w/ Dan Parsons, Blame Ringo
Ever since I heard Disco Nap's single "The Soft Sell" I have been trying to catch them live, but alas, unforeseen circumstances have hindered my attendance at their last three gigs. So needless to say I was a little excited about tonight. And to have Dan Parsons and Blame Ringo supporting, like I said, exciting. Tonight I found myself marvelling at the talent that is the individual musicians in a rhythm section of a band. I have the utmost respect for all these musicians. They may not be the frontman who gets to carry on with all the antics that are associated with that title, but rather, I believe they contribute most to the essence of a band. Without this, a band would have no soul, no life.
Can I just say, the bass player for Blame Ringo, frigginfantastic! One, his bass is one of the coolest I have seen - not your typical Fender, and Two, he is incredible! Not to sound naive, but many a band have solid guitar solos, but not many in my recent experience have had the opportunity for bass solos. Blame Ringo really gave their bass player a chance to shine. And shine he did! In one of their new tracks he was going nuts! It was inspiring to watch. The other two held the vocals while this was going on, where typically all three would be in harmony for sections such as these. On another note, it interested me to see all three vocalists taking lead in a single, individual song. For example, each member would do a different verse, or take lead in the chorus instead. I'll say this, Blame Ringo aren't your typical band like that, and the more I see them live, the more I notice it. This is a very good thing.
Dan Parsons! Where do I start! He is an incredibly talented songwriter and performer. His hooks are just that. They are unforgettable, and carry his songs to the next level. Again, Dan opened with and acoustic version of "This City" which I believe works really well for him. It shows his versatility as a performer being able to carry his pop tunes with charisma, while also toning down his acoustic tracks to produce a mellow tune. Guitarist Steve Grady also put on a stellar show, nailing his solos without a moments hesitation! I will also add that it made me happy inside when Dan took off the specs. He didn't need them, and they did nothing for me. Enough Said.
How Disco Nap came upon their name is beyond me. Since when do you take a nap at the disco! Their music however, in my opinion, answers that very question. Having heard only a couple of their tracks before, it surprised me to hear mostly ballads in their set list. Not that this is a bad thing, but it just took me by surprise. I have always liked Ross Hope's voice, but tonight just solidified this thought of mine. It is stunning. So mellow, yet.. mmm. Disco Nap's welcomed may-a-guest to the stage as they reproduced the tracks of their debut record. It was nice for them to mix up their line up. Overall for a first experience, I liked very much. The highlight by far for me was their single, "The Soft Sell", but then again, it has been one of my favourite songs since the day I first heard it... Regardless, t'was pretty darn amazing.
Three stellar acts. One venue. Top night. That's all. :D
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Hungry Kids of Hungary - 6 August 2010, The Zoo
w/ The Holidays, Artisan Guns
A change in scenery accompanied tonight's gig. Venturing away from The Troubadour, I found myself outside the Zoo for the much anticipated Hungary Kids of Hungary gig. This being their first Brisbane gig in quite some months. Along side these talented lads were two acts that, I confess, had never heard of... Shame on me.
Journeying across the Tasman so grace us with their musical talents, Artisan Guns opened the night with an "acoustic" set. They performed without their drummer, and I did wonder where he was. Maybe he got lost on his way to our beautiful city... However, regardless of this, they put on a darn good show. I have to mention their cover of "Everywhere" by Michelle Branch because it was frigginsweet! It took me a sec to realise that it actually was that song! The chord progression was so dramatically changed that was barely recognisable. T'was pretty cool. I really did enjoy their set, but in the back of my mind I kept wondering what a drummer would bring to the dynamic. A question for another time.
Where to even start with The Holidays. They were amazing and I loved the vibe they brought to stage. The four piece together with their traveling bits percussionist brought some soul into The Zoo this night. T'was brilliant. Having a kit as well as a bits percussionist I would have thought would have been a bit too much, but oh how I was wrong. The addition of congas, bongo, woodblock, sampler along with numerous other bits and pieces added so much! At one stage all the guys bar the frontman ditched their instruments, headed to the back of stage so as to add an extra two sets of hands to the percussion elements, leaving only a guitar and a voice for the melodics. And it was one of the best moments of the set. Pretty awesome if I do say so myself. I shall definitely be looking out for these guys in the future.
And then came the Hungry Kids of Hungary. So, this was my first live Hungries experience, and I was expecting greatness, but holy s*** they were awesome! Just one of their greats after another! I'll admit my ignorance when I say that Kane took lead vocals on more songs than I expected, but I probably should have know this... They played all their standards including "Scattered Diamonds" (probably the highlight of the show for me), "Set It Right" and their new-y "Wristwatch", while also previewing some of the new materiel off their forthcoming album, which I will add should be stellar record. I have nothing more to say about this act except that this band have come so far, and still have such a long way to go.
So tonight's gig reminded me once more never to underestimate an act you've never hear of, and also if you like a particular bands' records, see them live and it will change everything you thought you knew about them.
A change in scenery accompanied tonight's gig. Venturing away from The Troubadour, I found myself outside the Zoo for the much anticipated Hungary Kids of Hungary gig. This being their first Brisbane gig in quite some months. Along side these talented lads were two acts that, I confess, had never heard of... Shame on me.
Journeying across the Tasman so grace us with their musical talents, Artisan Guns opened the night with an "acoustic" set. They performed without their drummer, and I did wonder where he was. Maybe he got lost on his way to our beautiful city... However, regardless of this, they put on a darn good show. I have to mention their cover of "Everywhere" by Michelle Branch because it was frigginsweet! It took me a sec to realise that it actually was that song! The chord progression was so dramatically changed that was barely recognisable. T'was pretty cool. I really did enjoy their set, but in the back of my mind I kept wondering what a drummer would bring to the dynamic. A question for another time.
Where to even start with The Holidays. They were amazing and I loved the vibe they brought to stage. The four piece together with their traveling bits percussionist brought some soul into The Zoo this night. T'was brilliant. Having a kit as well as a bits percussionist I would have thought would have been a bit too much, but oh how I was wrong. The addition of congas, bongo, woodblock, sampler along with numerous other bits and pieces added so much! At one stage all the guys bar the frontman ditched their instruments, headed to the back of stage so as to add an extra two sets of hands to the percussion elements, leaving only a guitar and a voice for the melodics. And it was one of the best moments of the set. Pretty awesome if I do say so myself. I shall definitely be looking out for these guys in the future.
And then came the Hungry Kids of Hungary. So, this was my first live Hungries experience, and I was expecting greatness, but holy s*** they were awesome! Just one of their greats after another! I'll admit my ignorance when I say that Kane took lead vocals on more songs than I expected, but I probably should have know this... They played all their standards including "Scattered Diamonds" (probably the highlight of the show for me), "Set It Right" and their new-y "Wristwatch", while also previewing some of the new materiel off their forthcoming album, which I will add should be stellar record. I have nothing more to say about this act except that this band have come so far, and still have such a long way to go.
So tonight's gig reminded me once more never to underestimate an act you've never hear of, and also if you like a particular bands' records, see them live and it will change everything you thought you knew about them.
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