Gig Retrospective

So with my blog hiatus, I have missed capturing many evenings of live music, and thought I would just do a quick run down...hopefully capturing the highlights that stood out for me...

After the opening train wreck gig for the residency, I saw The Basics the following 2 weeks, as they progressively got their act together. Not their usual selves the first week, but getting better the next, at a gig Charles was in town for. Alas, not the best time to showcase one of my favourite bands! Upon my return from my trip, amazingly, despite the previous performances, they had extended the Tuesday nights at the Northcote through June, and I managed to catch the last one of the 2 month series. No songs from the new album in this show, and a host of covers, the boys made several mentions of perhaps not playing again together for some time to come, and hinted at new Gotye material.

I saw Little Red at the Prince Bandroom, also just after I got back, which was a little preview of the new album. These boys are growing in popularity, with a rowdy and fanatical crowd up the front. This gig showed how mature the second album is, with a more bluesy feel. The new single Rock It, certainly had a beat and key feature that gets into your head and causes involuntary grooving!

The combination of The Holidays and the Hungry Kids Of Hungary on the one bill both previewing new album material, was enough for another drive to Melbourne, to the East Brunswick. The Holidays played entirely new material, which was brave, but showed this album is something to look forward to. Much of the HKOH tracks previewed were ones we had heard before at live gigs, but their popularity is also growing, and suggests this album could be huge!

Little Oh Mercy did a show at the Toff to launch Keith St as a single....teasing with the promise of an album early next year. Mingling old songs with very fresh ones, including an awesome solo track by Eliza, there remained an elephant in the room, being the unexplained absence of Thom.

I picked a jetlagged Melissa up from the airport as a payoff for her coming to see The Whitlams at The Corner with me - win win to her, if you ask me! Playing 2 hours of a full range of their back catalogue, before they said goodbye for an extended break. Tim always comments on loving playing at The Corner, even with the bulk of the crowd seeming to talk all the way through it. Nothing more annoying!

*credit goes to Nicole's blog for jogging my memory for some details here!