Blog — Page 222 of 279

MEW

Manning Bar

Sydney, AU

September 12, 2017

MEW are a Danish alternative, experimental outfit pivoting between styles with a career spanning more than twenty years, across seven acclaimed studio albums, that classifies itself as “indie stadium” and has been described by others as possessing the musical grandiosity that leads people to classify them as progressive rock while they themselves stoically resist any identification with sub genres.

After their successful maiden voyage to Australia in 2015, MEW returned to showcase their extensive back catalogue and their new album Visuals.

MEW in a live context is a mélange of classic pop melodies and bombastic synths, swooning keyboards and lush high-pitched vocals that create a solemn, unassuming yet beautiful immersive microcosm of its own.

Grand and epic yet concise and economical, growing small melancholic melodies into full blown eruptions eliciting heartfelt crowd singalongs and at times indulging in bloodcurdling yet comforting walls of noise arias.

Performing with a deliberately down tuned stage presence in front of intensely imaginative visual projections created but lead singer, Jonas Bjerre, the music blends with the displays and creates a third layer of artistic expression that is bigger than the sum of its individual parts and creates another, deeper dimension of sensations.

A performance not unlike a warm embrace, which the audience, i.e. “Frengers” as per the portmanteau that MEW created for a hybrid of “friends” and “strangers” and the name of one of their albums, lapped it up.

Witnessing MEW performing with the passion of a metal band yet emitting their ethereal Scandinavian sounds result in a unique experience.

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Photos by T

Placebo

Qudos Bank Arena

Sydney, AU

September 9, 2017

Last in the country for Soundwave Festival and a pair of sideshows back in 2014, the Placebo returned to Australia for a 20th anniversary tour, the Sydney incarnation of which saw them perform hits, revisit early material and more obscure offerings from across their impressive seven-album catalogue at Qudos Bank arena.

The show started off with a trailer comprised of snapshots and videos gathered throughout the last two decades of Placebo’s career, culminating is the “Every You and Every Me” video, which got all aficionados in an enthusiastic frame of mind to welcome the band entering ths stage.

Placebo’s backbone and foundation is the solid chemistry and dynamic between the still androgynous Brian Molko with his trademark nasal voice and saddened self, his co-author, the ever composed and defiant guitarist, bassist and piano player Stefan Olsdal and the touring member Matt Lunn’s powerful drumming and interludes with Fiona Bryce on violin. A flawless performance of accomplished musicians that covered the claviature of the lane that Placebo has created for itself within the confines of alternative rock.

The evening was testament to Placebo’s relevance with the high consistency of their output and the effortless delivery that hit the main points without neglecting nuances, all the while focusing on the performance without any unnecessary bells and whistles.

The first half of the show focused peaked with an ode and tribute to Placebo’s avid supporter David Bowie, i.e. Without You I am Nothing, which was framed by footage of the band and him collaborating on screens that were utilized to broadcast the performance employing a range of different animations, filters and camera angles.

The show was tinged with melancholy and nostalgia, key ingredients of Placebo’s sound, which did not deter the crowd from frenetically celebrating every song. 

In 2017 Placebo has not lost its allure – a band of outsiders that carved its own niche by cultivating their eccentricity, making it their raison d’être and cementing their status by finding a likeminded followership.

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Image from artist website

Sydney Contemporary

Carriageworks

Sydney, AU

September 7-10, 2017

The term “third place” was coined by Ray Oldenburg, an American urban sociologist.

The “first place” denotes "home where we place to role of son, daughter, mum, dad, etc. The “second place” is work where the role is whatever position one represents.”

The “third place,” according to Oldenburg, “denotes territory that is inexpensive, easy to get to, welcoming, offers food and drink and people to chance to meet new people and feel companionship."

Carriageworks, the multi-arts precinct in Redfern, Sydney, is a “third place.”

Quite a transformation indeed: A derelict idustrial site that has successfully transitioned into a multi-venue arts centre and forum for a myriad of art related activities, still radiating the charme of the original railway workshops it once inhabited..

Social and cultural diversity ranks high on Carriageworks’ agenda with a focus on artists themselves being at the helm of the operation and artist-led in nature, the organisations in residence produce diverse multidisciplinary programs and collaborations in its cavernous halls, corridors and spaces in tandem with local and international artists.

A location that could not be more ideal for Sydney Contemporary’s Opening Night which opened the floodgates for Australasia’s premier international art fair with the country’s largest and most diverse gathering of local and international galleries.

Dedicated to injecting new blood and vitalizing Sydney’s art scene, the third edition presents over ninety galleries from across the Southern hemisphere alongside an ambitious five-day program that includes curated projects, installations and panel discussions with the artworks running the gamut of mediums and sizes.

First and foremost, it is an accessible and not at all the artsy fartsy elitist affair other art events limit themselves to but an inclusive, immersive and expansive experience.

The Fair is also home to pop-up restaurants by Sydney’s much-loved dining institutions making it an all-encompassing art and dine experience, e.g. Billie Kwong and Kitchen by Mike as well as a Glenfiddich whisky bar and a Petaluma wine bar.

The official opening night party offered ample opportunity to peruse the offerings of the galleries whose presentations have grown commensurate with the size of the now yearly event. The focus of the exhibits were on new oeuvres, making the affair live up to its name: A truly contemporary display of the status quo which over the five days will expand outside the confines of Carriageworks to culminate in afulminant celebration of all things art, includingdance and choreographic performances and an array of free late-night parties.

Sydney Contemporary takes place from September 7-10 at Carriageworks and participating venues around the city.

Find more details under: http://www.sydneycontemporary.com.au

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Photos from Sydney Contemporary website.

Italian Wine and Food Festival 2017

The Cutaway, Barangaroo Reserve

Sydney, AU

August 28, 2017

The origin of the festival goes back to Lara Caraturo, a sommelier who in 2013 thought that an occasion needed to be created to shed light on Italian wine and food culture in Australia.

It is produced by Lara and the team at Progetto Panevino, an events company obsessed with all things wine and food, and especially all things Italian. 

Their mission is to create engaging and informative events with artisans, quality wineries, renowned chefs and personalities, allowing guests to discover industry luminaries as well as rising stars, and deepen their love for authentic Italian wine and food.

In a bid to capture the spirit of Italy’s rich gastronomic culture and the diversity of its many regions, they give guests an opportunity to explore Italian wines region by region, taste food, coffee and beer, plus feast on authentic Italian pizza, pasta and snacks. 

Held at The Cutaway and Barangaroo Reserve, the Sydney incarnation of the festival found an appropriate backdrop to celebrate its fifth year anniversary to appease an audience ranging from spaghetti-loving kids to the most engaged Italian-speaking wine connoisseur
 
Sydney’s top Italian chefs were turning out in force to make it a day to remember, with much-loved locals Giovanni Pilu (Pilu at Freshwater), Lucio Galletto (Lucio’s), Federico Zanellato (LuMi), Stefano Manfredi and Gianluca Donzelli (Pizzaperta), Nino Zoccali (Pendolino), Richard Ptacnik (Otto Ristorante), Gabriele Taddeucci (Balla), Lucio de Falco (Lucio Pizzeria) and Youssef Touati (Salt Meats Cheese) showed their skills in terms of preparing authentic Italian cuisine, be it with key ingredients like salami, cheese, pasta, bread, coffee, olive oil, pastries or more exotic fare and desserts like gelato featuring Vannella Cheese, That’s Amore Cheese, Arancini Art, Molecola, Truffle Traders, Rivareno Gelato, Drink in Style, Cellar V, Vinotopia, Botella, plus a Nutella Pop-up.

Vino played of course a more than instrumental role and over two hundred region specific fine drops were proffered, backed by masterclasses and Q & As with the makers.

Coffee had its very own place, as did Italian beer and aperitifs, e.g. Negronis and Venetian Spritzers and proceedings were framed by an engaging entertainment program ranging from pizza acrobatics

and the performance of traditional music from Southern Italy. 

A perfectly curated festival that is all about celebrating wine, food and culture together in inimitable Italian style.

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Photos by KAVV

Vera Blue

Metro Theatre

Sydney, AU

September 2, 2017

Celia Pavey, known in muso circles under the moniker Vera Blue, is a Sydney-based singer-songwriter that managed to transition from reality show credit, i.e. via an interpretation of Simon and Garfunkel’s Scarborough Fair, and reinvent herself as somewhat of a darling indie act.

Her melodic folk-inspired songwriting is laced with electronica, which creates the foundation on which own stage persona lays down her impressive vocal range. Combining melancholic, gentle and fiery components to a mélange of her own, she had the audience swaying along in a trance-like state from the get go.

Being a multi-instrumentalist, Vera Blue accompanied herself demonstrating her versatility and musical prowess. She has come a long way from the glittery mainstream realm of a reality show to creating her own mesmerizing sound, which is based on her love for sultry electronica and folk music, infused with her take on lost love and the freedom of singledom.

An artist that has successfully reinvented and found herself, full-heartedly embracing a new sound and distinct identity – at times fiery, at others gentle, yet never contrived – that is on her way to conquer bigger stages.

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Photo from artist website