War on Drugs - The HiFi, 11 December 2014

Final post of 2014 had to be the War on Drugs. This was the first show announced, so it was at a smaller venue than the others and seemed to have more of the hardcore fans in attendance. The performance of the band was a lot better than the first show, as was the sound. Granduciel seemed to be enjoying himself a lot as well, even throwing in a Bill Fay cover that wasn't on the setlist (nitpicking: I would have preferred to hear one of the Bob Dylan covers they played at a couple of other shows on the tour).

Unfortunately, things went a little down hill for the encore. Quite a few people in the crowd started to leave, so the audience was a bit thinner by the time the band returned. Granduciel asked for requests and people yelled various things, presumably he didn't hear anything he wanted to play so suggested Comin' Through which was on the setlist, but someone booed, which annoyed him and they didn't play it. I think the boo was just because it wasn't the song the person had yelled for, but it didn't go down well. They played a few songs, but after Brothers (which was the last song on the setlist), Granduciel said thanks, threw his guitar down on the amp and walked off.

It was a bit of a disappointing end to a great show, but the set is still very worth listening to, and the sound quality is really good.

In Reverse
An Ocean in Between the Waves
Arms Like Boulders
Under the Pressure
Baby Missiles
Disappearing
Burning
I Hear You Calling
Buenos Aires Beach
Red Eyes
Eyes to the Wind
Lost in the Dream

The Animator
Come to the City
Black Water Falls
Brothers

https://mega.co.nz/#F!dUdAwAga!N0oHA6908yZnEBiG0vOv8w

Handsome Family - The HiFi, 12 October 2013

I'm going to quite a few Melbourne Festival events. The first one was the Handsome Family at the HiFi. I'm only a very casual fan of the band, so I'm sure the experience of the hardcore fans was quite different. For me there was a mix of phenomenally good songs (So Much Wine and When That Helicopter Comes) and some fairly mediocre ones. The sound quality is really good, so for bigger fans of the band, this should be a pretty enjoyable set.

The Bottomless Hole
So Much Wine
The Woman Downstairs
Octopus
The Sad Milkman
My Sister's Tiny Hands
Arlene
Frogs
Linger, Let Me Linger
Woodpecker
The Loneliness of Magnets
Owls
Weightless Again

When That Helicopter Comes
Don't Be Scared

https://mega.co.nz/#F!wAc3wbzY!DMQANRqsLycVriVsdv3pvA

Best Coast - 2 January 2013, The HiFi

…and on to main act – Best Coast. Officially the band are touring their new album ‘The Only Place, but it hasn’t received great reviews (even though the songs they played weren’t bad) and the band almost seemed apologetic about playing songs from it, instead focussing on material from their debut. Like Bleeding Knees Club, Best Coast’s music has a tendency to sound a bit samey, but they offset this with some incredibly catchy songs that, even if they’re still part of the same formula, are good enough that it doesn’t really matter.

The sound for this is really really good, but the performance itself is basically a standard run through. Nothing wrong with it, but it won’t be a show that sticks in the mind.

http://www.mediafire.com/?kean7r1avzac8

Bleeding Knees Club - 2 January 2012, The HiFi

It annoys me that the HiFi is about the only venue in Melbourne that doesn’t put up set times for their shows (they did briefly, but don’t seem to do it anymore, and when they did the times were inevitably wrong). The only upside is that I usually turn up incredibly early out of fear of missing the main act and end up catching the opening band. In this case it was Bleeding Knees Club, who, if I’d known they were opening, would have turned up for anyway.

The band do the ‘obnoxious surf punk’ think pretty well (although its pretty stupid to get annoyed that the crowd isn’t excited for you – you’re the opening band, no one is there to see you, you have to win the crowd over). Their set was pretty enjoyable, and they have a few good songs. The main problem with them is that after a while their songs all start to sound the same. It wouldn’t take much to add a couple of slightly slower songs or that have a different beat, but it’d make them a much more interesting band.

The quality of this recording is really good, no obtrusive talking and the band sounds pretty good, particularly considering the small and only moderately interested crowd.

Who Are You

I

Nothing to Do

Camp Out

‘Song 5’ [I don’t know what this song is called, when I tracked this I just listed the songs and figured out titles later, this was the only one I couldn’t find. If anyone knows can you leave a comment]

Problem Child

Have Fun

Beach Slut

Parent Trap

Can You Remember

Teenage Girls

Bad Guys

http://www.mediafire.com/?d171aqzi77rh3

Regurgitator - 12 October 2012, The HiFi

I have to make a shameful and most un-Australian confession – I am an immigrant. This means I didn’t grow up listening to Regurgitator, although I was aware of them growing up. That little fact made this show one of the strangest that I’ve been to, because the whole thing was built on a massive wave of 90’s nostalgia, rather than anything to do with the music. It’s the feeling of having to listen to the hokey bands your Dad listened to in the 70’s. It fact that music I listened to growing up is now the subject of such a blatant nostalgia trip.

This was all highlighted by the fact that Tu Plang, the first of two albums to be played in their entirety, might have sounded like the future of music in the 90’s, but is now pretty clearly a dead end that never lead anywhere. The crowd loved it, but there wasn’t much of musical value. Things picked up with Unit, the second full album, which had a core of songs that have managed to age well. The band ended the show with a handful of new songs, and a cover of Devo’s Girl U Want.

I’ve got to admit that the sound for this isn’t great. The crowd, and in particular some people next to me, were pretty loud. Unfortunately for them their conversations come through pretty clearly, and are sometimes quite funny, in a mindless kind of way (they’re probably no worse than anyone else’s concert conversations, they were just unlucky enough to get recorded). I thought about not putting this up, but its nowhere near as bad as the other recordings I haven’t put up, and there might be some interest in this from Australians looking to relive their youth.

I Sucked a Lot of Cock to Get Where I Am
Kong Foo Sing
G7 Dick Does the Electro Boogie
Couldn't Do It
Miffy's Simplicity
Social Disaster
Music is Sport
384Hz
Manana
F.S.O.
Pop Porn
Young Bodies Heal Quickly
Blubber Boy
Doorselfin

I Like Your Old Stuff Better Than Your New Stuff
Everyday Formula
! (The Song Formerly Known As)
Black Bugs
The World of Sleaze
I Piss Alone
Unit
I Will Lick Your Arsehole
Modern Life
Polyester Girl
1234
Mr T
Just Another Beautiful Story

Game Over Dude
All Fake Everything
Bong in my Eye
Nothing to Say (with Senyana)
Girl U Want

http://www.mediafire.com/?aktahtoteerwq

St Vincent -

I've mentioned before (in the Manchester Orchestra review) that something about the HiFi seems to attract people that, how to say this, dicks.  Although the crowd at this show were generally really good, there are a handful of people that seem pretty intent on competing with the band to be the centre of attention.  Fortunately, they were far enough away from me that they don't feature too much in the recording for this one.

Prior to this show I'd listened to Marry Me lots, but Strange Mercy only a few times.  Having listened to Strange Mercy a few more times I think this show suffers from the same flaws as that album (partly because most of the album got played).  While Strange Mercy is an interesting album, and the musicians are all very good, its very sterile and emotionless.  This show was a bit like that, highlighted all the more by the moments (like the new track Krokodil) that really crackled with excitement.  Having said all this, I know that lots of people really love Strange Mercy, so hopefully they'll enjoy this set a lot too.  The sound for this is pretty good again, so if you attended and/or love Strange Mercy this should be worthwhile.

(If you're wondering what the picture is about I was looking for a poster for this show and this picture came up)

Surgeon
Cheerleader
Chloe
Save Me From What I Want
Actor
Dilettante
Black Rainbow
Cruel
Champagne Year
Neutered Fruit
Strange Mercy
Marrow
Krokodil
She Is Beyond
Northern Lights
Year of the Tiger

The Party
Your Lips Are Red

http://www.mediafire.com/?f5t5n6755r8ca

Manchester Orchestra - 7 March 2012, The HiFi

I'm slowly working my way through the backlog of shows that have built up over the (musically) hectic summer months (next up will be John Fogerty since there seems to be lots of people looking for that one).  Otherwise the shows will be going up in chronological order, and the oldest show I have at the moment is this Manchester Orchestra gig.

There was a weird vibe at this show - for some reason the HiFi seems to attract a bunch of punters who are, frankly, cocks. At this show they seemed to be mocking both the band and the crowd, which was weird (unless your aim is to ruin the show).  The band seemed to be in a weird mood to begin with, so this didn't help.  Despite all this, the show wasn't bad, it just seemed like a night where the band would rather have been doing other things, but turned in a solid professional performance nonetheless.

Set wise, I think they're probably one good album short of a really killer set.  They played a bunch of great songs, but the set didn't seem to flow together very well, feeling a bit flat at times.  It might be that their set choices are to blame, but they did a good job of ensuring a pretty killer encore.

Fortunately, the annoying punters aren't audible in the recording, which is, if I do say so myself, another very good one.  This was a good show, thats worth a listen, but I get the feeling that these guys could be a really great band, but they aren't quite there yet.

http://www.mediafire.com/?ycjs4c0id0oz7

Beirut - The HiFi, 9 January 2012

I know I mentioned this one was on the way quite a while ago, but I messed up one of the tracks and had to redo it.  Anyways, this show had a few features that set it up poorly - a Monday night show, and at the HiFi.  Don't get me wrong, the HiFi is an OK venue, but for some reason people at shows there tend to want to talk a lot.  You'll notice that the couple next to me succumbed to this (at one point it sounds like the woman is speaking directly in the mic when she asks 'What age is your mum again?'.  Really?!? Is there any possible justification for that?  C'mon please just STFU).

Anyway, things started off a bit slowly and the show seemed to be teetering on the edge, where if the band or audience lifted it could take off, but if not...  Fortunately the band did start to lift and the audience followed.  By the end of this was a really good show (the band seemed to agree, adding an extra song to the encore).  Anyway, heres the set:

Scenic World
The Shrew
Elephant Gun
Vagabond
Postcards from Italy
Sunday Smile
East Harlem
Nantes
Port of Call
Cherbourg
Goshen
After the Curtain
Santa Fe

Penalty
Carousels
My Night with the Prostitute from Marseille
The Gulag Orkestar
Instrumental [Not sure what its called, but its something they ocassionally come out and play after the show if the audience sticks around, at least based on some youtube evidence]

 http://www.mediafire.com/?7m5533u0bra3i

Booker T Jones - 7 October 2011 at the HiFi

Booker T Jones is a legend.  However, that legend is largely (solely?) built on his status as a backing musician in one of the great backing bands.  Given this I was a bit uncertain seeing him live, would his voice stand up to renditions of songs that form part of the fabric of musical life?  Would he be able to carry a show as a frontman, rather than an incredibly skilled backing musician?

The answer to these was largely yes.  Helped in no small part by the incredible good will he engenders (in part because of the fact he comes across as a wonderfully nice guy) Booker T put on a show covering a small portion of the astounding number of classic songs he has featured on (I, for one, had no idea he played bass on Knockin' on Heaven's Door).  Being a huge Otis Redding fan I was particularly worried about his rendition of I've Been Loving You Too Long, but he managed to sing this (and everything else) with passion and skill.  Having said that, he wasn't able to raise the show to something truly extraordinary - he lacked the ability to work the crowd, and to craft and execute a set that would put him on a par with other greats of his era.  However, the quality of the show, and the warmth of the man meant that most people would have left with a smile.

Recording wise (yet again) there is a bit of annoying talking.  Hang 'Em High, in particular, suffers from an innane conversation from two idiots (how hard is it to go to a concert and actually listen?).  Nonetheless, most songs come out pretty well, and overall the recording is pretty good.

Link to come in the next 24 hours or so.   Internet woes mean that I won't be able to upload anything this week.  Sorry.  Here it is:

http://www.mediafire.com/?zc5kgcxfn44yw

Harlem House
Walking Papers
Take Me to the River
Born Under a Bad Sign
Green Onions
Soul Limbo
Oh Pretty Woman
Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Ain't No Sunshine
Hip Hug-Her
Time is Tight

Hey Ya!
I've Been Loving You Too Long

Melting Pot