George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic

Enmore Theatre

Sydney, Australia

April 20, 2019

There are bands and the protagonists driving them that you want to experience in the third dimension at least once. George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic are one of them and disappointed I was not: What materialized on stage tonight was funk music in its very essence yet distorted, malleable and very, very raw – in the best way imaginable – a smorgasbord of styles peppered with equal measures of authentic jazz, hip hop, soul and rock and put through a psychedelic blender.

A collective of nearly twenty in nature, George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic is a group extraordinaire that comprises a melange of immensely talented individuals, who conjure something much bigger than the sum of their isolated contributions would have you expect.

Over two hours of premium entertainment ensued that left hardly anyone in the house unaffected and spread of feelgood atmosphere that is too dense and natural to resist.

Drawing on their immense back catalogue, all the hits were proffered, “Flashlight” made an appearance along with “One Nation Under a Groove”, “Bop Gun (Endangered Species)”, “Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)”, “(Not Just) Knee Deep” and – my personal favourite – the never not goose bump inducing “Maggot Brain”, courtesy of Blackbyrd McKnight in his usual impeccable form.

The brass section was as tight as the formidable foundation created by the drums and bass alliance, on which everything else was throning.

It was good to see that George Clinton was present and actively engaged in every moment as opposed to previous incarnations, where he sporadically made appearances when he was not attending to whatever he had going on offstage.

Either reigning supreme singing, gracing the band dancing conducting, cheering on, indulging in monologues and always vibing along sharing, feeding on and firing on the energy that made the show what felt like a timeless and significant funkadelic club-like block party with the broad audience enjoying every minute, no matter if they were in their late teens or twilight years.

A mind-blowing and otherworldly night that you would not want to miss participating in should George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic ever hold court in your neck of the woods.

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Photos by @k.a.vv

Iggy Pop

Opera House

Sydney, Australia

April 15, 2019

The godfather of punk is certainly a big title.

Having been active since the second half of the 1960s and actively involved in shaping the foundation and creating the fertile ground that punk could blossom on, warrants it especially since I have yet to encounter anyone remotely interested in music at large that would dispute the status and merits of the maestro that was born as James Osterberg.

I’ve seen Iggy Pop in many incarnations – backed by his worthy constituents The Stooges, by himself reciting French poetry in the old world and throughout the nineties in a variety of hit and miss incarnations.

The 2019 incarnation of Iggy holding court of the Sydney Opera House was nothing short of an exquisite victory lap: Drawing on a back catalogue of hits, the performance flowed effortlessly with Iggy reigning supreme.

From the moment he graced the stage with his presence, the sold out audience was up on its feet and did not let up frenetically celebrating every song, every gesture, every wave and grimace the man emitted, who basked in but also seemed to sincerely appreciate the adoration extended to him, what he stands for and his life.

One could wax lyrical in a borderline academic manner about the pop cultural significance of hymns like Lust for Life, Passenger, Search and Destroy and pretty much every ditty that was part of tonight’s performance and originally served as the cataclysm, for underground movements they became anthems for.

However, tonight’s takeaway is that it apart from all the aforementioned it was an immensely, genuinely fun show whose intimacy helped create goosebumps moments galore.

It was great to see Iggy Pop in the flesh again – a man whose trials and tribulations defeat the very logic of existence and whose show does not have to rely on nostalgia: His vocal delivery based on his trademark baritone accentuated by the occasional screech was strong, on point throughout the show, the band a tight unit and his physical exercises, including the sleazed out dancefloor crawl and him frequently “rubbing” the audience’s appreciation into his pint sized bodily exterior,  were graceful despite him being in his seventh decade of earthly existence, with especially the latter not being a feat commonly mastered by his peers.

A fulminant life-affirming incarnation of a prototype that has never been considered for mass production – he is still very much the streetwalkin’ cheetah with a heart full of napalm.

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Photos by Prudence Upton (provided)

King Dude

Vanguard

Sydney, Australia

April 13, 2019

Having emerged as what appealed to an appreciative underground audience as a neofolky, luciferian lone-troubadour, TJ Cowgill, the man behind the moniker of King Dude has evolved to become an entity that still wears its DNA on its sleeve yet has carefully calibrated a shift towards appealing to a wider audience.

Given the often constrictive confines of underground music, it is something that I welcome with open arms and it would have been great to see the man again accompanied by a full band as part of the upcoming Dark Mofo Festival, but him in the purest form backed by only one constituent got the job done tonight.

2019 sees King Dude holding court in a gloomy folk incarnation that is accentuated by heavier post-punk elements, whose dynamics help to elevate the yarns that Cowgill spins as he lets the audience partake in him meandering through shadowy realms and heavily drawing on hedonist motifs and religious imagery.

It might be my own interpretation of King Dude, but what makes it more appealing to me than his often lacklustre peers is that his tongue seems to be firmly buried in cheek.  Along with the fact that a facet of self-conscious humour reverberates through his oeuvre without a care if it falls on fertile ground with the recipients of his emissions, it adds a refreshing layer of idiosyncrasy.

A fulminant evening paying homage to everything gloomy, haunting and dark yet infused with a gritty alt-country-rockishness and other Americana that result in a refreshing groovy vibe and catchiness that made the performance enjoyable for more reasons than mere aesthetics.

In layman’s terms, this is the perfect soundtrack for a sleazy strip club and tonight’s performance was testament to the fact that the Armageddon Gigolo has a lot more to offer than the stereotypes of the genre he originally emerged from would have you think.

You do want to experience King Dude.

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Photos by @k.a.vv

Water of Life - Tin Shed Distlling

I have sung the praises about Tin Shed Distillery and their product of formidable artisan whiskies before.

Given the meticulous attention not merely when it comes to the ingredients of their limited batches, i.e. the sourcing of locally produced grain and peat along with Mallee stumps to smoke it, and their integrity when it comes to the avoidance of additives, it is not further wondrous that their rich emissions are highly sought after.

Stating that Iniquity produces flavourful drops is an understatement par excellence. Having redefined “hands-on micro distiller” by having started their distillery from scratch has resulted in Tin Shed being decorated with a myriad of accolades in a range of World’s Best categories.

Batches of Iniquity usually sell out within days – and it is not too hard to grasp why: Their batch #14 hits the nostrils with a gentle and perfectly calibrated melange of honey, notes of wood and toffee and prepares the palate, which will be tickled by what the nose promised. Warm and rich, heavy on the plums and other stone fruits and the character of the sherry barrels playing a dominant role.

The finish is something that I have grown to look forward to as Iniquity has yet to underwhelm in that department: Oaky with nuances of fruits on the sour side, bitter bits with mellow sweet fruity flavours rest on the foundation of full-bodied red wine that make this another complex and interesting exercise in master distilling.

Now, while Iniquity’s whisky plays in a league of its own, in this case the book can be judged by its cover: The attention to details extends to the bottle and packaging design.

Artisanal in nature, Batch #14 came in a beautifully constructed, sleek black box with silver printing and black foiling adorning the outside and the bottle features a hand-made wax seal, below which silver branding has been screen-printed direct to the bottle. The fact that a batch specific paper label on the front is used, should not further surprise.

In essence, a feast for the eyes that is good and simple yet sophisticated at the same time, not unlike the whisky it houses.

Iniquity whiskies come with a label, which contain a code that upon scanning with your smart phone, take you to their HQ, where head distiller Ian Schmidt sheds light on the overall approach, distilling process, barrels used and tasting notes of the respective expression you have purchased.

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Photos by T

Water of Life

Never Never Distilling Co. / Caffe Bartolo collaboration

Never Never Distilling Co. has been on my radar for quite some time.

Upon finally experiencing the emissions of the distillery that was founded by three blokes with a blatant disregard for any obstacles that might be thrown their way, I can attest that the fearless spirit they produce lives up to its premise.

Channelling their alchemy within the confines of a small brewing facility, their juniper forward hooch is based on partially steeped ways of treating the main ingredient that capture both the bright and the earthy qualities of the world’s smallest conifer, which rests on a carefully curated bouquet of botanicals complimenting the character of the juniper, e.g. the citrussy Australian coriander, pepper berry for a more rounded savoury experience and a hint of cinnamon to give it some warmth. Clocking in at 43% ABV, the clean profile is accentuated with a big of a punch that will find itself in good company no matter if it is the heart piece of a negroni or a martini.

With the myriad of gin distilleries popping up like mushrooms and crowding the market with trying to compete in terms of innovation and modern interpretations, Never Never deliberately takes a step back and honours traditional ideas and methods by adding more juniper to their gin than any other gin on the market, which results in a big, viscous spirit with a strong, balanced flavour, rich mouthfeel and a lengthy finish which is accentuated by a simple lemon to work its magic.

Now, while Never Never Distillery’s gin expressions by themselves might be a thing of beauty, proffering them in form of curated cocktails within the context of what is the sophisticated and inviting Crown Street's all-day authentic Italian diner Caffe Bartolo, not only adds another dimension but with the collaboration seeing the restaurant collaborate by matching the liquid emissions with a four-course food betrothal courtesy of Bartolo's head chef Teofilo Nobrega (known from Fratelli Paradiso) and the gin based drinks being given an additional edge via the creative input of Grazia di Franco, it elevated all aspects to the next level:

A Snap(per) Chat (Triple Juniper gin with tomato and carrot juice) was married to a citrus-cured snapper and pickled celery heart in a Bloody Mary sauce – a holy matrimony that was topped by Bartolo's Martini (Never Never’s Southern Strength Gin, vermouth and Sicilian wine) paired with pepperoncino-stuffed swordfish involtini.

The four courses culminated with a dessert that was started with the Bitter Freak (Juniper Freak Gin, vermouth, coffee and amaro) and an elongated finish that tickled the taste buds with an amaro and juniper berry-infused fried custard topped with fior di latte gelato and burnt oranges.

I have been to quite a few drink and food pairings and while most of the time it is an enjoyable affair, this one stood out not just because of the high-quality ingredients the total of which was something bigger than the mere adding of the individual constituents would suggest. It was the hospitality that added the “je ne sais quoi” factor with all operators seamlessly and expertly going about their business with both dedication and an omnipresent smile that reverberated on to the audience.

The attention to detail with which Caffe Bartolo is outfitted, e.g. the carefully curated photos that adorn the walls, the geschmaecklerische and quirky drink utensils ready for usage on the delicate marble bar, dark wood venetian blinds and floral wallpaper covering the bathroom walls, results in a magnetic pull that anyone with a sense of taste and appreciation for fine details would find hard to resist.

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Photos by @k.a.vv