MELBOURNE MUSIC (02-10/10/2010)

It's The Animals!!! Oh wait, no, it's The Frowning Clouds... @ City Square, Swanston Street

Over the past week Melbourne’s been a little spoilt; with freebies spotted all over our fantastic city. Everything from acoustic performances on trams to full scale concerts in Federation Square have come together in the first “Melbourne Music” event – one which has embraced some of the lesser known talents about town, the love of the arts in Australia’s music capital, and the coming of warmer weather. Resulting in successes all round, Melbourne Music looks like something that’ll be back in years to come.

It’s been pretty hard to miss the free concerts about town – with the new City Square stage attracting as many unaware passersby as it did fans of the bands playing, and Fed Square booming on a couple of occasions.

In a massive kick to the teeth, avid St Kilda supporter, Dan Sultan, led the charge at Fed Square last Saturday post Collingwood’s thrashing of his Saints. Though no loss for his beloved team was getting in the way of his show; the man proving why he’s Melbourne’s favourite son and why you don’t have to pay for quality live shows – as did Melbourne bands Eagle & The Worm, Dan Kelly’s Dream Band and British India before him.


Dan Kelly's Dream Band trippin' @ Fed Square

Seriously though, Dan Sultan is a purebred performer – busting out all his big soul rock numbers to make the very most of his band. There was probably no better choice to launch the week.


Dan Sultan 'I Like It' - song title says it all!

What followed throughout the week were concerts on trains, trams, in the city centre, at stations, at the Arts Centre and all over the joint. Making the most of the City Square Stage – an installation across Collins Street from Melbourne Town Hall – on Wednesday night was local trio The Hazelman Brothers, who played a set of acoustic guitars and harmonies powered by a trailer bearing solar panels. And they only just went under 100 per cent post sundown; a fact that meant they could have played all night despite the overcast charging throughout the day!

City Square was certainly the key venue throughout the week, with concerts timed perfectly for anyone wanting to skip their homebound train to catch some tunes.


Jonathon Boulet gets people on their feet with 'A Community Service Announcement'

Melbourne Music was also the perfect opportunity to launch Fed Square Live - what is to be a fortnightly event at said venue that will feature our best emerging artists. Thursday evening saw the likes of Skipping Girl Vinegar and Jonathon Boulet launch the event – both charming acts drawing a nicely sized crowd.


Skipping Girl Vinegar rockin' out @ Fed Square

The biggest highlight of the launch (and there were a few) had to go to an old dude in the crowd rather than either of the bands. His martial arts style dance moves had the seated listeners amused and, eventually, up and dancing along. A true sport who’ll hopefully return in a couple of weeks when [ME] and Mr. Percival hit the stage.


Stealing the show: This old dude knows what the kids like


Jess McAvoy plays to a quizzical few @ Southern Cross Station

Finally, this last weekend supplied plenty for those wanting to get a final fix of freebies (and again for those not quite sure why there was a proper set up for Jess McAvoy and her guitar in the middle of Southern Cross). The Bedroom Philosopher – who’d previously sung about the 86 tram on, you guessed it, the 86 tram – entertained some hardcore fans and passersby at the tram stop in Bourke Street Mall; happily obliging “requests” by making up his own melody and words to the likes of Six Months In A Leaky Boat.


The Bedroom Philosopher entertaining commuters @ Bourke Street Mall

Sunday saw Oh Mercy close the whole event back at City Square – there breezy pop charming one of the bigger crowds on what was one the first “awesome weather” days of the season.

So, what more could we ask from this Melbourne Music event? Firstly, that it returns next year. Perhaps it could be extended – that’d be nice, especially if promotion was more heavy-on. The variety of locations this time around was great, as were the acts – though there’s certainly plenty more that’ll be wanting a piece of it next time. Overall, though – well done M-Town!!!

Ben Kweller + Delta Spirit @ The Hifi Bar, Melbourne (06/10/2010)

I've been wanting to catch Delta Spirit again since seeing them with Cold War Kids a couple of years back. Sure enough they came back, but they were doing the "support" thing again (damn it Australia, like them more!). Anyway, turns out Ben Kweller's pretty fun himself, so all in all a good night.

Here's my review from FasterLouder:

The last time Delta Spirit were in Aus, they were playing Splendour as well as supporting Cold War Kids on a national tour. Similarly this time around, the band tagged alongside their Californian buddy Ben Kweller instead of playing their own shows. They may not have a massive fan base here, but with a busting live presence like theirs, they deserve one.

Walking on stage as deadpan and dully as they could pull off, Delta Spirit seemingly put on a ruse to lull the crowd into confusion with a lacklustre verse and chorus of People Turn Around. Any worry was quickly punched in the face as the cropped version dropped into the heavy intro of Bushwick Blues, with the band belting about and vocalist Matt Vasquez squawking his mighty voice.


Bushwick Blues

What followed from there was a straight up rock show – no fancy gimmicks, just five musicians putting everything they had into their instruments. The set consisted mostly of material from the band’s second release, and from that it was predominantly the more raucous tunes. Percussion plays a big part in Delta Spirit’s shows too, and this gig was no exception with the addition of a second bass drum and various others during Children and the clank of a bin lid on, appropriately, Trashcan.

Their set was short but so devilishly sweet; enough to leave a good impression on new ears and satisfy fans (at least in quality if not quantity). Given that the Hi-fi made punters wait a good 90 minutes post door times, the short set seemed odd, though at least there was little wait for Ben Kweller once they were done.

“There’s no way I’m cancelling a show because of me.” Kweller was sick and he made it clear from the outset this wasn’t going to be his finest hour – but given the love-in he has with Australia there was no way he was going to let a bug stand in the way of entertainment. He knew what he had to do and his first rule of business was just that: teach the crowd the opening track I Don’t Know Why.

With the crowd happy to oblige and his band members’ mics turned right up, Kweller was set to go and although his ailment was obvious a lot of the time, he still had the engaging stakes working in his favour (all the while hoping he was a least not as bad as an “off Dylan show”).

Kweller has the kind of attitude you can’t help but like. He’s extremely laid back and can win over his crowd easily with a bunch of quips and his dorky expressions. He exudes a kind of positiveness that wasn’t at all deterred by the fact he was a little off his game; a kind of positiveness that he pulls off so well that it’s difficult to notice the menace when he sings stuff like, “I need a machinegun to blow you the fuck away from me.”

The night’s set list was a healthy mix of tracks from across Kweller’s catalogue, with new material nowhere to come by (as the man’s admitted he’d hate to be bored of it before releasing it). Teasing the audience with a reworked Sundress was a nice touch, the song staying soft instead of hitting fast and loud and provoking affectionate jeers.

A cover of Roger Miller’s You Can’t Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd was a fun addition, too, with Kweller adding his own little rant, “You can’t bring a guitar on a Qantas aeroplane” to the tune. He must have had planes on the mind, as later he announced, “I may not have a platinum record, but I’m platinum on American Airlines.”

On My Way was the biggest sing along of the evening, with the crowd basically taking over the choruses (much to Kweller’s relief), before he took another opportunity to rest his vocal cords during a very lengthy blues jam within Red Eye.


Fight

In the end, the cheer during the opening piano of Penny On The Train Track was telling of how much the crowd were waiting for Kweller’s signature track, and Kweller was all smiles as he held his voice together nicely to finish the night – complete with an interweaving of Brown Eyed Girl thrown in the middle of the song.

And like the germs he probably spat over the front rows, his smile was just as contagious; leaving the Hi-fi in high spirits indeed. With a new album due in the near future and an apparent obsession with our shores, expect to see a healthy Kweller returning soon enough.