I just had a completely shit night of horrific sleep and I feel about as healthy and wholesome as this new video from Cured Pink. Filmed under Brisbane's William Jolly Bridge a few days before xmas last year, it is a soothing visual/audio companion to the inevitable doom. The live footage was shot by Katie Martin, the audio was recorded by Joel Stern. Highly recommended.
Deadshits Festival is a new festival series I'm helping put together with Bedroom Suck Records and The Outpost. I don't normally use this blog to plug my shit but hell, I want this to do well. We're getting some of the best damn interstate bands of today to come play Brisbane and depending on how the first Deadshits goes (and the second one which is happening in January - TBA), this could be a long running awesome thing. If you're in Brisbane on November 5th and you're a fan of this stuff, come and support it.
Tickets are only $10 and available online through OZTIX and also at The Outpost, Rockinghorse Records etc.
MEET THE BANDS.
BLANK REALM
Blank Realm are launching a brand new LP 'Deja What?' at the show, it's an awesome record. Mastered by Mikey Young and features hit after hit after bloody hit.
ABSOLUTE BOYS
This video is from the first Absolute Boys Brisbane show in June. I don't dance but they made me come close and considering how dead I am inside, that is an epic feat.
BITCH PREFECT
Adelaide's Bitch Prefect are one of the best pop bands in the country right now, effortlessly summing up life as a twenty-something broke sharehouse idiot (speaking for myself here). They've got the hits (Bad Decisions, Marilyn Monroe) but these two music videos are some of their lesser heard gems.
YOUNG ROMANTIX
YOUNG ROMANTIX is Melbourne icon Shaun South (frontman of CHROME DOME). Shaun also ran the Summer Winds Festivals, which happened every year in Sydney and Melbourne from 2006 through to 2010 and were an inspiration for Deadshits. Young Romantix last played Brisbane in 2007, it was at Ric's and they played for about 3 minutes before being physically removed from the stage by security, thrown out and banned for life. It still holds up as one of the best performances I have ever seen.
TEEN AX
I don't know too much about Teen Ax except that they're 2 guys from Sydney and they play brutal noise. The track on their myspace is pretty awesome.
DEADNOTES WITH EVERETT TRUE
The Deadnotes have been playing together for almost a decade, combining pop simplicity with improvisational approaches to their live performances ETC. ETC. man I hate trying to define bands with words, it's freaking lame. Deadnotes aren't lame though, they're awesome and with Everett True aka The Legend! once again joining them, it's gonna be cool.
CURED PINK
CURED PINK IS A ONE MAN NOISE MACHINE MIXING PRIMORDIAL URGES WITH THE BENEFITS OF ELECTRICITY AND AMPLIFICATION, MAKING AN ATTEMPT TO TRANSCEND THE CONFINES OF SOCIAL RESTRICTION AND RETURN US BACK TO THE NATURALLY UNINHIBITED STATE OF EARLY MAN. CAPS LOCK.
Back to Burst City... definitely the best place to spend a Sunday afternoon in Brisbane. $5 entry, 4 bands, what a good deal. For this show I tried something new and used a better video camera (courtesy Adam Rogers of Heart Flew fame), featuring widescreen, night mode etc. It's bloody nice is what it is, enjoy the difference.
CURED PINK
Opening with nothing more than a few heartfelt screams which then developed into tape machine perversions and some brutal floor thrusting, Cured Pink shows us why he's one of the best solo experimental noise performance artists in Australia.
PSY ANTS
Once again, here is the ALMIGHTY Psy Ants. Reliable as ever, they battle through technical problems and deliver the brutal.
FANGS OF...
Melbourne's Fangs Of... A TV Evangelist were very decent. Brutal post punk with enough imagination in the songs and structures to keep it engaging for the whole set, something a lot of similar bands don't do (for me anyway). Awesome.
DIE ON PLANES
I love it when I see a band I haven't seen before and they take me by complete surprise. Die On Planes came across as total dumbarse stoner doom and I mean that in the best possible way. I could watch/listen to this shit for days on end.
A mini-festival presented by Bedroom Suck Records, described as "A FESTIVAL OF THE BRISBANE UNDERGROUND, ALL AFTERNOON BEERS + BBQ IN THE TROPICAL WINTER SUNSHINE." There was no BBQ but there were plenty of beers, all the bands delivered and it was a really nice day. Aww.
AMBROSE CHAPEL
Ambrose Chapel is the solo work of Ian Rogers, well known for his work in No Anchor, AXXONN and back in the day, Iron On. He kicked off the afternoon with some ambient noise in the Burst City courtyard.
PSY ANTS
Psy Ants are so freaking great. Brutal early afternoon set.
6MAJIK9
Psychadelic collaborative improv noise trippers 6MAJIK9 make a rare journey out of the NSW highlands to perform. They played a long set that had grand moments of lysergic bliss.
SKY NEEDLE
Sky Needle are on their own indescribable level of unique awesomeness. Check this out.
GERALD KEANEY AND THE GERALD KEANEYS
One of my favourite things filmed for this blog was Gerald Keaney and the Gerald Keaneys playing at a house show last year in West End. It feels weird that almost a year has past since he's performed in band mode in Brisbane but this set was totally worth the wait. Backed with a new band, Gerald entertains the crowd with his ideas on the future, philosophy, binary code and music videos.
CURED PINK
After playing a bunch of well received Melbourne shows, Cured Pink plays his first Brisbane show back to launch a new cassette EP (out on Sabbatical). The set was awesomely short, brutal and ended the event in blood oceans of doommmmm. doooooooooommmmmmmmmmmm. Doom.
I wasn't able to film all the bands that played (Heart Flew, Teen Sex, Yout Dem) but audio bootlegs of each set can be downloaded from Labyrinth City. More thoughtfully written reviews of the performances are there too.
An epic album launch and last ever show for one of Brisbane's most underrated bands Marl Carx. The lineup featured some of the most creatively progressive and exciting bands this town has to offer right now and it was awesome to see so many people enjoying it.
KITTEN PARTY
Armed with only a casio keyboard, floor tom, loop pedal and not even wearing shoes, Ferny Grove export Kitten Party opens the show tonight and conquers the world. If this little instrumental doesn't bring a smile to your life hardened face then shucks mister, what's wrong with ya?
CURED PINK
Die psychotischen Industrie-und anti-gewerbelärm im Cured Pink hallt drohend über den Veranstaltungsort, wie Andrew McLellan verhandelt mit Kanälen und seine musikalischen Einflüsse mit Hilfe von einer Rolle auf Tonband aus der Hölle reel. Brutal effiziente.
HEART FLEW LIKE AN ARROW
Changing line ups like underwear (almost once a week right? "LOL"), Heart Flew Like an Arrow ditch the improv noise schtick in favour of a set of acoustically driven pop songs. Featured Nicholas from Knee Chin on drums and Lewis O'Leary from Lewis O'Leary and the Cucumbers on electric guitar.
KNEE CHIN
Knee Chin are fast becoming one of Brisbane's best bands and the crowd know it. With a Flying Nun-esque yet still distinctly Brisbane sound and also featuring one of the most hilariously idiosyncratic frontmen of our time, they put on a really great show. Good job guys.
MARL CARX
Having not played a show since June 2009 and with most of their two year existence spent wallowing within the honest yet dank confines of the Brisbane house show circuit, Marl Carx reunite for one last time and get the recognition they deserve. A thoroughly excited and drunk crowd show their respects with a celebratory MOSH as Brisbane's last nu-no wave band is put to rest.
This was a fundraiser for new art/music label Unique Beautiful Flowers. It was shut down early due to complaints from regular Boundary patrons who were a bit weirded out by it all. A damn shame because a lot of bands didn't get to play. Here's what I managed to film:
EXTRAFOXX
Conwae Burrell is the man behind Extrafoxx and besides being a master of the downer pop song, is a Brisbane legend. His album "The Saddest" has just been released, featuring 35 tracks of depression fuelled triumph. Check it out.
SCIENCE
Science are a new band who haven't played many shows yet and ended this show by destroying shit (unfilmed). 2 piece bass/drums no wave/metal/post rock/whatever music. Pretty fun to watch.
CURED PINK
Formerly Cured Pink RADIO, tonight it's a one man show starring Andrew Mclellan. I think this is where the trouble with the venue started - brutal noise mixed with psychotic performance art aint appreciated at this pub, mate.
DISSAPOINTMENT RAY
Dissapointment Ray was a collaboration between Brisbane noise icons Joel Stern and Lloyd Barrett. Good thinkin' music.
Footage of Blank Realm might be up in the next few days. Might. Stupid camera.
