November 23, 2022

Noah Redfern

Keshi @ Palace Foreshore, Melbourne 22/11/2022

Fresh off a show being moved from the new Palace Foreshore venue, the storm clouds forming over St Kilda didn’t seem to bode well for another outdoor show at the new space, but luckily, Keshi’s fans had better luck than The Black Crowes. The weather may have been chilly, but the mood was electric as the evening’s entertainment began.

Rei Brown, Japanese born and New York based R&B singer opened the show, with a brilliant display of his talents as a musician and performer. Often, a support act for a pop or hip-hop artist can struggle to wow a crowd, due to not being given the full access to a venue’s features, such as lights and screens, but that didn’t stop the young artist from showing his true colours.

Brown played a short, tight set, highlighted by the killer track Haunt Me from his most recent record Xeno, released earlier this year. The song acted as the emotional centrepiece for a passionate and spacey decent into’s Brown’s melancholia. Honest was also a fan favourite, garnering immediate applause from keen audience, who sang along to every word. The icy crowd was truly warmed up by Rei Brown, a well selected opener for a fantastic crooning headliner.

When it came time for Keshi to finally take the stage, the crowd were so excited that they would all raise their phones whenever an engineer or technician crossed the huge festival-style stage, expecting their idol to have finally commenced his performance, so the clear passion for the music on display was clear before I heard a note of the music.

Keshi took to the stage on time and wowed me immediately. He opened with a fresh banger, GET IT, the first track from his new album GABRIEL. The song had the crowd jumping, and initially gave me major Brockhampton vibes, but grew into something bigger. The inspiration of the boy band, especially that of Kevin Abstract, Bearface and Joba was clear, but the depth and quality of the song writing was something entirely further than that the band missed when I’d seen them live years before.

Keshi’s band was something beyond any of his peers I’ve seen before. Many hip-hop artists perform with nothing more than a DJ, and many can do so much with this, but many also fall flat, especially when performing at festivals and outdoor venues. Keshi throughs this idea completely out the window, with one of the best hip-hop R&B bands I’ve ever seen. His drummer balanced traditional flashy drumming with trap-style hip-hop flow, mixing acoustic drums and sample pads like bread and butter. His guitarists and keyboards flawed me further, with an almost orchestral use of layering, and dynamics on display.

The 28 himself also took to the guitar and piano for a few tracks, singing beautiful ballads such as less of you, and the fan favourite drunk, which he called for the new-school phone torch filled crowd for, creating a seriously intimate experience for a show with almost five thousand people in attendance.

He also took a page out of the artists of yesteryear and chose a few sweet stories to share as part of his performance. These included stories about sharing the first song he wrote for the new record, touch, with his manager, and receiving radio silence only to find out it was his favourite. These tales added to the charming demeanour of the artist, who only once missed a cue and apologised to humbly begin the song again perfectly. Keshi teased the crowd, taking off and putting back on his jacket, to show a little skin, only to hide again when quote “my nipples are standing to attention!”, showing his cheeky sense of humour and love for his fans. Ending with a scream for an encore, and satisfying the fans with one last track, Keshi left the fans ecstatic.

With his humble beginnings as a Soundcloud rapper, many would assume lesser of a musician such as Keshi, but this show proved that he is more than just a rapper or R&B singer – he is a true showman, and a real rockstar, with a hell of a legacy on the way.

You can still catch Keshi with limited Tickets remaining

BRISBANE, November 23rd – Eatons Hill Hotel

SYDNEY, November 24th – The Roadhouse

Tickets here

Gallery

November 23, 2022

Lynda Buchanan Photography

[Gallery] Keshi @ Palace Foreshore, Melbourne 22/11/2022

KESHI

REI

Gig Reviews Reviews

November 22, 2022

Josh Mak

The Black Crowes @ Palais Theatre, Melbourne 20/11/2022

The evening began with a last minute decision to move the the gig from the Palace foreshore into the Palais theatre. Probably due to Melbourne’s laissez faire attitude towards adhering to weather forecasts. A decision that I enthusiastically applauded and was most pleased with.

I arrived at 6:15pm as the doors were about to open and a long line had already snaked its way around the front of the venue. This crowd had waited a long time for the much overdue reunion of The Black Crowes.

Taking the stage promptly at 6:45pm was Full Flower Moon Band, a five-piece outfit hailing from sunny Brisbane. Comprising of Babyshakes Dillon (Vocals & Guitar), Christian Driscoll (Guitar), Caleb Widener (Guitar), Marli Smales (Bass & Backing Vocals) and Luke Hanson (Drums)

Right out of the gate their drummer was like hearing a bomb go off. Every hit of the skins had intentionality and ferocity yet he had a good understanding of utilising dynamics when the song required a softer touch. The bass held a consistent groove that you felt in your stomach and the three guitars made up of an SG, a Telecaster and a Stratocaster formed an unholy trio of tone. Together they weaved a rugged and lipstick stained tapestry of rhythm and melody. Crushing riffs juxtaposed with haunting vocals. Babyshakes Dillon’s vocals reminded me of Shirley Manson of Garbage. She had a swagger and filth in her delivery that said not only can I throw down with the boys but I can beat you.

My favourite song that they performed was, Come and be my baby. Ironically it is the only song from their set that isn’t available online at the moment. All in all Full Flower Moon Band are a great example that the future of Aussie rock is not just alive but absolutely thriving. You just have to look and listen a little closer.

Filling the main support spot was Australian icons You Am I fronted by eccentric frontman Tim Rogers. Dressed lavishly in his trademark look of bellbottoms and a red shirt Tim oozed vintage chic as they took the stage to a hearty applause. Opening the set with Rumble they were off and running after a few small sound issues which didn’t seem to slow them down. The Waterboy, Who Put The Devil in You? and Cathy’s Clown all made an appearance keeping the fans happy.

Tim was up and about with his cheeky banter keeping the punters entertained as Mr Milk and How Much is Enough rang out. While I don’t believe it was their strongest performance there was plenty of crowd support as they finished off with their huge hit Berlin Chair. Tim ever supportive of the local music industry inviting people to go out and sample some of the live music scene and support our musicians. So get to it people, there is so much live music to see in Melbourne you will be glad you did!

James Brown’s Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine played over the PA as we starred into the darkness as silhouettes moved across the stage and you could feel the anticipation in the atmosphere change. Then a single light illuminated Rich Robinson and his guitar as he began playing the intro to Twice as hard and the crowd simultaneously exploded with rock and roll as frontman. Chris Robinson’s entrance was greeted with deafening screams. Chris was dressed in a gold sparkle shirt and shiny silver shoes. But even an outfit this loud was barely able to contain the infectious energy he exuded.

The Black Crowes didn’t give a performance you’d expect of seasoned veterans, but they played with the vigour of a new band hungry to prove themselves. As I watched from the balcony I couldn’t see a single person that wasn’t on their feet, despite the Palais being a seated venue. The third song of the night was Sister Luck. You could feel the nostalgia in the air and for a brief moment all of us were transported back to 1990. Such is the magic of good music. Seeing Things showcased the band’s soul and gospel influences as Chris Robinson didn’t merely sing the lyrics but managed to engage the crowd in an unspoken dialogue. Following this was their cover of Otis Redding’s Hard to handle. The crowd exploded once more to an even higher level that literally made the floor and walls of the Palais theatre shake. As the chorus came around The Black Crowes didn’t have two back up singers in the band but a couple thousand new ones.

In the middle of performing Stare it Cold, an over enthusiastic fan climbed up on stage and charged towards the band. Two members of security rushed over to apprehend him but he grabbed one of them and threw him into the audience. The second security personnel managed to grab a hold of him while Chris Robinson pushed him away with his mic stand. As security struggled to subdue him Rich Robinson didn’t miss a beat and ran over to strike the misfit with the butt of his guitar. As the assailant was brought under control Rich grabbed the mic and yelled: “Get this mother fucker out of here.” Which was met with applause and approval from the fans. Chris then took the mic and decided to restart the song. Nonchalantly brushing off the incident and getting right back to the music.

The guitar nerd in me noticed that both Rich Robinson and lead guitarist Isaiah Mitchell were using three amplifiers each. An educated guess leads me to believe that this was to have their guitar signal panned in stereo and have one signal straight down the middle. Keyboard player Joel Robinow had a vintage Leslie speaker in his setup, something I’ve never seen a band do in a live setting. These little details show a lot about who The Black Crowes are as artists and how much care and attention they place on their sound. Something often overlooked in our modern digital age where such analog efforts are deemed too costly and unnecessary.

The set was closed with the fan favourite, Remedy. The crowd gave all they had and sang at the top of their lungs and the band graced them with a breath taking performance. At the end the lights went down but the crowd could not be quelled and for their passion they were rewarded with an encore of Rock & Roll by The Velvet Underground.

This was a a night of passion, joy and drama. Much like the things that make up life and to me the very essence of what Rock and Roll is all about. The Black Crowes embody this and show us that they are just as important and relevant today as they were when they debuted Shake Your Money Maker in 1990.

Gig Reviews Reviews

November 18, 2022

Josh Mak

Hanson @ Forum Theatre, Melbourne 16/11/2022

It was a cold and rainy Wednesday night and The Forum Theatre was already three quarters full thirty minutes before the opening act took to the stage. There had to be something special that drew the masses out of their warm homes in the middle of the week and Hanson was it.

The opening act was John Calvin Abney. A solo singer songwriter from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He played a combination of country and folk music with a bit of the blues in it.

The venue was surprisingly full at this point and most of the crowd were supportive and involved throughout his set. The first thing that stood out to me was John’s fantastic harmonica skills. I’ve never heard solos executed so well on a harmonica. As a solo performer he sounded very full as his acoustic guitar laid down the rhythms and his harmonica took the place of the lead melodies.

His slower songs had a nice story telling element to them and invoked images of floating down the Mississippi on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Hanson took to the stage shortly after 9pm. The Forum Theatre was packed at this point. You could feel the anticipation of the crowd and knew that these were hardcore fans of the band. They opened the show with Waiting for this from their 2010 album Shout it out. The crowd exploded with screams and dancing soon as they took to the stage and this level of enthusiasm continued throughout the set.

They followed this up with Don’t Let Me Down from their new album, Red Green Blue. The new material has a slightly stronger rock edge to it and you can hear how the brothers have matured as musicians and songwriters.

I had wrongly expected most of the crowd to have come just to hear the hits like MMMBop and I Will Come To You.

Boy was I wrong. The crowd knew the words and sang along to almost every single song from Hanson’s huge 25 song set (even including a Bass solo and Drum solo), spanning their 27 year career.

Often times being even louder than the band. Despite that the sound on the night was fantastic. The sound engineer ensured the mix from the band was incredibly balanced and every musician was clearly heard.

From the beginning of their career Hanson were unfairly lumped in with the boy bands of that era and many people have a preconceived notion of who and what they are as artist. However, what I witnessed on the night was not a formulaic pop band but a band of highly skilled musicians who understand how to write and perform to serve a song.

This is a new Hanson that has left their boyish image behind and is honestly a bad ass rock band.

Gig Reviews Reviews

November 13, 2022

Midnite Mitch

Enter Shikari @ Forum Theatre, Melbourne 11/11/2022

The Forum in Melbourne would have to be one of my favourite venues, it looks absolutely stunning and I’m yet to hear a bad mix there, it’s magic. It has been a few years since I was last here and it still blows my mind when walking in. For those of you who haven’t been there, think a Greek auditorium inside a venue, an incredibly high ceiling with lights that look like stars, my words won’t do it justice, just go to a show there. It’s the perfect setting for tonight’s upbeat and energetic crowd who are an incredibly mixed bag, there were death metal shirts, the hardcore/punk shirts, the goth chicks, the woo girls and the guys that looked like they just finished work and come straight to the gig! Everyone was keen to be here.

Opening tonight are local up and comers Windwaker, who I found out during the set was the “new” singers first time fronting the band, apparently there was a change of the guard recently. For a first show taking the front, this guy nailed it. There is a reason these guys are getting more and more hype, they deserve it! Straight from the opening notes they came out hard and fast, the energy was high, and they smashed through their set with incredible precision. They had the crowd in the palm of their hands from the start with their catchy as hell riffs and then won over the filling room with an awesome cover of Britney Spears, Toxic. Great choice for opening tonight’s gig!

Creeper, punk, goth, English rockers had a hard time following up Windwakers incredible set but goddamn, they got there, won over and made a room full of fans out of The Forum by the end of their set. Going from energetic electro metal to a mix between Misfits and My Chemical Romance was a massive difference and you could feel it in the crowd, people were unsure but for their first Aussie gig ever, Creeper showed us the reason that they are the main supports for Enter Shikari. Their energy was incredible and regardless of crowd reaction or how little they had at the start, that front man riled them up got them to start a crowd chant and sing along. They have a female keyboard player who stayed to the back most of the time and had backing vocals occasionally but mid set she grabs a mic and comes center stage and sings a duet song with the male lead and they played their parts well, it was incredible to watch. Their set on a grandiose big sounding song that was the perfect ending and switch to the headliners.

Enter Shikari, the reason we all came out tonight, they bring with them a message of human kindness and disgust at the corporate/capitalist ideals, anyone who has listened to them or seen them live know they carry this mantra or outlook in life. Their crowd have the same vibe, the entire night, everyone is friendly and there to experience the ride of the show. Coming out to The Great Unknown, the crowd immediately starts singing and it doesn’t let up until the end of their set. Rou sets the rules, forget the outside world for the time of the show and 2^nd rule is dance like nobody is watching, which everyone did. They blast through a great set of classics and latest material like The Pressure’s on, Dreamers Hotel and Juggernauts. When playing Destablise and Anaesthetist, the venue physically shakes when it hits the breakdown sections and the crowd are jumping, a man-made earthquake, there is no other feeling like it. The band take to the crowd towards the end of the set during Mothership, Chris and Rory jump down for a mosh and then Rou goes rogue and runs around the entire venue jumping through the crowd and crowd surfing everywhere. They end their set with a crowd singalong to Live Outside with and amazing coloured light show to match.

As previously mentioned, the Enter Shikari message carries some weight to it these days, it’s a reminder that you should be kind to each other, we are each human individuals that should be looking out for each other instead of having this ideal that we are against each other in all aspects of life. To live in the moment of the show and forget the worries of the outside world for 90mins is a small reprieve that they like to remind people. I don’t tend to get preachy in these things, but these guys live by their message, check them out if you haven’t already, well worth the listen.

Gig Reviews Reviews

November 9, 2022

Cassandra Hale

An Exclusive Evening with TLC @ Palais Theatre, Melbourne 8/11/2022

Melbourne had delivered a stunning day as I made my way around the bay and into my beloved Palais Theatre. The picturesque sunset was breath-taking and it made you feel good to be alive. It has been a long time and yet I felt like I was being welcomed back by an old friend as I entered the iconic theatre. There was a buzz back around live music, and it was so exciting to be part of it again.

The wait has been long, but TLC have made it back to our shores and we are absolutely ecstatic to get a dose of hip-hop and R & B with the one of the most influential female artists of all time. You could feel the crackle of electricity as the fans took their seats and hum across the venue was alive. It is such a testament to how badly we have missed this and how delighted everyone is to get back to life again. With over 65 million albums sold worldwide it is suffice to say that the diehards have flocked out for this standalone show after the Fridayz Live juggernaut has been rolling across the country.

Melbourne hip hop artist KYE opened the nights proceedings after a short DJ set from DJ TJ, KYE warmed up the crowd with vigour and had peeps bobbing in their seats within minutes. It was terrific to see the hometown support and KYE lapped it up, still quite stunned to be opening for her idols. Her last two songs saw the arrival of six dancers join her onstage, the crowd loved the new addition and it lifted her set to a new level. With only a 30 mins slot, time flew by but it was filled with some very cool tunes and killer moves which I really enjoyed, KYE was engaging and worked the stage like a professional, definitely one to check out.

After a brief interval the hum had doubled and the fans were champing at the bit to get their share of TLC. As the DJ worked the tables and the band took their place the screams were ear piercing, and the theatre erupted as T-Boz and Chilli appeared to hands in the air and exciting gasps from every corner. Not a person was left seated as TLC opening with Ain’t To Proud To Beg to whoops of joy, the girls strutted their stuff and boy can they still strut! The stage was a flurry of dancers and lights and a huge screen added to the atmosphere reeling pictures and dazzling displays throughout the show. While TLC are still going strong after 30 years the girls do not seem to have aged a day, still looking young and fresh and cutting the moves with the best of them. Baby-Baby-Baby was a fan favourite, the crowd raising their voices to sing along. There was no time for breaks as the songs flowed on swiftly with some mind-blowing dancing in between filling the gaps while the girls caught their breath.

Creep had everyone up and about and Unpretty was glorious with a stunning montage of butterflies and the like on the big screen. A song that resonates strongly with the judgement being weighed on people constantly. I think we all need to remember to love yourself for who you are and not what people expect you to look like! The stage glistened red as Red Light Special rang out. Then T-Boz took to the decks for a quick spin while Chilli wowed us with her dance moves, jumping in with the four sensational dancers who did not stop the whole night. Their energy was infectious, and their faces glowed with enjoyment, a true sign of a unified group.

No Scrubs needed no introduction, but Chilli took the time to tell the younger members of the audience to by-pass the boys that are ‘hanging out the passenger side of their best friend’s ride’, and to dream big. It was refreshing words and hopefully ones that are taken under advisement. The crowd was electric and they enjoyed every word, hands in the air swaying from side to side as Waterfalls rang out, a beautiful song and the perfect closer for the night. The water washed from the on-stage screens and the theatre was alive with love singing every word from heart. Our DJ for the night roused the crowd for applause for each member which included the much loved and forever missed Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopez. A fitting way to end the night, and the smiles on the faces of the departing fans showed just how much they needed a little TLC in their life. It was a night filled with nostalgic brilliance and I urge anyone who can get along to the rest of the tour to not delay. You will relive your youth and forget your worries for just a few hours, and you will love every minute.

You're last chance to catch them is this Saturday in Sydney at Fridayz Live