Night 2 - The Jungle Giants, Jakarta, Owl Eyes, Jonathan Boulet, San Cisco, Tin Can Radio, Eagle & The Worm, Ball Park Music
And so we continue. This night was way worst for missing things I wanted to see. Andy Bull, Millions, Big Scary, Mosman Alder, Papa vs Pretty, Husky, Guineafowl. I wanted so much to go see all of these acts as well as the ones I saw, however, time. There just wasn't enough of it, especially if you wanted a half decent spot for acts like Eagle & The Worm and Ball Park Music (or just want to get through the door...)
The night once again began again at The Zoo, this time with The Jungle Giants. I'd only seen these guys once before and really quite like them, although I remember the chick in the band annoying me. I will say that they were pretty stellar. But again! The chick! What was she thinking. When you play guitar in a band on a stage it might make sense to wear pants or a dress with tights or something. Seriously, this girl was wearing a dress that would barely covers her ass in a normal situation, but add a guitar to this mix, it was just way to short. I bet the guys standing around me would have though it awesome, but seriously. Dress appropriately for the genre of music you are playing. If you're playing Indie music, (and I laugh at myself saying this, but) be an Indie! No one really wants to see a skank onstage. You might think I'm being harsh, but I just write what I see. Regardless, I do like this band, and really so want to hear more of what they have to offer. They put on a good show.
I ran off to Jakarta at Electric Playground next. And The more I go to the venue, the more I like it. Shame it has to be a whorehouse on a regular weekend. Anyway... Jakarta were really pretty rad. They had something that made them special, yet for the life of me I can't work out what it was. I suppose sometimes you find yourself liking something even in spite of yourself. I will definitely have to find out more about this Vancouver based band.
I ran out of this showcase in order to catch the beginning of Owl Eyes at The Zoo. And I walked in to a familiar songs. I won't lie, I was thinking, awesome, this should be good. But you know what? I could not stay. The frontwoman, Brooke Addamo was a nutcase. She was all over the show with what she was doing on stage. From the moment the next song started to when it ended she did not stop using her arms in a swimmers dance kind of fashion. Sometimes you actually need to stop moving like a fish, and stand and sing. Yes, yes, she was getting into the music the only way she knows how and such. But really. There's a line you can cross when it starts looking stupid. And so I departed feeling rather disappointed. I had heard such awesome things about that band, and I'm sure on record they are awesome, but live, not so much.
I then made my way to The Aviary to catch a glimpse of the renown Jonathan Boulet. After hearing his song 'A Community Service Announcement' as single of the week on iTunes I was hooked. But when I got his album I could never really get into it. This has since changed. His set was phenomenal! Every song had it's place in the set and flowed smoothly from one to the next. It takes not only a skilled musician to plan a successful set list, but also a clever one. One that can work it so it plays the crowd right into their hands. Master Boulet did indeed take us on the journey that he had planned for us, and it worked a treat. After now hearing a whole bunch of his songs live, I come back to the record and find myself listening to it on repeat. I find it fascinating how a live show can either make or break an artist in the personal opinion of the crowd members. And when he eventually play 'A Community Service Announcement' the crowd did go a little more wild. It's still by far his best song.
After a trek down a dark and sightly creepy alleyway I found the Woodland Bar, where San Cisco were already playing. Again the first hearing of this band came courtesy of iTunes single of the week. And these guys are pretty serious stuff! I did enjoy them quite immensely. They sometime get a little generic in their Indie sound, but still I do like a bit of generic Indie every now and again. The thing they do have going for them, is their girl drummer. She was awesome! I do like it when a chick plays drums. Also she was the only girl in the band. This makes it all the more awesome. My thoughts are I will probably not see them the Perth lads again for some time, due to them coming from Perth and all.
On my way back to Mosman Alder at the Aviery, I discovered a little BIGSOUND unofficial showcase at The Press Club which at that moment in time happened to have Tin Can Radio playing. And I just happen to like these lads quite a bit, so tossed up my options... Mosman Alder (who I will see next week supporting Kimbra) or pop in to see Tin Can Radio who I haven't seen in months. Guess who won. Even although I could only stay for four songs this band made me grin like I hadn't grinned most of the night. A little unexpected, but very, very welcome. This band create such a great atmosphere when they play. It makes you want to get up and move. EVERY TIME! Without fail. That! Is what I love about this band. However you're feeling, they make you feel better. This is what music should do.
I ended up getting an ok spot for Eagle & The Worm at The Zoo, due to the fact that I stayed a little longer than I planned to at Tin Can Radio. I've loved this band since the first time I saw them, but they annoyed the shit out of me tonight. BIGSOUND is an even where the sets are ridiculously short. You only have half an hour to show the best you have in you right? The frontman of this band just kept yakking on and on and on. And he was yakking on about trying not to take up too much time because of short sets! What the! And to top it all off, they finished a couple of minuted early... They so could have easily played an extra song, maybe two, if they hadn't talked so much between songs. But maybe this is me being greedy. I do like the guitarist specially designed slide guitar. It's pretty cool to watch him play it also.
I decided to intentionally miss Guineafowl (who I was dying to see) in order to get a good spot for Ball Park Music back at Woodland Bar. This decision turned out to be the right one, as it was already packed when I got there, and I heard that it filled to capacity not long after. It was an absolute treat to witness these kids on stage. They have come such a long way in such a short period of time. And they're at the stage where they can begin their set with iFly rather than end with it. That's a good sign. This showcase was another example of just how important a perfect set list can be. They moved from one song to the next seamlessly, and brought the entire crowd with them. 'It's Nice to Be Alive' brought the house down. At one stage the band stopped, (they do do this on a regular basis with iFly now with this song also) and the entire crowd just kept going singing what was meant to come next. Master Cromack, the frontman looked a little stunned for a millisecond before gathering his thoughts. Right now however, 'Literally Baby' is my favourite song. It's genius. Nothing less. For me, I couldn't imagine ending my BIGSOUND experience on something any better.
And so that brings to a close the epic two days that was BIGSOUND Live. A lot of awesomeness, a little disappointment, and a whole lot of lovin' for Jinja Safari, Jonathan Boulet and Ball Park Music. Nuff said.
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