Grinspoon - 'Chemical Heart Tour', Sydney November 2 2019

WELCOME TO CHEMISTRY 101!

Welcome to Chemistry 101 with your Champion teachers, Grinspoon. Seriously, I sucked at chemistry in school, like, to the point I honestly can’t remember doing it… wait, chemistry is what gives Black Rabbits their colour, and what makes Dogs Run right? Yet somehow, here I am, a somewhat teachers-aid, helping Grinspoon take you through all the Thrills, Kills & Sunday Pills on their ‘Chemical Heart’ tour Tonight, which is sure to be Just Ace and a sure Hard Act To Follow!

Right Now, I have No Reason to keep on like this, so Ready 1, 2, 3 class is commencing now!...

For a change in perspective, and to rest my aching twenty-five year-old bones, I’ve opted to see what it’s like witnessing a Grinspoon gig from a seat near the mixing tower, via high-power binoculars. Especially too, as if you read my review of Grinspoon’s Newcastle gig in 2017, well, the crowd was brutal and got me a tad riled up, (come on, who tries snatching the drumstick that one of the band members hands to me out of my grasp?!), and that was a small venue… the Hordern Pavilion is not!

What I love about the Hordern, is the lighting and stage effects are always a real treat! What, a blind person can’t enjoy the aesthetics too? Well, a rush of electrifying lights and stage effects propels the energy sky-high for the band to catch, squeeze and thrash around in ‘DC X 3’ which is seamlessly flowed into ‘Lost Control’ and after barely enough time for the crowd to lose control with applause, straight into ‘Sickfest’ and then still no rest for the wicked, straight into ‘Just Ace’.

What does over twenty years of experience as Aussie rock ‘n’ roll professors (the band) provide one with? Well for starters, the band sure know how to conduct the energy and toy with it perfectly, manipulating the mood in the venue like a science experiment gone oh-so right! Honestly, I’m not a fan of ‘DC X 3’ much, simply because I’m a crazy cat guy, but that aside, Phil’s voice capturing both punk rebellion and gruff agro bite to call on, mixed with edgy guitar riffs and driving drum strikes lands the crowd right in the palm of their hands by the looks of things. (A sea of fists, and sporadic energy from the crowd, in response to the mass-movement on stage to a backdrop of fiery lighting). This aggression-filled rebellious track sends a chemical rush of savage pent-up aggression, met with excitement throughout the venue, it’s like a steroid/ecstacy hybrid! ...Please don’t try that at home… or anywhere for that matter!

‘Lost Control’ is a perfect follow-up to ‘DC X 3’ because, literally, the crowd have already lost control like they’ve submitted to a potent chemical… actually for all I know that could be the case? But seriously, this song keeps the hard-hitting rock brutality at 11, whilst presenting a more anthemic chorus to chew on and regurgitate simultaneously, with a fist pumping like the pumping motion will push it out of you! (that image? You’re welcome!).

‘Sickfest’ keeps the energy elevated, while giving a morphing beat drive like the most epic acid-trip ever, (that is what we learnt in chemistry right?), transforming from a whip-lash intro beat, to a dance-provoking strut in the verses and finally a sexy swagger in the chorus to Phil’s rough vocal bite. 

‘Just Ace’ is a rush of contrasting intense energy, it’s brighter, more uplifting, more up-beat. This is one of those short, sweet bangers that you’re glad doesn’t go for longer, or you’d probably faint from busting out the energy it invokes, well, that is if your fitness level resembles that of mine anyway. It’s a smart move putting this song after the previous three slammers, to keep the energy nice and high, but acknowledging the aggression in the previous songs’ energy, it gives a refreshing cool positive breeze, so not to start a full-blown brawl/riot!

Honestly, I could keep going on and on like this, but we’d still be here reading tomorrow evening. But the reason I went into a comprehensive assessment of these first four songs is that it perfectly paints the picture for the show! 

The energy is high all the way through the set, however the band conduct the precise reactions intended perfectly, dropping anthemic hook sing-alongs like my personal favourite ‘Hard Act To Follow’, plus instigating melodic sing-alongs with the crowd, all amidst a smokescreen of white-hot intensity. Then later in the set after everyone’s drenched in sweat, a refreshing solemn-hearted self-reflective track like ‘Better Off Alone’ which poetically is like that moment when you stop and really take stock of your thoughts and feelings. Plus to reel back in any drifting attention that may have gone astray, Phil pops-up at a small secondary stage behind the mosh pit for an acoustic solo track, which helps remind people other than in the thick of the mosh, that they’re a part of this moment too. 

But acoustic tracks and deep self analytical tracks are no way to end a rock show right? Despite this being the ‘Chemical Heart’ tour and said song being arguably the band’s greatest hit, it’s not a suitable grand finale, it’s an amazing track yes, but it lacks that spark to finish a set with. So ‘Chemical Heart’ is in the encore yes, but only before the band thank us from the bottom of their hearts and finish with ‘Champion’ and ‘More Than You Are’. Both these two last tracks restore any and all energy the show once had, with the psych-up egging-on fire in ‘Champion’ which is like a red flag to a bull, and the extreme thrashing brutality with Phil belting out raspy edge in both tracks! 

After all this, being seated I’m rather thankful I dodged the onslaught of crowd-surfers and just insane energy emanating from the mosh, it really let me enjoy the sound mixers handy-work with the set to its fullest, I mean it was just ace!

Right, time for grading;

Flow of songs/energy. A+

Interaction with crowd. B

Sound mix. A+ 

Band performance (solo’s, instrumentation, accuracy etc). A

All in all. One bloody good show!!!

DZ Deathrays 'Positive Rising; Part 1' album tour - Manning Bar Sydney, October 19 2019

MANNING BAR WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN

The night’s calm is broken, I’m pretty sure those in Melbourne can hear the cries and the tidal-wave of sonic energy, the earth shakes and Manning Bar is never the same again.

8:20pm.

A young blind journalist (me), is met with a steadily growing venue, with eager punters joining him at the front barrier. The spunky all-girl Sydney four piece punk-rock band The Buoys emerge to tame the night first up, to rowdy cheers from an obvious friend/fan or two.

These gals have attitude! Their sound is instantly alluring despite Hillary’s vocals being swallowed by the gritty guitar dominated mix. A few songs in, and after some seemingly shy talk from Hillary, more energy bursts free and gives the band’s performance a bit of edge. When the band close their set, enthusiastic cheers erupted from the still growing crowd, but of course fronted by the band’s friend/fan, who when our blind journalist asks the lovely lady “was that VOIID?”, thinking The Buoys sound does resemble that of VOIID’s and seeing as he’d never actually checked out The Buoys before, the girl retorts “uh-no! That was The Buoys!” as if how dare he not know, like we’d just seen Stevie Nicks.

9:00pm.

The venue is reaching its peak capacity, with the strong odour of alcohol hanging over the crowd like fog. Also all-girl band VOIID tries their luck taming the emerging beast of rowdiness and intoxication in the venue.

Like The Buoys before them, the sound mix is gritty, rough and guitar dominated, smearing the vocals. However, whereas The Buoys’ Hillary seemed a little shy, VOIID lead singer Anji fits the band’s skate-punk/garage-rock vibe perfectly! If The Buoys have attitude, than you better back the hell up now! I mean that literally, because VOIID’s feisty, edgy guitar shreds and infectious vocal hooks that aren’t completely swallowed by the sound mix, riles the crowd right up with Anji jumping around the stage nimbly like a monkey conductor. The crowd literally act like monkeys, the blind journalist is slammed against the barrier, with a sugary scented beverage, or what was left of it, now drenching his upper shirt. Snapping around, he’s met with a large group of men pushing, punching and egging on others. And seriously, what a waste of a drink?

10:00pm.

It sounds as if the venue is at maximum capacity, but there’s still room to dance on the dancefloor to our journalists appreciation, as the draw card that really enticed him to come along to this show is up now. To put this simply, Polish Club are practically impossible not to dance to! If you read the review of their headline show at The Entrance Leagues Club in June, you’ll remember I was having so much fun dancing to the feel-good soul/rock vibes that I abandoned the note taking, as they were really cramping my style!

Tonight is no different, lead singer Novalk dishes out some engaging banter to tame the monkeys in the crowd perfectly and keep everyone dancing, and even jumps off the stage to hug a girl and lean back against me, almost with Novalks head on my chest, while playing the guitar to spark the energy that little bit more. And to harness the good-vibes even more, the sound mix seems to be perfectly tailored to Polish Club’s sound!

Polish Club, making even a blind journalist who sucks at dancing hot and sweaty and needing a hit of sugar!

11:00pm.

No rest for the wicked, and my perspiration is made worse with any and all space I once had being filled with excited punters ready for DZ Deathrays. The night’s calm is broken, I’m pretty sure those in Melbourne can hear the cries and the tidal-wave of sonic energy, the earth shakes and Manning Bar is never the same again. The band’s first song might be eerie and somewhat anticlimactic, but from the second song onwards, a surge of white-hot energy erupts from the stage. 

The sound would be perfect, if not for the entire audience singing along and cheering constantly, but I honestly can’t blame them. The band have a raw natural energy to their music, which they demonstrate perfectly on-stage both musically and in charisma. I could go on and on about each song, but really these guys aren’t mucking around and mean business! A part of what makes this show so epic, I think, are the band’s before DZ Deathrays. Sure, a good support band helps the overall experience of a concert, but the line-up tonight was perfectly suited to build the energy in the venue to explosive heights. Another thing, is this has to be the best lighting display I’ve ever witnessed at this venue! I know, I know, it’s supposed to be about the music, but this is just a complementing cherry on top of this decadent rock sundae! How can a blind person see the lights you ask? Well, this is a mystery novel remember...

You know the band’s done a really good or really bad job when it takes you two days to get over their gig, and I have no doubt, after that onslaught of glorious energy.

It really is no mystery why Manning Bar will never be the same again...

Sannia 'Better' & 'Daylight' Twin Single Launch, Sydney 14/09/2019

THIS WAS NEVER MEANt TO BE

First and foremost, this review was never meant to be, but here we are.

Let me set the scene for you, it’s 11pm and Sannia, a talented young singer/songwriter all the way from the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria’s south, has been Travelling up to Sydney since 5am to put on a free show at a venue seldom spoken of, and never heard of by myself prior to the launch of her twin singles ‘Better’ and ‘Daylight’. 

Driving since 5am, small mysterious venue, sounds like a recipe for disaster..

“My sister calls it an ear-worm, it burrows in and gets stuck in your head”. That’s what Sannia said about her single ‘Better’ when I interviewed her recently, (Listen to the podcast here) so when she opens her set with the song, we, the audience, all have worms.

I was quite surprised that Sannia chose this to be her opening song as it’s definitely an infectious stand-out sensation of rich aural vibrancy, so it’s rather risky dishing out a trump-card/climactic song straight-up. Let me put it this way, you don’t show your hand too soon in poker right? You milk it, win as much as possible before hitting them with the royal-flush … but that’s exactly what makes this song the perfect initiation!

You may recall earlier this year my review of the CHVRCHES concert at the Sydney Opera House, in which I took you through my literally colourful musical perspective Synesthesia? Well tonight, Sannia starting her set with ‘Better’ is like being splashed in the face with a flurry of gorgeous, rich, vibrant red, orange and pink paint! Let me tell you, being splashed in the face with paint sure as hell brings you out of the mellow, lax 3-drink state! (don’t worry, I won’t be driving home with alcohol in my system, I’m not irresponsible!).

Now one’s performance can be perfect, but if the sound quality is poor, it’s like trying to polish a… and being a small, lesser used venue, my expectations weren’t high as far as the sound quality on the venues part. You know when a mate tells you “ah yeah, the new Avengers movie was alright” then you watch it and it blows your mind as your expectations weren’t unrealistically high? Well that’s EXACTLY the case tonight! A complementive minimal amplificated sound atop non-amplified drums is set just right and is pure, crisp, crystal-clear, resonating Sannia’s vocals naturally and simply perfectly through the rather classy intimate venue!

Right right, back to Sannia’s actual performance. As I said, this review was never meant to be, it was simply a nice night out to enjoy some music from a talented and all-in-all lovely artist, enjoying a drink or two with no requirements of a review. But oh… my… GOSH! 

I feel terrible that this show was free as this kind of musical and performance calibre is that of artists I’m used to packing out much, much larger venue and requiring a decent admission fee! I knew Sannia has a great voice and her three released singles all convey exquisite aural flavours and both vocal and musical diversity, but I know I know, I’m really laying it on heaps here, but seriously, I can see why people apparently cry during Sannia’s songs. In every song, I’m filled with swirling colours moving up and down the pitch tonal-key spectrum with her band perfectly complementing her musical complexity and honest raw emotions. And if you know her first single released last year ‘Go And Get Over’, you’d know the incredibly powerful, hard-to-hit note that occures on the word ‘fine’ five times throughout the song? Well she nails it live, all five of the ‘fine’s!

There’s really only one thing I find to let the show down to be honest, it only went for forty-five minutes or so. No seriously, I’m not being coerced to write this, each and every song brought a smile to my face and most gave me euphoric goose-bumps leaving me wanting more, but I knew my attempts at demanding an encore wouldn’t be successful. 

This review was never meant to be, but this performance demanded it. Because quite simply, when this musical gem is brought to the attention of the masses, performing at large theatres across the country to thousands of adoring fans, I want to be able to say…

I witnessed a performance that brought forth a review that was never meant to be... 

The Cat Empire 'Stolen Diamonds' National Tour, Sydney, October 3 2019

ANYBODY UP FOR SOMETHING TROPICAL?

Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome aboard The Chariot for The Cat Empire tropical island cruise featuring your host Oscar Wilde! Anybody not ready now better hold on tight, ‘cause the rhythm of this voyage is expected to be well, moving, to say the least! Onboard with us tonight, we have ‘Stolen Diamonds’ the latest gem from Melbourne’s favourite jazz kitties The Cat Empire, an album brighter than gold!

Ladies and gentlemen, wolves, fishies, bulls and everyone/thing else, please grab a cocktail and have your boarding pass ready, it’s time to party!…

As we stand at the precipice of the performance, the band walking out onto the stage and taking to the helm that are their respective instruments, the already densely packed theatre is filled with a wave of static excitement!

The first stop on this tropical venture, we’re met with a delectable serving of tropical jazz, fun and rasta in ‘Anybody’, featured on the band’s latest album, followed by the fruity cocktail of ‘Sleep Won’t Sleep’, I swear I can almost see the palm trees, coconuts and hammocks on the beach!

‘Anybody’ is like the “complementary” cocktail upon entry (that is included in the entry fee), that offers something new and different to the cocktails we all are used to and have enjoyed, in moderation of course… *cough-cough*. Whereas,  ‘Sleep Won’t Sleep’ is that passionfruit/white-chocolate Martini you know and love! Like a well-blended cocktail, the sound tonight is mixed to perfection! I can hear all sounds sitting comfortably among one another, whilst not overpowering Felix’s vocals at the forefront, and there’s a lot of layers to account for too! (vocals, guitar, bass, keys, drums, DJ/decks, horns and percussion). 

As I find myself becoming pleasantly intoxicated by the tasty mix of sound, the addition of Felix on the bongo’s tapping away swiftly in a “call and response” jam-off with the DJ in the bridge section of ‘Wolves’, and the all-out jam between all band members in the bridge section of ‘Sleep Won’t Sleep’ is nothing short of mesmerizing. That, plus the smooth horns (I honestly have no idea if it’s in-fact trombone, saxophone, trumpet or what?) and the chorus of voices singing the hook lyrics “all night long” in the chorus is rather potent!

Thus far, Felix has been like an entertaining host on an island tour “on the left we have Felix holding the microphone out to the crowd, to sing the hook melody in the bridge section of ‘Call Me Home’. On the right we have the highly fun jazz improv jamming featuring the admittedly sexiest piano solo in the bridge section ‘Fishies’, followed by some incredible high notes ( which shouldn’t be possible for a male over the age of twelve) performed in perfect clarity by Felix in ‘Darkness’, with it’s deeper feeling portraying the mixed feeling of awe, captivation and excitement as one witnesses the historic events of Pompei” This is all while Felix races around the stage, dancing and waving to the crowd when possible like a tour guide who’s way too jolly for the suspiciously sudden vacancy of alcohol onboard the ship… hmmm. Still, Felix’s energy and the way he coordinates his actions with his musical performance is far too well executed for someone intoxicated to pull off… well, smoothly at least!

Despite the fun, tropical fiesta that is this show, the crowd are rather calm? It’s not until Felix revs us up with a clap-along to the building-up beats in the bridge section of ‘Two Shoes’ that people actually dance and jump in the sequential chorus after the build-up! Me on the other hand, I’ve been shamelessly grooving the entire time… ok, maybe slightly shameful. The insane drum solo in the bridge section of ‘Darkness’ probably helped energize the crowd!

We all have a favourite destination on these kinds of tours, and mine is definitely ‘The Chariot’ with it’s rasta grooves in the verses with Felix’s quick rolling vocals that build up to the insanely infectious, lively jazz salsa dance of a chorus! I was already musically quite intoxicated by these tropical fuels, but now? The horn melodies in the chorus with keyboard rhythms bouncing around them and driving beat elevates my slightly shameful dance moves to straight out shameful, no slightness about it. Still, I’m not the only one, and seeing as I can’t see people looking at me, eh!

No but seriously, as Felix told me in our interview before the show, (watch here) music brings us together which I couldn’t agree more! Tonight is a prime example, we’re all here regardless of any language barriers, differences in culture, beliefs or status, all brought together by a mutual love! And when it’s a show like this filled with passion, energy, improvisations, crowd interaction and tantalising tropical aural flavours, you can’t help but let your hair down, forget the stress of normal everyday life and dance without a shred of remorse, ‘cause we’re all doing the same, so it’d be a real shame not to!

I could go on and on, taking you through every single song on this journey, but really, after nineteen songs (sixteen plus a three song encore) I think everyone would agree that like a truly euphoric and memorable holiday, I don’t want it to end and wish it could continue! And even with the absence of the band’s greatest hit ‘Hello’ and the anthemic and kind of sexy swagger of ‘Prophets In The Sky’ which I was hoping to be played, I am far from disappointed! In summary, this is one of the most fun “let your hair down” concerts you could attend whether you’re a jazz fan typically or not!

Thank you for choosing to travel with Keen Eye 4 Concerts, I hope you’ve enjoyed your trip as much as I have and I hope to have you aboard again soon!