ETERNAL SOUNDCHECK: THE FIRST YEAR (2010)

My humble little film about Australian music, 'Eternal Soundcheck: The First Year' can now be watched in full on Youtube. It was originally shown in Brisbane in September last year, followed by Melbourne and Sydney screenings in January, and in New Zealand at Camp A Low Hum in February. Now you can watch it on your laptop while drunk in bed. I've divided it up into 7 parts. Enjoy.




Part 1
Hobart - Ivy St, Drunk Elk, The Native Cats
Adelaide - Bitch Prefect, Terrible Truths, Dud Pills




Part 2
Canberra - Assassins 88, The Fighting League
Newcastle - Alps




Part 3
Sydney - Royal Headache, Naked on the Vague, Bed Wettin' Bad Boys, Holy Balm, Whores, Southern Comfort




Part 4
Melbourne - Chrome Dome, Wasted Truth, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, The Stabs




Part 5
Brisbane - Blank Realm, Gerald Keaney & The Gerald Keaneys, Scraps, Science, The Seizures, Per Purpose, Extra Foxx, White Cop, Sexual Chocolate




Part 6
Brisbane - Slug Guts, Sky Needle, Cured Pink, Stag




Part 7
Brisbane - The Deadnotes with Everett True, Kitchen's Floor, Blank Realm

CARBORATOR / WHORES / BLANK REALM / WOOLLEN KITS / ROYAL HEADACHE AT THE ANNANDALE HOTEL 3-10-10

Over the last year R.I.P Society Records has achieved a lot for all of the bands and people involved. The Sydney label has maintained a strong sense of quality in everything it releases, from Circle Pit to Lakes to Zond, it all rules. This show celebrated a damn good year for R.I.P, it was a great day and one of my fav shows of the year.


CARBORATOR



Sorry about the sound quality on this one, was standing too close to the PA. R.I.P's description of Carborator is pretty definitive - "Carborator are a band formed by Dead Farmers guitarist David Akerman having recorded a bunch of Velvet Underground inspired demo’s on his trusty four track cassette recorder. He’s enlisted Songs drummer Steve Uren, Royal Headache/Bed Wettin’ Bad Boy member Joe Sukit on guitar and fellow Bad Boy/R.I.P Society CEO Nic Warnock on bass. Although the VU’s presence still remains, live the band has a thrust-worthy, primitive hard rock sound reminiscent of early 70’s Rolling Stones, Small Faces, “proto-punk“ and CCR."


WHORES





Whores are criminally underrated as they are one of the best punk rock bands in the country. Pass the goon, mate.


BLANK REALM



This is Blank Realm performing at their very best. The whole set was amazing to witness but this new song "Full Moon Door" is unreal. One of the best songs I've heard this year (The song is off 'Deja What?' which was released as a CDR by Albert's Basement earlier this year but has since been remastered by Mikey Young and will be re-released on vinyl in November through Bedroom Suck).


WOOLLEN KITS





Melbourne's Woollen Kits are a band I've wanted on this blog for awhile now and here they are - great pop tunes and friendly dudes.


ROYAL HEADACHE





Royal Headache are one of those rare bands where everyone agrees on how great they are. I've never met someone who doesn't like this band. This was their last show for the year as they take a break from performing to focus on finishing their debut album which will be released early next year. Definitely something to look forward to.




The second photo of a cake I've put on this blog in the last month. Hopefully not the last.



"HEY WAIT MAN WHERE'S ZOND?? THEY WERE FUCKING AWESOME, WHY DIDN'T YOU PUT THEM ON YOUR BLOG????" I lost the disc with the seminal Zond footage I shot somewhere on the drive back to Brisbane and I'm as destroyed as you. Pass the goon, mate.

BOOMGATES AT REPRESSED RECORDS 2-10-10

A sweet afternoon instore show at Repressed Records in Newtown for the release of the new Boomgates 7" (out on RIP Society). I would have loved to stay and video Dead Farmers as well but we had to leave straight after Boomgates and drive up to Newcastle (footage from there up next).


BOOMGATES






Melbourne's Boomgates - Wow. With a lineup consisting of Brendan from Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Steph from Dick Diver and a rhythm section of members from Teen Archer and The Twerps, you know right away this band will be great. Their music is rich with good time summer vibes, listening to it makes me wanna get out of the house more during the daytime and generally be less of a shitty person. A band that can inspire that kinda positivity without coming across as lame is definitely awesome.

CIRCLE PIT AT COSMO'S ROCK LOUNGE 1-10-10

Tonight was Circle Pit's last Australian show for the year, a fundraiser for an upcoming tour of the USA in support of their excellent 'Bruise Constellation' album. I had spent the whole day in a van driving down from Brisbane, arrived late and wasn't in the right frame of mind to decently film the other bands but this show was really all about Circle Pit anyway and I wish them the best.


CIRCLE PIT

CIRCLE PIT - ANOTHER TRICK

Great video from Sydney's Circle Pit. This is the first single off their awesome new album 'Bruise Constellation', of which so many songs from it have been stuck in my head the last few days that it's been kind of intense (in a good way).

HOLY BALM / BED WETTIN' BAD BOYS AT THE FRIEND IN HAND HOTEL 17-04-10

The R.I.P Society endorsed "best pub in Sydney", the Friend in Hand Hotel hosts the dual 7" launches of Bed Wettin' Bad Boys and Kitchen's Floor with Holy Balm as support. The turn out and enthusiasm at this show was awesome, Sydney knows how to party.


HOLY BALM



Holy Balm kick out the psychadelic dance jams and completely hypnotise me with unabashed adoration for this band. Fan for life right here, mate.


BED WETTIN' BAD BOYS





Sydney's best/worst band Bed Wettin' Bad Boys play an uncompromisingly loose set of hits turning the whole place into a massive party. Awesome.

BITCH PREFECT / WHORES MUSIC VIDEO RETROSPECTIVE

It's Monday and Monday sucks so I thought I'd post some awesome music videos made by two of my favourite Australian bands at the moment.

BITCH PREFECT





Bitch Prefect are from Adelaide and play really nice simple pop music - Think the Clean, Velvet Underground, a bit of Half/Japanese and mix it up with the retardation that growing up in a small city town in Australia would do to you. They make music videos for pretty much every one of their songs and you can watch more here. I did an interview with them for Negative Guest List zine which should be out in the next issue.


WHORES



Whores are from Sydney and were here in Brisbane a few weeks ago. This video is really really cool, a completely psychotic nightmare that reminds me of my horrible, horrible childhood.


Sorry dad, just kidding.

LOCKSMITH GALLERY 16-08-09

KITCHEN'S FLOOR:



KF filmed by Nic De Jong. Thankyou.



BLANK REALM



I've seen Blank Realm play dozens of times and they're always great but this was greater or something. Guest starred Harriet Hudson (Good God, Downtown) on guitar.

FAMILY JEWELS



Nic struggled with his gear for most of the set but it still worked out.

REDFERN HOUSESHOW 15-08-09

ROYAL HEADACHE



Best afternoon ever.

MAGGOTVILLE 15-08-09

NAKED ON THE VAGUE



WASTED TRUTH



ALPS OF NSW