Blog — Page 204 of 275

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

The Unbelievables

Concert Hall, Opera House

Sydney, Australia

December 20, 2017

In medias res:

With a name that suggests a band of superheroes out of the Marvel universe, The Unbelievables is an entertainment extravaganza curated by and set in scene the producer of The Illusionists and Circus 1903.

With mind-bending illusion, death-defying stunts, the highest aerial act ever performed in Sydney Opera House’s Concert Hall (which might not sound like the biggest achievement on this earthround yet was a sight to behold), excellently performed live music, comedy and ballroom dancing, the show was filled with award-winning performers.

The cast featured renowned magician Shin Lim, ventriloquist Jay Johnson and Roberto Karlos, a Mexican speed juggler.

Variety shows can be a mixed bag, but The Unbelievables is a fun, fast-paced one: From aerial acrobatics to quick-change illusions from Guinness World Record Holders Sos & Victoria Petrosyan, the mélange of performers thrilled the audience and elicited a range of reactions by performances from Jarryd Byrne, Craig Monley (Dancing with the Stars, Australia), Sriani Argaet, Andrew Nolo and Kateryna Klishna (So You Think You Can Dance, Ukraine). 

Outstanding performances were delivered by a sword-swallower and husband-and-wife knife-throwing act, which have had just over a fortnight to perfect their routine.

In terms of vocal deliveries, Emi Secrest stole the show with her hearfelt performance.

Hosted by quick-witted New York comedian Harrison Greenbaum (America’s Got Talent), the eager audience was transported to the golden age of entertainment as he guided through the mélange of performers backed by a tight six-piece swing band.

Producer Simon Painter almost single-handedly created the Opera House's family-friendly summer circus offering from scratch: It started with The Illusionists in 2012, which he subsequently spun into a global franchise, and every year has seen a new fusion of spectacle, entertainment and skill – most recently, his Circus 1903. 

The Unbelievables is part of Sydney Opera House’s Contemporary Performance program, which is all about genre-straddling work and entertainment, where it premiered before it will transfer to the Arts Centre Melbourne and then on to Perth:

SYDNEY

19 - 29 December 2017 

Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House

MELBOURNE

3 - 13 January 2018

Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne 

PERTH

18 - 28 January 2018

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Photos by Jacquie Manning (provided)

The Beautiful Girls

Metro Theatre

Sydney, Australia

December 16, 2017

Founded in 2002, Australian trio The Beautiful Girls started their career based on a sound foundation of reggae and surf rock, with cemented via their debut release Morning Sun became their signature style.

Their first full-length album, Learn Yourself, followed a year later  and ascended to top the independent charts down under, without moving an inch for months.

What followed was a trajectory that saw the band successfully infiltrate the mainstream with a number of accolades and chart hits paving the way.

Tonight was going to be a celebration of their classic, early tunes along with their and their audience’s other faves from their extensive catalogue.

The band’s summery dub, charming melodies have not inaccurately been described as "raw, spooky, rootsy, punky, reggae" and they are certainly influenced by the finer aspects of dancehall and rocksteady.

What complements the mélange is the chilled,  laid-back vocal delivery of front man and main songwriter Mat McHugh, who was warmly welcomed by an eclectic audience that was comprised of the young surfy types to quite a few middle aged followers.

Tracks from their recent full-length emission were a particular stand out part of the performance and it felt that instead of playing the songs in chronological order, track order or anything, the set felt chosen based on the feeling of the night, which gave it the added appeal of spontaneity.

It was good to see that The Beautiful Girls have retained their DNA yet have emancipated themselves from being considered mere Jack Johnson and Ben Harper epigones.

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Photos by KAVV

Paradise Lost

Metro Theatre

Sydney, Australia

December 15, 2017

“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” -Aristotle

A band with such longevity as Paradise Lost while consistently maintaining relevance for a scene they become originators for, as well as a line-up that has remained consistent and stable with only changing drummers over the course of time resulting in a collective, consistent and coherent approach to quality songwriting that displays a breadth and depth that few of their peers do, is seldom to be found. 

Since they first incarnated in Halifax, West Yorkshire, Paradise Lost blossomed in Cimmerian shade and a  niche they have created for themselves, i.e. fusing Gothic elements with a foundation of Doom Metal, and have proven to be an influential band for a myriad of bands rooted in often completely different genres.

Twenty-five years after releasing their debut album, Paradise Lost emerged again in Australia for only five shows to perform songs from their trailblazing catalogue as well as  focussing on material from their confounding new album The Plague Within.

The set was diverse paying homage to their roots in the old school death / doom sound of their early releases via the evolution of incorporating quieter passages, keyboards and the softening of Nick Holmes’ death grunt to what resembled a James Hetfield-esque barking to quieter passages laced with Electronica and synthesizers and highlighting the band’s return to their gothic metal sound they are most known and held in esteem for.

It was great to hear the newer, slower, brooding and relentlessly heavy cuts from their doom-laden recent album, ‘The Plague within’ with Nick Holmes growling more than he has in years – which cements Paradise Lost’s legacy and is testament to the fact that things are cyclical as it marks a return to their heavier, darker and gloomier side.

The performance confirmed the notion that Paradise Lost is after all these years one of the few solid, classic bands that are worth coming back to.

With a focused tour de force with a well curated setlist devoid of showy ornaments, the architects of gothic metal demonstrated in an impressive manner that they are all about the delivery and deliver they did in spades.

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Photos by KAVV

The Easybeats

Sydney, Australia

Enmore Theatre

December 15, 2017

Let’s start with the basics for the uninitiated:

To claim that the Easybeats, who first incarnated in Sydney in 1964, were one of very first realrock and roll bands in the Southern hemisphere is a statement that would be hard to refute. What was happening in the old world, specifically in the wake of The Beatles, who caused the phenomenon that became known as the “British Invasion”, had an immense impact on the original members as all of their familiar had European heritage and they channeled their influenced to create an ailment called “Easyfever”, which was the Aussie equivalent to “Beatlemania”.

Fast waaaaay forward and enter Empire Touring, who made it their mission to bring you music from The Easybeats and Steve Wright, performed by Australia’s rock n roll royalty: Chris Cheney, Phil Jamieson, Kram, Tex Perkins & Tim Rogers.

The musical emissions of The Easybeats have never been not relevant, with current artists still deliberately taking a page or two off the Easybeats’ book and aficionados never having wavered. To say that The Easybeats’ legacy looms large is an understatement per se and tonight’s show was well executed and curated homage to their aggression and finesse, the sexuality k that has been a template for any band that the protagonists of the evening have been involved in, which showed as they reveled in the opportunity to celebrate the tunes. The show was backed by the extraordinary Easyfever band comprised of The Whitlams’ Jak Housden Ashley Naylor from Even, Baby Animals’ very own Dario Bortolina, Dave Hibbard, known from his collaborations withJoe Bonamass, Divinyls’ Clayton Doley Divinyls and headed by The Living End himself Chris Cheney, Phil Jamieson who will also head Green Day’s American Idiot musical down under, Tim Rogers of You Am I, Spiderbait’s Kram the ever entertaining Tex Perkins, which culminated in a multi-headed supergroup par excellence first international rock band. Each of the frontmen brought their unique swagger to the stage and magical moments were created with permutations of duets with the total of the evening becoming even bigger than the sum of the individual constituents would have you believe.

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Photos by KAVV