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Although I have been able to take in and love an album during the first couple of listens on occasions before, I have never been able to do it with an album I've heard so little of before purchase. With Polyserena earlier in the year I had heard much of the material either on previous releases or live and it was very easy to slide right into the album and enjoy it. The only teaser I'd heard for this new Coldplay release was the first single (and this album's 'Yellow') 'In My Place'. This splendid song will over the next 12 months start to bug the shit out of those who listen to commercial radio (in Australia at least) as it will become the latest in a succession of songs that will be played on average fifteen times a day by these stations (once they discover it's existence and learn of it's popularity). Unfortunately those adherents to this lowest form of radio entertainment will miss out on some absolute gems if they do not buy this record.
Coldplay have become the mainstream purveyors of Nick Cave style melancholy and imagery. Through the last week (and many dozens of listens to this album) I've noticed a distinct similarity between the themes that Coldplay and Nick Cave manage to cover in their music that was not as evident on 2000's Parachutes. This said, Chris Martin has a vastly different vocal quality to Nick that sets Coldpaly apart. Like Nick's 'No More Shall We Part' album this record covers personal journey ('Politik'), defining relationships ('Green Eyes') and even touches on religion (very lightly) with 'God Put A Smile On My Face'.
'A Rush Of Blood....' is one of those rare albums that doesn't have a bad moment. No filler required. From 'Politik' through to 'Amsterdam' the album keeps a pace that defies you to turn it off, to not let it play to the end. Like 'Parachutes' before it, many tracks combine uncomplicated keyboard melodies with unhurried acoustic guitar and lead guitar that sounds, at times, like what you would create by melding The Edge (U2) and David Gilmour (Pink Floyd). The album has a beautiful atmosphere that is enhanced by the consistent tempo that draws the listener from song to song.
While I mentioned melancholy as a description for the mood of the record, the album does not leave you feeling that way when you've come to the end of the final track. The feeling that I've found is more an exhilaration of just having listened to one of the best albums of the last few years and a need to press play again and experience it all over again.
I cannot believe I made the mistake of turning up late to one of Australia’s most amazing musicians. Jumping out of the car and hearing ‘Home Is Where The Heart Is’ wasn’t the way I wanted to start the evening, but all was forgotten soon after. The largest crowd yet, packed into the Great Western’s bullring was an astonishing sight, only bettered by the music being created by the three musicians on stage.
The first song the band played once I’d made it into the venue was a John Butler Trio live staple, ‘Attitude’. By the end of the night that one song had, in a way, summed up the entire evening. John was playing with an attitude and like many shows before this one, was not afraid to mix things up in his songs. While I don’t know what preceded ‘Home….’, it was obvious the crowd had been wrestled into the right frame of mind very early in the gig and ‘Attitude’ just spurred them on.
A highlight of the performance was the new material the John Butler Trio is working into shape during this tour. Following ‘Attitude’ was one of these new songs, ‘Company Sin’, which seems a song riddled with john’s usual passion concerning social issues that affect us all. This was followed by ‘Pickapart’, the song that first brought the talented trio to national attention.
The next few songs were all new material that the crowd lapped up, relishing the rare opportunity in Rockhampton to hear music that has not yet been released. During this period the band played ‘Zebra’ and then John was left alone on stage alone for a further three songs. Even minus the talents of Shannon (bass guitar) and Nicky (drums) the music didn’t fail to ignite the large crowd. John’s enthusiasm for the topics he writes about was evident in all the new songs, as it has been in everything he’s released to date.
The rest of the band returned during a new song called ‘Peaches’ and immediately meshed back in as if they’d never left the stage. After ‘Peaches’ came to a close John took some time to talk to the crowd about his views on spirituality, introducing beautifully the song he wrote about just that topic, ‘Valley’. The wonderful song off John’s first album kept going and going to the wonderment of those present Almost twenty minutes later john decided it was time for a break, thanking the audience before going backstage for a well earned, but ultimately short, rest.
To my personal amazement, the here-to-fore inevitable ‘We Want More’ chant was absent, I don’t know but had the entire crowd read my last review? While my pet hate chant wasn’t in evidence, the applause and noise due a great set was. John. Shannon and Nicky very soon returned to treat Rockhampton to yet another new song during one of the most amazing encore’s I’ve personally witnessed.
It was enjoyable rolling up to the Birdcage Bar to renew my strange relationship with The Whitlams. While not a real fan and not an owner of a single album, they are a band I thoroughly enjoy as a live act. I again wasn’t disappointed this time around.
The band started of with a number of crowd favourites including ‘Made Me Hard’, ‘Charlie No 3’ and ‘Fall For You’ to an enthusiastic crowd obviously happy to hear well-known songs from past albums. Tim Freedman, as is usual with his performances, engaged the crowd between songs, even to the point of singling out a young spectator in the front row, to the delight of both the audience and the fan himself.
After a solemn rendition of ‘Laugh In Their Faces’ Freedman decided it was time to liven the audience, encouraging them to make some noise and dance before launching into the upbeat ‘I Feel Like Louis Burdette’. All present approved and happily followed the through the equally buoyant ‘Royal In The Afternoon’ and into The Whitlams own tribute to the great Australian surf music of years gone by, ‘Gone Surfing’.
One of the highlights the night came soon after with their cover version of Icehouse tune ‘Don’t Believe Anymore’. The Whitlams have done justice to a song written by one of Australia’s greatest and most versatile musicians, Iva Davies. It came at an appropriate time through the set as well, giving the audience the opportunity to cool down a little before the band moved toward the end of their set.
‘Don’t Believe’ was followed by equally mellow and laid back songs in ‘No Aphrodisiac’ and the attack on recent pub and club culture, ‘Blow Up The Pokies’. Refreshing that the venue for this gig is one that doesn’t have any of the awful machines. Hopefully a fact not lost on Freedman.
Leading up to the end of the set, Freedman spoke to the audience about the man who inspired the band’s name and about the changes he tried to effect while in power. This was his introduction to the song ‘Gough’. Freedman followed this song with a story about a young man around the age of most of those he could see crowding around the stage, in fact a young man just like ‘Red’, his favourite audience member from earlier in the night. It was a story of a young man who spent his days as a battler in this conservatively ruled nation of ours, working for minimum wage at his McJob. From the reaction of many in the room it was obvious that many knew he was leading up to ‘I Make Hamburgers’, a personal favourite and a wonderful sing-a-long song for any audience.
Rounding out an enjoyable set, containing a mix of old and new, the band played an extended version of ‘Loving Me At My Worst’, in which Freedman led the crowd in a call and response, exhorting those present to let the singer know how they felt about the night. The only pity is Freedman didn’t include his bandmates in the back and forth, just himself.
The band left the stage to widespread applause that quickly led to the inevitable ‘We Want More Chant’, which for some reason always leaves me cold. In my opinion applause and cheering seems the better option to the flat-out demand many audiences make of performers. Regardless of both my opinion or the band’s feelings on this phenomena they did return for an encore that began with Freedman chatting with the audience, again, about how they were in for a premiere of sorts during the encore. He then commenced an epic rendition of ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’, which had virtually the entire audience singing along while Freedman stayed silent and let the crowd sing.
Freedman next told the crowd that it was to be the first time an audience had seen what was to follow, not exactly true but regardless, lead man from the main support band Dave McCormack joined The Whitlams on stage for a long-time Whitlams live cover, Bob Dylan’s ‘Tangled Up In Blue’. While they have performed this, with McCormack on stage, in previous shows of the tour, it was great to hear two musicians of their calibre and standing in the nations’ music community performing a great song with such energy and enthusiasm, even to the point of an indulgent little unrehearsed jam at the end before clearing the stage for the night.
It proved an entertaining night from The Whitlams and if I had to have a gripe it would be the length of the performance, maybe coming in a little short. More of the new album may have lengthened their time on stage but all in all the set was reasonably balanced between new and old. My advice for those who missed it……don’t make the same mistake again.
It's not often that I go to The Stadium Nightclub but I chose to go last night to see up and coming Australian punk band One Dollar Short. As the name may suggest The Stadium thinks it's a bit of a sports bar. The walls adorned with the heroes of Australian sport.....Thorpe, Langer, Waugh, Horan......just the kind of place I want to see a punk band!
When walking into Rockhampton's Hooter's Nightclub one is not given the impression that it is a venue that can provide an atmosphere for a great rock show. The walls are adorned with posters of today's most over-exposed purveyors of over-produced plastic pop rubbish. Ricky Martin, Britney Spears and N'Sync stare at you from the walls and give you a truly uncomfortable feeling, although I was relieved to find U2 hidden in the back corner I retreated to whilst awaiting the show.
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