This is part 5 of the Indie Music Hour Hot 100 countdown, featuring 60 to 51. The countdown will return after a short break as I want to feature some newer tracks in the next podcast.

Tracklisting

Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt by We Are Scientists

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australia week: a loud call from down under

It’s 1981. Olivia Newton-John, already a household name thanks to her performance opposite John Travolta in ‘Grease’, spends 10 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with the suggestive pop anthem ‘Physical’. The album of the same name peaks at #6 on the Billboard 200 and is later certified double platinum. Six years later, in Olivia’s native Australia, a popular young soap star named Kylie Minogue is coaxed into a rendition of the Little Eve classic ‘The Loco-motion’ at a charity benefit with her fellow ‘Neighbours’ cast members. Her recording of the song becomes the highest-selling single of the ’80s in Australia and spawns a recording career which has seen her thus far sell over 60 million records, a large chunk of those sold throughout the UK and Europe.

Newton-John and Minogue are no doubt two of Australia’s biggest musical exports, but they do not even begin to scratch the surface in terms of the breadth and depth of female talent currently on offer from those distant shores. Sarah Blasko, Holly Throsby, Lenka Kripac, Sia Furler, Kasey Chambers, Missy Higgins and Lisa Mitchell are just a few of the names who have made or are beginning to make an impact both in Australia and overseas; some of them criminally overlooked by the Australian media (Furler), others earning their place among the most sought-after live acts (Blasko). Perhaps now more than ever independent Aussie females are making their mark on the international circuit, and making the Australian music industry sit up and take notice.

Within the mainstream, too, things are looking promising. The Veronicas have just earned a number one single in Ireland with their electro-pop swinger ‘Untouched’ (having already hit the top 10 in the UK and top 20 in the States), Kylie is about to embark on her first ever US tour, and then there’s young Gabriella Cilmi. In spite of criticisms that her sound was largely an imitation of Amy Winehouse, Cilmi last year hit the upper reaches of the UK charts with her irresistibly catchy debut single ‘Sweet About Me’ and subsequent album Lessons To Be Learned. She was rewarded for her efforts with six Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) awards, including nods for Best Female Artist and Single of the Year – a phenomenal achievement for a 17 year old.

Without belittling Cilmi’s success or doubting her talent, her ARIA wins follow a disturbing trend within the Australian music industry of rewarding its female musicians only once they achieve international acclaim. It is worth noting that Cilmi won the accolade for Best Female Artist over Holly Throsby and Clare Bowditch, both of whom, from a critical perspective, offered more established albums last year, and that Adelaide-born Sia, whose third album Some People Have Real Problems (deemed “[2008's] first great pop album” by Slant Magazine), wasn’t even nominated. The industry’s indifference towards Furler is somewhat baffling, given her continuing critical and commercial success in the US in particular. But it seems even there the tide is turning; Sia’s recent Australian tour was a big success, suggesting there is hope for her to gain the hometown recognition she deserves yet. 

The icons: Olivia Newton-John, Christina Amphlett, Marcia Hines, Kylie Minogue

The soap stars: Dannii Minogue, Natalie Imbruglia, Delta Goodrem, Holly Valance

The new visionaries: Sarah Blasko, Holly Throsby, Sia Furler, Kate Miller-Heidke

Indeed, female artists are becoming much more of a drawcard for Australian audiences than they have in the past; in 2007, the organisers of the prestigious Homebake festival bravely marketed the year’s festival as the ‘Ladies Domain’. Headlined by the irrepressible Christina Amphlett of the Divinyls, along with Sarah Blasko, Missy Higgins, Operator Please and others, the event was an unprecedented sell-out, proving that Australian audiences were just as interested in their female charges as they were in AC/DC, INXS and Silverchair. Amphlett is often credited with leading the way for Australian female artists who did not fit the passive, safe, pop prototype. In an era where the two most popular Australian females were Newton-John and disco diva Marcia Hines, who was voted ‘Queen Of Pop’ for three successive years in the mid-1970s, Amphlett broke the mould with her aggressive, sexually charged performances and intimidating stage persona.

Despite the controversy surrounding ‘Physical’ and its accompanying video, Newton-John’s image was ultimately wholesome and clean-cut, as was Hines’s; Amphlett’s was anything but. Her howling vocal style was hardly technically sound and her wild stage shows became notorious – she is reported to have urinated on stage several times in the band’s early tours. (No footage of this has been produced, although when asked about the claims years later, Amphlett conceded that it was possible given the intensity with which she performed). As the frontwoman of Divinyls, one of Australia’s premier rock bands, Amphlett enjoyed considerable success on the domestic front, earning four top 10 albums and several hit singles. The band would later find success internationally with their ode to female masturbation ‘I Touch Myself’, which hit the top 10 in the UK and top 5 Stateside. Their reformation for Homebake 2007 was one of the biggest musical events of the decade.

In the wake of Kylie Minogue’s success, a host of Australian television personalities tried their hand at a music career, with varying degrees of success. Few have been able to replicate Minogue’s career path, though Holly Valance managed to score a #1 hit in the UK with the ridiculous ‘Kiss Kiss’, and Minogue’s younger sister Dannii, who appeared on rival soap ‘Home & Away’, has impressively had more consecutive #1 hits on the UK dance chart than any other artist – including, surprisingly enough, her sister. It came as quite a surprise, then, when Natalie Imbruglia hit the top of the charts around the globe with her cover of little-known band Ednaswap’s song ‘Torn’. Imbruglia’s sound owed more to the confessional singer-songwriter stylings of Alanis Morissette than it did to Kylie’s dance-pop, but for a while Imbruglia was the bigger star, a favourite among critics and fans alike, and winner of the 1996 ARIA award for Album of the Year. While her subsequent releases have not had quite the same level of commercial success, they have been relatively well received by critics. A new album from Imbruglia is reportedly due later this year.

Fellow ‘Neighbours’ graduate Delta Goodrem has also enjoyed considerable success since pursuing a recording career. Signed to Sony Music at the tender age of 15, Goodrem received a lukewarm reaction from Australian audiences for her debut single ‘I Don’t Care’. A few years later, having taken control of songwriting responsibilities and built up her profile through ‘Neighbours’, Goodrem achieved phenomenal success with her debut album Innocent Eyes. The album sold a staggering one million copies in Australia and would later make its mark in the UK charts, peaking at #2. While Goodrem was plagued with negative media coverage in Britain following her romance with Brian McFadden, ex-flame of Atomic Kitten’s Kerry Katona, in Australia she quickly became a media darling. Her girl-next-door image ensured universal appeal, and when she was tragically diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma shortly after the album’s release, the public support for her was overwhelming. She has since recovered from the illness and continues to achieve multi-platinum sales. While her attempts at cracking the US market have thus far proved fruitless, this has perhaps been more a result of record label hesitation than the quality of her music.

The personalities: Lenka, Clare Bowditch, Butterfly Boucher, Kasey Chambers

The young guns: Missy Higgins, Gabriella Cilmi, Lisa Mitchell, Bertie Blackman

The bands: Little Birdy, The Grates, The Veronicas, Spinnerette

In terms of the current musical landscape, the two most exciting Australian female vocalists are arguably Sarah Blasko and Holly Throsby. Blasko released her third album As Day Follows Night only 10 days ago, debuting at #5 in the ARIA album charts – her highest charting release to date. Recorded in Stockholm, Sweden with Bjorn Yttling of Peter, Bjorn & John fame, it’s her first album to be entirely recorded overseas and we can only hope that exploring her range with European producers could provide the quirky songstress with an opportunity to crack the elusive international market. Throsby also recorded her third and most recent album A Loud Call overseas – this time in Nashville with producer and engineer Mark Nevers of Lambchop. Complete with a Will Oldham duet, the album sounds more accomplished and confident than Throsby’s earlier work, with Nevers’ production adding an extra dimension to Throsby’s sweet, melodic songs. Like Blasko, Throsby’s determination to experiment with and expand her sound could pay dividends around the world.

And Blasko and Throsby are not the only promising young women flying the Aussie flag. Ex-’Australian Idol’ contestant Lisa Mitchell has also been working with a host of songwriters in the UK and released her debut album Wonder in the UK last week. Butterfly Boucher finally overcame contract wranglings with Geffen Records to release her long-awaited second album Scary Fragile at the beginning of June. Former Decoder Ring singer turned solo artist Lenka has been making waves in the US and Europe with recent single ‘The Show’ and self-titled album, and has become a favourite and fixture on the schedule of Hollywood’s influential Hotel Café. And on the band front, Brisbane trio The Grates are about to release their second album Teeth Lost, Hearts Won in the UK in September, followed by The Veronicas’ Hook Me Up in early October. A fourth album is expected from Architecture In Helsinki by the end of the year. Howling Bells are about to release their second album Radio Wars in the US. And let’s not forget the true nationality of Spinnerette’s Brody Dalle – her music may be as American as you can get, but she’s a Melbourne girl at heart.

Waiting in the wings for their international breakthrough moment are Western Australian rock outfit Little Birdy, fronted by gifted singer-songwriter Katy Steele (sister of Luke Steele from The Sleepy Jackson and, latterly, Empire Of The Sun). The Perth-based band has been scoring rave reviews for their latest effort Confetti, an album which flirts with folk and even country, but at its heart is simply Australian rock at its best. Meanwhile, Sydney’s Bertie Blackman has scored universal critical acclaim with her recently released third album Secrets & Lies, on which she boldly traded her love of guitars for a more electronic sound. Once again, her bravery could see her earn the overseas recognition she deserves. A host of others, such as the fearsomely talented, Christina Amphlett-influenced, opera-trained Kate Miller-Heidke, are also preparing their work for international release. Judging from the huge success of Miller-Heidke’s recent UK tour, labels will be scrambling to add her latest album Curiouser to their schedules.

The Australian music industry has come a long way since the 1980s, when Kylie and Olivia helped to generate international interest in Australian culture. The ladies making their mark on the international scene today are indebted to Minogue and Newton-John, but also have their own distinct sounds which have won them legions of fans both in Australia and overseas. As the first decade of the new millennium draws to a close, it will be interesting to see how Blasko, Throsby and their all-female army fare in the overseas market, but only the harshest critic would doubt their potential to achieve success. After all, these women represent a new generation of Australian female artists; aware of what has become before them, but consistently looking toward the future.

Dane Hodges

My friend and I were hosting a party once, and the song “You Take My Breath Away” came on our party mix. One of her friends commented by saying “This sounds like the Spice Girls, but shittier.”

I of course disagreed (silently, like polite hostesses should), but I honestly hadn’t really heard many other songs by The Knife. The most popular is “Heartbeats,” but to my knowledge, most of their tracks were pretty normal electronic dance-y pop songs.

And then I finally started listening to Deep Cuts, and got to songs like “You Make Me Like Charity” and the oddly Tom Waits-y “Rock Classics.” They are one of those bands where I’m not really sure how I feel about them, because they make me a little uncomfortable. But that’s usually a good thing.

And then I started watching some of their videos.

And now I’m REALLY uncomfortable.

While I was surfing their videos I caught some other bands on their record label. I’ve never even listened to Operator Please, but this was too crazy not to add:

Brille Records: What the fuck?

… and probably should.

• Lil Louis – French Kiss
• Led Zeppelin – Dazed and Confused
• Muse – Stockholm Syndrome
• Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Stagger Lee
• Readers Wives – Advertising Heroin
• AC/DC – Problem Child
• Arctic Monkeys – Brianstorm
• No Picasso – She’s Alive
• Nirvana – Breed
• Sex Pistols – Bodies
• Cage The Elephant – Tiny Little Robots
• Rum Shebeen – Hate
• Plastic Passion – It’s Been Done
• Dr. Dre – Let Me Ride
• Lo-Fi-Fnk – Change Channel
• Operator Please – Just A Song About Ping Pong
• Sailor – A Glass of Champagne
• The Supernovas – Ace Face
• B-legit – So International
• Bleeding Heart Narrative – Nothing Is Out In The Yard

Make mine a large one and no, I Don’t want any F***ing pastries!

Xavier Presso

Porque Operator Please é uma banda com menina bonita tocando violino, menino emo tocando baixo, menina gordinha no vocal e é bem bacana.

Welcome back to a new year. I probably should have made a new years resolution to update this more often, but then sometimes I make resolutions to quit smoking, even though I don’t smoke. It’s funny at the time, trust me.

Sex on Fire won the Hottest 100. If you didn’t see that coming, you’re an idiot. Plain and simple. Maaaaaybe Electric Feel had a chance, a really slim chance, but those $1.40 odds were correct on the Kings.

Canberra photographer Andrew Mayo has been at it for a while now and is putting together an exhibition at a few places in Canberra. Check it out, because galleries are so much cooler and more ‘hip’ than Flickr will EVER be.

I try to keep things a little highbrow on these pages (really, I do), but this is news that is too crazy not to post…

Does anyone remember Operator Please? They did that Ping Pong song on the Forrest Gump soundtrack right? Well anyway, they once were semi-important, but then their keyboardist Sarah Gardiner left. The last time I saw them, she was bawling her eyes out on stage and it was actually quite depressing to watch, and I mean that.

Well, OP hasn’t been heard of in a while, but it seems Gardiner has moved onto greener pastures: Pornography. Don’t worry, it’s SFW.

To put this bluntly, I did not see that coming. No pun intended. You have to ask if she thought that no one would notice.

Now, to get more people reading this, and to get us to write more, how about you write in the comments section which Australian alterna-pop star you think will follow this path to pornography…

Hipsters to the Max!

The interweb has been my sole provider for much of what I listen to as of late especially after TRL was yanked. Other outlets include hipster mags, word of maouf and XM on RARE occasions when I’m crusing in Ma or Pa’s Honda’s when home, THUG LIFE. I can’t remember the last time the television introduced me to a tune or group that I had to have. Eh, exceptions being – Yo! MTV raps and those Geico commercials.

I watched one of my favorite movies of all time, Raging Bull on IFC (Independent Film Channel) last week. Besides exceptionally good B&W movies, IFC also has a program called Live from the Basement that I’ve been watching a lot lately. It’s not often but I get a jolt seeing a new episode in my DVR cache. The recorded sound is impressive as this isn’t just any basement but what seems like an ultra high tech studio, to my eyes at least.

But it wasn’t until this youthful poppy group of teens known as Operator Please were featured, that really got me thinking. I really should have opted NOT to join performing arts. Playing the recorder was a blast with all the other musical tards (myself included) in middle school but I regret not choosing band as an elective. I blame it on not being able to ever catch the beat and left handed as Hendrix already has that one wrapped up.

Operator Please is a group of 5 adolescents ages 17-19 from the Gold Coast who formed when they gathered to enter their school’s “Battle of the Bands” competition. Since the win, a major record deal and playing in big time festivals across Europe they’re labeled as “the next big thing”. If you haven’t heard of them or their singles Just a Song About Ping Pong or Leave it Alone, these pop sensation kids are on their way.

I really wish there was footage of this song in its entirity from IFC and not a 30 second snip-it, the drummer is the most talented thing in this group. This post  suffers without the entire song, sorry.

Download Operator Please – Leave it Alone

Check out the song featured on IFC here

Operator Please is a baroque pop band from Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

This song sort of sounds like a female Artic Monkeys to me. Check them out. It’s good.

Tagged as: indie rock, indie, australian, female vocalists, alternative

sounds like:

Download Operater Please- Get What You Want
Operator Please’s myspace

Note about my meebo:

IF I AM ONLINE, IT WILL TELL YOU I AM. Otherwise I won’t respond til much later. It basically just leaves messages for me. So if you’re leaving a comment, tell me who you are and I’ll try to get back to you.

1.

Duncan Mckenzie & Alec McCabe at Staines

Nov 13 2008      9:00P The Staines Riverside Club £3

Those that regularly read this column and support live music in Staines will be familiar with Duncan McKenzie the smooth acoustic and blues operator who has recently been gracing our Thameside venue with his superlative fretwork and polished repertoire of soft, yet invigorating, blues. He has worked, recently, with Mike Piggott and, ofcourse, Big Jim Sullivan. He is now back in town with Alec McCabe.

If you like your blues to be soft, luxurious and professional- this show is not to be missed.  We are very luicky to have these guys in town!

Alec McCabe is a guitar teacher (originally from Australia) who also works as a duo (with  Lizzy Templer) sometimes adding musicians to the mix to create Freepeace a standalone rock band.

http://www.myspace.com/duncanmckenzieuk

2.

Audio.Video.Disco – EP Launch Party- Staines

Nov 15 2008      8:00P  Audio. Video. Disco. EP Launch Party     Hob Staines

So it all started when Matt and Rich played lots of acoustic guitar for a long time and eventually they got a bit bored of the acoustic circuit and decided it was time for a change.

So in came the help of Adam Linton (bass) and Tom Smith (drums) into the band. Everything seemed to fall into place very quickly and new songs were written in a flash and we hit the ground running. All we needed was the band name….so after months of rubbish ideas and even worse ideas we settled on Audio.Video.Disco. meaning “I hear, I see, I learn” in latin and as rich described it, it was the coolest thing matt has ever come up with in his life!

They have played alongside established pop act Alphabeat, played headline shows at The Fighting Cocks, sold out in their hometown and had a storming set at The Clapham Grand, things are majorly looking up. The band are set to record with engineer / producer Phil English in September and are currently preparing for their biggest gig yet……a headline slot at the London Astoria 2. It’s gonna be mad, get a ticket, don’t be the only person to miss out……

Links:

http://www.myspace.com/audiovideodiscouk

3.

Blues and R&B at Shepperton

Nov 15 2008      9:00P  Barley Mow     Shepperton

A new entry into the UK blues and R&B circuit

Powerful and passionate vocals with rockin’ rhythm ‘n blues” is based in Guildford, Surrey playing venues in London and mainly the southern counties.

Featuring Debbie Giles (vocals) Phil Headsmith (lead guitar/vocals) Baz Payne (Bass/vocals) and Neil Turfitt (Drums). They have all individually logged years of experience as professional musicians and have developed their own blend of Rocking Rhythm & Blues with Phil Headsmith’s orginal songs.

Most recently in June 2008 they have launched their new album “Shake it Just a Little”, whilst in their live set feature numbers by Thin Lizzy, BB King, Al Green and Jimmie Vaughan, Georgia Satellites to name a few.. Debbie & Phil’s duets have become a focal point of this ‘live band and recently have been featured in “guest radio sessions” with Delta, County Sound 104fm and BBC Radio Swindon.

Formed in October 2006 the band caused a storm when they opened for Mike Pender’s Searchers in July ‘07 at Basingstoke Live Festival.

Links:

http://www.myspace.com/debbiegilesband

4.

Tight Pop/Rock at Staines

Nov 15 2008      8:00P at the Audio. Video. Disco. EP Launch Party     Staines

A Girl Called Kate

Mikool: Vocals/Guitars

Benzie: Vocals/Bass

Jake: Guitars

Megan: Synth/Vocals

Alex: Drums

If you like  The Subway, The Automatic, The Killers etc, You are gonna love this!

Links:

http://www.myspace.com/agckband

5.

The Folk Group of the Year- at Windsor

Nov 12 2008      7:00P Lau     Windsor Fire station Arts Centre

“BBC RADIO 2 FOLK GROUP OF THE YEAR 2008″

Lau is a formidable union of three of the finest and most innovative exponents of modern traditional music in Scotland today; Kris Drever (guitar and vocal), Martin Green (piano accordion) and Aidan O’Rourke (fiddle). Winners of “Best Group” at the BBC Folk Awards 2008 and with a year of dates around the globe ahead, look set to cause serious musical trouble worldwide.

Links:

http://www.myspace.com/laumusic

——————–

Spring is nearly here, which means two things: 1) I will soon be a year older and 2) the Valley Fiesta is on again!

I can’t wait for the Valley Fiesta, it’s one of my favourite musical events because it’s free and outdoors in beautiful Brisbane spring weather. Unlike other musical festivals, I don’t think most people go just to be cool. It’s all about the music.

Here’s the lineup:

bands

operator please, sparkadia, urthboy, jeff lang, blue juice, katy steele (little birdy), avalon drive, winnie coopers, the gin club, texas tea, end of fashion, john steel singers, abbe may, the boat people, ups & downs, gentle ben and his sensitive side, jackie marshall & the black alles band, the cairos, ten fours, saruzu quartet, hot mambo, miguel, doch, the re-mains, washington (featuring megan washington & members of the cat empire), danger bunnies, del toro & at sea

djs

dj dexter (avalanches), ajax, christian moy, paul ison, dj ak47, alastair green, dj danny (empire), hump day project, act yo age, dj pete smith (met bar) and teenage bad girl and tydi (family).

performance

contact crew, fashion parades, flipside circus, a circus workshop, pheonix fire hula hoops girls, krumping displays, polynesian dance and art installations from room 40

kangaroo

Segundo episodio de mxtape. Música de Operator please, Gotye, Silverchair y Area 7.

Música australiana cortesía de Sissy. No preparamos mucho el programa, por lo que hay unas cuantas correcciones:

1. Operator please es un grupo de cinco personas: tres mujeres y dos hombres. Todos ellos pubertos. Yo sé, no suena nada como Hot chip. No escuché muy bien la canción y la pregunta me tomó por sorpresa.

2. El director del video de Gotye es Brendan Cook. Ninguna relación con David Cook.

3. Natalie Imbruglia está soltera desde junio de este año. Wikipedia nos dice que ella y Daniel Johns, vocalista de Silverchair, continúan siendo amigos. Además, el sencillo del tercer disco de Silverchair es Miss you love , no I miss you.

Escuchar en Mevio

Para suscribir en iTunes, copia la dirección en el navegador: itpc://www.mevio.com/feeds/mxtape.xml

mxtape.podcast@gmail.com

^{Imagen: Sissy.}

> Operator please
> Just a song about ping pong
It’s just a song
It’s just a song about ping pong

Money order money order hear it today
I got another fifteen seconds and I’m ready to play I say
Money order money order hear it today
I got another fifteen seconds and I’m ready to play I say
I got my got my got my got my racket in hand
Not leaving till I play don’t think you understand
With that dirty dirty dirty dirty look on your face
I bet you know beef jerky has an after taste GO!

If I know you’re running
Then I know you’re hiding

Cheater!
You’re favouritising the
I said liar!
Opposing team

I said cheater!
You’re favouritising the
I said liar!
Opposing team

It’s just a song
It’s just a song about ping pong

> Gotye
> Heart’s a mess
> Ver video en Daily Motion
Pick apart
The pieces of your heart
And let me peer inside
Let me in
Where only your thoughts have been
Let me occupy your mind
As you do mine

You have lost
Too much love
To fear, doubt and distrust
(It’s not enough)
You just threw away the key
To your heart

You don’t get burned
(‘Cause nothing gets through)
It makes it easier
(Easier on you)
But that much more difficult for me
To make you see

Love ain’t fair
So there you are
My love

Your heart’s a mess
You won’t admit to it
It makes no sense
But I’m desperate to connect
And you, you can’t live like this

Your heart’s a mess
You won’t admit to it
It makes no sense
But I’m desperate to connect
And you, you can’t live like this

Your heart’s a mess
You won’t admit to it
It makes no sense
But I’m desperate to connect
And you, you can’t live like this

Love ain’t safe
You won’t get hurt if you stay chaste
So you can wait
But I don’t wanna waste my love

> Silverchair
> Straight lines
Breathing from a hole in my lung
I had no one
But faces in front of me
Racing through the void in my head
To find traces of a good luck academy

Sparks ignite and trade them for thought
About no one
And nothing in particular
Washed the sickened socket and drove
Resent nothing
There’s good will inside of me

Wake me up lower the fever
Walking in a straight line
Set me on fire in the evening
Everything will be fine
Waking up strong in the morning
Walking in a straight line
Lately I’m a desperate believer
But walking in a straight line

Something I will never forget
I felt desperate
And stuck to the marrow
Invisible to everyone else
I’m a sex change
And a damsel with no heroine

Wake me up lower the fever
Walking in a straight line
Set me on fire in the evening
Everything will be fine
Waking up strong in the morning
Walking in a straight line
Lately I’m a desperate believer
But walking in a straight line

I don’t need no time to say
There’s no changing yesterday
If we keep talking and
I keep walking in straight lines

Wake me up lower the fever
Walking in a straight line
Set me on fire in the evening
Everything will be fine
Waking up strong in the morning
Walking in a straight line
Lately I’m a desperate believer
But walking in a straight line

> Area 7
> Nobody likes a bogan
Well he’s the king of fashion in his neighborhood
With his ripped blue jeans and a flannel shirt
His got a well kept mullet and a packet of smokes
And his mates will all tell ya he’s a real top bloke
Well his real name is Barry, but his mates call him Bazza
And his girlfriend’s name is Sharon, but you can just call her Shazza
She’s a real top Sheila, a real top sort,
She’ll even change your stubby while your watching sport

But don’t victimize him for his way of life
He’s sick and tired of hearing people say…

Nobody likes, nobody likes, nobody likes a bogan
Nobody likes, nobody likes, nobody likes a bogan

He drives a VK Commodore with alloy wheels,
With a home made spoiler made from crappy steel
His got a pair of fluffy dice and all the other toys
But his No Fear sticker is his pride and joy
On a Saturday night the boys hit the town
Yeah they’re cruising the streets with all their windows down
They put on some Barnsey and they’re on their way
You can hear the car coming from a mile away

But don’t victimize him for his way of life
He’s sick and tired of hearing people say…

Nobody likes, nobody likes, nobody likes a bogan
Nobody likes, nobody likes, nobody likes a bogan

Last night at Crawdaddy were Operator Please, a quintet from Down Under with a remarkable similarity to the Gossip and a taste for somewhat obscure, if not unamusing, lyrics: “I bet you know beef jerky has an aftertaste”. Indeed.

The fivesome, who have just graduated school – in Australia-Ireland conversion terms, that makes them… what, 17 years old? It makes them a good deal younger than I am which, frankly, don’t impress me much. Quoting Shania Twain lyrics at will don’t impress me much either, but it seems I am at the point of no return.

A keyboard, two guitars (one bass, and it seems to be an eternal problem with live music that the bass is amped up just that tiny bit too much. Tone it down, guys – the bass is for ambience, loike), one set of drums being played by a cute-as-a-button 17-year-old buachall and, thrillingly, a violin. It seems a terrible cliche to describe a violin in a rock band as an original touch but, despite it being at this point, a bit “normal”, it still gives a thrill. Why? There’s something haunting about a violin riff; perhaps it’s due to classical training, although the giver-upper in me would say nay to that – classical training does not a classical musician make. Maybe it was not all a lost cause though, and it created in me an appreciation of music above and beyond what I might otherwise have possessed.

In any case, the violin added a certain je ne sais quoi to a band that are, let’s face it, just a little bit too new to be brilliant. Don’t get me wrong – they’re good, and they’re there, full-force. And their newness isn’t necessarily a good enough excuse for their not being brilliant. Lykke Li managed it, did she not?

Their best songs were, inevitably, their most popular. A Song About Ping-Pong got the crowd going, as did Zero Zero and Leave it Alone. And, for an Aussie band, the audience was in the main Irish – Aussie bands tend to attract an Aussie crowd; it’s as if the emigrants can’t bear to be parted from their precious comrades for too long. How else could one explain the frequency with which Powderfinger – who have not made a splash anywhere beyond those Antipodean climes – play the Emerald Isle? Maybe Irish bands do the same on their shores, but I can’t imagine being particularly drawn to go see The Blizzards play Sydney.

The keyboardist was pretty slick, if a little lacking in stage presence. Typically enough, Amandah Wilkinson, the lead singer, stole the show. Part Beth Ditto, part Lovefoxxxx, part just herself, Wilkinson tore through their hits with a wild abandon belying her age, if not her shoe size. A little difficult to understand (those youngsters do tend to mumble), but it didn’t matter – she was there, and we were watching.

In a thrilling, and refreshing turn of events, the band played no encore – which is how it should be; only if the audience really campaigns for one should any musical event be extended. These days it’s like that song: I Wish it Could Be Christmas Every Day. The encore has lost its magic, its allure, its element of surprise. Well, Operator Please surprised. In fact, on both counts; a peek into the backstage area showed bottles of Coke, all lined up on a little side table. Not to be too patronising, but isn’t that cute? Coke – and not the white stuff – at an Oirish gig. Whatever will we see next?

In addition to Black Cab Sessions, Take-Away Shows, and Handheld Shows, there’s a new kid in town trading in a little bit of those projects’ charms for more polish.

From the Basement filmed some of your favorite bands in a studio with no introduction and no audience. The clean-looking video can be seen in clip-form on the site or at the YouTube channel, and some of the full-song performances can be purchase on iTunes (just search From the Basement in the iTunes store). Some people, of course, have put some of the full videos (particularly the Radiohead) up on YouTube.

Radiohead recorded ten songs with From the Basement TV, including songs from In Rainbows. Songs include: Bodysnatchers, House of Cards, Nude, Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, 15 Step, Reckoner, Go Slowly, Videotape, Bangers ‘n’ Mash, and All I Need.

According to the band, “Captured in a day, with direction by David Barnard and sound by [Radiohead's buddy] Nigel Godrich, the videos represent the best recorded representation of Radiohead’s live performance to date.” And if Radiohead makes that sort of sweeping statement, it must be stinkin’ great.

Other performers so far are: Thom Yorke, Albert Hammond Jr., Envelopes, The White Stripes, The Shins, Neil Hannon, Beck, Jarvis Cocker, Jamie Lidell, Sonic Youth, José Gonzaléz, Laura Marling, PJ Harvey, Super Furry Animals, Free Blood, Operator Please, Damien Rice, The Eels, Autolux, and Architecture in Helsinki.

Bonus, unrelated link: Download mp3s of Radiohead’s April Fools’ Day Show courtesy of Alan at Sixeyes (who appreciates if you leave comments and click on ads in return for his generosity).

Grazzhopper festival will be held on Saturday 4th October
this year at Beckley Park, Geelong. With a massive list of Australian rock – hip hop indie & electro artists
performing on 3 stages over 11 hours! Wanna know who’s playing… here’s the first round announcement!!

GRINSPOON – FAKER – SHIHAD – OPERATOR PLEASE – DUKES OF WINDSOR – THE GALVATRONS -
MAMMAL – BLUEJUICE – TRIAL KENNEDY – VANDALISM – DIRTY LAUNDRY – YOUNG & RESTLESS -
HORSELL COMMON – THE MODERN LEGION – SCIENTISTS OF MODERN MUSIC – FREESTATE -
With many more headline & local artists to be announced shortly!!

Want tickets?? 500 LIMITED RELEASE 1st round earlybird tickets are on sale 9AM TUESDAY JULY 1ST
through the following ticket outlets for the low low price of $76 + b/f

WWW.TICKETEK.COM.AU – 132 849

Tickets are also available at these selected regional stores on TUESDAY JULY 1ST
- but hurry, limited numbers are available

Capricorn Leading Edge, Geelong – Ph: (03) 5229 1999
Torquay Hotel, Torquay – Ph: (03) 5261 2001
Lorne Hotel, Lorne – Ph: (03) 5289 1409
Whalers Inn, Warrnambool – Ph: (03) 5562 8391

Keep checking in to www.grazzhopperfestival.com.au for more information on artist updates & festival info

Der Kilo Meter zeigt 146,8kg.
Keine besonderen Vorkommnisse!

… aber aus gegebenem Anlass ziehe ich mal den Punkt M von untenstehendem Artikel vor… . )

K
Kalorien, die:
a) Scheinbar die neue Ersatzdroge von Dave Wyndorf. Auch wenn der Gute jetzt einen deutlich größeren Schatten wirft, war es schade, dass der Auftritt seiner Band Monster Magnet nur ein Schatten ihrer selbst war. Übrigens war Wyndorfs Leibesfülle letztlich auch Gesprächsthema Nr. 1 am Freitag. O-Ton: „Boah, ist Dave Wyndorf fett geworden.“
b) Führten sich die tapferen Camper vornehmlich durch Ravioli, Grillgut und Dosenbier zu.

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Konzertbericht: HURRICANE FESTIVAL – 20.-22.06.2008, Scheeßel –

Das Festival-Highlight von A-Z ….

A
Alkohol, der: Gehört in Maßen durchaus zu einem gelungenen Festival dazu. Leider schien er für manche aber auch der einzige Beweggrund für den Hurricane-Besuch gewesen zu sein.

„Anyone Can Play Guitar“: Alter Radiohead-Gassenhauer, der am Festival-Wochenenden von ein paar Trunkenbolden, aber auch der ein oder anderen Band bestätigt wurde.

Ausverkauft: War das Festival in diesem Jahr. Bei näherer Betrachtung des Line-Ups auch wenig verwunderlich.

B
Beste Band der Welt, die: Auch wenn sich die Ärzte so nennen, halten viele Musikfans Radiohead für eben diese. Der Auftritt beim Hurricane sollte diesen Musikfans in die argumentativen Karten spielen. Viel Spektakel auf der Bühne und ein hervorragend aufgelegter Thom Yorke. Ein wahrlich würdiger Festival-Headliner.

Briten-Indie: The Enemy, The Wombats, The Subways, The Pigeon Detectives, The Kooks und äääähm die Kaiser Chiefs. Vornehmlich auf der blauen Bühne anzuschauen.

C
Chaos, das: Wurde perfekt, als manche Leute wegen Platzmangels auf den Wegen zelteten. Aber es gab ja noch einige markante Flaggen zur Orientierung.

D
Drummer, der: englisch für Schlagzeuger. Der bekannteste Drummer des Festivals trat jedoch mit Gitarre auf, denn Dave Grohl rockte mit seinen Foo Fighters als einer der Headliner.
Zwischen „The Pretender“ und „Best Of You“ fast nur Hits und ein schmaleres Akustikset als bei einem regulären Gig der Foos. Da der Auftritt an einem Samstag stattfand, nahm sich Dave Grohl dann auch mal das Recht heraus a la Gottschalk zu überziehen. So macht man das.

E
Einlass, der: Nur ohne Flaschen und andere gefährliche Gegenstände kam man aufs Festivalgelände. Selbstverständlichkeit.

F

Flunkyball: Beliebteste Kombination aus Sport und Trinkspiel auf dem Campingplatz. Wird bestimmt bald olympisch. >>> weiterlesen!!!!

In a spur of the moment mood, so a short post today. I wanted to post this up, it’s a great tune, listening to it at the moment.

Five O’clock Heores – Who feat Agyness Deyn

I think it’s really well written and catchy to boot. When I wrote the title of the post, I remembered another song though so i’ll post that as an extra for today

Operator Please – Just a song about Ping Pong

Myself and Nath (who you’ll hear from soon) had a joint birthday party at The Presets gig last night. Holy shit, electro dance fun-derland! I think I’m still drunk writing this (I’m either that or early stage hungover, or both. Probably both) so bear with me…

When I turned up bang on 830, Cassette Kids were already playing so I rushed inside and got close to the front because they’re rad and their lead singer is pretty hot (if you ever read this, call me!). The last time I saw these guys was supporting Operator Please and that was in.. December maybe? Anyways, since last time, it looks like they’ve had a cash injection because in the 6 months they’ve:

1. Upgraded their equipment substantially (Ampeg amps, Fender Jag bass, and Rickenbacker guitars… I’m more jealous than anything else)

2. Brought out some merch.

3. Brought out an EP, which I forgot to buy last night, but ‘reviewers’ do their best work for free, so somebody hook me up…

I’m not complaining though. It’s good these guys are getting it over some other run of the mill post punk band. They’re making some pretty interesting noises with this new equipment, so, kudo’s? Who knows. Also when I saw them last I asked the guitarist if they had an EP, and it was all myspace at that time, so hard work pays off kids! Forum supporting Presets too, is a bit bigger than ANU (small setup) supporting Operator Please.

No offence to the ANU…

So… Presets… Pink blazers, beats-a-palooza, something else happened… I won’t lie, by this time I was sitting on the seats drunkenly trying my hardest to keep up with Kim’s open hat so I couldn’t tell you all the songs they played, but all your favourite Triple J and commercial fodder was there. Kicking and Screaming into My People was awesome though. The more bands that play album tracks sequentially like that, the better. Queens doing Feelgood into Lost Art at V Fest? *hip thrust* That was Melbourne too, maybe it’s a Melbourne thing…

After My People there was the encore (why do bands still do encores? The houselights aren’t on, we all know you’re coming back. Just play the two extra songs so we can all get to the bar/home/laid/backstage/toilet/church quicker dammit…) Um, I lost my punctuation there, so after the encore there were lasers for Anywhere (I think it was Anywhere) and it was like Tool all over again… Rad!

So I can’t remember many tracks, but just going through itunes I can remember they played pretty much all of Apocalyspo, and probably most of Beams… This remembering exercise ain’t working…

House party afterwards was fun too. Who’d have thought there’d be more people there from Iceland (per capita) than Canberra? Crazy.