Royal Headache + Wollen Kits

Photos by Dimity. Full set over at Two Point Eight.

I didn't get a chance to record Lowlife and the Warm Feelings as I was pretty all over the place at that part of the night, but they were pretty cool.

But before I start anything, fuck Newtown RSL. I haven't been there since I saw Animal Collective play there years ago, unless that Kiosk + Calvin Johnson show was after that, I forget. But the sound is fucking atrocious, at random points the sound would just totally blow out and either become all high end or get drowned in bass, and at the best of times it was like hearing the bands play through a hand held radio, also I know it's standard RSL fare but trying to tell people that live within 5kms that they need to get a membership is annoying as hell when you have an event such as this going on.

Woollen Kits played just as well as they did the night before, but with pretty poor sound, but less guitar cutting out.


Woollen Kits - Newtown RSL, Sydney, 20/08/2010 - 47mb - 30 minutes

Playing the shortest set of the night in true Royal Headache style, they stepped it up a notch and reminded everyone why they love them so much. No other band in Sydney can get a crowd going like these guys can and it's pretty awesome/fun to see that sort of reaction. It still amuses me how much they hate even the slightest suggestion of playing Honey Joy, despite the fact that song is pure genius.

Royal Headache - Newtown RSL, Sydney, 20/08/2010 - 33mb - 23 minutes

Woollen Kits + Bed Wettin' Bad Boys

Photo by Dimity. Full set available at Two Point Eight.

Bed Wettin' Bad Boys played a set with Shortty (currently of Royal Headache fame) on drums. It's pretty cool that they switched things up but I definitely prefer it as just the 3 of them, it kinda took away from the amateur charm and made it all a bit stale.

Bed Wettin' Bad Boys - Gallery Bar, Sydney, 19/08/2010 - 41mb - 28 minutes

Woollen Kits came up to Sydney for the weekend to play a stack of free shows. The vocals sort of become over powering in the last song so everything else is mixed a bit lower throughout as a result, I might fix it later, but their brand of double-guitar-pop is just beautiful. First time getting to see them live so half the set was new music for it and I dug it all heaps.

Woollen Kits - Gallery Bar, Sydney, 19/08/2010 - 44.7mb - 31 minutes

First ever Absolute Boys show.

Long long ago I got to witness and record Absolute Boys first ever show supporting My Disco, Holy Balm and Royal Headache. The recording was great, and they were great, but this has been unavailable since then. But as of right now I'm allowed to put it back up so everyone can hear, and I cannot recommend it more. Give it a spin. Here's what I said at the time:

"Who are the Absolute Boys? I only found out who they "might" be the night before and this was enough to make me excited, 1 part Eucalpyt, 2 parts Ohana, and the result was fucking awesome. Got about half way through the intro to the first song before realising this was going to be a great band. Pretty sure this was their first show."

Minimalist awesome.

Absolute Boys - Oxford Art Factory, Sydney, 24/09/2009 - 30.54mb - 21 minutes

Golden Staph + Super Wild Horses

I missed all of Golden Staph's shows this weekend because shit was busy as and I'm lazy but they were awesome, regret only seeing them the once but that didn't take away from it at all.

Golden Staph - Repressed Records, Sydney, 25/07/2010 - 29mb - 20 minutes

First impressions from seeing Super Wild Horses back at Flip Out last year left me less than impressed. In fact I hated them, time to admit I was wrong because this was great.

Super Wild Horses - Repressed Records, Sydney, 25/07/2010 - 29mb - 21 minutes

Intentions + Dead China Doll

Intentions rule. Simple as that. It's a bit jumpy at the start and the vocals are blaringly loud.

Intentions - Black Wire to Common Ground, Sydney, 24/07/2010 - 25mb - 17 minutes

Dead China Doll rule. Simple as that. It's a bit jumpy at the end and the drumming is amazing.

Dead China Doll - Black Wire to Common Ground, Sydney, 24/07/2010 - 26mb - 17 minutes

Sally Seltmann - Heart That's Pounding launch

I don't normally go to shows like this, but I was entertained and Sally Seltmann writes a damn fine song. Darren from the Avalanches was on the drums as well. She plays quite a few New Buffalo songs as well, crowd was strange, 30-somethings trying to hold on to their youth through FBi vs. Triple J mouth breathers. The type of crowd that when the performer asks for quiet spends the entire song shushing each other.

Sally Seltmann - Oxford Art Factory, Sydney, 23/07/2010 - 91mb - 1 hour 5 minutes

Naked on the Vague + Southern Comfort

I'm not 100% on what Southern Comfort is. It's just Harriet and Angela yeah with Jack filling in whatevers vacant? Every time I see them he's playing a different instrument. Anyway, pretty cool.

Southern Comfort - Spectrum, Sydney, 23/07/2010 - 40mb - 28 minutes

Naked on the Vague played a sort of stripped down set, a lot less keyboards and pedals and such and lots more guitar, the result was brutal, one of the best sets I've seen them play.

Naked on the Vague - Spectrum, Sydney, 23/07/2010 - 52mb - 36 minutes

Aktion Unit + Alps

Went to the new Dirty Shirlows during the day for a set from Aktion Unit. It's pretty cool the way they've done it up, proper PA, a (wide but shallow) stage and even some lights. Didn't expect it coming in, so I guess that explains why they were closed for that time.

I guess Alps of NSW is just Alps now, but this set was el grande. I missed everyone before he came on though.

Alps - Dirty Shirlows, Sydney, 11/07/2010 - 34mb - 23 minutes

When Aktion Unit started it was some big band mode, there were 8 people on stage but my first impression that it was going to be some very low key ambient affair, but by about half way through everything was building up and by the end it was just an incredible cacophony of sound. A really great set all around. People were employing shit they'd learn from the Dead C the night before.

Aktion Unit - Dirty Shirlows, Sydney, 11/07/2010 - 24mb - 16 minutes

The Dead C for the Biennale

The Dead C played their first show in 7 years in Australia as a free one at the SuperDeluxe Artspace. Spent the whole week pretty excited for this one and it met expectations, I missed the first minute or so because I was playing pool. Everyone seemed pretty stoked about when they started raking their guitars around during the feedback section at the end, I'm glad the sound quality turned out as well as it did because I had pretty low hopes at the time. There are at least 3 other recordings floating around out there if you don't like this one.

The Dead C - SuperDeluxe Artspace, Sydney, 10/07/2010 - 80.6mb - 55 minutes

In Sepia/Nim split launch

Since it was just down the road from Black Wire, why the hell wouldn't I?

Hira Hira played, you know the deal, there's a bit of clipping from my shitty wire that caused problems all weekend. Sing-a-long good times.

Hira Hira - Jura Books, Sydney, 03/07/2010 - 25mb - 17 minutes

Been waiting a while to finally see In Sepia, totally entrancing stuff. They were really really great. One of those bands I realised I had never seen before until they mentioned that it was their first time in Sydney.

In Sepia - Jura Books, Sydney, 03/07/2010 - 44mb - 30 minutes

I had never heard of Nim before and assumed I like them by association. They frikken ruled, really showy stuff, but great, fun post-hardcore in the same vein of Life at These Speeds/Moving Mountains, but from Japan instead. A band I wish I had known of before going in, but what better way to discover them?

Nim - Jura Books, Sydney, 03/07/2010 - 59mb - 36 minutes

And so ends the most incredibubble weekend ever.

Black Wire to Common Ground in-store

So Black Wire is pretty much the new Paint it Black. First time I've been there and it rules. Great room for gigs and they have every Murder City Devils LP for $12! Entirely volunteer ran.

The Fighting League represented Canberra and were basically a shit load of fun. I dunno if I wanna bother describing it, just listen.

The Fighting League - Black Wire to Common Ground, Sydney, 03/07/2010 - 36mb - 25 minutes

I've been pretty obsessed with Assassins 88 tape the past couple of months, but I didn't know what to expect from them live. Just assumed it would be a duo and the bassist would sing, but turns out they both sing, with the drummer doing most of it with a mic (Telephone receiver? Ribbon mic? Same thing? Neither?) duct taped into his mouth. Live gave me mad Lightning Bolt vibes, without sounding like them at all. Just loud as shit pop music with crazy drumming.

Assassins 88 - Black Wire to Common Ground, Sydney, 03/07/2010 - 27mb - 19 minutes

Bitch Prefect again. Awesome again. What a band. Come back soon.

Bitch Prefect - Black Wire to Common Ground, Sydney, 03/07/2010 - 51.5mb - 37 minutes

Naked on the Vagues - Heaps of Nothing album launch

A friend reminded me before their set that I once said that Holy Balm flip flopped between being "Eh" and the best band in the world. I retract that statement now, they're consistently amazing. Another great set.

Holy Balm - Excelsior Hotel, Sydney, 02/07/2010 - 40mb - 27 minutes

Just the same as everyone else, after hearing Kitchen's Floor do Bad Decisions and deciding that it's pretty much the best song ever, I had to see Bitch Prefect. They are great not a single bad song all set, just really great pop music, me and everyone I've hung around in the days since have just been singing along to basically any song from this set.

Bitch Prefect - Excelsior Hotel, Sydney, 02/07/2010 - 46mb - 31 minutes

First chance I've had to see Naked on the Vague since releasing the best album ever. They ruled, had never heard Blank Minds live before, but the whole place basically turned into a metal gig when that was dropped, just heavy as hell. Band were at the top of their game at this show, a flooring set. Just the worlds darkest music with genius pop melodies is all.

Setlist
These Days
Mysterious Oven
New Song
The Joke
Wrong Room
Sacred Youth
Treading Water
Black Lettuce
Blank Minds

Naked on the Vague - Excelsior Hotel, Sydney, 02/07/2010 - 62mb - 43 minutes

Dualplover End of Financial Year Party

Don't know how, but Lucas Abela managed to get Sydney's music scene to go to Home Nightclub. That was an odd experience.

I got there about 9pm, and now that the line up was basically nothing like it was originally planned, I don't know who the first couple of bands I saw were, I'm assuming I missed Godswounds, but the first I recognised were Crab Smasher, one of those bands that are awesome and on every line up, but I keep managing to miss. Was a good way to start the night, there's a short conversation I have towards the start of it, sorry about that, also I can't remember how much of the first song I missed, my gear has been fucking up recently, and I know exactly how to fix it, I just don't have the money.

Crab Smasher - Home, Sydney, 30/06/2010 - 23mb - 17 minutes

Drunk Elk played next I think, I've completely forgotten the order, and were a bit of a downer and didn't quite suite the night, but were still great. There's about 5 minutes I cut out in the middle of them just tuning their instruments.

Drunk Elk - Home, Sydney, 30/06/2010 - 28mb - 19 minutes

10 minutes of Rice Corpse next, don't know why so short, guess Lucas had better shit to do that night. Still mad regrets not taping them at Auralted States, probably the best I've seen them played, also the longest.

Rice Corpse - Home, Sydney, 30/06/2010 - 13mb - 9 minutes

Then in true Dualplover style it turned into some fucking weird rave-core rave for about an hour and a half and everyone acted like a bunch of fucking weirdos, after counting down to the new financial year. It was awesome.

I had been quite excited to see Horse MacGyver, (Probably better known as ///▲▲▲\\\, fucken #\\/\\/|†©|•| |•|▲µ§, too far? Too far.) so I was a bit shitty that he played a short set, and some cunt spent the entire set throwing shit at him, but when he got into the flow of things it was really fucking good, but by all accounts his set at Serial Space the night before was just mind blowing. Because I decided to consider that I was seeing him tonight and skip out on that show to go to my usual Tuesday Night Trivia at the Clare. I'm dumb.

Horse MacGyver - Home, Sydney, 30/06/2010 - 24mb - 17 minutes

I saw Teen Ax once before when they were Liz Hurly, and was really impressed, they were still really good but it occurred to me that night that the drummer is just fucking appalling, even playing shit as simple as this and everything about it is so weak. Here, have the potential award.

Teen Ax - Home, Sydney, 30/06/2010 - 20mb - 14 minutes

Whores rule. Whores fucking rules.

Whores - Home, Sydney, 30/06/2010 - 25mb - 18 minutes

Oren Ambarchi for the Bienalle

Yeah I don't really consider going to the eastern suburbs for a gig a good time, but Oren Ambarchi blissed everyone and their free noodles the fuck out. I don't know how long Oren Ambarchi gigs normally go for but 25mins leaves me wanting a lot more.

Oren Ambarchi - SuperDeluxe Artspace, Sydney, 26/06/2010 - 33mb - 25 minutes

Graf Orlock/Dangers House show

Yeah I went to a house show and took my recording gear, nerd alert.

Nice Guys opened up proceedings at the neighbourhood friendly time of 1pm, I only ever seen these guys one other time at their first show, and got damn they've improved. They got really good really fast. Eager to see them again after this.

Nice Guys - House Show, Sydney, 26/06/2010 - 29mb - 20 minutes

Dangers were up next, and my impression was that the vocalist was trying to murder the crowd, he at one staged jammed me into a fireplace. Pretty darn good set but there were times where the vocals verged into the yelping territory, but the rest of the time they were really solid.

Dangers - House Show, Sydney, 26/06/2010 - 40mb - 28 minutes

Graf Orlock last. It's not every day you attend a gig where everyone shouts along to movie quotes, but these guys really brought it. The mics clip a whole heap when shit gets rough but I managed to get a good sound out of it, sounds a bit fucked up as well when a few guys and I tried to jam him through the bannister. Classic ending of doing a cover of the Jurassic Park theme while crowd surfing through the room, through the kitchen and out into the backyard.

Graf Orlock - House Show, Sydney, 26/06/2010 - 35mb - 25 minutes

Crow album launch

So this was pretty cool, never had a chance to see Crow before, though they mostly played new songs, they were done alright, but the older material was amazing and refreshing to hear. The PA system in the venue sucked balls and there were tech problems galore. Notes is a Vanguard-esque venue, which means it sucks. Also middle-aged drunk people. Can't get enough of them.

Crow - Notes, Sydney, 04/06/2010 - 120mb - 1 hour 22 minutes

VIVD Festival: The King Khan & BBQ Show

This show, quite simply, was weird.

It started off good enough, with King Khan walking off stage, out the fire exit and up onto the balcony where Lou Reed was seated to try and play a guitar solo, unfortunately the guitar dropped out and it was left up to Mark Sultan to fill the gap. From there on the show was up and down. Great parts included the music, Mark Sultan, getting everyone to throw a rubber snake around, and feeding everyone, the weird parts were King Khan being a general douche, being incredibly racist and getting the person he was being racist towards to dance for him still, cracking the shits with people in the crowd, kicking a dude in the fucking face, and desperate chicks getting up on stage being desperate.

It was easy to tell what was part of the King Khan and BBQ Show and what wasn't, seemed to me like King Khan was just trying to hard to impress Lou Reed, who greeted him mostly with his heroin face.

So yeah, The King Khan and BBQ Show ended after this show, and King Khan was banned from the Opera House. They are no more. Read King Khan's side of the story here, though he quite obviously left a lot out, what was written there wouldn't have caused Mark Sultan to break up the band, but it's all very sad, they were great together.

The King Khan & BBQ Show - Opera House Studio, Sydney, 03/06/2010 - 99mb - 1 hour 8 minutes

VIVID Festival: Melt-Banana

This was awesome.

The set starts out with 15/20 minutes of the Yasuko Onuki & Ichirou Agata collaboration that was shown at Noise Night, once again in complete darkness with nothing but head torches, before the rest of the band joined them for an hours worth of awesome Melt-Banana material. Yasuko has the craziest eyes ever when she's not being adorable and Ichirou is still blowing my mind as a guitarist. Encore includes them covering the Specials covering Monkey Man.

Not that any one that has any say in this will read this, but I really think the Opera House should have gigs in the Studio like this more often, and not just for international bands/established Australian acts. The sound is amazing and it's got a good vibe, plus the novelty of being the god damn Opera House.

Setlist - Thanks to Wiebke's awesome Melt-Banana live archive.
Phantasmagoria
T for Tone
Slide Down
One Drop, One life
Lock the Head
In Store
Cat and the Blood
Dog Song
Dig a Pit
Chain Keeper
Shield for Your Eyes, a Beast in the Well on Your Hand
RRAGG
Spider Snipe
Heiwaboke Crisis
Cat Brain Land
Too Rough to Scoop
The Call of the Vague
Loop Nebula
Leeching
Circle-Jack (Chase the Magic Words, Lego Lego)
A Hunter in the Rain to Cut the Neck Up in the Present Stage
Pain in Ash
Cracked Plaster Cast
Green Eyed Devil
A Dreamer who is too Weak to Face Up to
Lost Parts Stinging Me So Cold
Blank Page of the Blind
Encore
Monkey Man
Spathic!!
Encore
Scratch or Stitch!

Melt-Banana - Opera House Studio, Sydney, 02/06/2010 - 113mb - 1 hour 14 minutes

VIVID Festival: Lou Reed's Metal Machine Trio

Don't know how I feel on this one. It wasn't quite as expected, I was hoping for a massive wall of feedback and noise with the associated feeling of discomfort through the whole thing, but it ended up being kinda pleasant. There were some very enthralling structured bits, but the improv used to link it all up was pretty sketchy at times. Lou Reed is looking pretty haggered these days, and he sorta just sits on his throne and orders his minions around to do the leg work for him, but overall this was very much worth it.

Lou Reed's Metal Machine Trio - Opera House Theatre, Sydney, 30/05/2010 - 127.45mb - 1 hour 29 minutes

VIVID Festival: Boris

Simply floored. Amazing show. If not for Dirty Three, Boris would be the best thing I've seen all year. Opening song is amazing, closing song is even better, they did a bit of everything, a really varied night. Struggling to find the words, a must listen. The atmosphere in the room was great, the light show was stunning, though it wasn't as loud as expected, but that's hardly a bad point.

Can't wait to see them again on Monday, wish I was going tonight.

Setlist
Farewell
Rainbow
8
Message/Statement
Floorshaker
A Bao a Qu
16:47:52...
Akirame Flower
Pink
Korusu
1970
You Were Holding an Umbrella
[ ]/Untitled

Boris - Opera House Studio, Sydney, 28/05/2010 - 128.5mb - 1 hour 28 minutes