one fellow's political coverage, music ramblings and general hijinks across decades under a range of guises at several locations often in a state of awe.
There is nothing better than to be greeted at a venue’s door by a large group of like-minded and like-dressed folk. Just like last Friday eve, with our bright city’s gothic contingent elevating the statis of Psychodrama’s CD launch into a veritable ‘event’.
Continue reading “Psychodrama; Sage, PICA Cafe, November 17, 1995”
The full-house lights were up early at the Swanbourne Hotel for the CD launch of the External’s second offering, Anastasia’s Hand.
With that ‘ol summer party atmosphere filling the warm night air I took my usual Externals viewing position – against the back wall and as far away from the usually-lethal noise level as possible. But hoorah! My earplugs were not needed as a perfect mix heralded a quiet External introduction to the eve.
Continue reading “Externals, Swanbourne Hotel, November 10, 1995”
It could have been described as ‘the march of the indie kids’, a packed Planet arena reverberating with the chatter of alternative music talk and the clatter of Converse sneekers. And Britian’s Swervedriver were soon to be the toast of the several generations of indie music fans squished against the rails, ears bleeding but bodies swaying.
Continue reading “Swervedriver; Ammonia, Planet, 6 December, 1995”
Bucket deserve to have their name up on a lighted marquee. Their truely Bostonian sound is sweet, cool indie rock – a shoegazing sight and sound which is largely unheralded in Perth but would break hearts if they had come from somewhere else.
Continue reading “Subvert; Bucket, The Lone Star, November 4, 1995”
The ‘Botts’ have long held up Perth’s end of the more energetic live music available, their stand-alone and credible local reference to the funk metal genre has been with us for near on five years now.
It is funny to talk of a band with such longevity in terms of tightness, but on Friday night I finally saw Botticelli’s Angel pull it all together – the creative timing, the sudden pauses within songs, Barry’s ligament damage – into a coherent mosh in extremis.
Continue reading “Mountain Hope; Botticelli’s Angel, Planet, November 3, 1995”
With Melbourne’s Spiderbait drawing huge crowds of punters all weekend, there was no doubt the evening’s entertainment was to multiply with the deft wizardry of Cinema Prague.
Continue reading “Spiderbait; Cinema Prague, Newport Hotel, October 23, 1995”
Does the archetypal Boston band continue to wear grotty sneekers and write mid-paced, acoustic college radio hits? ADAM CONNORS asked Dave Derby, lead singer of Boston’s The Dambuilders.
While the majority of the UK music scene is measuring each others’ hair length, IQ and ‘Beatleness’, some bands are actually getting down to business and writing great music. Once again it is led by Swervedriver, a band originally from Oxford but who now command one of their biggest audiences in America, the traditional graveyard of great rock pretenders.
I wouldn’t have expected anything less. Yes, Declan Barry, that knee-popping and hurtling juggernaut which fronts Botticelli’s Angel has grabbed hold of some fantastic speed metal merchants to form a band which gives him even more opportunity to break bones on stage – Non Intentional Lifeform, or NIL.
Continue reading “Dystonia; Non Intentional Lifeform, Planet, October 13, 1995”
It was no surprise that Euro-busker Joe Algeri was standing at the door with his trusty guitar as I walked into The Loft on this night. Heck, some would say that Superscope are fundamentally the remnants of his old backing band The Stonemasons, but I forthrightly disagree with this stylistic pop-snobbery after seeing this, the launch of Superscope’s debut CD Generally Electric.
Continue reading “Superscope (CD Launch), The Loft, October 7, 1995”
