Night 1 - Disco Nap, The Cairos, Last Dinosaurs, Charlie Mayfair, Montpelier
After two ticketed nights of music, it was nice to enjoy some free music as part of Valley Fiesta, or should I say, the Big Sound after party.
So Disco Nap have a funny thing going on. See I am in love with frontman, Ross', voice, and they have some decent songs. with 'The Soft Sell' being by far their greatest hit, but they are just boring to watch! I hate to admit it, because I really quite like this band on record, but they are. The crowd on the outdoor stage though small, were responsive to what they had they had to offer. Being on the Brunswick Street Mall Stage meat that there are a stack of people drifting past, and the band played on this really well, singling out unsuspecting members of the crowd. T'was quite funny seeing peoples reactions.
Staying put for the next act, The Cairos, I was hoping for something special. I'd even settle for good. But I was severely disappointed. To me, The Cairos have the same sound as the band next door, and subsequently didn't capture me at all. It made me chuckle that the drummer was wearing a Last Dinosaurs t-shirt. Something else I will mention that actually really annoyed me about this band is that they would always say "thank you" as soon as they finished a song, not even waiting for the audience to start clapping first!! Who does that! It's like, oh yeah I've just said thanks so now you are obliged to clap regardless of what you actually thought! You play, the audience acknowledges your performance, then you thank your audience for that acknowledgment! I thought that was common knowledge! Geez!
Last Dinosaurs are something of an oddity. They have one maybe two incredible songs, 'Honolulu' and maybe' As Far As Your Concerned' but that's about it. They did preview some new tunes tonight, but they didn't have the sparkle that 'Honolulu' has. I hope that they are just going to be one of those bands that have one signature song, with nothing else even coming close to that caliber. I also feel that they talk to much on stage. There is a fine line between not enough small talk and too much on stage I feel. These guys also told the same story about the songs 'Alps' tonight as I had heard a few times before. Not cool... By this stage, more and more people had been rolling into the open air stage, most of whom were underage (open air stage, all age gig). I had forgotten just how annoying teenagers are. Standing behind a big mob of 15-16 year olds for this 45min set, I swear that they went through half a pack of cigarettes each. Not that I am against smoking or anything (each to their own) but at least have some respect for those around you! Stupid kids. I knew there was a good reason why gigs are usually held at 18+ venues.
Enough of the open air, back inside for some licensed fun with Charlie Mayfair at X&Y. Now here is a good band. They have everything going for them with their alt-folk sound. Frontwoman Hannah's voice is just divine and is so suited to this type of songwriting. Tonight continued the induction of the newest member of the band, replacing Sam on backing vocals and glock. This didn't change the sound or dynamic of the group, so I believe this to be a good thing. It will be nice to see some new songs where she can shine instead of being thrust into amongst pre-exsisting songs. They also invited Greg from Montpelier to help them out with a tune, which was nice to hear. It's always fun when bands do that I think.
Next up were Montpelier. Man I really dig this band and had been up there with my must see's this week. Upon hearing them again live, and listening to their record in between shows I have come to the conclusion that they remind me a little of The Coronas but without the Irish accent. This is a good thing. By this time, the floor had filled up and through their balance between the upbeat pop tunes, and the ballad-esk, they were really creating a good vibe. Still a personal favourite of mine is 'Last Boat Out to Sea'. Greg's voice really shines in this song, and it strikes a chord for me. Montpelier returned the invitation and had Hannah come out to sing one of their songs. Like I said, it is always fun when bands share their members around!
With a little bit a disappointing start to the evening, it sure as hell ended well. I could have easily skipped the whole set at the Mall Stage and just started at X&Y, but regardless I suppose it was worth it, make the most of my Valley Fiesta. Good times to be had, with some sweet tunes, with still more fun to be had in this week of epicness.
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