Blog — Page 209 of 281

There Will Be A Climax

Old Fitzroy Theatre

Sydney, Australia

January 12, 2018

I do not subscribe to the notion of guilty pleasures or liking something “ironically”.

Either you like something or not.

Period.

I love the song “You spin me round (like a record)”.

I guess it also helps that I do not dislike Luther Vandross’ “I wanted your love” that it apparently was based on.

As a matter of fact, I think that Dead or Alive’s 3:19 minutes of fame can be spun on end for extended periods of time without ceasing to entertain me.

The fact that There will be a Climax is heavily leaning onto Stock Aitken Waterman’s first numero uno chart hit, both thematically as well as visually, start and ends with it, won me over straight away.

What is sandwiched in between the play, which was originally created by Sydney-based lighting designer Alexander Berlage as part of 2016 graduate productions of Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art, is a spinning, colourful, funky and engaging exercise in Dadaism that would have made Samuel Beckett proud.

Everything else would enter us in spoiler territory and I’d recommend that you go and check it out for yourself . . .

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Photo provided

Parkway Drive

Metro Theatre

Sydney, Australia

January 18, 2018

Let’s delve into physics and its underpinning laws, shall we?

In a nutshell, the law of Boyle-Mariotte captures the concept of gas pressure tending to increase proportionally as the container volume decreases in size.

Aight. Still with me?

A Frenchman going by the flamboyant name Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac formulated a law describing how gas pressure and fixed volume rises in direct proportion to the absolute temperature of the gas. 

In layman’s terms: Shit becomes explosive.

Where am I going with this you ask?

Well, both laws applied in a metaphorical manner to Parkway Drive holding court at Sydney’s Metro Theatre.

If you are situated in the old world and remotely into the post 2k renaissance of metal core, chances are that you will probably be familiar with Parkway Drive’s live abilities, which resulted in them becoming a global player, consequently gained them major slots on main stages of stadium sized festivals and continues to excite the masses.

Now imagine packing that seasoned big time band into a medium sized sold out club.

What you get is an explosive display of polished musicianship, a nearly perfectly calibrated delivery and a show a tightly run show without lacking spontaneity. The fact that the band has a naturally good rapport with the audience fuels the relentless crowd participation.

Celebrating the ten year anniversary of their second album Horizons, the show was infused with a focus on Parkway Drive’s DNA of their earlier incarnations, i.e. in-your-face breakdown glam - an endless array of heavy parts that trickled down on the more than willing audience not unlike the condensation water from the ceiling.

What makes the Parkway Drive live experience special is that despite all the heaviness and what comes with shows of the genre, it is in essence a whole lot of fun and it is not rocket science to realize that this outcome is due to the band’s work and approach, e.g. briefing bouncers to deal with the anticipated avalanche of stagedivers and other shenanigans the Parkway Drive elicits from their audience.

There is little doubt that Parkway Drive is well on its way to become a legacy band and seeing them mix it up by still playing smaller venues on their home turf seems to indicate that they have not lost touch with their roots and is always a welcome treat.

Unfortunately I missed the opener Polaris, a band whose live reputation precedes it and whose debut album was recently released by Sydney’s Resist Records. I will make sure to catch them on their upcoming headliner tour in April.

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Photos by KAVV

American Idiot – The Musical

Opera House

Sydney, Australia

January 11, 2018

The first time and only time I saw Green Day live was in 1991 during their first European tour in front of 20 people at AJZ Stinkdrüse.

The band was on Lookout Records at the time, which is what enticed me to visit, had released a charming yet mediocre in the vein of Californian pop-punk album and there was neither a major label nor mainstream success looming on the horizon.

Fast forward 27 years and mentioning that I am going to see their musical American Idiot is a conversation topic with my mother, as she is familiar with their album from 2004 and the fact that it was adapted for the stage as a musical on Broadway.

Thematically American Idiocy is a timeless topic that can easily be transition from the Bush era, where it originated, to the status quo with Trump at the helm of operations in the new world.

Emphasis is heavily on the music with the conceptual storyline not really delving much deeper than being situational, illustrating and acting out the tropes of the songs, i.e. disenchantment, dissatisfaction with the state of affairs, the entrapments of the establishment, addictions and the downward spiral that comes with it.

This does not mean that the musical is not an engaging and enjoyable affair, which is mainly to the excellent cast’s choreography and vocal and dance performances, backed by a tight live band.

A loud and powerful affair that gets the audience out of their chairs and does not pretend to be more than it sets out to be – light on plot and more of a tour de force that does not reinvent the wheel but celebrates the energy of rock’n roll, the rest- and aimlessness of the generation in question and the foils and spoils that come with the territory.

Adding credibility and extra flavour is the fact that one constituent, i.e. the drug dealer St. Jimmy, has become a placeholder role for which local scene relevant musicians are invited to perform.

Past incarnations have seen Billie Joe Armstrong himself as well as Melissa Etheridge and Davey Havok of AFI fame play the role.

Tonight saw Grinspoon’s Phil Jamieson fill the role much to the delight of the enthused audience, which frenetically welcomed each scene he had a part in.

American Idiot is pretty thin when it comes to a coherent narrative but delivers in spades when it comes to providing a snapshot of disillusionment and is an immensely satisfying and fun affair if you are into Green Day’s 21 Century Breakdown and the album that gave the musical its name.

NYE in the Park

Victoria Park

Sydney, Australia

December 31, 2017

There is no shortage of iconic locations that New Years Eve can be celebrated at in Sydney. 

The boutique-y NYE in the Park Festival, curated by the creative heads behind Falcona / Hot Dub Time Machine, descended on the green acreage of Sydney’s Victoria Park, Broadway, for the very first time, this year and added another location to the expanding list.

Victoria Park, located adjacent to the ground of the University of Sydney, served as suitable hosting ground for the festival, which featured a spread of both national and international DJs, bands and entertainers across two stages.

From early afternoon until late night live entertainment was provided by the headliners 2manyDjs from Belgium (of Soulwax fame), turntable luminary Krafty Kuts and Jurrasic 5 rapper Chali2NA, the party proven DJ Hot Dub Time Machine as well as Furnace and the Fundamentals, Australian singer Vera Blue, Northeast Party House, Haiku Hands, Nicole Millar, Running Touch, and about a dozen more acts running the gamut in terms of providing party inducing entertainment.

Gourmet food trucks and bars from a selection of local vendors flanked the stages with an array of offerings and the shindig culminated in a fireworks display at midnight, for which Sydney’s city skyline and the park’s flora provided the backdrop in lieu of the pyrotechnic display at Sydney’s Harbour, which was blocked from view.

With NYE usually being a hectic, crowded and congested affair, the first incarnation of this new event proved that the fundamental elements of having a fun time in an enjoyable, clean and spacious environment, affordable prices, in an great location with quality offerings and a laid back vibe do not have to be mutually exclusive.

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Photos by KAVV

Run the Jewels

Big Top, Luna Park

Sydney, Australia

January 5, 2018

Given their respective careers and pedigree, I could not help but be intrigued when I was first introduced to the lyricist with a social conscience and political activist Michael Render aka Killer Mike, who first gained major exposure via his collaborations with OutKast, and producer and MC El-P joining forces as Run the Jewels and appearing with their debut album in 2013, which was available as a free digital download.

From the get go there was something to it that encompassed state-of-the-art hip with deep respect for its roots, flavoured with a idiosyncratic take on political and personal issues, carefully crafted yet effortless orchestration with more than the occasional nod to EDM, break beats and dub step and sprinkled with a dose of braggadocio and cartoonish goofiness. 

The recent emission Run the Jewels 3, a raging and dense culmination of the evolution of RTJ’s sound, has become a welcome companion on long distance runs in 2017 and set high expectations when it was announced that they would incarnate in the flesh in Australia. With a lot of potent hip hop artists lacking in the live department and not matching the intensity of their recorded works, concerns were not completely unfounded.

Run the Jewels did not disappoint: Backed by an active DJ, the duo delivered a lively and tight performance, spontaneous authentic crowd interaction and a well accentuated setlist running the gamut from political songs with a concrete message via party numbers laced with psychedelica to imaginative, classic battle rap inspired intensity over inspired and innovative layered samples.

In essence, the El-P / Killer Mike dynamic is reminiscent of a working marriage between old school gangsta rap and the open form fun edge the Beastie Boys became known for, with each constituent masterfully giving nods to their roots while infusing it all with their own ingredients, making it an enjoyable and unique experience.

While the sold out show was powerful and the audience was at all times actively and physically engaged, it was never violent, which is not to a small extent due to RTJ reminding attendants of gig etiquette, i.e. looking out for one another and a reminder to keep hands to oneself.

Summa summarum, a powerful and uplifting performance that does not necessitate to be deeply involved in hip hop to enjoy and appreciate.

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Photos by KAVV