Night 1 - The Good Ship, Electric Empire, Boy in a Box, Clairy Browne and the Bangin' Rackettes, YesYou, Ball Park Music, Millions, Velociraptor
This years BIGSOUND was bigger and better than ever. They boasted 120
bands over 12 stages. They did not fail to deliver. With all new venues
including Magic City, Mustang Bar, and Press Club, the whirlwind Live
program just that, a whirlwind. 30 minute sets, 20 minute turnarounds.
With five sets per venue per night, there was absolutely no way to get
to everything, but oh my, did I try make the most of sensational two
night live music event.
First up were The Good Ship at the Q Music Stage in the lane behind The Zoo. After playing their first song, they announced “thanks for Something for Kate
for opening for us!” True statement! The band had just finished up the
EMI industry party. Funny none the less. The Good Ship are all kinds of
fun, and make me think of being a old school pub with pirates, wenches,
and good ol’ fashioned booze. The relentless ‘mm-cha’ notion of their
music was enough to get the crowd bobbing in a frenzy. It’s so great to
see the use of a Banjo, Piano Accordion, Trumpet and Monkey Stick (beer
bottle caps fixes to a central pole).
Electric Empire were up next at the Bakery Lane stage.
BIGSOUND is an even for going out to hear bands you’ve never heard of
play a set. So, when you pick a name semi-randomly off the list of bands
playing that time slot, that you’ve never heard of before, it can
either be an amazing surprise, just good, or meh. These lads were one of
the real surprises for me this BIGSOUND. They were crazy awesome! Funk
infused goodness. They’re the kind of band you can properly dance to,
that’s not electro/house. They had the musical stops in all the right
places and in all honest, I could not keep a grin off my face. The three
main vocalists, have such different voices, and it was awesome to see
each of them take a verse in on particular song.
Electric Playground was again part of the BIGSOUND music venue list,
but it still was not an enjoyable venue. In my opinion, it’s way too
loud for the room it boasts. I could be such an amazing venue, but… Boy in a Box were the first band of the night in that particular venue, and the venue really distracted how good these lads actually are.
Back at the Bakery Lane Stage was Clairy Browne and the Bangin’ Rackettes.
This 60s pop/soul inspired band was certainly something different from
almost everything else at BIGSOUND. She boasted three back up singers
(The Bangin’ Rackettes) as well as a full rhythm section and Baritone
Sax. The doo-wap girls certainly complemented Clairy herself, and really
showcased the talent of the group. Something that has to be said about
the band is the dance moves of the Bangin’ Rackettes. They are so cliché
doo-wap that it was, at the same time, cringe worthy and truly awesome.
A brisk stroll to the Press Club brought YesYou to the stage.
They opened with “The Half Of It”. This is such a good song, especially
live. On the tiny, tiny stage, the four piece and all their equipment
barely fit, and it came as little surprise that when the drummer was
belting out drum fills that the hardware supporting the cymbals started
loosening, rendering parts of the kit useless for the song. In one
point, vocalist Tara Simmons took center stage for a tune. This track is awesome, and I can’t wait to hear it in solid form.
At the Zoo, there was a massive line to get into see Ball Park Music.
It is so good to see the band play The Zoo again. After multiple shows
at the The HiFi, it must feel nice to return to the roots and return to
play one of the first big venues they played in. Tonight they played
quite a few new tracks off their forthcoming record Museum. Of
all the tracks “Great Display of Patience” is going to be a crowd
favourite for sure judging on tonight’s performance. As well as these
new tracks they played old favourites including “Sad Rude Future Dude”,
“All I Want Is You” and “iFly” as well as new favourite “Surrender”. I
was so glad to see them back at the more intimate room that is the Zoo
and they created such an amazing vibe!
Back at Electric Playground was Millions. These guys create
really darn catchy indie rock stuff, playing a mixture of old and new
material for the short set. One look down at the mosh was all you needed
to see, as the people were going wild, and dancing like maniacs.
Last but not least for the night was Velociraptor at the Q
Music Stage. This band, in a nutshell, is organized chaos. On stage they
are one of the most dysfunctional groups I’ve seen; four electric
guitars, two bass guitars, and a synth. I don’t quite get the need two
bass guitars and four electric guitars. There’s only so many different
ways a chord progression can be played right? Regardless, this band
produces some hell good tunes, and was a great way to end the epic
night.
What a night! So much good music, a fair bit of which, I hadn’t
really been exposed to before. The highlight for me, apart from personal
favourites Ball Park Music, was Electric Empire. They were just so
good, and such a surprise considering I picked them randomly off the
list of bands playing the timeslot. Now… Night two.
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