Elton John
Allianz Stadium
Sydney, Australia
17 January 2023

One does neither have to be a card carrying glam pop aficionado nor a connoisseur of mournful ballads to find the setlist at an Elton John incarnation to appear extremely familiar. 

While on paper it might not sound like an overly exciting exercise, backed by a well-oiled machine of a tight and joyfully interacting seasoned band, the delivery of the Sydney stop of Sir John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour infused the myriad of hits with a refreshed facet of fieriness.

With his mighty, resonant baritone intact and vocally nowhere near a state that would suggest being nigh retirement, the over two hour long set saw the man in vigorous form. Unapologetically revelling in his legacy with conviction as the numerous infectious crowd-pleasers effortlessly elicited giddy singalongs from the dance happy generation spanning crowd, deeper cuts, e.g. “Have Mercy on the Criminal”, found themselves alongside tracks that appear to have been curated as they hold a specific, contemporary relevance for him. 

With an unfailing feel for expanding arrangements of the tried and tested, ballads like “Rocket Man” are propelled into prog-rock territory, while others feel robust yet free flowing with each of his band’s constituents getting ample opportunities to shine with accentuated solo bits.

The grandeur, eccentricity and jocular gesturing peppered in between songs paired with the fact that an array of his billboard topping hits have been left of the set list without making a dent, are testament to how much of a glittery unicorn the man at the rock’n roll piano is.

Framed and elevated by the chemistry of his backing band the performance never ran danger of being jarring and culminated in a crescendo of classic encores, flanked by the recent collaboration with PNAU.

A majestic performance with a sense of finality to it that formidably celebrated a lifetime’s worth of entertainment of a fixture of popular culture. 

Maho Magic Bar
Tumbalong Park
Sydney, Australia
10 January 2022

Over the last four years the entity known as Broad Encounters has established itself firmly on our horizon for creatively and innovatively collaborating with other like-minded mavericks to forge immersive and mind-blowing experiences that are geared towards igniting one’s imagination and never lack an idiosyncratic layer of je-ne-sais-quoi.

Having been fortunate enough to interact with Broad Encounter’s previous incarnations, most prominently the fantastic warehouse extravaganza and ode to Edgar Allan Poe, i.e. A Midnight Visit along with the gin-themed theatrical experience A Journey Most Unusual, I was intrigued as to how the company’s co-founder and director, Kirsten Siddle and her team were going to channel their alchemy when it was announced that they were going to celebrate both traditional and contemporary Japanese culture with Maho Magic Bar.

Contextualised within the confines of neon-clad high-end club that is comprised of five bar themed tables, the audience is invited to suspend reality  and delve into the magic the rotating cast of charismatic Japanese magicians present in an intimate, multisensory and engaging manner for each group.

Underneath a canopy of cherry blossoms, the melange of quick paced well-choreographed yet customised performances, nuanceful ambience  and offerings of expertly curated Japanese drink offerings and the artful emceeing by a camp and engaging host, catapults on straight into a weird and wonderful alternative universe where humour and the fun aspects of kitsch reign supreme.

After its current stint in Sydney at part of Sydney Festival until 29 January, Maho Magic Bar is slated to return for a third season to The Garden of Unearthly Delights as part of the Adelaide Fringe Festival starting on 17 February.

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photo courtesy of Broad Encounters

The Formative Years - The Faith and Void

Having covered Dischord Records and the significance of its high-quality releases in the context of this series before, it is high time to zero in on one of my all-time favourite releases not merely within the context of DC hardcore but Reagan-era music at large.

While The Faith and Void’s split 12” originally saw the light of day in 1982, it was not until eight years later that it appeared on my radar and has not lost relevance ever since. 

Given The Faith’s faible for the first adaptors of late 1970s punk and the way they channelled their alchemy by infusing the known formulae with layers of directness and melodies, they won the prepubescent me over straight away and provided fertile ground for my appreciation for other Dischord bands to blossom and bloom.

However, what blew my mind and made caused causes tiny muscles near my hair follicles to contract and raise the hairs in my back was the chaotic and powerful fury that Void unleashed on their half of the 12”.

Name-wise inspired by a Black Sabbath album, Void was unlikely anything I had heard before: It was unique in that it was more metallic and aggressive without ever sounding prefabricated or contrived. It seemed informed by a purposefulness and naturally confronting yet life-affirming energy that other bands lacked.
 
The youthful effortlessness of the Void’s delivery paired with the fact that they covered lyrical matter that was very relevant to my frustrations of my teenage years aided immensely in their bursts of rage resonating with me instantaneously and sustainably.

Four decades after its original release, the The Faith / Void split 12”has stood the test of time with its immediacy and relevance having not diminished in the slightest.

Thus Let Us Drink Beer

Five Barrel Brewing

The Gong, i.e. Wollongong, is not merely noted for having been a haven for heavy industry, its port activity and the beauty of its physical settings based on occupying a narrow coastal plain between an almost continuous chain of surf beaches and the cliff line of the rainforest-covered Illawarra escarpment, but also for harbouring also one of the more reputable universities on terra australis, which adds layers of multiculturalism and vibrancy to the mix.

On the distilling and brewing front, things are not mushrooming like in other parts of Australia, however, every time I get a chance to sample liquid emissions from Wollongong, I am blown away by the quality of the outputs.

Five Barrel Brewing is no exception: Founded by Phil O’Shea and his father, the team has been expanded with the addition of brewer Brent Edwards, who previously channelled his alchemy at the helm of New Zealand’s Good George brewery.

With Five Barrel’s focus firmly set on sustainability first and foremost serving their community instead of having their eyes set on nationwide distribution, beer-wise the preference is centred around hop-forward brews, flanked by experimental, limited releases.
My first exposure to Five Barrel Brewing was via their Big Picture Hazy IPA.

Pale straw in appearance and clocking in at 6.8%, upon approach the nostrils are tickled by a lovely sweet smell, reminiscent of a summery cocktail with an intoxicating combination of grapefruit and orange zest. 

The melange of ale malt, flaked oats and malted wheat results in juicy tropical flavours, tempered by the tart and tangy, flowery taste of grapefruit, which is backed by a delicate bitterness.

The medium-bodied Flipside Australian Hazy IPA continues on the tropical side of things with punchy passionfruit, juicy peach and tangy citrus nuances courtesy of Galaxy hops, further accentuated by sweet mandarin, zesty citrus peel and fresh pine needles flavours that Eclipse hops add to the mix.

On the Cold IPA front Five Barrel’s crisp, aptly named Frostbite lures one in with magnificent Ekuanot, Cascade and Idaho 7 hop aromas, resulting in a tropical burst with a flavour profile that combines a delicious sweetness with hints with spicy and floral highlights dancing against a clean assertive bitterness and a bold finish that makes one crave another sip.

As the name suggests, the Little Nipper Hazy IPA is a sessionable, velvety smooth NEIPA expression with an aroma that is that is a tropical combination comprised of hints of melon, pineapply, banana and coconutty derivates and  subtle woody undertones.

Rounding things out is the darker shaded, reddish Navigator Red IPA, which with its punchy malty body combines the piney and resinous characteristics classic India Pale Ales are known for with a luscious toffee sweetness. Bookended by a pronounced bitterness,  this little number leaves one lusting for another one.

Given the quality of what I have sampled and the attention to detail when it comes to both the artwork and presentation of the labels, which extends to the exquisite merchandise range, anyone with a weak spot for quality IPAs would be well advised to make an effort to get a hold of Five Barrel’s ( https://fivebarrels.com.au ) emissions soon than later.

Local Brewing Co

As Charles Dickens ever so eloquently quipped, it simmered down vices are sometimes only virtues carried to excess and while the jury is not out on his particular stance pertaining to the enjoyment of beer, I doubt that he would have been averse to turning a vice into a virtue the way Local Brewing Co does:  The brewery’s operations are geared towards bringing about positive change, i.e. using beer as a social enterprise to help feed those in need. 

While some of Stuttgart’s punk band Normahl’s lyrics culminated in the not entirely scientifically  proven claim that seven beers equal a Schnitzel, Local Brewing decided to take a more wholesome path by teaming up with an organisation that rescues food from major supermarkets and passes it on to hungry families, i.e. Second Bite, thereby making sure that a part of their proceeds results in someone facing food insecurity securing a meal.

Having incarnated in 2020 with a core range prominently comprised of an Extra Pale Ale and an IPA, the later variant has somewhat become Local Brewing Co’s flagship expression with the focus firmly set on the piney, resinous, dank goodness that is West Coast variety.

Following 2021’s Strata WCIPA release, Local Brewing Co’s most recent West Coast IPA, i.e. Talus, not merely marries Simcoe and Amarillo hops but has them serve as the foundation on which Talus hops unveil their intense nuances: Orange in appearance, a melange of  citrus, floral notes and oak wood results in a complex grape- & stone fruity, coconutty flavour profile.

Clocking in at 6.4% ABV, this little number proves to be a sessionable smasher and great companion to a dram of smoky Islay whisky as the crisp and piney finish reverberates with a well-calibrated bitterness that leaves on lusting for more.

I can only hope that Local Brewing is considering to take things to the next level in 2023 with a Double IPA…

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images from company websites

The Formative Years – Troubleman Unlimited Records

If my memory serves me well, it must have been in 1994 when I went to a local branch of a bank to get physical US $s, put them in an envelope along with a hand written letter and mail ordered the Superpowers compilation tape, Rye and the Coalition, Unwound as well as the Rorschach / 1.6 Band 7”s directly from Mike Simonetti's Troubleman Unlimited record label.

When the fare arrived, I was hooked by the energy and ingenuity of the bands he put out and continued blindly ordering whatever was released adorned with a logo derived from Miles Davis artwork, under the banner of a label that was named a 1970s blaxploitation flic.

Having emerged from the context of the ABC No Rio scene with DIY zine and tape releases, what I specifically liked about Troubleman Unlimited Records is that it evolved in terms of breadth not unlike my personal preferences did, which allowed me to be exposed to what felt fresh-sounding musical styles at a time when it felt like whatever was emanating from the traditional hardcore punk context was redundant and stagnating.

After losing track for close to a decade, I was delighted to discover that Simonetti founded the Italians Do It Better label based on his love for electronic pop and European disco, which put out acts like Chromatics and Glass Candy.