Perth

Vampire Weekend @ Metro City.

To take the Camera or not to, this is always the question when you’re not a “professional” photographer as there is always meat head bouncers trying to take it off you as if it’s a detonator to a bomb ... so I took it. For the Perth dwellers reading you would be familiar with Metros City’s past history of stabbings, shootings and the overall gangster vibe that it has developed. So with the assistance of my mate Larry I managed to smuggle my 7D past 3 points of security and a metal detector ... Josh for the win! In terms of atmosphere there is nothing too amazing about having to march through so much security, I literally felt like some one was going to “bust a cap’, however, we were going to see Vampire Weekend, so that alone managed to wash the slightly sour taste out of my mouth.

It’s very rare that you think the support act is going to out-do the main band. For the first time I thought this was so. Until tonight I was only familiar with Cloud Control’s single The Gold Canary, which I loved, but it was one of those songs on the radio where the band’s name always eludes you. With personal favourites being Death Cloud and Intro, the harmonies of this band are next to none. Cloud Control are a must see before they are famous and ticket prices are too high. They are on tour now, so get to it!.

After having fairly high expectations from watching Cloud Control, and from their album Contra, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Vampire Weekend. Larry and I were discussing in the intermission whether the lead singer Ezra Koenig could in fact sing that fast in Californian English or can if he hit those high notes - the answer is yes, to both of those. The vocal range of Ezra is phenomenal and I would argue that he has the best voice in the business. It was refreshing to see a band that was full of individuals and not all blend into the same familiar indie outfit that most bands manage to find them selves wearing. Everyone in the band had their own thing going on and they all had the ability to draw in the view, making it a very multi-layered set and the icing on the cake would have had to be the insanely large back-drop of the Contra album cover. It was large! To put it in perspective the drummer’s head was as big as her pupil! This was easily the best gig I have attended to date and I’m still listening to the album flat out two weeks down the track in an attempt to travel back to that amazing gig.

Until next time,

Josh.

Perth

Spoon @ the Astor.

It’s amazing how much impact a venue can have on the overall impact and atmosphere of a gig. On Friday the May 14, I dusted off the ol’ leather jacket on a chilly night and went and witnessed two amazing sets; Spoon, supported by The Leap Year at Astor theatre. This venue is quickly becoming one of my favourite venues Perth has to offer, everything from the old school neon sign, to the classy service. The detailing of the stage itself is really amazing - it almost makes you feel like you are in some kind of a time warp. maybe a back to the future style where you could have easily been dancing next to your mum who is about to tune your dad. (yuck, no one wants to think of that.)

The very modest support act The Leap Year once again had the intimidating task of being the entrée for a very anticipated main meal. With very chilled out tunes and vocals to warm the crowed, everyone stayed mostly seated apart from those who wanted a prize spot for Spoon.

With rough sanded harmonies and an almost geometric (= pertaining to geometry, decorated with regular lines and shapes) the lead singer Britt Daniels spread his infectious groove amongst the music lovers. Blessing us with both new and old tracks, everyone was very satisfied and not wanting dessert. It’s always so impressing when a band pushes past your expectations of their album and nails it on the night

Until next time,

Josh.

Van City

My first gig at the famous Commodore Ballroom in downtown Vancouver is going to be very difficult to top. This venue was built about 80 years ago (so I was told) and the dancefloor is built upon old tyres, which i will get to later.

After being served a couple of local beers (table service is awesome), the lights dimmed and the support band rolled out. The support act were called Freelance Whales and reside in NYC. They had a cool Arcade Fire thing going on with five band members including a chick. Some note worthy aspects of the performance were the guitarist playing the electric axe with a bow from a violin and an old box accordion which looked somewhat space-agey (is that weird?). These young guys put in quite an effort and their final song which is called 'Generation^2nd floor' garnered the biggest response and was quite a catchy little number.

After a small interval The Shout Out Louds made their way to stage, and boy did they look Scandinavian.... everyone was tall and bearded and mostly blonde, bar the lead singer.

They busted out new single '1999' first off which along with almost all the other tracks on the new album 'Work' has a mental keyboard riff in it.

There was something very professional about the delivery by The Shout Out Louds... i guess after releasing their third album they have the live performance skill down. Next up was 'Fall Hard' which is another new track and had the chick in the band called Bebban providing some nice backing vocals (which she did awesomely throughout the set).


As the Shout Out Louds proceeded through tracks like 'Fall Hard' , 'Play Game', 'Normandie', 'Throwing Stones' and 'Moon' everyone was definitely in a jumping mood. As mentioned earlier the dancefloor of the Commodore has a very 'spring-y' feel to it, which helped immensely with the next two tracks. Next up was 'The Comeback' which is not only my favourite Shout Out Louds song but it seemed almost the entire crowd's. This is the lead track from their first album and was an absolute blinder! i dont think ive jumped so much since Florence and the Machine!!


The next track 'Very Loud' was another crowd favourite, made famous by being featured on the Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist soundtrack. The real highlight of the night was during 'Tonight I have to leave it' where it seemed that the lead singer was sick of singing by himself so he pulled a couple of chicks up from the crowd which opened a floodgate. About 10 chicks and a dude proceeded to get on stage and help Shout Out Louds sing this belter, and one guy even got his hands on some drunk sticks and was playing in tune with the song.

The set winded down with the tracks 'Show Me Something New', and 'Impossible' which had the lead singer actually forgetting an entire verse of the song! no matter, this song featured this cool double sided cow bell-type instrument which the lead singer was banging furiously during the song. The Shout Out Louds made their exit from the stage pretty much to give everyone abit of a breather. They came back out after a couple of minutes and slowly built up into a single of their new album called 'Walls'. What made this song special and really what capped off an amazing set was during a guitar solo half way through the song, they started playing a cover of 'Walk Like an Egyptian' by The Bangles which got a massive cheer from the crowd.

The song finally ended along with the set, and The Shout Out Louds received a well deserved applause. Overall it was a fantastic and well groomed set, put simply The Shout Out Louds didn't really put a foot wrong. I'm seriously looking forward to see Broken Bells in about 10 days which is also at the Commodore Ballroom, and also kicks off a series of 6 gigs in 7 days which should be epic!!!!

Walls (walk like an egyptain)

Perth.

The night of the 8 of May started with a bang. As I headed off, bound for Capitol to watch Blue Juice (supported by The holidays and Boys Boys Boys!), after walking through a domestic between a couple at Perth Train station and passing a young lass already teary at the early hours of 7:30pm in the amps ally way, It became apparent that it was going to be an eventful night... how right I was.

After finishing my bucket of chip’s I proceeded to head inside only to be stopped by a bouncer who brazenly informed me that I was not able to take photos in the venue unless I was a professional, shooting for a magazine or any other publication. After taking a quick breath I informed the man on the door that I was in fact a ‘professional’ (what constitutes a professional in photography I’m not entirely sure) and that I was Shooting for BBB! specifically (which I wasn’t) and Yes I was on the Door, I then grinned, turned and headed inside. My smooth coated victory was sanded back by the acrylic nails of the door girl as I was asked to place my finger on the ‘mark’ (of a big box atm looking thing) and a stranger coldly replying “Thanks Joshua have a good night.”. It felt as violating as some one slapping on a glove and put a cold finger up my arse and grinning as they did it. So with clenched cheeks I walked through to the stage.

As I pushed the doors open a blast of electro pop and smooth harmonies from BBB took over my ears and they where no longer mine for the rest of the set. Always providing an energy packed show with cute smile to boot for the few people that rocked up early, they defiantly got their moneys worth. Bridget, Jerico and Nelly unfazed by the empty dance floor continued to swap instruments and positions keeping the set moving and the people involved with great banter back and forth made them an absolute joy to bop to, and for all you in Perth who sit around banning on that Perth music scene in lame, you wont speak such blasphemy once seeing BBB! at one of your local venues.

Next up was a Sydney based band The holidays. Living the Clichéd life of rock stars with torn jeans and dishevelled hair and to cool for school introduction played to a slightly bigger audience. Once the sound was ironed out my little 4OOD could rest easy as it no longer felt it was going to rattle apart from pitchy vibrations. Once they got into the set the boys had the crowd moving and faces smiling especially the loyal group of presumably under age groupies who did there best to get laid by the band but to no avail, especially for the young lass who got carted out at 9:00 and the other who passed out on the speakers after the set.

As I waited with amber my trusty sidekick I couldn’t help but notice firstly the groupie from before passed out on the couch in a compromising position also the very eclectic crowd that blue juice had pulled. The room was now filled with all shapes and sizes from annoying teen’s, a middle aged man with a disgusting mullet to the late 20’s/30’s, after what seemed to be a short interval the boys who we had been waiting for were on stage, with the Crowd already going nuts the room was loose with excitement, with a quick hello and tour stories involving police, hospitals and indecent exposure the set was under way. Mixing aggression, pop/electro and a bit of rock, Blue Juice provided an energy that can be received by many, no one was scared to get their feet moving, with all the favourites Vitriol, Broken leg and (Aint telling the truth) and my personal Favourite Head of the Hawk it was smiles all round from the crowed. Whilst the tempo of the gig kept it’s momentum of the restraint of the crowed and the cloths of the band did not, with one comes all and in a beat of the drum the mosh was spilling out on the very slippery stage. This moment was short live with a brash and sassy bouncer slamming people off the stage sending girls in heels scooting across the stage like a giraffe’s on skates and guys head over heels off the stage backwards and upside down, with antics continued through out the set including Stav getting his arse eaten out through the bum of his jeans by Jake, it was a well rounded set. After bumping into the lovely Bridget from BBB! I managed to get back stage and snap a photo of the guys from Blue Juice. Easily my favourite music moment to date. Bridget I am forever in your debt.All in all it was an amazing three sets full of excitement laughs and ridiculous antics.

What more could you want on a Saturday night in Perth.

J o s h .

Van City

James Murphy.... how can you do this to us....? what kind of sick pleasure do you get from dropping one of the best dance albums of the century on our laps, followed by the words "....last album by lcd soundsystem".

James Murphy is either a troubled genius or he is simply doing what sports stars never seem to achieve, and that is to go out at their peak. After the early success of the self titled album, followed by 2007's masterpiece Sound of Silver which spawned such top 10 tracks as 'Someone Great' and 'All My Friends', and the underrated 'New York, I Love You But Your Bringing Me Down', it must have seemed like mission-impossible for Murphy to go back and come up with a collection of new and fresh tracks.

The collection Murphy came up with (9 tracks at a total album length of just short of an hour) is nothing short of incredible. The album kicks off with a 9min aptly titled Dance yourself clean. If your not dancing, or atleast showing some form of bopping, then you have serious groove issues. The track is like an onion, built upon layers which Murphy slowly releases to you over the 9 minutes, although the real magic starts around the 3 minute mark when the synth sample board makes an entrance accompanied by Murphy's (very impressive) attempt at actually singing for once.

The next track is the radio-friendly 'Drunk Girls' which is the only track on the album shorter then 5.5 mins. Nonetheless its a party hit describing the activities of both drunk girls and boys. If you have a spare moment check out the video clip for that song, if features crazy pandas causing mayhem in a sound studio. The next track is the sexually-driven 'One Touch' which again has Murphy at the sample board, this track though does deliver some incredible metallic sounds. Listen for the 'metallic acoustic' at the end and you'll realise that ordered chaos can sound really cool.

'All I Want' has Murphy back on the mic, with a killer guitar riff as a backing. The signature sound in this song though is the electronic-beeps that begin half way through and progressively get louder and screechier as if signify that in all Murphy's manipulation of sound boards and computers, the sound still has a mind of its own. Next is 'I Can Change' which is the stand out track on the record. That statement alone should reflect the majesty of this song. The backing bass sound is just cool by definition of this song, although its repeated throughout the entire song, you'll be humming along with the beat in no time. Its evolution into a sci-fi-esqe beat in each chorus delivers an 'out-this-world-feel' to the track. Lastly the track is sung with some fantastic lyrics which seems to have Murphy drawing on some past pains... "love is a murderer......love is murderer, but if she calls you tonight everything will be alright".

The next track could have been split in two with the first 3 mins of 'You Wanted A Hit' acting more like an electronica transition between this and 'I Can Change'. When the track actually gets going it feels like a LCD classic with Murphy singing in syllables perfectly in synchronization with the backing beat. A really funked out 'guitar-radio dials' type riff busts out which seems out-of-place but then-again you couldn't imagine the song without. The song winds down with the exact same electronica sound that it started with as if to show the start and end of some fable.

'Pow Pow' is similar to 'Drunk Girls' in that if you're not dancing after 30 seconds there is something seriously wrong with the dance cortex in your brain. 'Somebodys Calling Me' has Murphy playing with a tricked out accordion in what is quite a dark track by comparison to it's predecessor. The final track (on the final LCD Soundsystem album.......) is titled 'Home'. I can't possibly think of a better name for the final track. The almost farewell-type feel to this track is quite melancholy, the backing beat is a mixture of of what sounds like a child's xylophone with a mean drum set. The track describes Murphy's journey into what he calls 'home', with lyrics such as 'if you're afraid of what you need....look around you, you're surrounded.....it won't get any better....until the night'.

No one review or blog can truly reflect, summarise, dissect, or evaluate LCD Soundsystem's last and greatest album. You need to listen to it from start to finish, have a breather, and hit play again, because like any truly great album, it isn't the individual tracks that make this album great, it is every moment of the 60-odd minute album, following on from another moment, and you guessed it, followed by another. All I can say is I haven't been this excited by an event since i was a kid at christmas time. May 31 can not get here any slower.

Van City

Man, vancouver is the shit. After work each day I walk around the neighbourhood called Gastown, which I now realise is like the king st of Vancouver. I bought another pair of nudies today, they cost a bit of change, but i want to start wearing jeans to work so thats how i'll justify it. See the photo to the right :) I went to go see The Antlers last night so I'll get the Vanthreviews rolling:

After sussing out which bus i had to take through the dodgy east vancouver, i was on my way to the biltmore caberet, which is an old (but apparently still in operation) burlesque house. Anyway, i walk in and the first song on the sound system is coin laundry - lisa mitchell, i thought to myself... i like this.

After downing a few $3 beers the support band hit the stage, these guys out of NY were called Phantogram. Wow were they good. Picture crystal castles with no drugs and with a sexy front chick. This boy-girl duo had all the charm of she & him, but cranked it a few notches higher. Hit up Mouthful of diamonds on their myspace. cool cool stuff.

After those guys i got to experience an automatic papar towel dispenser in the bathroom which i thought was abit unecessary. Came back just as The Antlers hit the stage. Quick background, most recent album is called hospice, it was written about a guy who loses a loved one to cancer. so yeah pretty intense.

Sum up the antlers in a few words; soft, powerful, surprisingly catchy.

After powering through a few of the notable tracks on the album kettering, and atrophy the set picked up abit, in line with the tempo of the album, tracks like sylvia and thirteen made the band transform from acoustic pop to garage grunge. The set then delivered the two best tracks back to back being shiva and bear, the latter is a killer, will have even old ladies jumping around. The antlers eventually went off stage to which i asked the nearest chick... "do canadian bands play encores...?", she looked at me like i was mental.

straight after the awkwardness settled down the antlers came back on stage to play a 10min version of wake which is like kettering: part 2. at the end of the set i was thoroughly impressed which the vibe of the crowd, the price of the beer and of course, the performance of the band. overall it was a great start to what should be a busy summer of gigs.

And so it begins.

Welcome to VANTHreviews,

Brought to you by Josh (Perth, Australia) and Jared (Vancouver, Canada) VANTHreviews will bring you reviews of both local and international music act's touching down in there respective cities as well as featuring an album of the week. For all you juicy music reviews stay tuned.

Regards

the guys at VR.