Blog — Page 136 of 283

Thus Let Us Drink Brew - Moo Brew

Yes, we have covered MONA, i.e. the Museum of Old and New Art, based in Hobart, Tasmania and have sung its praises many a time. Ditto for its founder David Walsh, the founder and visionary behind what is one of the most brilliant and unique entities on the firmament of museums.

Now, David Walsh’s endeavours do no merely stop at entrepreneurship and the collecting of art, au contraire, his interests are manifold and luckily for us, he is not only invested in mental constructs but also aligned with the pursuit of sensual self-indulgence and the organisation of unceasing, merrymaking bacchanals.

We have covered his vino emissions and the excellent drops he produces with Moorilla and Domaine A and it was only a matter of time until we were going to cover his brews made from malted grain.

Moo Brew is the name of the etablissement and no matter if you savour a cold one, the sexiness of the bottles and design of the cans the beer comes in, is hard to dispute. Featuring reduced, idiosyncratic artwork of Australian artist John Kelly, the idea for which came from Leigh Carmichael, the brain behind the Dark Lab, the sum of the total that is created constitutes much more than the mere sum of great beer, attention to detail and artistic flair.

What I have always liked about both Moo Brew’s core range as well as the limited edition brews is the fact that they channel an authentic appreciation of the DNA of the beers they are producing: The Hefe comes very close to what you would be served in some of the better Bierkellers in Munich and the Pilsner would make the palate of any Czech beer aficionado salivate. The fact that they even nailed their own equivalent to a Belgian Pale Ale speaks volumes about their craft.

I specifically like their special editions and geschmaecklerische releases like their Dark Ale, which proved to be a great companion at the wee hours at the Odeon Theatre at last year’s incarnation of Dark Mofo as well as their Stouts, some of which are veritable beasts of beer.

Now that things were ever uninteresting with Moo Brew, but being very appreciative of whisky, the announcement of the collaboration between Moo Brew and Sydney’s Archie Rose Distilling Co. have instantly caught my imagination.

What emerged is a two months whisky barrel-aged tar black imperial stout, which with its 10.8% ABV packs a punch or two.

Coming in a sleek, black all wax sealed bottle, it radiates everything that MONA stands for – sophistication, hedonism, artistic flair, a total dedication to craft and a presentation that in a subtle manner highlights and lets the relevant things shine – even more so if they are black.

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Image from company website

Cult Of Luna + A.A. Williams and Brutus

Z7, Pratteln, Switzerland

Cult Of Luna’s power lies in their ability to build layers of sound and with it, layers of emotion. Their live show has long been held in high regard for its stunning light effects, the huge walls of sound that embrace you from the outset and the divine catharsis that can be found when the final notes finally fade out. Tonight the anticipation for their performance is high and the supporting acts feed into that feeling; both A.A.Williams and Brutus bring their own take on post-metal to the hangar like space of the Z7, and in doing so build the electric atmosphere for Cult of Luna’s time on stage.

First, British artist A.A.Williams brings a simpler sound to the stage, yet with that starker aura comes waves of emotion that causes many to exhale with release when each song ends, as though Williams is singing their thoughts and giving a voice to feelings that have long been burning within. Her music is powerful in its quieter moments and gives space for the guitars to showcase cascading progressions. Post-metal is known for its shimmering guitar lines and A.A.Williams brings many of those beautiful notes to her performance while the songs themselves curl around the audience leaving many here tonight with a new outlook and a new artist to admire.

Next, Belgium’s Brutus take the stage and bring an altogether different kind of sound to the proceedings. Vocalist/drummer Stefanie is a powerhouse of a frontperson and the punk rock infused drums that they play are contrasted sharply by the radiance of the guitars, their post-metal leaning way out of the usual sound yet still sounding cohesive, tight and mesmerising. Their songs often end abruptly which leaves the audience wanting, needing more and their final song is a culmination of all that desire. Stefanie’s voice soars over the atmospheric guitars of “Sugar Dragon,” cracking with pure anguish as the song builds towards its finale while Brutus take their sound into deeply melancholic territory as the song and its crescendo hits with controlled force before falling away into the ether. It’s a powerful and breathtaking end to a set that gives many here a tangible feeling of hopelessness and sorrow. 

As the audience try to come to terms with the desolation that Brutus left in their wake, the stage is slowly set up for tonight’s main event. Sweden’s Cult Of Luna are currently touring their latest record, A Dawn to Fear, which spoke of vulnerability and the renewal that it can bring and tonight the hope is that Cult of Luna will bring much in the way of cleansing. Their backdrop is hung in several pieces, echoing the sails of a ship, moving in the breeze and allowing the band to guide us on a journey of rebirth and acceptance, 

Tonight the set is culled mainly from A Dawn to Fear, Vertikal I & II and Somewhere Along the Highway and the way in which the songs are put together are magical. The rise and fall of the music is tempered with the slower moments of “And With Her Came The Birds”, a calmer and softer piece that allows space to breathe after the opening tracks “The Silent Man” through to “I: The Weapon” have ramped up the tension to an unbearable degree. This drop back into subtle territory is required in order to process the weight of what came before and the gorgeous vocal lines from Fredrik Kihlberg, deep and rich, add to the affecting atmosphere.

This tranquility continues into “Lights on the Hill,” which begins on simpler textures before slowly building its fifteen minute runtime towards main vocalist Johannes Persson’s gritty and powerful voice. Persson’s presence is one of dynamism, often driving the songs towards the huge and final moments with a voice commands attention, yet he does not overshadow or overwhelm the band or the music. Instead, he establishes the narrative, guides the audience through the peaks and troughs of the songs, shows us when it’s time to take a breath and steers us towards the ultimate end. 

“Lights on the Hill” lays down the foundations for the last three songs of the evening in its creation of dense textures and layers of sound, allowing “”In Awe Of,” “Passing Through” and “The Fall” to truly annihilate with their energy. These final songs run for almost thirty minutes, such is the scale of Cult of Luna’s musical palette but not once do you feel that it is too much, rather once it is over there are calls for more. Cult Of Luna give so much of themselves during their performances and tonight they play for ninety minutes - it is exhausting, no doubt, and unfortunately the band have nothing left to give. They are spent, they have obtained release and they have worked through the fragile nature of what life gives us. 

 “The Fall” echoes this sentiment with huge swells of guitar, riding the notion that time will heal us if only we allow it to. It is a perfect ending to a set that pulls the deepest emotions from all those in attendance and gives a sense of hope for a future that looks more and more uncertain with each passing day.  

The setlist can be explored here.

The Beasts

Metro Theatre

Sydney, Australia

December 6, 2019

Over the span of his illustrious career, there have been many incarnations of Tex Perkins and he has proved times over again that there are many nuances to him channelling his alchemy, with substance over style having always been the common denominator.

However, The Beasts (of Bourbon) have always been special to me ever since I witnessed them the first time in 2007,

After an emotional final performance and the untimely passing of founding member Brian Hooper that effectively put the Beasts of Bourbon as we knew it to rest, Tex assembled past and present comrades to record a new record, which eventually resulted in The Beasts continuing their legacy in a live environment.

If you are remotely into alternative music and are not familiar with the Beasts’ back catalogue, it is unpardonable and needs to be rectified immediately – if you are and harbour a modicum of appreciation for Australian rock and roll yet have not had the pleasure of encountering them in the third dimension, you might be able to imagine the melange of raw fury and passionate musical prowess that a The Beasts show constitutes.

Experiencing Kim Salmon and Charlie Owens joining forces and flanking the towering showman Tex Perkins is a thing of beauty – a blistering, rusty mean, menacing rock and blues machine that bulldozes everything in its path yet despite its rawness, does not lack beautiful, sublime and subtle nuances.

Needless to say that Tex Perkins’ effortless banter, mockery, charisma and idiosyncratic showmanship adds a dimension to the show, which makes each performance an event that has yet to disappoint.

Dirty, ferocious and still wonderfully psychotic, it was a pleasure to be pummelled by them yet another time - long live The Beasts!

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photo by T

Gilbert and George – The Great Exhibition @ Astrup Fearney Museum

Gilbert & George are two constituents that form an artistic symbiosis the total of which is much more than the sum of its individual ingredients.

Actively challenging the status quo, the perception of what is acceptable and not giving a toss about conventions for over fifty years, they have never lost relevance and always blazed their own trail, which has not only opened but kicked down doors not only for new generations of new artists but also redefined how one can make the centre of one’s own art without falling prey to the notion of merely l’art pour l’art.

Two lives dedicated to not only art but living creativity to their fullest and a total commitment to their own version of truth – a reduction that resulted in enlightening and inspiring myriads of followers.

With large scale floor to ceiling artworks that run the gamut from surrealism to propaganda and ironically and at times sarcastically using symbols and thereby subverting and often diffusing their meanings.

Question everything seems to be the maxim of the two as they tackle wealth, sex, political and religious views in equal measure, while always retaining a sense of beauty and conveying emotion.

Eventually and early on, they became their own medium, the message and inseparable from their art, which resulted in performance art and them becoming centrepieces of their uniquely large and often brightly coloured complex images, often consisting of monumental mosaics comprised of big individual panels.

What I have always liked about Gilbert & George is that their art always allowed for the recipients to find their own truth, which they merely trigger with a visual impulse. In that sense, the viewer becomes an active part of the art and makes it even more interesting.

Gilbert & George The Great Exhibition is a collaboration between the LUMA Foundation and Moderna Museet, Stockholm in collaboration with Astrup Fearnley Museet and an ode to five decades of change and challenging taboos, morals and moralism.

Comprising works from the early 1970s to 2016, the exhibition and accompanying catalogue exemplifies in an opulently illustrated manner how Gilbert & George’s methods and emissions have evolved while using their own personas as object and subject.

An ode to some of the most visible artists on this earthround and another strongpoint of Astrup Fearney Museum after the recent fantastically curated Anselm Kiefer exhibition.

‎Curated by Daniel Birnbaum and Hans Ulrich Obrist, the exhibition will run from Sep‎ ‎13‎, ‎2019 - ‎Jan‎ ‎5‎, ‎2020 and the limited catalogue can be obtained from the museum’s website.

Into the Night

Prestel Publishing

If you pay close attention to the portrayal of night clubs and specifically cabarets, the artistic portrayal thereof plays an integral part in creating both perceptions and images.

No matter if it is the iconic 1920ies jazz clubs or cocktail bars, the etablissements that dominate the night have been hotbeds for creative expression.

Into the Night explores the history of cabarets and clubs from the 1880s to the 1960s and not only highlights and conveys what it must have been like to meander through the clubs in Berlin in the era of Weimar and jazz clubs in the new world, but also sheds like to less explored terrain like Africa’s exuberant night club scene of the 1960s.

It becomes apparent that cabarets and to some extent clubs were much more than bohemian places to congregate and indulge in debauchery but veritable alternatives to established museums when it came to pushing boundaries, experimentation and, most importantly, forums to foster collaborations and performance art.

The artwork and posters depicted in this tome paint a comprehensive picture of the ambience and ethos of the clubs, with each depiction telling stories about the DNA of the place it represents.

It also shows that no matter how glamourful spaces are depicted, it is the atmosphere that attracts people and a “je ne sais quoi factor” that at times is not tangible and is difficult to capture in any other form than being part of the action.

However, the book is a welcome reference for anyone interested in interdisciplinary art and how one fact informs the other and thereby ultimately creating a total that is much bigger than the seemingly unrelated sum of the individual constituents would suggest.