The xx at The Metro Theatre, Sydney

The XX returned to Australia last week and treated those lucky enough to snap up a ticket to a performance at the Metro theatre in Sydney. Support act, Flume started the show and, despite having quite a bit of airplay and gaining popularity with awesome mixes of Hilltop Hoods and Ta-Ku, did not seem to draw in a crowd, as people seemed unable to tear themselves away from the lure of vodka Red Bulls at the foyer bar.

The headlining trio, Romy Madley-Croft, Oliver Sim and Jamie Smith, took to stage (twenty minutes late) in a haze of smoke, and began the set with Angels, the first single from the soon-to-be-released album, Coexist. Usually I generally dislike bands showcasing new material at gigs, due to unfamiliarity, but Angels, despite only being released to the world a fortnight ago, still had the majority of the audience joining in and singing the chorus. The band took songs from their solid self-titled debut which excited fans, including Heart Skipped a Beat and Basic Space. These slower-paced numbers were pleasing singalong tunes, but the faster, more textural, pulsating tracks induced more of a reaction. Midway through the set the band played new material from the forthcoming album, this instrumental number had a club dance-floor vibe and seemed as though it were influenced by the steel-drum driven Far Nearer taken from Jamie’s solo album. It was an attack on the senses, blasting beats and smoke machines, with lazer beams scattering over the crowd as a projected psychedelic visual danced across the screen and spilled onto the band as they worked harmoniously to make the sounds. Another standout track was Infinity, a duet that reeked of passion and sex, with the transition of each singer, the pace fastened, the lights projected over the stage as Romy sang, “I can’t give it up to someone else’s touch” finishing with a climatic ending of blaring noise and light flooding the stage.

For an electronic driven outfit, the sensuality and the organic nature of the vocals of both Romy and Oliver is bound effortlessly with the precise drum machine beats and computer samples. Both strong vocalists project lyrics with delicacy and softness and often have a haunting effect that is woven through the tracks. But, they in no way overshadow the percussion and sounds created live on stage by Jamie, who makes clean, precise accompaniment with various computerised instruments.

I eagerly await the new album Coexist after hearing snippets at their gig. It is set to be released on 11 September.

Review by Carol Bowditch

Tom Loud's Hot Dub Time Machine

When we last saw Tom Loud play in Sydney, we had the best time ever, so we're pretty excited that, for one night only, he is bringing his late night festival interactive dance show back to the city. Using the top-secret carbon neutral energy source, "Hot Dub,” the show will time-travel back to 1954 where, powered by boogie, the party will journey through music history, back to 2012!

At the cutting edge of audio/visual mixing, Tom Loud steers the party through time using turntables and laptops with vision projected onto massive screens. It's a guided journey through 60 years of pop culture – awesome music, with live video mash-ups, turntablism, dancing and booty shaking for everyone. Joining Tom is Lulu Loud, cabin attendant and Time Lord, who appears on screen to introduce each decade, and demonstrate the special “power up” dance moves. Accompanying the music are awesome clips of movies, TV and concerts from the time. So bring your dancing shoes and get ready for some awesome time travelling.

Hot Dub Time Machine,
The Lair, Metro Theatre, Sydney
Sat 28th April at 11:30pm
Ticketing info can be found here.

The Grates at The Metro, Sydney

THE GRATES 
LAST DINOSAURS 
THE MEDICS 
The Metro, 12/11/11 

Hairy four-piece The Medics opened the night with sweeping rock songs that had a melodic heart before Last Dinosaurs provided indie-pop tunes which, while not breaking too many boundaries, were really rather fine. The Brisbaners' sound had a distinct British edge to it and – helped in no small part by jangly guitars and tambourine – was delightfully perky.

Opening with Science Is Golden, The Grates had the crowd dancing like loons from the get-go. Amid a typically high energy performance from the trio, Aw, Yeah prompted a huge reaction from the crowd, as did Trampoline and Turn Me On. Their set was especially impressive in that it offered a well-balanced collection of songs that showed both sides to The Grates' sound. On one hand, there was simple throwaway pop, such as the irresistible singalong fun of 19-20-20, while, elsewhere they showed a heavier tone. Several of their songs had a distinct post-grunge feel to them and offered ruminative depth which nicely counterbalanced the more lightweight moments.

Of course, The Grates are largely defined by their iconic front-woman. In Patience Hodgson they boast one of the most appealing lead-singers in the business. She announced her arrival on stage by bouncing up and down on the spot like an over-excited kid at Christmas and was crowd-surfing by the conclusion of the second song. Looking splendiferous in a sheer blue blouse and red skirt, the front-woman constantly engaged the audience in banter, accepted roses from besotted fans, handed out glow-stick bracelets and got members of the crowd to make out. It was impossible to take your eyes off her. During songs, she bounded around the stage and danced like the biggest dork in the world, her limbs flailing in every direction. It is very apparent that Hodgson just wants to have fun, without caring a jot about being cool. And that, of course, makes her cooler than most.

As Young Pricks brought the set to a frenzied end, the band's performance demanded an encore, which closed with the giant sweary singalong of Inside, Outside. With the beguiling combination of infectious pop, meaty post-grunge and a singer that owns the room with her utter lust for life, tonight once again proved that to see The Grates live is to best understand them.

Review by Bobby Townsend. It first appeared in Sydney's Drum Media.

Kimbra at The Metro, Sydney

KIMBRA 
HUSKY 
FIRE SANTA ROSA FIRE!
The Metro, 16/09/11

After Adelaide's female-fronted Fire Santa Rosa Fire! had created an impressive sound with giant bass meeting snarling guitars and synths, Husky's acoustic songs were dreamy to the point that they weren't quite as attention-grabbing as they needed to be. That is, until their final offering and radio favourite, History's Door, showed just how good a tune these guys can write. With its rumbling drums and lovely melody, it was the first standout song of the evening.

There would be many more standout moments to follow though, as Kimbra arrived on stage in a fantastic ruffled dress and set about bringing the party to The Metro. Starting with album opener, Settle Down, it was instantly clear that her show was going to be a whole lotta fun. Fun in music can be a tricky thing, as often it can come across as contrived and insincere but, as the New Zealander bounced around stage with abandon, it was obvious that she was genuinely having the best time ever. Her effervescence was complimented by her band as finger-clicking, red-suited male backing singers boogied in the background. She even managed a mid-set costume change. Looking feisty in off-the-shoulder red, she sent the female-heavy crowd into a frenzy with more tracks from Vows, most notably the disco-pop of Cameo Lover, which is surely one of the year's best singles.

Of course, Kimbra hasn't caused such a stir simply because she has a good time on stage. She oozes talent too. Her songs are expertly put together and they translated perfectly to the live arena. And then, of course, there's the voice. Holy smoke, what a voice. When this woman opens up her lungs and lets go it is absolutely breathtaking. Like poor old Amy Winehouse, it just doesn't seem possible that such a powerful and extraordinarily soulful sound could come from her thin frame. The constant comparisons to Nina Simone help nobody (how could anyone live up to such expectations?) but there is absolutely no doubt that she is a quite phenomenal vocalist. Judging by this excellent display, Kimbra is going to be a big star. Let's just hope that she can become one while remaining as interesting and diverse as she is at the moment.

Review by Bobby Townsend. It originally appeared in Sydney's Drum Media. Oh, and please excuse the terrible photo. The nasty security man made me ditch my camera before I got a decent shot. Boo.

Angus and Julia Stone at The Metro, Sydney

ANGUS & JULIA STONE
The Metro, Sydney
27/03/10

It's nice to be right. I've been championing Angus and Julia Stone since the early days, so it's especially pleasing to hear news that their second record, Down The Way, has kept that largely rubbish Lady GaGa release from the top of the Australian album charts for the last two weeks.

What better way to celebrate your record going gold, than by playing three sold-out shows over two days in your home city? Following Friday night's gig, the siblings played a matinee performance to an under-age audience on Saturday afternoon. Cue a Beatlemania-esque frenzy from the crowd as fourteen-year-old girls took time out from screaming every word of every song to yell requests of impregnation to Angus. If it was all a bit much for the shy, unassuming Mr Stone, then the evening was happily a more chilled-out affair.

Before a subtly-lit backdrop which was decked out like a living room, the duo took turns in playing compositions from their new LP, along with a few classics and a couple of covers. After disposing of recent single, And The Boys, early on, Julia - looking hippily pretty in a floral dress - offered songs of love and melancholy: I'm Not Yours being the unhappy sequel to I'm Yours, while oldie Chocolates and Cigarettes sounded as touching as ever. Angus, hiding - as always -behind beard and hat wooed the crowd with his sweet ditties, while showing a different edge to his songwriting with Draw Your Swords, a taut love song that strains to breaking point.

After being joined onstage by support band Boy & Bear for a cover of Fleetwood Mac's Rain, the brother and sister ended with the wistful Santa Monica Dream. After a few more dates in Australia, the US and the UK beckon. The sheer strength of their new album alongside their ever-growing confidence in the live arena suggests the wave of success they are riding will not be confined to their home country.

Jamie T at The Metro, Sydney

JAMIE T
ERNEST ELLIS
The Metro 16/09/09

Local fellow Ernest Ellis and his band offered grand folk-rock that clearly had American influences. His songs were sweeping and generally fairly classically structured, but aside from a vocal range that included an impressive falsetto there was nothing especially attention-grabbing about this warm-up set.

With a hood pulled over a baseball cap, Jamie T - Jamie Treays if we’re being formal - ambled onstage looking like the kind of dodgy youth you see stalking the streets of the less salubrious parts of London. However, Treays is no shady character but rather a chirpy troubadour and was soon ripping through a fun version of Brand New Bass Guitar. The high energy of this raw opener continued for the rest of the night, as Treays and his band, The Pacemakers, belted out a hectic mixture of hip-hop and punk. Between songs Treays chatted in his very English style, dedicating Earth, Wind & Fire to his Dad for being “a double-hard bastard,” and telling the crowd to “stop being pansies and start fucking dancing,” before newie Chaka Demus showed his newfound pop sensibilities.

Sans band, he led the all-ages crowd through a cacophonous version of Back In The Game as the singalongs got progressively louder. If You Got The Money almost ripped the roof off and every word of Sheila was roared back at the stage. By the evening’s finale, Sticks ‘n’ Stones, the crowd was going absolutely mental.

Surprisingly though, the set’s highlight was Emily’s Heart, an incongruously delicate opening to the encore. It’s a shame that large sections of the audience, who were clearly there to hear the singles and nothing else, were too busy talking really fucking loudly to notice the sheer beauty of this tiny acoustic song. Still, the main throng held lighters aloft and appreciated it for the heartbreakingly tender and sorrowful love song that it was. Ending by bursting into an epic crescendo of noise, with Treays screaming “This is what happens when you fuck around,” it showed a new, deeper dimension to the songwriter. On top of the urban punk thing that he does so well, tonight Jamie T proved he also has a knack for pop gems and gentle acoustic ballads. We wait with excitement to see which direction he goes in next.

The Ting Tings at The Metro

The Ting Tings rolled into town for Big Day Out last week. I took in their sideshow (photos courtesy of the sexy, bearded Daniel Boud)THE TING TINGS
DASH & WILL
The Metro, Sydney
20/01/09

While their names suggest they are a couple of lads, Melbourne’s Dash & Will are actually two diminutive females. Looking like models for American Apparel, Dash (Charlie Thorpe) and Will’s (Josie De Sousa-Reay) perky guitar-pop was undeniably catchy and, just when their continually shared vocals and overt poppiness threatened to grow tiresome, their newest songs showed a rockier, more interesting side to their sound. Ultimately it was hard not to be won over by the fact that, even though their reputation is growing fast, they still seemed insanely excited to be on stage at all, and bounced around with the exuberance of a couple of kids dancing to their favourite tunes in their bedroom.

The Ting Tings announced their arrival to a sold-out Metro by drummer Jules De Martino playing drums and guitar at the same time before vocalist/guitarist Katie White bounded out from the shadows and launched straight into We Walk. Next, slightly surprisingly, came mega-hit Great DJ. It may have been a brave move to play their breakthrough single so early, but it certainly created a party atmosphere.White’s guitar skills were primitive to say the least, but it mattered not because the duo’s sound was carried by the impressive De Martino, who knows his way around a drum kit. White was certainly an arresting frontwoman though, pacing the stage, hacking the hell out of her guitar and leading the crowd through a chorus of “ker-chings” on Fruit Machine. The lame Traffic Light disappointingly brought the tempo down before the awesome funky pop of Shut Up And Let Me Go moved things in the right direction again, with its duel drumming and frenzied cowbell bashing.

If there were an award for shittest intro to an encore ever, it would have been won by De Martino’s inexplicable two minutes of DJing in which he badly mixed Run DMC with the theme-tune to Ghostbusters, so it was a relief when White returned and De Martino strapped on a bass guitar for Impacilla Carpisung. Predictably but pleasingly, the duo ended with the enticing nonsense of the singalong That’s Not My Name, which sent the crowd nuts and proved that, while The Ting Tings may be throwaway and hit-and-miss, on the occasions they get it right, their brand of nursery-rhyme indie-pop is strangely irresistible.

Stereophonics at The Metro

Following my interview with Stereophonics, I took in one of their gigs in Sydney:













STEREOPHONICS
BRITISH INDIA
The Metro, Sydney
05/05/08

It was a case of trying to spot the Australian in the crowd for the first of two sold-out shows at The Metro, as it seemed the overwhelming majority of people that descended on George Street were British [including this reviewer]. Due to early doors, many punters were either still on their way to the venue or clambering for booze at the bar while Melbourne lads British India played, which was a shame because their short set was powerful and impressive.

While travelling half way round the globe to play to a room filled with people from your homeland seems like defeating the point, Stereophonics revelled in the rapturous reception they received as they sauntered onto stage. With singer Kelly Jones looking quite the clichéd rock frontman in a leather jacket and aviator sunglasses, the Welshmen punctuated what was essentially a greatest hits set with a handful of tracks from their new long-player, Pull The Pin.

With six big selling albums to select tunes from, their performance was always going to provoke something of a singalong, with second track A Thousand Trees sparking the first major audience participation of the night. The first low point though came with the arrival of the rather sour Mr Writer, with Jones grumbling: “Why don’t you tell it like it really is?” Well, okay - while upbeat numbers like The Bartender and the Thief perfectly suit his distinctive sandpaper vocal, slower songs such as this turn it into a horrible, lifeless drone. Other weak moments included the limp You Could Have It All, and even the most enthusiastic fan must have struggled to remain engaged during Hurry Up and Wait which, fittingly, seemed to last forever.












Conversely, More Life in a Tramp’s Vest and Local Boy in the Photograph were riotous romps that proved Stereophonics’ real strength lies in their punchy, aggressive rock tunes. While one might expect such energy from tracks written when the band were young whippersnappers, pleasingly, offerings from their new album displayed similar urgency and vibrancy.

Ending the night with the delicious Dakota [which meant we were thankfully spared their painfully lacklustre cover version of Handbags and Gladrags] the Brits left the stage to a massive ovation, suggesting that the many backpackers in the crowd were happy with their decision to spend about three weeks’worth of food budget on a ticket.