Live Review: Angus & Julia Stone @ The Enmore Theatre (for The Music Network)

In true Angus & Julia Stone style, a huge tree decorated with Christmas lights adorned the stage set for their sold out Enmore show, and under the musk-coloured lights and weaving smoke, you could have sworn its leaves were swaying along to each song.

Barefoot, in a floor-length red dress, Julia opened their homecoming show with Santa Monica Dream from the pair’s chart-topping second album Down The Way. Her voice started small and pretty, then turned on us to match the darker side of her lyrics. Although you couldn’t see Angus for all his hair and hobo get-up, the audience screamed to have his babies and gushed embarrassingly.

Every band member was a multi-instrumentalist. Julia played seven instruments at last count including the accordion, banjo, trumpet and (in a new turn) electric guitar. Angus interchanged between his banjo, acoustic and electric guitars and took some time every now and again to ponder the tree (it was his idea after all) while Eleanor Whitney interchanged from piano to violin to mandolin and drummer Matt Johnson used his knees and the side of an acoustic guitar as percussion.

“This is a different version of it but it’s maybe a little angrier than the original,” explained Julia before her intense version of Grease track, You’re The One That I Want. Her band mates left the stage for this one but Julia beckoned her brother back to join her for the harmony. The folk magic continued, their cover of Neil Young’s Comes A Time saw the crowd go quiet for the first time, Julia’s loud whisper complimented Angus’ quirky, shallow moans.

The unique set continued, Julia played a track she had written just a few days before in Bundaberg. “It’s a little bit of a sad story but I think there’s hope,” she said of I Believe In Love. Her raw emotion sent chilling empathy down our backs, she sang of life’s burdens and the ugliness of infidelity. “What a wanker,” she laughed afterwards.

Angus’ Big Jet Plane and Just A Boy wooed every female in the theatre as Julia lifted her dress to dance alongside him. Even when he forgot the words, his ornate guitar plucking and the reggae fusion backing made it easy to forgive. Final track And The Boys saw a flood of gold confetti float rain down from the stage ceiling, Julia giggled mid-song when it caught in her hair.

The welcome four-song encore saw tracks Black Crow, Hold On, Babylon and Wasted send us off. The siblings embraced and their band mates joined them for the bow. Their fans floated out into the cold but were unaffected, still buzzing from the warm, touching energy of their music.

Live Review: My Future Lies (for FasterLouder)

Pop-rock outfit, My Future Lies managed to bring together a crowd of geriatrics and panda-eyed teens (of both sexes) at Sydney’s Oxford Art Factory. Family, friends, devout fans and even Short Stack drummer Bradie Webb gathered for the album launch of My Future Lies’ second effort Chasing The Moon.

Twenty minutes late to stage, sporting matching haircuts, (you know the one – see Short Stack) the Sydney three-piece – Luke Lukess, (vocals/lead guitar),Pete Nu (bass) and Murray Danger (drums), plus keyboard player/backing vocalist Greg Ager of The Next opened with the album’s title track Chasing The Moon. Nu introduced his signature swing that would remain a constant throughout the set, he stalked his side of the stage with a rock star pout that would put Steve Tyler to shame.

Lukess sang mostly from the new album, older tracks like Penny Lane, Kissing You In The Driveway and Future Lies received the most interaction with copycat fringes jerking wildly and high-heels being ditched at every turn. My Future Lies were tight, rehearsed and passionate but something must be said of the four tacky mini-screens placed in each corner of the stage. The images and video projected weren’t so unlike the Window’s ‘95 screen saver and they changed with each song, the marquee of red and white stripes and stars for Miss American Angel was just a little naff, as were the snowflakes and falling leaves for Changing Seasons.

“This song’s about mixing things together, in space. Make of it what you want,” said Lukess, rearing into Rocket Fuel. The band undertook an indulgent instrumental before Lukess, Nu and Ager left Danger to bathe in a little lime light for his ten-minute drum solo. It was the definite highlight of the evening, Danger grit his teeth and produced an intricate, layered performance. Interestingly though, throughout all his pounding convulsions, his hair remained still and in place.

Final tracks Over Without You and Future Lies painted Lukess as quite the showman, he played his guitar behind his head, with the neck of his beer bottle and even with his teeth. Looking over at Nu who was blowing kisses to the front row, it was a pity his band mates and music didn’t quite match his rock star performance.

Album Review: Miami Horror (for The Music Network)

24 August 2010

by Poppy Reid

Two years ago, when Miami Horror’s Benjamin Plant recorded and released his EP, Bravado out of a makeshift studio in his bedroom,The Justice meets Daft Punk meets Midnight Juggernaughtscomparisons ensued. 

Miami Horror, a one-man mastermind back then, received rave reviews for his ‘80s disco-on-downers sound. Now, Miami Horror is a four-piece, with Dan Whitechurch on keys, guitarist Josh Moriarty(currently plays for Peacocks, ex-Young & Restless) and Aaron Shanahan on drums Their debut album, Illumination has placed Plant in a league of his own. 

As a concept album, Illumination’s song titles and overall impact draw from one theme, light. Each song depicts a different shade, taking listeners on a ride through electro-pop, shiny disco and deep-funk affiliations. Illumination tips its hat to past collaborators Pnau with its commercial harmonies (see Sometimes) but also to electro legendsNew Order with tracks Moon Theory and Summersun. 

Plant’s quirky overlaying of synths and guitar make it hard to pigeon hole Miami Horror into a genre or era; some lyrics and fade-downs reek of cheese but it’s tracks like I Look To You that redeem Illumination and push electro boundaries. The track Grand Illusionproves how crucial a live band recording is, the guitar and drums mixed with random electronic beats take its chill-wave sound to a new level. 

Miami Horror have created a lightweight record with much commercial appeal. Plant has succeeded in getting his concept across; it’s a summer party backdrop with heavy house basslines, a mixture of light and dark whilst maintaining commercial accessibility.

Album Review: Old Man River, Trust (for The Music Network)

18 August 2010

by Poppy Reid

Coming from a culturally diverse childhood, growing up in Europe and Israel, exploring India and busking in New York; it’s no surprise Sydney soul singer Ohad Rein aka Old Man River would release an album brimming with world-love and instrumental variety. 

Rein is now what you’d call a seasoned performer; after playing guitar in Sydney bands such as Gelbison, he’s collaborated with The Sleepy Jackson and Ben Lee. His first album Good Morning was well received with his track La reaching #6 on Italy’s air play charts andSunshine winning the Blues & Roots Work of the Year category at 2009’s APRA Awards. 

Old Man River’s sophomore effort is Trust and expectations are understandably high for the success of this record. The album opens with an interlude homage to Indian chimes before In This Worldsneaks into our ears and swirls through our mind. The chimes remain a constant throughout the track, their calming powers prompting memories of that meditation tape you once found in your Aunt Meryl’s collection, next to the incense and lavender oil. 

Rein’s soft effortless vocals and acoustic guitar in love songs You And Me and Our Love Will Win cement suspicions he has definitely fallen hard in love, whether that be for a woman or the Earth itself is still unclear, but that’s half the appeal. 

The flower-power pop elements stay true to Good Morning but he’s more Bob Dylan and less Beatles this time. Tracks India, Norway, Shanti Aaye and Religion are not only an ode to exotic instruments (he uses 15 throughout the album) they are relevant counterparts which portray, through his signature idiosyncrasy, his love of simple pleasures and the importance of culture. Each track compliments the other, the soft energy flows evenly and unabated. 

Trust closes with Kaiyumas Lullaby, and like the original Hush Little Baby, this track is a dreamy conclusion swirled with his own ‘60s folk twist. The album itself paints Rein as an established crooner, lyrically he is more virtuous as is shown with India but mostly he is content to hone Dylan and wispy roots days gone by.

Artist Feature: Miami Horror (for The Music Network)

20 August 2010

Miami Horror could prove to be one of many projects for introverted mastermind Ben Plant. When TMN caught up with the producer/songwriter, he was at his parents’ house in Melbourne city, conducting phone interviews and “working on some new songs.”

On the brink of releasing his debut album, Illumination, it’s interesting to hear Plant has set to work on another EP and could be making a solo transition similar to when he first started, only this time he has some major credibility and industry support behind him.

“I’ve just had some feedback from a few other people and they seem to like it so I decided to go back and do that direction a little bit,” says Plant, sounding distracted by the house beats percolating through the phone line.

Not too much has changed for the now 23-year-old Plant who got his start like many electro acts, experimenting with his Roland keyboard and remixing his favourite tracks in a makeshift bedroom-studio. Plant was a film student at the time and juggled scoring music for his university peers with the creation of Miami Horror EP, Bravado. His break came when he was asked by Australian acts Faker, PNAU and The Presets to remix their work; from there he set about releasing his own original material.

“If I had a chance I probably would of released something original first,” reflects Plant, who is now making up for lost time.

Still working from his home studio, Plant takes himself quite seriously. He engineered and produced the album from his bedroom, something he plans to make permanent “it’s always going to be at home,” he says. So it’s no surprise that even the name Miami Horror was assiduously planned; taken from a list of words Plant put together, his final choice cements his long-time inspiration of light and dark.

“I put them together and they ended up working because both kind of give you a subconscious visual idea, or at least a feel. So Miami’s obviously really colourful and Horror’s a little bit darker, the words itself are quite bold,” explains Plant who carries this juxtaposition through to Illumination.

“There’s this concept behind it that it was, I mean there’s a subtext through it about the idea of light dawning everything which is why Softlight, Ultraviolet, Grand Illusion and Illumination [all refer to light].

“I always had the idea of doing an album that was half uplifting and half dark, but digitally half-half. The only thing was I knew that making some of the dark and more epic soundtracky stuff wasn’t that appealing for other people and I learnt that from other artists doing similar things.”

Although Plant’s success could be put down to his reclusive characteristics and the time he spent working from his bedroom, it wasn’t long before his manager Jerry Soer pushed him to step things up a notch so he could play in a live realm. This move proved to be the best thing for Miami Horror, with Dan Whitechurch now on keyboards and lending his songwriting abilities to co-write Sometimes with Plant- the song truly broke Miami Horror into the electro-mainstream. Also to make up the band was guitarist Josh Moriarty (currently plays for Peacocks, ex-Young & Restless) and Aaron Shanahan on drums.

“I think when you can play live you can do something more than the average producer could really, and I was kind of sick of doing that, it was one of the choices that inspired stepping it up.”

Miami Horror are about to embark on a tour of North and South America, although when asked of his plans for the rest of the year Plant can only speak of his side project.

“Its pretty much straight house music, like old French house which I was going to do for the album but didn’t end up doing; because they didn’t fit the style of the album.”

This “housier” EP will be recorded at home of course and may just be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Ben Plant’s solo projects.

“There might be three things happening I don’t know. I may not even play in them; I’ll just let the other people do it.”

Gig Review: The Verses @ The Vanguard (for FasterLouder.com)

You could tell the Hooper siblings were nervous at Sydney’s The Vanguard yet it only made us love them more. It was The Verses’ album launch and Ella and Jesse (formerly of Killing Heidi) gave us a short taste of their debut album Seasons under the new moniker.

The Vanguard was brimming with media, television and industry personalities and Hooper’s backing musicians Wally Kempton (bass), Matt Cotter (drums), Ash Naylor (guitar) and Madeline Davy (keys).

Starting with the track Still Come Around, a deep sigh of relief swept over the intimate crowd as they realised her voice was still as resplendent as ever, her signature tone had not been lost. After sorting a few microphone technicalities Ella was kind enough to introduce each song, expressing her and Jesse’s nervous excitement throughout.

Jesse, in his brown leather suit jacket watched Ella with pride as she ditched her mic stand and toe tapped and boot scooted through tracks Want Everything and Let You (W)in. She inspired Jenny Morris comparisons with her sweet distant trilling, holding back from the angsty hollers of Killing Heidi.

The band looked right in their comfort zone for Midnight, the guitars sounded crisp and rehearsed and Ella faced her band to sway and clap along.

Closing with tracks Settle Down and Teeth, The Verses nerves had also settled down as if they knew they had killed it and could finally relax. Ella got down on her knees for the final seconds of Teeth proving she hadn’t ditched her rock star poses just yet.

Album Review: Bliss N Eso, Running On Air (for The Music Network)

05 August 2010

by Poppy Reid

Bliss N Eso’s fifth studio album completely rejects the common musical trend of diminished returns: that as time goes on, the music goes off.

Running On Air could have been ten years in the making, with the past four albums all laying the foundation for this rebirth. Practice seems to have made perfect for MC Bliss, MC Esoterik and DJ Izm; along with a few hip-hop leaders (Xzibit, Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA and Jehst) and acclaimed producer Hattori Hunzo, the Sydney rappers have created a layered journey of diverse velocities through 16 tracks guaranteed to surprise.

Although there are actually 19 tracks on the record, the first 2 minutes and 11 seconds should be skipped, Never Land is spoken philosophical filler that should have been replaced along with the other ‘nothing’ track Caught At The Pub which is basically a recording of someone explaining The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy and how it was supposedly written on LSD.

With such filler aside, second track Flying Through The City opens with beating drums and sounding horns to create a stylised rap battle where both Bliss and Eso are on the same team. The track references both Chuck Berry’s Go Johnny Go and nursery rhyme Baa Baa Black Sheep, coupled with their own grimey twist.

Running On Air is streaked with festival ready highlights and polished backdrops featuring strings and piano. Tracks Art House Audio andThe Moses Twist convey surprising articulate diction; even the lyrics prove a developed vocabulary.

Their first radio-released single Down By The River has more raw qualities than its counterparts, Bliss’ growling vocals spark Limp Bizkit nostalgia; a ballsy comparison considering the clash of genres but it’s the cocky grimace heard in the vocals that fires it.

The track People Up On It also deserves recognition as both one of the hardest rap numbers and for its novelty factor with the use ofXzibit. Bliss N Eso take a back seat for this one as Xzibit dominates with a lovely reference to “Aussie chicks with huge titties.”

Running On Air is a collection of reminders that Bliss N Eso are taking the Australian Hip Hop scene to a new level, commanding attention (even from those who aren’t ready to be commanded) and setting the standard for all newcomers.

Professor Green on Lily Allen and almost losing his life (for The Music Network)

02 August 2010

by Poppy Reid

With a name inspired by "a keen interest in plants", Professor Green(born Stephen Paul Manderson) has turned a disadvantaged childhood and a near death experience into a chart climbing UK hip hop album, Alive Till I’m Dead.

Back in 2007, Green’s future looked bright after signing to Mike Skinner of The Streets’ label, The Beats. Sadly, just one year later the label went under. “It took me a year to get out of that contract which was a pain in the bum but I did and got myself together and the music got better,” says Green.

As the story goes, to get by after the label split, the rapper then returned to his ‘study’ of plant life, although he wasn’t too keen on discussing it. “I dunno, I really want to be able to come to Australia so maybe we shouldn’t discuss that,” Green laughs.

Last year, Green signed with Virgin Records and released I Need You Tonight, sampling the 1987 INXS hit. “That song was the producers idea… I didn’t quite remember where it was from,” recalls Green. This is not surprising considering he was only four-years-old when the original was released, however, it wouldn’t be his last sampling of a ‘90s hit track. His most popular single Be Good To Green samples Beat International’s Dub Be Good To Me and leans heavily on a cameo by (semi-retired) singer Lily Allen. The guest spot originated from a Facebook chat after Green mentioned he had cleared the rights to use the words.

“I sent it over and she listened to it and she said “well why don’t you let me sing the chorus and we can perform it live at Bestival [a UK festival on the Isle of Wight]” …and now she’s one of my best friends.”

Although he collaborates with a pop star and samples classic pop songs, according to Green, he doesn’t count himself as a pop fan. “What’s happened with a lot of pop was it’s become so P.C... it only caters for a certain audience and there are people that aren’t that sheepish and wanna hear something that they can truly relate to instead of just baby, baby, baby.”

Green is notably honest not only about his celebrity friendships but also about his past; he was raised by his great-grandmother and grandmother in Hackney, on a street known as ‘Murder Mile’ for its high crime reputation. The final track on the album titled Goodnighttouches on the death of his greatgrandmother and also that of his father.

“I lost my father a few years ago, he committed suicide and we hadn’t seen each other for six years, so yeah, it’s just me clearing my thoughts,” Green says of the song. This honesty has prompted his late fathers’ widow to apprise UK media he is ‘cashing in’ on his dad’s death. Understandably, Green is pissed off.

“I never said anything about him initially. I really don’t want to talk about it. All I ever spoke about was my relationship with my dad… all I ever said was I wish we could have rectified all this trouble we’d had before he’d done that and without him dead,” vents Green.

Green has every right to write of his experiences; after all at just 27 he’s already “spent a strong 25 years struggling.” His most noted battle came in May last year, when he was stabbed in the neck. He now sports a tattoo in the spot which reads ‘Lucky’. “I remember all of it. It was someone causing trouble, I tried to let it go but he kept causing trouble and when I stood up for myself he ran away and then ten minutes later he came back and put a broken bottle in my neck.”

Green claims the incident hasn’t changed his music, but he admits it has changed his perspective of the world. “It made me more appreciative you know, I was always quite a pessimistic person and I found it quite hard to be happy. I suppose I’m still like that somewhat but I’m getting better at it, I’m trying. To be honest with you although the money’s a lot better now, the problems haven’t changed.”

Album Review: Professor Green, Alive Till I'm Dead (for The Music Network)

02 August 2010

by Poppy Reid

Professor Green could very well be the UK’s version of Eminem; with his tongue-in-cheek lyrics, snide digs at pop culture luminaries, an unsettling past and notoriety gained from a rap battle, Green almost has him pegged.

This being said, his debut album Alive Till I’m Dead is more radio ready than Eminem’s first effort Infinite. His interpolation of INXS hitNeed You Tonight and Beat’s International’s Dub Be Good To Me(previously written by The SOS Band) demonstrates a cheeky, modern hip pop twist within his music, with Just Be Good To Greenfeaturing Lily Allen singing the hookline to great effect.

Alive Till I’m Dead is an interesting collection of songs; there’s no one theme and emotions vary with the tempos of each track. There’s the catchy Kids That Love To Dance, featuring the sultry Emeli Sande, in which Green's vocals take a backseat, mainly because Sande’s voice is so rich with its domineering subtlety.

Monster (featuring Example) has a completely different feel altogether. On the surface it’s a hip hop track with a catchy middle-eight; but the lyrics paint Green in a slightly twisted manner – “Crept up behind but she turned and scream/ I can’t believe that she got away/ think of all the love that we could have made.” Your feet are already tapping before you realise what the song is about; this is half the seduction.

The album travels from rap ballads about his troubled childhood through lost love and fun love, before arriving on the deaths of both his father and great grandmother in the final track Goodnight. Undoubtedly the most earnest track on the album, Goodnight is the only song performed by Green alone (excluding subtle backing vocals from an uncredited artist). Green still refuses to sing even though the limelight is solely on him for this one but his vocals are strong and emotive enough for this to be unneeded.

Professor Green has the prescription for success in a plethora of genres with Alive Till I’m Dead. At times it’s cheesy enough to be pop, smutty enough for hip hop lovers and even tilts its hat to electro and dubstep. With all bases covered effortlessly, Green is one to watch.