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PJ Harvey performs

January 24, 2017 by Jen

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It was a hot night outside and an even hotter one inside Thebarton Theatre – no air conditioning and a couple of ceiling fans doing not much.

I saw a friend before the show started and we’d both been to a previous show of hers at Thebarton when PJ wore a yellow dress. Neither of us could remember how long ago that was but maybe pre-kids, so some time ago. Both of us were very excited to get another PJ fix.

I hoped she’d do some songs I know from my favourite album of hers ‘Stories of the City, Stories of the Sea’ – but not one did she do and in the end I didn’t care.

She came out on stage with her 9-piece band. They all stood in a row and did ‘Chain of Keys’ from the Hope Six Demolition Project album (her latest). I was sold.

For me having seen her however long ago it was, it was quite different but spectacular nonetheless. The hour and a half they performed went far too quickly and before I knew it they were off stage before coming back on to do 2 more songs.

Last time I saw her in her yellow dress it was great, but quite different. She played the guitar and had nowhere near the 9 band members she had this time. This time she played the saxophone for some songs and made holding a saxophone between songs look really cool. She held it alongside and upwards as if it was a talisman she was showing off.

A friend later thought that she was a bit aloof on stage. She may have appeared that way but it wasn’t just a woman with a band singing some songs. It was a show. A show that has stuck in my mind nearly a week later. I think that was how it was supposed to be.

We walked out of the theatre and it had been raining. Actually it had been quite stormy and we were completely oblivious of what was happening outside. We had experienced our very own perfect storm.

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WOMADelaide 2016 wrapup

March 15, 2016 by Jen

This year I made the decision to go to three days of WOMADelaide and loved pretty much every minute of it. Even though there’s thousands of people who go it’s a peaceful festival and pretty easy to navigate once you get your bearings. I try and buy food at the non-busy times so I don’t have to queue and felt for the obviously very busy food stallholders and employees.

Violent Femmes

I arrived on Friday evening (apparently it was sold-out) half an hour early for the Violent Femmes. They opened with the well-known Blister in the Sun and continued on with other hits and a few new ones. When they said that one of them was a polka number I thought ‘uh oh’ but it was really enjoyable. They should have said ‘polka with a twist’. The saxaphone player had been with the band since he was 14!

The Jerry Cans

I wanted to see Angelique Kidjo and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra but as it was a sit down performance I wasn’t nearly early enough to be anywhere near so I observed from afar. It didn’t grab me and I ended up over at the Moreton Bay stage watching The Jerry Cans – a very energetic band from northern Canada. The piano accordion player also did some throat singing which I hadn’t heard before. Everyone was sitting down at the beginning but were soon enticed up to dance.

I finished off the Friday night’s music with Cat Empire.

David Suzuki

Saturday kicked off for me with the packed out keynote by David Suzuki. The gist of his talk was that climate change is a thing but that we can turn it around. I liked his story of how a CEO of an oil(?) company came to visit him. David asked him to leave his CEO’ness at the door which he thinks he did because he walked through it. David stressed to him that our priorities as humans are clean air, water, earth to grow things but the CEO didn’t take it on board. I guess shareholders win out over common sense.

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DakhaBrakha from Ukraine were recommended to me. I loved their outfits, their music and they were pretty skilled at bird sounds. A nearby woman wondered out loud to her friend ‘where is that bird sound coming from?’.

Eska with the Adelaide Big Strings

Eska was next on the list because a friend was part of the Adelaide Big Strings. Unfortunately we initially had trouble hearing the strings very well. Eska is a fantastic singer, and a very versatile musician – playing at least three instruments during this performance and apparently plays a whole lot more. My friend loved her part in the whole process – she glowed when talking about it.

Sunset at Womadelaide 13/3/16

Sunset at WOMAD on Saturday was pretty spectacular. I took it pretty easy during the evening because I was knackered from the Friday night but did tune in to most of De La Soul that night.

Sunday morning arrived and the only thing I really had planned was Marlon Williams and the Yarra Benders.

After I arrived I saw the end of a Planet Talk about solar power then thought I’d look around shop stalls. It was pretty warm in the tents and luckily for my bank balance I didn’t buy anything. I did see someone try to steal something but the stallholder was on to her.

The first music of the day apart from a bit of Kev Carmody ended up being the very funky and really fun Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro. Sorry Sarah Blasko, these guys won out! I dabbled a bit with Diego el Cigala but I had a sunny spot and really felt like sitting down so thought I’d head over to get some food and something to drink before Marlon Williams.

Marlon Williams and the Yarra Benders

I arrived half an hour early, couldn’t be bothered lining up at the only food stall there so bought a can of slightly warm beer (or maybe it just warmed up too quickly) and tried to find a spot to sit down. Naturally lots of other people had the same idea and people get very protective of ‘their turf’.

Once they started playing though, most people stood up anyway so I gladly joined them and moved a bit further up and tried to see my way through the taller people at the front. It was one of the standout performances of the weekend for me. I’d first heard of him on The Beautiful Lie tv show that aired on ABC TV late last year. He has the most beautiful voice and I enjoyed every bit of the performance. I wished I had been there on the Monday and I would have seen him again so had to console myself with the CD I bought instead.

The Strides - Tasting The World

Afterwards I bought some food and ended up going to the Taste The World tent to watch The Strides do some cooking. It should have been billed as a comedy performance as I laughed a lot. I’m not sure who was who but one of the band members said he didn’t cook because he didn’t want to ruin his model hands.

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Djuki Mala (the Chooky Dancers) was next on the list. Their dancing was interspersed with film commentary about how and why they got together.

I also saw St Germain and finished off the evening with The Gyuto Monks of Tibet. By this time I was glad that I’d found one of those cardboard seats as I needed to sit with my back straight.

Acrojou

I normally see lots of roving performances but the only one I really saw this time was Acrojou.

I travel pretty light to WOMAD. I didn’t take piles of stuff to setup a little campsite like many people did. I also got over stepping around blankets that people setup. I was mindful of them but sometimes you’ve just got to step on them to get where you need to go.

My WOMAD items which fit nicely in a shoulder bag and allow me to stay mobile:

  • hayfever tablets – didn’t need them but good to have just in case. I remember one year it was really dusty and I had an awful headache and sneezed a lot.
  • headache tablets – I did take one which got rid of the headache thank goodness
  • sarong – to either sit on or use as sun protection
  • little camera
  • phone charger – didn’t end up using this at the phone recharge station because of the lineup. My phone battery is woeful so only used my phone to text friends to arrange meeting places/times.
  • water bottle – filled up plenty of times at refilling stations
  • money – of course.

I heard about other performers I didn’t get to see and that’s probably my fault for not researching a bit better before going but I enjoyed my experience nonetheless. I definitely look forward to going again.

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She’s crazy like a fool. What about it Daddy Cool?

June 13, 2014 by Jen

Boney M at The Gov

I went with my sister and while I knew a couple of other people that were going I bumped into a school mum. She said I won’t tell anyone if you don’t. I said, shout it from the rooftops. Who cares, I said. I also bumped into JJ’s baseball coach and his excuse was that his friend bought the tickets. So is a bit daggy to see Boney M? Who cares? The last band I saw at The Gov was The Scientists – poles apart from Boney M. I’ve got broad music taste!

I checked out the crowd. I felt quite young in comparison. A couple, probably in their 80s, were sitting near the courtyard door, walking sticks propped next to their chairs. There were some people in their 20s – there with their parents maybe? But mainly the crowd was in their 40s and 50s.

About 20 minutes before the band started we moved towards the front of the stage and took the stance. My stance is I take up as much room as I can so that the inevitable crush impact is lessened. I don’t think it works but it makes me feel like I’m doing something to give myself a bit of dancing room.

Five minutes before the band starts the people who were too slack to get there earlier move in and take up those spare places. One minute before the band starts more people – the loud one – and the one with the big handbag – come and stand near you. That handbag ended up on the floor by the end of the show because I kept bumping into it. Tip for the women. Leave your big handbag at home when you go out to a venue that will be crowded. Put the essentials in a smaller bag that you can sling over your shoulder. Much easier to handle and not as likely to piss people off.

But the band starts and it doesn’t matter so much any more. I always seem to get stuck behind someone that bit taller than me who obstructs my view a bit.

Last night I saw Boney M. I grew up on a bit of a Boney M diet. Both mum and nana were fans and every Christmas that we spent at nana’s place we listened to the Boney M Christmas album. I didn’t invite mum along because there’s no way she could have stood for over an hour watching them and the seating space was limited and with it a limited view.

In year 8, my dance group did a performance to Rasputin at the high school concert. I wore a black leotard and black tights. The next day when I went to school some bright spark – Shane, it was you – called me spider legs. My legs were much skinnier then.

The Boney M band came on stage, then the singers came on stage. I thought they all looked too young to be original members and as it turns out there’s only one original member left. But they did all the songs we know and love, ending with Rasputin and Rivers of Babylon which they dragged out for ages while the audience participated because of course we all knew the words.

It was all finished by 10.30 and as we had a last drink, one woman lamented that it had finished so early she needn’t have taken the day off. I wonder if they were catering to the older crowd?

Do you remember Boney M?

Boney M at The Gov

Boney M at The Gov

Boney M at The Gov

Boney M at The Gov

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Womad’s in the house

March 10, 2014 by Jen

Welcome to Womad

Going to Womadelaide this weekend was the perfect antidote to a bloody busy and stressful week.

A few weeks ago I happened upon a house I liked, went to see it, made an offer and the offer was rejected. I looked back at that house and missed it even though I’d only visited it once. I didn’t dwell on it heaps but just over a week ago the real estate agent contacted me to ask if I was still interested.

I was, so I went back to have another look. I took a friend and she and I both noticed a few things that would need fixing.

I stayed with my offer and a few days later it was accepted.

I contacted a building inspector who I’ve used before who just happened to have already inspected that house so he briefly told me his findings and when my offer was accepted sent me the report. As he didn’t have to physically do another inspection I got a cheaper rate for his report.

After evaluating the report, speaking to him, speaking to others, I pulled out of contract during the cooling off. Besides what needed fixing in the house I would have had to rent it out for up to a year while my house is sorted out. There’s some council stuff happening at my house which could affect me, and affect a sale until I know one way or the other.

While all this was going on I had a job interview to prepare for, and my son to get ready for a scout camp this weekend. So by Friday night I was physically and emotionally exhausted.

 

Flags

 

I always love the atmosphere at Womad and it didn’t disappoint. It’s a well-oiled machine – the organisation of it all.

I had a massage not long after I got there and that helped set the tone for the rest of the day for me. It was a bit warm but there’s plenty of shade and free sunscreen near the first-aid tent if you forgot to put sunscreen on your feet like I did.

 

Sunday evening parade at Womadelaide

Sunday night is parade night and it’s a sight and sound spectacular.

Stage 1 Womadelaide

There were definitely some music highlights too. We left there 12 hours after arrival feeling very satisfied.

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Finding time to do your singing practise

August 23, 2013 by Jen

Band practise minus the singer (photographer). Day 280/366.

I’ve been doing singing lessons again. I used to do them in the late 90s and then stopped and thought I’d probably not do them again because I already had spent two years paying for lessons.

Since then I’ve been singing in choirs and doing a semi-organised thing with friends and more recently The Surfer, a friend of his and I have made a little band – two guitarists and me, the vocalist and occasional ukulele player.

I’ve got a reasonable voice but thought I could do with some polishing. Add that desire, and the location of the nearby music school it was a no-brainer to go and try it out.

So I’ve been going for about three terms now. My singing teacher is young enough to be my child but she knows her stuff and she likes similar types of music to me so we get on quite well. My last singing teacher kept bringing up artists that I’d never heard of or couldn’t stand – mostly the latter so it was a bit of a struggle to find common ground with song choices.

However, I need to practise during the week. This time round we don’t tape my lessons. Last time I used to tape the lessons and listen to it during the week while driving to work so I’d practise then.

I’ve put the songs I’m singing, or have sung onto a playlist on my iPhone and while I’m washing the dishes or preparing dinner I put that playlist on and practise. It’s a good way to not have the words with you although sometimes I need to momentarily stop cutting up onion and get out the words so I actually know what to sing.

I’ve also bought a contraption for my aging car so I can listen to the music, and practise, in there as well.

I should probably practise more but I figure I’m doing what I can.

 

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What’s the one musical event you wish you’d been at?

May 20, 2013 by Jen

Red Hot Chili Peppers ticket

You know how people go to a great event and they don’t stop talking about it 20 years later. You wish you could have been there but you weren’t so it doesn’t matter how many stories they tell about this fantastic event you missed out on, you weren’t there and you just smile and nod and wish they’d shut up about it because of course you would have loved to have been there.

What event would this be for you?

For me, it was the 1993 Big Day Out in Adelaide. It was the first Big Day Out here, and it was held at Adelaide University. It was a stinking hot day in early February as days in Adelaide are bound to be at this time of year.

Iggy Pop played and he was awesome. You should have seen him. Well I couldn’t because I wasn’t there.

I had a really good excuse as to why I wasn’t there. I wasn’t in the country. I was in England – freezing – in winter.

While you were getting squirted with firehoses at the Big Day Out before Iggy Pop came on, I was commuting for an hour or two to work in the dark.

There’s been some other good bands play at Big Day Outs in Adelaide, but they’re still not as good as the first one. Because the first one was at Adelaide University and all the rest have been at the Adelaide Show Grounds. Totally different venue. Totally different feel.

So when people are still posting photos on Facebook from that day, or talking about it at parties, I just try to think of all the great gigs I went to in England.

I could tell you about the time I went to the Reading Festival in 1993. Or when I saw Red Hot Chili Peppers and Henry Rollins on the one night at Brixton Academy for the princely sum of £10.50. One of my favourite shows was Pop Will Eat Itself at the Town and Country.

Smashing Pumpkins ticket

Here’s some more:

  • Smashing Pumpkins at the Astoria – 14 February 1992
  • The Jesus and Mary Chain (Rollercoaster tour) with Blur, My Bloody Valentine, Dinosaur Jr at Brixton Academy – 7 April 1992 (£12.50)
  • Fugazi at Brixton Academy – 9 May 1992 (£5)
  • Sonic Youth at Brixton Academy – 15 December 1992 (£9.50)
  • Jesus Jones – 1 April 1993 at the Astoria (£8.50)
  • Madonna – Girlie Show  at Wembley Stadium- 25 September 1993 (£22.50).

Ok, so missing out on that inaugural Big Day Out in Adelaide perhaps wasn’t so bad after all. And it’s a pity those prices are now long gone.

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Some Barry

September 17, 2012 by Jen

Thursday morning I left the house after a fraught morning trying to get organised and get out of it. I waved my son off to school and realised I’d left my phone behind.

While on the way back to get it, a friend drove past my house and ended up giving me a lift into work. Yay! On the way there I told her that I had a childfree night the next evening and she said if you’re not doing anything we’re going to see Barry Adamson.

Barry Adamson I said? I know who he is, I’ve got one of his cd’s. I’d love to go. So I booked tickets.

He played at the Promethean on Grote Street in Adelaide, a fantastic little venue and I loved that an artist I admire was sneaking into town and that by the vaguest chance, I’d found out and was able to go. How’s that?

After working for most of the week I was pretty tired but found my second wind to absolutely enjoy the show.

I had a pretty good view even though I was up the back near the mixing desk. He mostly played songs from his new album which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I love that feeling when you’re out and about seeing a band that’s fabulous. I used to do it all the time, go and see live music that is. Back in my 20s I was out at least two nights of the week seeing local acts. That doesn’t happen any more and I couldn’t even tell you the names of many local bands. Turn back 20 years and I’m on it though. Oh well, times and priorities change.

So when I do get out to see something like this it’s all the more enjoyable. It was great to have some good friends there too.

Towards the end I turned around and Tex Perkins was sitting up the back. He was doing his Man in Black show down the road and popped into see Barry Adamson after that. I tried to get a sneaky photo of him but that didn’t work.

After the show finished I bought the new CD and got my photo taken. Is Barry rolling his eyes?

Barry Adamson. Day 258/366.

Do you enjoy live music?

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