Gene Simmons

Festival Hall

Melbourne, Australia

August 30, 2018

Gene Simmons.

Ace Frehley.

Spearheads of KISS.

Outworn labels like “legendary” are not inappropriate in this context as it would prove to be difficult to find anyone who grew up in the 1970s/80s that has not at least been partly impacted by KISS and what its individual constituents introduced to the world of music and popular culture at large.

2018 sees the bigger-than-life persona Gene Simmons reconciling with his former bandmate Ace Frehley taking stages down under to not only celebrate their crowd-pleasers but also gems of their more obscure solo back catalogue, and gems there is no shortage of. A Gene Simmons shows is first and foremost a grandiose exercise in refined, old school entertainment. The man holds court and his engaging banter and crowd interaction do no mask but adorn his accomplish musicianship. It is quite an experience to see how effortlessly Gene rocks through his ever changing set lists including songs he performed the first time around in a live setting, which are well calibrated with ebbs and flows to keep the audience on its toes.

KISS is all about effects and the stage show and tonight was focused on the music, which showcased both Ace Frehley’s, who opened the show, and Gene Simmons song-writing and performance skills. Backed by a band that works like a well-oiled machine and has a pedigree in bands like Slash, Alice Cooper, Vince Neil, et cetera, the show ticked boxes on many levels and it would be hard to argue that it is a mere nostalgia act as timeless hits met contemporary sound.

Ever the consummate silver-tongued businessman, the tour coincided with Gene’s “The Vault” release, another elaborate addition to the growing empire of Gene Simmons’ and Kiss related mementos, including one-hundred and fifty songs, action figure, commemorative coin, personal gift, liner notes – the works – which he hand-delivered to his fans, who also received a double pass to one of his shows and of which there were quite a few present tonight.

An evening that was loose, borderline casual, had Gene and his worthy constituents enjoying themselves, dominating the room yet being accessible, inviting fans on stage various times throughout the set to celebrate their hits with them.

It was interesting that despite the lack of pyrotechnics, costumes, fire, blood or make-up, essential ingredients for the winning KISS formula, the KISS Army left satisfied and did not miss it one iota, which is testament to the showmanship and charisma of one of the few remaining greats of the pantheon of rock and roll.

Stripped of all theatrics and bombast, Gene Simmons showed himself in a playful and humorous light, which added another dimension to his persona and the musical substance of his oeuvre.

Expo Liaison Festival Experience

Luna Park

Sydney, Australia

August 25, 2018

For the unitiated: Client Liaison is a two-man performance operation and a dedicated homage to Australian tackiness and the hedonism of the corporate world of the late 1980ies running the gamut from fashion, demeanour, corporate greed, vanity and the trademark groove filled, high-energy synth pop.

Monte Morgan and Harvey Miller AO, the two gentlemen and schmoozing CEOs behind the duo have now taken their endeavours to the next level and launched a themed, curated festival, i.e. an extravaganza dedicated to excess and one that goes a bit further than your run-off-the-mill music fest – a festival that in essence was modelled after the World Expo 88, which was held in Brisbane in 1988 with the significant theme “leisure in the age of technology”.

The multimedia/ and -sensory experience provided over seven hours of Client Liaison-curated retrospect, vintage entertainment framed by main stage performances of fellow electro poppers Alice Ivy, Rainbow Chan, KLP & Luke Million, Ken Davis, Kon, the funky and energetic eight-piece band NO ZU and Total Giovanni and their own act headlining, not only in the duo celebrating their chart hits but accompanied by no less the Australian music legend John Farnham, i.e. “Whispering Jack”, who was  joining them on stage for a medley of his eighties chart toppers.

Upon arrival we followed the ever funky Luke Million down his rabbit hole of disco set against an epic audio-visual display accompanied by footage of the '80s-inspired sci-fi show and exploding with synthesiser chords. Alice Ivy followed suit energetic as ever utilising an array of instruments and creating a vibe that was eagerly soaked up by the audience.

The festival spread across Luna Park’s Big Top, which was comprised of a fashion precinct - of course aligned with Client Liaison’s trademark “international in flavour and cosmopolitan in style”, which featured Client Liaison’s Deluxe Leisure Fashion line, photo opps in 80ies holiday settings or alternatively with their off-white Mercedes Benz limousine on the red carpet and free services like an on-site seamstress that offered to sew patches on your garments on site.

Upstairs a second, smaller stage was set up for DJ and band in a more relaxed ambience.

Attention to details like the “liquid asset” bar menu and the dessert bar, which even had a croquembouche on display, ice sculpture carving and a woodchop competition as an ode to celebrate Australia's oldest “sport”, make Expo Liaison an extravaganza that works on many levels, each facet of which is subtly infused with Client Liaison’s flavour.

The cherry on top of the rainbow coloured Expo Liaison layer cake was the pyrotechnic heavy incarnation of Client Liaison. Never holding back when it comes to extravagant costume changes, back up dancers and ornaments straight from 1980ies Saturday afternoon pop TV shows, the show was an engaging exercise in fine entertainment that was masterfully calibrated with ebbs and flows and hard to resist.

A truly unique, immersive festival and a whole lot of fun.

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Photos by @k.a.vv

Andrew WK

Manning Bar

Sydney, Australia

August 26, 2018

While Andrew WK himself might not have changed, the way his oeuvre has evolved and come a long way since he had what seemed like “everyone” singing along to what became a bona fide synth metal anthem “Party hard” – a long way that saw the public realize that there is a tad more to his party philosophy than a reception on face value level would suggest: A smart man, celebrating the fact that you are alive and making the most of it.

Andrew WK has become a stern advocate for positivity, mindfulness, self-affirmation and Zen.

In essence, PMA that would couldn’t have made the Bad Brains more proud.

Be your take on Andrew WK what it may - in a live environment the benevolent optimist, motivational speaker and multi-instrumentalist is a force to be reckoned with that instantly connects with his audience. His incarnation in Sydney is an adrenaline fuelled tour de force that works on different levels using hedonist clichés, exuberance, musical adroitness, giddiness, vulnerability and attitude in a subtle manner for maximum effect to get his message across – a “result oriented performance” as David Lee Roth would have put it.

The fact that Andrew WK with his appearance, trademark white outfit and charisma is an instantly likeable borderline cartoon-esque character only adds to the theatrics.

There is ridiculousness, brilliance, earnestness and energy by the bucket load of a born front man and an adoration and affection for his followers that pervades every facet of the show.

Backed by a well-oiled full band, the show is an exercise in rock’s roll excess with three guitarists taking solo-ing over the top or alternatively blast beating and pummelling the audience mixed with quieter interludes of Andrew accompanying himself on the piano.

It proves to be hard to argue that what he has created is not a unique, engaging and holistic performance act that finds it warranted, well-earned  enthusiastic reception in a day and age where cynicism and artifice reigns supreme.

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Photos by @k.a.vv

The Good, The Tasty, The Sustainable

Loving Earth

What did they say?

All you need is love?

Well, a lil’ chocolate every then thrown in for good measure certainly does not hurt.

Who does not like good chocolate?

I am talking the good stuff, ideally raw organic one like the one Loving Earth Chocolate. I first stumbled across Loving Earth when I was handed their exquisite collaboration with Sullivans Cove distillery.

Loving Earth was founded in 2007 after the founders had established contacts having worked with indigenous communities in India and Mexico. Back in Melbourne their operation took off quickly and after establishing two chocolate producing facilities, they continued their mission to create a brand that is healthy, sustainable and fair by not only working with their contacts in Mexico and Peru but also with an Aboriginal community in the Kimberley region, paying respect and honouring both the Indigenous people that have cultivated their ingredients for thousands of years, and the earth and ecosystems in which they are grown.  

By doing that, Loving Earth enables Aboriginal communities to increase their revenue and support themselves and familiar by providing raw materials.

A favourites of the Loving Earth range is their Dark Chocolate, which is comprised of merely two ingredients: Seventy-two percent raw “Amazonico Criollo” cacao berries from Satipo, Peru, which are considered to be the diamonds of cocoas, and twenty-eight percent Indonesian evaporated coconut nectar, which was transformed from the bean state into the bar you can purchase without further dilution. The resulting flavour is divine with deep earthy nuances and hints of sweet toffee.

Apart from fudge, Loving Earth also produces “superfoods”, of which I have come to appreciate their Acai Powder, sourced straight from deep in the Amazon forests. Acai has an incredibly high ORAC of 101,495 uM trolox / 100g.

My breakfast enjoyment would be dramatically diminished if it was not for Loving Earth’s Paleo - Berry Choc Mix. The activated premium raw wholefood blend is packed with superfoods, berries, activated nuts and seeds, i.e. they are easier to digest and have increased nutritional value, caramelised coconut chips and chunks of their dark chocolate. Apart from being a great source of protein and cane sugar free, it is a damn tasty treat.

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Photos by @k.a.vv

School of Life

Food for Thoughts

Now, here’s an interesting one: The School of Life.

An organisation that devoted itself to developing emotional intelligence. Sounds a bit esoteric?

Fret not.

They offer a wider variety of surprisingly sensible programmes and services with the focus being on how to live thoughtfully, wisely and well.

Sounds vague enough?

The organisation was originally founded in 2008 in swinging Londontown and has since grown to spread its operations via Paris, Amsterdam, London, Melbourne, Antwerp, Belgrade, Instanbul and Sydney.

Apart from offering classes, workshops, retreats, intensives, secular sermons, and therapies in the third dimension and through facilitating it themselves, they publish books, an arm of the operation that shall form the focus of this feature.

What is refreshing about School of Life’s approach to publishing is that they are not trying to corner you with dogmas, au contraire: The tenet is to get you thinking and to provoke a process that will let you come to your own conclusion. This is something I can attests to, as I have had a chance to read a range of their books on different topics and the way it is presented is holistic, matter-of-factly, undogmatic yet offers a gentle guidance for those in need thereof.

Claiming that The School of Life’s offerings are diverse is an understatement par excellence – from philosophy to literature via psychology to the visual arts – nothing is off limits and somehow they manage to block out the white noise of a world overflowing with information and distil and boil down relevant matters down to their essence without falling prey to becoming an overbearing preachy voice that batters you with its ideological contracts.

School of Life’s emissions are stimulating, encouraging and their careful curation helps to weed out a lot of unnecessary elaborations as somehow their range of writers find their own distinctive voice with writings being structured according to the situations of your own life.

Different angles are taken and while some of them might not be your preferred ones, they more often than not resonate, lend perspective and with their calm and reasonable voice encourage you to leave your limitations behind and expand your horizon.

For a lack of a singular, fitting term, I find the School of Life to be a repository of attitudes that are elusive, but much needed, as they are here to stay and meant to be revisited.