Live Review: Portugal. The Man & Givers @ The Metro 7/2/2012

Can they play?  Check.

Is the band tight?  Double check.

Do they rock?  You betcha.

Have they great songs?

Just check their CDs or my review here.

Did they do great covers?

A bulldozing rendition of The Beatles' Helter Skelter and a

rollicking version of David Bowie's All The Young Dudes.

Were they loud?

Fact is, the band was great and most songs were beefed up, given a terrific boost live; so much so, vocals (Both frontman John Gourley's and the band's backing) should have been twice as high in the mix.

I was expecting sweet psychedelic pop/rock but was surprisingly (& pleasantly) served muscular, steroided rock bordering on Metal!  Only unfortunate casualty of the night was John's sometimes soulful and funky croon which was largely drowned by a band in top form.

A much better mix on French TV:

  7.8

Special mention must go to Sydney support band Guineafowl who held their own with a great selection of indie songs and Louisiana-based Givers who shared the bill with their take on alternate Calypso-Ragga rock.  They had a track which featured flutes and was almost Canton-flavoured.  Tiffany Lamson (on percussion duties) was especially impressive as she banged on those poor drums (in unison with Kirby Campbell, drums) within an inch of their lives...

Live Review: The Horrors @ Metro Theatre 2/2/2012

Standing at 6' 5'' tall, Faris Badwan of The Horrors cuts a commanding figure.


Their heady mix of 80's synth-psychedelic-goth were equal parts Bowie, Bauhaus and Joy Division.


Playing hits from their last three albums, they had their fans jumping and singing along.





While Rhys Webb displayed some cool holding his bass upright, guitarist Joshua Hayward went apeshit during a feedback session and knocked an amp off...


After having been to so many concerts, I believe this was my first "mosh" experience. Note to self - Invest in some steel-capped boots!!

My #28 of 2011

 8.0

Devendra Banhart at The Metro 27/07/2011

Dear Warner Brothers,
Please give Devendra Banhart the complete artistic control which he fully deserves and needs in order to truly flourish as an artist.
Dressed in an (office?) shirt, sports jacket and skinny jeans with his hair cropped shorter and a neatly trimmed beard, he looked every part the office worker and about as comfortable as a fish out of water.
Attempts at making an artist more palatable to the masses could also end up diminishing an artist' star quality.
Devendra's following love him for his talent, creativity and individuality.

Okay, I know I've made the assumption that this toning down is a corporate directive rather than a personal choice.

Let's face it, his appeal should never go mainstream.
Another Madonna he'll never be.  And thank heavens for that. 

It was great seeing more local talent primed for the world stage.  This time I'm talking about opening act Melbourne's Husky.  It wasn't till frontman Husky Gawenda covered America (The band's) Sandman that I connected their sounds to 70's harmonised bands.

It felt as though Devendra was slightly reserved for the first half of the concert. 
That's not to say he didn't try to keep things jovial & light in parts, occasionally sticking his tongue out, the odd grimaces and yelps to hit the notes and body jerks we're accustomed to in his performances, only more self-conscious this time around.

After the aforesaid offending jacket came off and sleeves were rolled up, that it felt he was more in his element.
It was also funny when dylexsia struck and he had lines jumbled and was saved as he toyed with the mistake.  There were songs where he'd dug in deep and delivered soul-stirring moments.  My favourite, Brindo, was performed with gentlemanly aplomb; whereas fan-favourite Seahorse saw some jazzy embellishments and a note sung and sustained turning almost into a Red Indian call!  Now that's what I call talent!
A surprise song inclusion was a cover of Yellow Magic Orchestra's Sportsman.

Special mention must be made about backing band The Grogs who were outstanding in their versatility in playing the various genres covered throughout the night.

שָׁלוֹם  8.6/10

Setlist and freebie Dorothy and the Originals' Sound Diary CD (Looks like Devendra's artwork).

Yello Magic Orchestra - Sportsman

The Kills at The Metro 26/07/2011

Tonight's review will be a short one, but so was the concert.

Jamie Hince and Alison Mosshart played their fuzzed-out garage punk with vim and vigour.
Alison was full of energy as she belted out the tracks and flung her hair as she commandeered the stage. 
She had the hair, the pipes, the looks and the moves.
She even picked up the guitar and drummed a few simple beats.
So far, so Rock n' Roll.

What killed it for me (Get it?) was the two slow tracks. 
One Silver Dollar was taken from Marilyn Monroe's 1954 film 'River of No Return' and the lullaby-waltz that was 'The Last Goodbye' on Blood Pressures. 
What were they thinking??
They had whipped the crowd into a dancing frenzy only to let it deflate and go limp.
About as sexy as a cold shower.

Several things are running through my mind:-
Does Alison need to showcase her Broadway chops?  The Kills is probably not the right platform.
They are The Kills after all, aren't they?
Are we in danger of losing this band to showtunes?

Karen O from Yeah Yeah Yeahs has a parallel solo career and was last heard venturing into 'Psycho-Opera', while Ms Mosshart has successfully moonlighted on two of Jack White's The Dead Weather LPs.

One distinct difference between actors and singers: 
While actors inhabit their characters and portray their roles; singers sing from their heart and bare their souls.
Why do I require that my singers eat, breathe and live their art rather than play a part?
The very reason why Richey Edwards (Formerly of Manic Street Preachers) carved '4REAL' on his arm.
Otherwise, you're just a poser.

Minus slow tracks  7.8/10
With slow tracks    6.4/10

Setlist
The Last Goodbye?   Perhaps.

This is how I'd like to remember them:

 Not: