2009

This Weekend - 24-26th of April, Year: Two-thousand and nine.

A big weekend abounds us in Brisbane. So many choices and so little time to squeeze it all in.

First off, on Friday night there may well be a bit of bar-hopping to do. Fans Club Night at Alhambra is going from strength to strength and this weekend looks to be an orgy of lights, dancing and kicking tunes. Theres something for everyone with punkadelic hip-hopsters Young & Restless augmenting a lineup which features Adelaide 5-piece The Shiny Brights and one of the most exciting new members of the Brisbane indie vanguard, Hungry Kids of Hungary.

Around the corner, I Heart Hiroshima are wrapping up the fourth and final installment as part of their month-long residency at Rics in support of their upcoming international touring schedule. This one is set to go off, so if you don't mind being mashed up into the armpit of your fellow punter, squeeze your way in because it will be your last chance to catch IHH for a little while.

Over at the Zoo on Friday, School of Seven Bells are sure to wreak havoc on this town when they bring their trippy acoustic-electronic show to Brisbane. They're playing with Sherlock's Daughter, a virtually unknown band plucked from the obscurity of Sydney's faultering pub scene to play Laneways Festival and who have cropped up again for this tour. Should be a decent gig though you may find yourself turning to the bar to smooth out the boring bits. Shame the Zoo's beer prices are so outrageous.

If you are after something a bit classier, on Saturday Melbourne rockstars The Basics are playing a set to showcase a bunch of tunes including their forthcoming single, "With This Ship" at the Globe. These guys are a bit hit and miss, though armed with a much larger fan base than this time last year and a really strange new music video, The Basics should be a force to be reckoned with in '09... and that's what they said about Wolfmother. lol

The Troubadour will once again welcome back John Steel Singers on Saturday night. If you haven't seen these guys before, be sure to check them out. They play some bitchin' tunes in a similar Brisbane-esque vein to The Go Betweens. They've been playing buckets of impressive support spots and festivals over the past year and a half or so and this will be a good chance to catch them at their intimate best. Blue Carosel is also playing and they tend to kick up a real storm. Well worth the entry price.

On Sunday, Brisbane Greenfest will be hosting its lauch event. The Boat People will be sticking their heads out for this one, as will Bunna Lawrie who is an indigenous fellow who sings songs about whales. Last year's Greenfest was headlined by The Red Paintings. This year can only improve upon that.

All up it should a fun weekend out for the whole family. Check back in here later on in the week when I should have some gig reviews, I might take a look at an album or two and perhaps give you another glimpse into the future that will be the Labour Day long weekend.

For now, here's a couple of Youtube treats:

Doco on Brisbane Bands c.1988