Mike Skinner, Forum Theatre, Sydney, 05/02/09
I am crouched in the front row of the Forum Theatre, being crushed by the crouching masses behind me, and I couldn't be happier. The beat comes back up, and our fearless leader, Mike Skinner, rises from the ground, setting off a frenzy of dancing from the crowd and, yes, me.
I have seen The Streets once before at Big Day Out 2007, and even then Mike and his talented support crew proved to me their ability to get a crowd going. But his performance at the Forum Theatre was a completely different beast and anyone at the gig who says they didn’t feel personally involved in the fun is a liar. FACT.
Unsurprisingly, about half of the track list for the night came from the latest album, Everything is Borrowed, with the title track leading the band out and other tracks such as The Escapist, Heaven for the Weather and On the Edge of a Cliff scattered throughout. The remainder of the set list comprised of a mix of the group's three previous albums, including crowd favourites Don't Mug Yourself, Let's Push Things Forward, Fit But You Know It, and Dry Your Eyes. Mike Skinner's vocally talented right hand man, Kevin Mark Trail, even pleased the crowd with a rendition of Glasvegas' Daddy’s Gone.
The Forum Theatre was a great venue for such a lively show, with the feeling of intimacy adding to the experience.
Mike Skinner has proven once again that he is a master of showmanship - whether it was a knowing look to a fan on the top balcony, or attempting to throw a full cup of beer two metres to the girl in the front row (and one time succeeding), he could do little wrong.
The good news is my fears were not to be realised, as the Sydney organisers had clearly learnt their lessons from the Melbourne fiasco, and worked hard to make sure things were running as smoothly as possible. That's not to say there weren't lines...The Basement, the famous jazz and blues club and one indoor stage for the day, was a bottleneck throughout the whole festival and you had to be pretty dedicated to a band to stick around and wait. But all in all, the crowds were nowhere near enough to put a dampener on the day.
The Sydney version of the St. Jerome's Laneway Festival, originally a strictly Melbourne item that has now become a national roadshow, is set in the heart of the city - tucked in behind Circular Quay at Reilby Place. The joy of this festival is that it relishes in the urban surroundings, and mixes together the grittiness and gloss of city living.
But of course the reason I was at the festival was for the music, and it was definitely worth the entry ticket. Philadelphia Grand Jury and The John Steel Singers were great bands to kick off the day, and other highlights for me were Tame Impala and Cut Off Your Hands.
The headliners for the festival were Architecture in Helsinki, followed by Girl Talk. Architecture put on a powerful and always energetic performance, bringing a new take to their hits songs from the back catalogue, a few interesting covers (Ain't Nothing Going To Break My Stride) as well as giving us a taste of things to come with That Beep.
With the energy running high, the crowd shifted into the laneway stage of Reilby Place for Girl Talk. I must confess I haven't been the biggest fan of Girl Talk when he has released albums, but the songs always have a 'party starter' feel to them. But as a live act, he was fantastic. Playing an hour long set, he brought together music from across a wide range of genres to make music that you just had to dance to...and he didn't stop playing for that full hour (which, of course, meant the dancing also was an hour long. By the end my legs were killing me, but it was some good exercise...maybe Girl Talk can bring out a workout album next?)
Despite a few minor drawbacks, the Laneway Festival lived up to, and in many ways exceeded my expectations. Food was typical festival fare, and alcohol was sold at a typical festival price, but I recommend it to anyone in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, or Perth, and you can bet that I will be back there again next year.
CB
Wolfmother returned to the Australian spotlight with a ‘secret’ gig last night in Sydney. It was a night of high anticipation, particularly considering that its been 3 years since we have heard any new material from Wolfmother and almost 6 months since the band was fractured just after Splendour in the Grass 2008. First let me say bravo to Die! Die! Die! for warming up a very edgy crowd beforehand. Kudos goes out to the lead singer who burned up the stage and even getting out into the crowd and jumping around. This all helped break down the barrier between band and patron. It’s hard to describe Die! Die! Die! but there are definitely shades of Rage Against The Machine, some punk and some real solid rock and roll , definitely a band that will make some noise in the local Sydney scene in 2009. Wolfmother hit the stage after a 40-minute wait, but that only heightened the anticipation. Bursting onto the stage with a brutal new track, its clear that Wolfmother are back and they want to blow you away. They are now a four-piece, with another guitarist being added. The set included the usual Colossal, White Unicorn, Woman, Dimension and Joker & The Thief. But what caught me off guard was the intensity and all out balls to the wall attitude that Wolfmother played with, it was as if they were a new band with something to prove. There is a new track of theirs that is soooo heavy it sounds like it could have been part of the Metallica back catalogue. Its going to be a big couple of months for this band as rumours are floating around that the new Wolfmother will record a new album very soon. I hope there is some truth to this because last night they were brilliant! VB.
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