[Gallery] Del Amitri @ The Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane 21/02/2023
Del Amitri
Darren Middleton
[Review] Architects @ Adelaide Entertainment, Adelaide 17/02/2023
It’s been two albums (For Those That Wish To Exist and the classic symptoms of a broken spirit) and a pandemic since Architect’s graced our shores. Friday night saw them play in Adelaide with Canadian outfit Counterparts and local lads Thornhill.
Outside the venue the vibe was high and judging from the chatter amongst punters this was a post covid gig they had been patiently waiting for. Upon entering there are lots of early punters enjoying a beer in the foyer, but I made a beeline for the stage as to not miss a moment.
It's been a crappy few weeks for Thornhill, and I was happy to see them still on this lineup. For those unaware Thornhill was left devastated recently when close to $100,000 worth of gear was stolen from their rehearsal rooms, leaving the band unsure if they would be able to fulfill their tour commitments. The metal community jumped into action. Fellow musicians offered the use of their gear and music lovers supported a Go-Fund-Me campaign to the tune of 62K.
The talented Melbournians have a huge first half of the year, heading overseas in April so this may be the last time we see them for a while. The opening song pulled the punters in from the bar and the crowd grew considerably. There was no doubt that we were in for a belter of a performance from them. Asking the crowd to step closer we hear the tell-tale riff of Coven; cheers erupt from the crowd. This is a treat because as Jacob tells us, they don’t play this one often and he expects us to move! Prowling the catwalk, getting down low to the crowd Jacob exudes the aura of a superstar. Jacob dedicates Raw to the crowd with a heartfelt thank you “I want to thank every single person that has put any money into saving this band. It’s the only reason that we are here. This song is for you.”
Thornhill never fail to disappoint but tonight, knowing that they are playing with borrowed gear, their musicianship shines. Drummer Ben Maida moves between hard hits and harder hits! Meticulous in the way he drums I found myself forgetting at times to watch the other guys!!! Lily and the Moon, Hellfire Club and Where We Go When We Die are loudly welcomed by the fans as bodies sway and heave to guitars that impeccably screech and wail. We get our groove on to the hypnotic trance-like beat of Casanova which is Muse=esque like in its sound. Thornhill’s job is done as not only are we warmed up, we are burning.
Hardcore kids to the front thanks… I think it was 6 years ago I first saw Counterparts play at The Corner Hotel in Melbourne. Looking back, they may well have been my first taste of live hardcore music. If I was impressed back then future me was in for a whole new level of impressed second time around!!! Counterparts have aged like a fine wine. Slamming us sonically from the get-go I think it took the crowd a few songs to remember to breath and move. Shouting out a thank you to the crowd for being there, vocalist Brendan Murphy stated, “We have a couple more left, hopefully you dig it, if not my fucking bad!’ before the band launched into Monument. I think there was a collective exhale as bodies started to flay around the pit. Down tuned guitars smashing against blasting beats made it impossible for your body to remain still. And the breakdown…. I wish I was young enough that a pit injury didn’t mean bed rest for a week!!! A quick glance around the crowd confirmed I was not the only person feeling this as we were aurally assaulted again and again. Vocally Brendan’s performance was downright mesmerizing, from the lowest of guttural growls to some insanely powerful screams, the man’s voice is an emotional rollercoaster. Having also released a new album (A Eulogy for Those Still Here) we were treated to a good mix of old and new with tunes like Love Me, Flesh to fill your Wounds, Unwavering Vow, No Servant of Mine and Your Own Knife. Counterparts’ fans are in for a massive treat this tour so don’t miss out.
There is a shift in the vibe of the room as faces scan the stage, searching for any sign of movement. Sam Carter bursts onto the stage amid a deafening roar as the band takes their positions. For the next two hours it’s hard to tell where the band stops, and the fans begin. Being at an Architect gig is like wrapping yourself in your favourite blanket. The connection and interaction the band has with their fans is like nothing I have witnessed before. In a room of thousands, they have a way of making it personal.
From the opening note of Black Lungs, Sam and the crowd become one vocally, such is the volume of the crowd they at times drown him out. Using every inch of the stage the crowd lap up every word they hear, so when Sam tells them to drop to their knees during be very afraid they don’t need to be asked twice.
“We are Architects it is our pleasure to be here in Adelaide, or should I say fucking Radelaide, we travelled 45 hours to be here.” says Sam. After a few technical issues we are pelted with the opening drum beat of Modern Misery. The first notes of These Colours Don’t Run ring out before the band suddenly stops the show and they leave the stage. Confusion as to what is happening only lasts a minute before security guards come running from all directions. The stage side curtain starts to move violently before collapsing to the ground. By this time someone has told me that a guy has stormed the stage, and we watch as he is ejected by security. Concerned, we wait as we are unsure if anyone has been hurt or if the band will take the stage again. Sam returns to the stage visibly shaken to address the crowd. He is angry and rightly so. “We give our energy and our lives and work so fucking hard to turn around and see someone fucking run on stage and run at Josh. That is fucking insane. This isn’t a game this is our fucking lives.” Sam went on to say, “When the guy was screaming in my face, telling me to respect Tom (Searle) and play some old songs we were playing the oldest song in the set you stupid fuck. We respect Tom every single fucking day of our lives” He went on to say that we need to understand the way people talk to each other is not on and that there is no need for violence. He got us to shake that bad vibe off because he was not going to let a piece of shit ruin our night. This is how Kings handle shit, what could have been our night over seemed to fuel the band to give us a once in a lifetime show.
Dedicating the song to Tom, the band began again, and throw everything they have at it. For the next two hours we are given the very best that Architects can give and then some. Royal Beggars, A Match Made In Heaven, Doomsday and Nihilist played alongside when we were young, tear gas and a new moral low ground. You can’t witness Architects live without becoming emotional and tonight was no exception. The intensity of the kaleidoscope of sounds being sent out into the space that we held for the band was mind blowing. The night was the release that we all needed, and we are forever grateful to Architects for providing us with the music to do just that.
[Gallery] Architects @ Festival Hall, Melbourne 18/02/2023
Architects
Counterparts
Thornhill
[Gallery] Bad Religion / Social Distortion @ Hordern Pavillion, Sydney 18/02/2023
Social Distortion
Bad Religion
Anty
Interview with Joe Sumner
We’re proud to announce the release of a new LIVE EP from Joe Sumner, Feelin’ The Love, Tastin’ The
Fear. The 5-track affair is an unfiltered chronicle of a performance in France in November 2022, complete with Sumner's undeniable raw energy and French language repartee played to a lively and engaged audience. The tracks will be featured on Sumner’s debut studio album, Sunshine In The Night, due out later this year.
The EP release runs concurrently with a 3-month string of tour dates in support of Sting, and spanning no less than 10 time zones, taking him from Abu Dhabi to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and more.
Now living in Los Angeles, Joe maintains “proud dad” status, while churning out highly listenable indie folk pop masterpieces, including “Hope,” the studio version of which had a hot point during the 2020 Election, co-opted by the Biden campaign and concurrently used as source material for a star studded video clip featuring folks like Gaby Moreno, Ben Folds, Juliana Hatfield and Joe’s dad, in a heartfelt singalong. MSNBC Morning Joe premiered the video, which also featured the show’s Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.
2 more tracks, “You You You” and “Looking For Me, Looking For You,” also to be featured on Sunshine In The Night and performed live in Strasbourg, were ceremoniously rolled out in 2022 with the help of American Songwriter, Rolling Stone and others amid an almost ceaseless touring agenda supporting Sting and playing solo dates in EU, UK and stateside.
Kicking off his musical career in London in the nineties, Sumner has spent far more than the perfunctory 10,000 hours perfecting his craft. There, he formed a band called Santa’s Boyfriend, which subsequently became the beloved trio, Fiction Plane. The band enjoyed a moment, well, several years of moments, a few record labels, a small handful of releases, a well-cultivated fan base and an 18-month tour supporting another trio, The Police before parting ways.
Joe Sumner’s Feelin’ The Love, Tastin’ The Fear is out now…
Joe Sumner will open for his father Gordon Sumner (aka Sting) on all his Australian dates. The tour kicks off tonight in Perth.
Sting dates are:
10 and 11 February, Perth, Kings Park & Botanic Gardens
15 and 16 February, Sydney, Aware Super Theatre
18 February, Hunter Valley, A Day On The Green
19 February, Mount Cotton, A Day On The Green
21 February, Adelaide, Entertainment Centre
23 February, Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
25 February, Mt Duneed, A Day On The Green
26 February, Bowral, A Day On The Green
[Review] Red Hot Chili Peppers @ Marvel Stadium, Melbourne 07/02/2023
Having been to many gigs of bands from various genres, I’ve found myself noticing the fans as much as I pay attention to the musicians. Different artists tend to attract different age demographics and usually the fans of the band will also mirror the fashion sense and general style of their idols. Today, however, was an exception. There was no one-word generic description that applied to the congregation gathered at Marvel Stadium. Everybody was here, and the reason for that, is that everybody loves the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Post Malone was a special guest on this tour with the Peppers and many of the fans had turned up early to ensure that they wouldn’t be late for his set. It was a performance jam packed with some of the biggest hits of his career, including songs like Better Now, I Fall Apart, Rockstar and Sunflower. Post Malone performs with so much passion and intensity and you can feel the love from his audience. After every song he takes the time to reiterate how much he appreciates the support from his fans and from the response you can clearly see that the feeling is mutual.
During an acoustic performance of Stay he invited a lucky fan to join him on stage to play the guitar while he sang. In true blue Aussie fashion, Post Malone even took the time to do a “shoey” which won him even more of the crowd’s approval. His fans love his music but I think they love him even more because of how much he cares for them and makes them feel special.
Fans of the Red Hot Chili Peppers have been waiting for well over a decade for the reunion of the band and guitarist John Frusciante. The funky monks were back together again, and I was lucky enough to be among the fans that witnessed their return. John Frusciante, Flea and Chad Smith strode out on stage and immediately went into one of their signature improvised jams that they are well-renown for. The chemistry and artistry were incredible to see live. Constantly feeding off each other, they conversed musically while building the tension for what was to come next. As the jam came to its apex, Chad Smith signaled the transition with a roll on his snare and Anthony Kiedis and the band entered seamlessly into Can’t Stop and following that up with Universally Speaking.
Many years ago I watched a live DVD of the Peppers performing at Slane Castle. That show is one of the single greatest live performances I have ever seen and all these years later watching them, it was as if the years that passed have had no effect on them. They sang, they played, they danced with the same joy as someone who had discovered music for the first time.
I could write endlessly about how impressive each member of the Peppers are but it is truly so captivating when they play together that I was undoubtedly awestruck. Four separate musicians who almost appear to connect with each other on a telepathic level. Playing with a level of virtuosity usually only seen by jazz veterans, and yet they find a way to deliver it so that their music is instantly accessible by anyone.
Crowd favourites, Californication and By The Way drew some of the most raucous responses of the night and I felt the floor of the stadium quake as tens of thousands of fans danced the night away. Just as our fluttering hearts felt like they could take no more, the Red Hot Chili Peppers returned to the stage for an encore and rewarded us with Under The Bridge and Give It Away. This was much more than a gig, it was a tick-it-off-the-bucket-list event. I never imagined the day would come when I would get to see the Peppers with this line up and now that I have, I’m still pinching myself as I reminisce.
There is an old joke about jazz music; it says that a jazz band is a group of musicians who are enjoying themselves more than the audience. In the case of the Peppers, we the fans clearly enjoy bearing witness to their artistry – yet I have a strange feeling that somehow they still might be having a better time than all of us. After all these years they still exude so much joy in playing their music with each other. This is the reason they started a band. This is the reason I fell in love with playing music. And that my friends, is nothing short of pure magic.
You can still catch Red Hot Chili Peppers one more time in Melbourne before they head off to Perth for the final show of this tour.
Thursday 9th Feb 2023 @ Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
Sunday 12th Feb 2023 @ Optus Stadium, Perth
Tickets available here
[Review] Halestorm @ Enmore Theatre, Sydney 4/02/2023
It's been a while. Living over two hours north of Sydney, ongoing health issues and then covid restrictions combined to make my #giglife pretty much non-existent since 2019. Recently returning to review writing has given me the boost I needed to get back out amongst the living post pandemic. Halestorm and Theory (of a Deadman) live at the Enmore Theatre this weekend was my “return to normal life” concert. And what a gig! It was a Sold Out show in Sydney, the place was packed to the rafters and the crowd was hyped for a night of rock ‘n’ roll. The line to get into the Enmore Theatre ran down the street and around the corner in both directions. As I waited for my friend to arrive, I people-watched and noted that it was an interesting demographic. From young kids possibly attending their first gig with their mum and or dad to older GenX and everything -and I mean everything- in-between. I determined that it's an intriguing and eclectic mixture of people who gravitate to and like Halestorm.
The Enmore Theatre finally opened its doors and the staff were well trained to get the crowd off the street and inside as quickly and as efficiently as possible. There was a big crowd at the merch table so it's obvious that music fans are more than happy to pay and support their favourite artists, that's an awesome thing to realise. Long Live Live Music! My friend and I found a spot up the back near the sound and light techs, the general admission area was packed.
It's showtime, and Canadian alt rockers Theory enter the stage. Apparently explaining the Of A Deadman part got tiresome to them so now it's just Theory, opened as the support act. It's a bit of a turnaround as Theory were the first band to take a young Halestorm on their first international tour with them as their support band, back in the day. Theory played a solid set of original and cover songs including fan favourites Rx (Medicate), Bad Girlfriend, new single Dinosaur and the Chris Isaac evergreen, Wicked Game. The sound mix had the drums vibrating through the floor and into your body which often made it difficult to clearly hear the vocals, but apart from that, it was an enjoyable set. The band were tight showing that they have been at this for a long time. Theory frontman, Tyler Connolly engaged and joked with the audience for about 45 minutes and warmed the crowd up for the main event.
Changeover was pretty quick, with a strange, somewhat eclectic selection of background music then after AC/DCs Hells Bells played over the speakers, the lights dimmed and American rockers Halestorm entered the stage to the welcoming cheers of the audience. Distorted guitar filled the room and the throaty scream from Lzzy Hale filled the theatre … “I'm Back From The Dead…” and we were off and running for a setlist filled with new and fan favourite tracks. It's exactly what I expected as Back From The Dead is the perfect song to open the set post-lockdown. Moving into Love Bites before playing new song, Wicked Ways to cheers from the audience. The crowd sang along with Lzzy to I Get Off followed by Brightside and current single, Mine from the Back From the Dead album (2022). The lights dimmed as the band exited and the stage crew brought a keyboard on stage. Lzzy returned, chatting with the audience as she began to play Break In, then moving into Dear Daughter, and Raise Your Horns. It was a short “acoustic” interlude where the audience sang along loudly, horns raised in the air and in lieu of a lighter, phone torches lit up. Joe Hottinger, guitarist, re-entered the stage once again as he played the opening riff to Familiar Taste of Poison, midway through, Bassist Josh Smith and Drummer Arejay Hale joined their bandmates building the intensity of the song until the end.
Then it was time for Arejay’s drum solo. It was entertaining as always, and he elicited cheers and laughter as he brought on a set of oversized drumsticks and continued to play. It’s his schtick, he does it at every show and the crowd always seem to enjoy it as they did this time.
Then Lzzy returns to the stage and asks, “Are you a Freak Like Me?” and the band burst into the song from the 2012 album A Strange Case Of… Flowing into 2018’s Back Vultures and rounding out the 75+_ minute set with the second single from the latest album, The Steeple.
The lights went down, Halestorm exited the stage and the crowd began to cheer, chant and clap, imploring the band to return for an encore. They happily obliged, returning to play Here's To Us, Mayhem and I Miss The Misery. Picks and sticks were tossed into the crowd, the now obligatory band on stage with audience in the background pics were taken, someone handed them an Australian flag with the Halestorm logo on it, which they held up, thanking the Aussie fans for their patience and support during covid.
The concert was everything that you would expect from a band of this calibre. Halestorm are one of the hardest working bands on the planet often playing in excess of 250 shows a year, they are professional and have perfected their particular style of show. Halestorm are a group who have kept that humble pub-band energy about them and they pull it off with aplomb. This was a short tour, in and out in three days, the three East Coast capital cities plus a couple of shows earlier in the week in NZ, then off to Japan. Lzzy mentioned during the concert that she was feeling tired and with their touring schedule, I’m not surprised, but she didn't show it. The band interacted with each other and with the crowd giving an energetic performance.
The intercommunication between Lzzy and Joe is almost cute as they vibe off each other with looks and smiles. Lzzy is multi-talented and as a frontwoman to a hard rock band, she is impressive and engaging. Some artists do outfit changes, Lzzy does guitar changes. As Gibson’s first female brand ambassador, with a stunning signature guitar, she is laying a path for young women in rock music. The #GuitarPorn at a Halestorm gig = #ChefsKiss. Joe Hottinger pulled out a couple of impressive lead guitar solos and Josh Smith's bass drove the rhythm with Arejays drumming. At times the sound mix was way too bass forward for my liking. It was loud, but not painful or jarring. I’m probably being nit-picky, because quite honestly, I can't think of anything negative to say.
At the end of the show they thanked and acknowledged their support act, Theory, and also acknowledged several fans in the front row who had followed them from city to city on this tour. If you've never seen Halesstorm perform live before, and you love a fun night out with a tight, entertaining pub-style rock band, then I highly recommend you do so next time they hit our sunny shores.
