Brain death.

There, that's more like it.
Things are hotting up in advance of that festival thing, and that Christmas thing.  I haven't seen Baby Brain yet, but I've heard some good things about them, I like the name, and I like this poster:
And they are playing with some other fine folks. What else are you going to do on a Thursday night- go and see some living legends play at a favorite old local venue?  Well, this week you can indeed do just that- Died Pretty are playing at the Prince of Wales. Hmm, I wonder if they still look like this?

While on Friday, the Death To Music boys are tackling 1977- one of my favorite years:

The Adverts, Kraftwerk, The Heartbreakers, Ian Dury, Wire, Dennis Wilson, Brian Eno, The Cars, Radio Birdman, Elvis Costello, Roky Erickson & The Aliens, The Saints, The Damned, ELO, The Jam, Television, Bowie, X-Ray Spex, The Stranglers, Cheap Trick, Talking Heads, Ramones, Split Enz, Ultravox, Iggy, The Clash, Suicide and The Modern Lovers amongst others

It's at the filthy Roxanne, it starts early, and it's free. Bail on that dull office party, bucko, and come on down.

Hound Hoss Hicks

I dropped into the Hound last weekend, for the first time in a while. This stuff  all seems very long ago now- so far, nothing there has changed, although i see they are now seeking planning permission to put some fuck off big advertising billboards on the St Kilda Rd facade. Anyway, I've managed to miss all the recent sporadic appeareance by HOSS, who are playing there on Friday night. Which would be great, except that I'm probably going to miss them again as it clashes with Sixfthick's farewell show at the filthy Roxanne Parlour:
Medical advice is that their livers have recovered sufficiently from last year's trip for them to take another crack at the unsuspecting French & Germans. The show is being filmed for JTV, apparently, though what possessed those dullards to show an interest in the Hicks is anyone's guess.

Too much choice

Coming up on the midway point of this year, and things are looking as healthy as ever. We're spoilt for choice here on Friday night.
After work drinks are easy- at Off The Hip, being entertained by the Ransome Brothers and the Reactions. That's free, from about 5.30 onwards.

After that, it gets a bit tougher. Two highly regarded local bands, both of whom are playing in peak form at the moment, but on different bills. You've got Eddy Current Suppression Ring and friends at the Espy:

or Witch Hats at Roxanne, playing one last show before they head off to the States.

The Espy show is sold out, with only a few tickets available on the door, while Roxanne is a dive of a place, if that makes it any easier to choose. I know where I'll be- but I'm not saying.

Something new on Saturday- what I understand is the second outing for the Sweet Jelly Roll club night, at North Melbourne's Public Bar. As they say:

Sweet Jelly Roll is a monthly night of down and dirty dancing and drinking to the finest tunes from the 1930’s to the 1960’s. Featuring resident DJ’s Razor Totin’ Slim and Pearl Jackson playing rhythm & blues, surf, Vegas grind, latin rythms, doo-wop, rockabilly, gypsy swing and soul plus special guest bands and authentic burlesque performance.

That's a combination that will be hard to beat on a cold winter's night.

Production difficulties

Well, things got away from me earlier this week- here's a basic draft of the chatter that mattered. You'll figure it out, bright penny that you are.



Normal service will be resumed when I finish this bottle of red wine.

Things to do

On Friday, Us v. Them features Pets With Pets,Children Collide and Witch Hats, whose debut album, "Cellulite Soul" is now due out in January. Pushed back from September for very good reasons that don't need to be discussed here. If I had an advance copy, I wouldn't talk about that, either.
Roxanne Parlour can be hard to find-here's a flashy little map, to go with the flashy handbill:


On Saturday, Gimme Shelter hits the Exford. A garage special, apparently.



Will that do? I've got a ton of work to get through, me.