Blog — Page 175 of 283

Wu Tang Clan

Opera House

Sydney, Australia

December 8, 2018

Good god, I don’t even recall how many times I was supposed to witness incarnations of Wu Tang Clan, parts thereof or individual constituents performing their songs.

Needless to say that some shows never eventuated, others did and were “interesting” for everything other than performance reasons. I came close to seeing the collective in Europe at the height of their powers in the 90s, but the group decided that there were other priorities to attend to, i.e. decided to take  a detour to Amsterdam where they stayed with their nightliner to partake in what the city has to offer until their return to the US.

Long story short – I was excited yet wary when I heard that the remaining nine along with ODB’s first-born were announced to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of their genre coining first album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).

The fact that the actual soundcheck seemed to go on well beyond performance time and the fact that the doors to the auditorium remained closed did not bode too well, however, the Wu descended and what a joy it was.

For the few uninitiated, Wu Tang Clan’s first album is a classic not merely because of the idiosyncratic skills and complexion of the group’s constituents but also because of the underpinning unique melange that forms its foundation, i.e. the Wu philosophy which is part adoration for Motown samples, a faible for obscure kung fu flics, spirituality meeting street husting attitude and their bond as a clan.

What materialized on stage of Sydney Opera House’s stage tonight was testament to the relevance and longevity of the album and Wu Tang Clan at large and cemented that their oeuvre has arrived –from the alleys of Staten Island to the cultural canon of established popular culture.

With the resurgence of hip hop over the last decade and it pervading every facet of mainstream society, it was fantastic to see some of the OGs hitting it and having fun doing so.

An engaging performance throughout in a 360-degree setup, they transformed the Opera House into a bouncing block party with the sold-out audience lapping it up.

Wu-Tang forever – and the next three days of forever they will be continuing their residence at the Opera House.

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Photos courtesy of Pru Upton and Dan Boud

Limeburners

I came across Limeburners at a recent whisky tasting. Given that the other drops on offer were nothing to write home about, it not difficult for Limeburners’ expression stand out, however, it stood out in epic measures.

Situated in Western Australia, Limeburners have continuously upped their game – be it the sourcing of barrels with a history that can be traced back nearly a hundred years in the new world before they helped mature port or sherry for a number of decades and eventually found their destiny helping refine Limeburners’ emissions, or securing their own local peat supply along with building their own customised peat smoker, aiding in peating their own barely.

Limeburners flagship is without a doubt their Single Malt Whisky.  

In 2012 “Tiger Snake”, a ‘sour mash’ mixed grain whiskey, was launched, i.e. an expression inspired by the better Kentucky and Tennessee whiskies.

Whisky-wise, Limeburners’ focus is firmly set on single barrel releases with variants clocking in at a range of ABVs and in peated and unpeated varieties with the occasional cask strength of wine cask expression.

The blessing and curse with Limeburners is that due to the limitation of their releases and cask sizes, the drops are crafted using traditional techniques and paid meticulous attention to yet they are increasingly hard to come by due to the wider whisky loving public catching on to it.

With the Western regions of Australia having not only ideal water for whisky brewing but also a borderline ideal climate whose low evaporation rates and humidity levels are conducive to distilling the quality drops they have become known for.

If I had to pin down the character of Limeburners across the board of its releases and find an equivalent in Scotland, it would be the whiskies from the Speyside region.

Given the fact that Limeburners has only been on the map for less than ten years and seeing what they have accomplished, there is no doubt in my mind that within a short period of time they will not only become a force to be reckoned with on international terrain but also high quality whisky house that does not have to hide behind the great Tasmanian whiskies we have recently covered.

Limeburners’ Single Malt Whisky Sherry Cask is an exercise in complexity exhibiting spicy fruit aromas, hinting at honey-esque vanilla notes and a long smooooth finish.

My favourite is the Peated Small Batch Australian Single Malt Whisky variant, which clocks in at 48%. The smoky flavour is framed by a bouquet of spices and citrussy floral notes with a sheer never-ending finish that is reminiscent of licorice, tannins and blueberries that makes me smack my lips.

Definitely one of my favourite Australian expressions.

Subtle, soft yet flavourful, complex, nuanced and difficult to not abstain from pouring yourself another dram.

Read more Water of Life entries here.

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Photo by T

Caldera Festival

Eveleigh Works

Sydney, Australia

December 1, 2018

Going by its etymological roots, “caldera” is a volcanic crater.

The lava that is produced by the boutique-y new festival that goes by the same name is an eclectic melange of emerging underground artists channelling their alchemy via a literal athanor in Eveleigh’s turn-of-the-century workshops.

Caldera Festival’s bits and pieces could be a small scale, condensed equivalent to MONA’s Dark Mofo Festival in Hobart.

Equipped with an excellent gin concoction courtesy of local artisan distillers Four Pillars, one wanders the dark locomotive workshop every nook and cranny of which offers something to discover, be it interactive art installations, pop-up performances, bars and surprises galore that can be explored via an interactive digital map, while one is serenaded by an industrial soundtrack.

If the mission statement of Caldera’s curators was to create something visceral, exciting and strange, they have certainly accomplished what they have set out to achieve.

Performances were spearheaded by burlesque performer Zelia Rose, Melbourne songstress Tanzer, as well as acts based on the utilizations of industrial machinery put to work by Bree van Reyk, with Alon Ilsar performing the AirSticks in the thick of the machinery.

Framed by themed bars that offer both libations and sustenance, the first incarnation of Calera gave a taste of what it could evolve in coming years – a dark, adult playground that one can get immersed and literally get dirty in.

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Lead image by T, additional photos below by @k.a.vv

Bloc Party

Hordern Pavilion

Sydney, Australia

November 30, 2018

No matter how you cut it, if you like good music it proves to be hard to not acknowledge that Bloc Party has created an instant classic with their album Silent Alarm.

Period.

That was in 2005 and the interim has seen a myriad of ebbs and flows, near break-ups and line-up changes. However, tonight was a great example of how relevant the band still is and how easily Bloc Party gets the audience to get into it and turn the evening into what their name suggests.

Tight and the well-oiled machine the rhythm section is, the intricacy of their percussive patterns is performed with gusto and finds its culmination in the massive, epic sing-a-long choruses that are celebrated by the near sold-out audience.

A triumphant evening that at no point reeked of nostalgia but a contemporary display based on their debut album, which is not further wondrous as it was light years ahead of its time.

Bloc Party in 2018 is a force to be reckoned with and anyone harbouring an iota of doubt should expose themselves to Kele Okereke and his worthy constituents that condense the essence of Brit-cool, infuse it with their own DNA and create anthems galore.

Performing the songs of their debut in reverse order only helped to heighten the anticipation for the crowd pleasers that were delivered in spades.

It was hard to detect anyone in attendance that did not seem to be touched by British indie royalty holding court – a band that has stood the test of time and whose ferociousness is hard to not become a fan of no matter if you are into R & B, hip hop, electro or Brit-pop.

Andy Warhol – Ai Weiwei

Yale University Press

This tome is an ode to The National Gallery of Victoria’s (NGV) Andy Warhol – Ai Weiwei exhibition.

An exhibition that epitomized the confabulation between two greats that through osmosis, synergy and juxtaposition added not only additional levels and dimensions to their respective oeuvre but resulted in a whole that is more than the sum of it.

The metaphorical dialogue that was created through the exhibition transcending space and time finds its extension in book form here – a testament to modern day art rooted in very different contexts, both culturally and philosophically.

The book manages to capture that despite the obvious differences, the DNA of both, i.e. reshaping tool as a weapon, means to change and catalyst for change, activism, symbolism and polemicism.

The depictions of artistic emissions that are beautifully set in scene and whose sequence is thoughtfully stage are underpinned by essays that were written by a large range of luminaries from the realms of curation, academia and the arts shed light and decipher why both Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei keep having such a profound impact on both the art landscape at large as well as au courant life.

An essential works for anyone who looks at art from a historical perspective and how the fight for freedom of both immunity and creative expression found two of its most vocal defenders, whose works have never lost an iota of relevance.

Not unlike the exhibition, the book offers something for everyone no matter if you are merely interested in the artists on a superficial level because you enjoy looking at their art or if you are inclined to delve deeper to unveil the nuances and commonalities between seemingly unrelated works.