Get your own trumpet.

Look, I don't want to boast, but LTH 4 really is the best thing on this weekend. Well, apart from the X/UV Race show, but that's on Friday.

Aided by a massive press campaign (thanks, Paddy) it's a cert to sell out early. I'll be at the bar if anyone needs me.

Batrider - Beaks Tour

The last time i saw Batrider was in New Zealand at Camp A Low Hum. I also went to karaoke with them the night after with some of Love Connection and Milk Teddy. They are a pretty fun bunch. Sarah belted out a wild Mariah Carey number.

Batrider have lived in Melbourne, Wellington, London and i have a feeling they've been hanging out in Adelaide recently.

Lately i've been listening to more Batrider, Love Of Diagrams, The Drones, Milk Teddy and The Clean. Getting softer as the winters kicked in i suppose.

I haven't been to the Lithuanian Club before so i'm keen to check it out. Also Pets With Pets and Woollen Kits are supporting which is rad!

I know that X is going over to the US for the Chaos In Tejas festival and having a send off show with the UV Race on the same night at Ding Dong Lounge. I hate Ding Dong so i think Batrider takes my vote for this one.

Batrider - Beaks Tour

The last time i saw Batrider was in New Zealand at Camp A Low Hum. I also went to karaoke with them the night after with some of Love Connection and Milk Teddy. They are a pretty fun bunch. Sarah belted out a wild Mariah Carey number.

Batrider have lived in Melbourne, Wellington, London and i have a feeling they've been hanging out in Adelaide recently.

Lately i've been listening to more Batrider, Love Of Diagrams, The Drones, Milk Teddy and The Clean. Getting softer as the winters kicked in i suppose.

I haven't been to the Lithuanian Club before so i'm keen to check it out. Also Pets With Pets and Woollen Kits are supporting which is rad!

I know that X is going over to the US for the Chaos In Tejas festival and having a send off show with the UV Race on the same night at Ding Dong Lounge. I hate Ding Dong so i think Batrider takes my vote for this one.

A good night, a good cause.

Hmm, there's a bit of a tussle for show of the week this weekend.
On Saturday, Sin City, Sixfthick and X are at the Corner. The combined power of these three will probably demolish the place, and at only $17.00, it's a bargain.

HOWEVER, that may leave you too hungover to do the right thing on Sunday, and head along to the Tote for the "Hold Hands!" public radio benefit.

A bunch of local labels- Mistletone, Unstable Ape , Chapter Music, Sensory Projects and others have combined to put together a massive bill of acts, with all proceeds going to support public radio stations in both Melbourne and Sydney- sorry, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth & Canberra. Merch and CDs from all the labels will be available. There is also soup involved. It all kicks off around 3.00pm.

Flipper heads to Oz

Confrontational Californian grind punk band Flipper are heading to Australia. I can't their stuff in the past did much for me but I'm assured their new album is good. A big plus is that X (the Australian one) is playing support on most of the gigs. Read up on some Flipper background here.

If I was in Melbourne next week...

...I know where I'd be on Friday night (or Saturday morning, given the late starts at this venue.)



Choices are there to be made in Sydney too, down the track:



Observant vets of the Sydney band scene of the '80s will note Decline of the Reptiles on the bill as support.

X-Aspirations re-issue

X's seminal 1980 album has been re-issued on CD by Aztec Music. I think Ken from Forth Worth likes it.

"Neil Young You're My Hero" - Megan Bawden

Stumbled across this on Facebook today - just after having caught Neil and band in sizzling form at Sydney's leg of the Big Day Out. Megan Bawden is a singer-guitarist from Melbourne and that's Cathy Green (X) on bass (with Cormick Green helping out on drums and pian'er.)

Neil Young You're My Hero

Looking back.

Well, that was an education.

X were absolutely sterling- passionate, energetic and clearly having a ball, so much so that Kim and Cathy refused to leave the stage after the first couple of encores, forcing Steve to come back on for one more song and giving the stage manager a mild heart attack.

About the Saints, though...well, let's just say Ed Kuepper was awesome, and that it will be a while before I listen to "Stranded" again.

But the mid week gig meant I was pushed for time, and didn't get this posted:

Oops. Won't make that mistake again.

Don't Look Back

The 2009 season of the Don't Look Back concert series kicks off in Melbourne next week with a complete gem of a show.

Australian proto-punks the Saints team up with the mighty X for a run through a pair of historic albums- "(I'm) Stranded" and "At Home With You".



Both of these albums are classics, and the chance to see and hear them played in full in one session is...kind of frightening actually. There's some heavy baggage attached to these. But the omens are good- the Saints reformation shows last year were excellent, by all accounts, and X never fail to deliver.
See you down the front. No earplugs.

ps as you can see from the poster, the Saints will do it all again up in Brisbane, too.

Fractured retrobilly boogie?

No, I don't know what it means either, but I like the sound of it:


I'm just pissed off I missed it- going on as I write. Next time, fer sure.
Meanwhile, I am morally and contractually obliged to mention that X are playing at the Espy tomorrow night (Friday) with Dollsquad* and the Sons Of Lee Marvin.

But gig of the week would have to be this:

Assassination Collective, Deaf Wish, Paper Planes, and Graveyard Train, presented by the Afterdark crew. It's an album launch and all, but even so, I think it's free. Or at least cheap. Not as cheap as those Ass. Co. boys, though. Watch out for that one in the pith helmet.

*any record label looking for a kick-arse girly garage rock album to unleash on the public, get in touch.

Don't wanna go out?

Then get to bed early on Saturday night, but not before catching Steve Lucas on SBS' Rockwiz at 9.20- just after Iron Chef.

The punk rock Beau Brummell - he's not quite Dorian Gray- has been in fine form lately and this should be top entertainment, especially if you are still recuperating from Sixfthick. Steve's also playing in the Pure Pop courtyard on Sunday at 6.00pm.

This weekend

Hmm, shaping up as a bit of a quiet one.
X and Dollsquad are playing at a relatively new place in Lygon St. Carlton called the Curtin Bandroom, which is upstairs at the John Curtin Hotel. Not sure what that costs. I've heard some of the tunes X's Steve Lucas has just produced for Dollsquad's (hopefully) forthcoming new album, and they sounded pretty good to me. X fans can get a double dose this week, of course- see the post below.
Also on Saturday, the Ooga Boogas are at the Great Britain in Church St. Richmond, with Super Wild Horses. I haven't seen SWH, but I want to. Of course the Oogas are playing tonight (Thursday) at Bar Open, with the Useless Children and while it's probably too late to get there now, I do like the poster:

What else...hmmm, I plan to go on a Vietnamese food safari in Springvale this weekend, and watch some DVDs, but that's not of great interest to anyone but me and my stomach. And eyes.
But there are some great things on the horizon- like this:

Benefit show

Local snapper Melynda needs some money to stage a couple of photographic exhibitions. She's pulled together a pretty awesome line up for this Sunday at the Tote, for a benefit show that will hopefully raise her the cash.
X, GUT and the Losers on one bill is probably worth $10 of anyone's money, any time. Get along if you can.

X-cellent idea if you're in Sydney

Get out.

The Sand Pebbles launch their new album "Ceduna" on at the NSC on Saturday. They went to the beach last summer and made a concept album inspired in part by an old travel diary- wait, wait, come back. It’s really nowhere as pretentious or silly as that makes it sound. Its much better indeed. So let’s re-phrase that- as the Drones did with ‘Gala Mill’, the Sand Pebbles went to a place and took some inspiration from it, which they have channeled into their new album. But there’s no over-arching narrative or theme beyond that, though- as they say in the liner notes, they got high, and they wrote these songs. All of which are well worth your eartime.
The launch features well-chosen supports from Ross McLennan (whose recent Mistletone LP, “Sympathy For The New World” is also truly excellent) and Andrew McCubbin and the Hope Addicts. All for $10.00

Also on Saturday- UV Race kick off the first week of their month-long Saturday afternoon residency in the Tote front bar. That’s free, from around 4.00pm. They don't have a CD out, but this is what their "Lego Man" single looks like:



From the youngest to the oldest- across town the legendary X are playing at the Espy with a few friends:

Cherry Rock not so cheerful

An update on this year's Cherry Rock festival hit mail boxes all over town last night:

URGENT MEDIA RELEASE

CherryRock008 moves to
Palace Theatre
(former Metro, 20 – 30 Bourke Street, Melb)

The CherryRock008 rock n roll music festival proposed for this Sunday 20 April from 12noon to 10pm in AC/DC Lane and at The Cherry Bar has had to change venue due to a liquor licensing issue. The event will now take place predominantly at The Palace Theatre (the former Metro, 20 – 30 Bourke Street Melbourne) and slightly at Ding Dong Lounge (18 Market Lane, Melbourne).

Cherry Partner James Young said, "blah blah blah".

The ten major acts from CherryRock008 (Supersuckers, Raveonettes, Hitmen, Galvatrons, X, 6 Ft Hick, Legends of Motor Sport, Hell City Glamours, The Exploders and The Devilrock Four) will now play at The Palace Theatre between 3pm and 10pm. And super keen rock fans can see the hot up and comers (Zombie Sex Gang, Bring On The Junta, Tigernauts and Killer Birds) beforehand at Ding Dong Lounge between 12noon and 3pm.

All purchased tickets remain valid for this new scenario and tickets will be available on the Palace Theatre door on the day for $70.

The liquor licensing issue in question is quite boring blah blah blah.

The important bit:

New CherryRock008 Stage Times

Ding Dong Stage

12 – 12.30pm Killer Birds
12.50 – 1.20pm Tigernauts
1.40 – 2.10pm Bring On The Junta
2.30 – 3pm Zombie Sex Gang

Not AC/DC Lane Stage: Palace Theatre

9 – 10pm Supersuckers
7:30 – 8:15pm Raveonettes
6 – 6.45pm Hitmen
4.45 – 5:30pm Galvatrons
3:30 – 4:15pm X

Not Cherry Bar Stage: Palace Theatre

8:15 – 9pm 6 Ft Hick
6.45 – 7.30pm Legends of Motor Sport
5.30 - 6pm Hell City Glamours
4:15 - 4.45pm The Exploders
3.00 – 3.30pm Devilrock Four

Hmmm, it appears someone can't organise a pissup in a Melbourne laneway- that's quite a feat. The re-jigged playing times seem OK, although the Bowerbirds have lost their slot completely. We'll see, I guess, but spending seven hours in the Palace is not going to be as pleasant a Sunday afternoon as I'd hoped for.

X: Mother

The (Australian) X's cover of John Lennon's "Mother" has long been a set highlight, a cathartic mid-set primal scream. Few people have seen the filmclip the band shot to go with it. Now you can.

It's not embeddable to go here to watch it on YouTube.

X at the Ex - and some timely Tiger By The Tail refle-X-ions

X doing "Going Down" at the Excelsior last Saturday night. Video by Carol (aka Cazzam)- and there's lot's more where this coems from if you use the preceding link.

I have no doubt that X (the Australian one) is one of the best (whatever that means) bands in the country right now. Lean, no bullshit and focused in a way that old hands only can be. So why did no-one under 40 front to their recent Sydney shows? You could pose a similar question right across the expanse of Live Rock and Roll Land. Kids just don’t get it – or don’t want to.

It’s a still-shrinking base when so-called music enthusiasts would rather download an emaciated version (read: MP3) of the Real Auditory Thing than go see it. Turning music into a commodity by reducing to easily transferred bytes of data is putting the concept of experiencing it in the live setting squarely on its head. The Internet gives musicians inconceivable reach compared to 10 years ago, and gives them un-thought of control over their own output, but who the fuck can find a way through the maze of the Net? It’s Clutter with a capital K and you really need to know where to go for your fix of whatever you need. The Big Boys still own parts of the farm - and the difference these days is that they haven’t yet worked out a way to realistically fence it.

Anyway, enough of this post-modern communications theory bullshit. What I’m saying is you don’t have to stay at home downloading MP3s all day. It’s OK to like live music too. The live scene is feeling the pinch – globally – at both ends of the spectrum. Kids won’t get out, us old folks are more selective in how we spend our hard-earned, post-mortgage payments. Things are tough all over for the enthusiast in a band who virtually pays to play his or her songs anyway.

X mixed it up a little in Sydney on Saturday night with the odd “new” old song, to launch their re-issue of “At Home With You” (Aztec Music). I, for one, hope their plans to tour the USA and lay down a “new” album (of old but previously unrecorded songs) come to fruition. I didn’t catch their Thursday gig, which a reliable source said was moderately crowded if not as intense as their two-night stand at the Sando a few months ago, but Saturday was as good as anything I’ve seen live this year. Good crowd in, too.

The bill was made more marvellous with the presence on the undercard of Tiger By The Tail (TBTT), the wonderful exercise in guitar ebbs and flows fronted by Bored! mainman Dave Thomas. Tiger ByThe Tail has a similar ethos to Dinosaur Jr in that they rely a lot on guitar textures, high volume, strong dynamics and slacker vocals to carry the day. TBTT don’t force their music down the throat all the time; they’re smarter than that. They’ll be cajoling you with harmonics one minute - before turning on a two-cent coin and spearing the sound right back in your face.

They don’t move around a lot or add one ounce of theatrics to their live act and, as good as their two hard-to-find albums are (I’ve playing the shit out of “Unitshifter” since Dave gave me a copy on Saturday night), you still need to see this band (and others like them) to fully appreciate their worth.

As a footnote, there are line-up changes afoot in TBTT so watch this space.

Paradoxicially, I still haven’t seen their Melbourne counterparts Eddy Current Supression Ring live, but I can’t help thinking that TBTT probably out-score them on the songs front, and might just be the “better” band...whatever that means.

An X-cellent night in Sydney

More on X at the Ex in Sydney last weekend in a little while, as well as Saturday night's support Tiger By The Tail. Meanwhile, here's some food for thought if you're in Melbourne. Not often you see a bill this good and it's Six Ft Hick's last show before Europe: