I've been fairly lax on the updating front this year. There's been a few shows that I've been to that I haven't talked about such as Stars, St Vincent and giving a review of St Jeromes Laneway.
(On a related note, apparently St Jeromes is closing but they're planning on having a bar in an old factory and calling it St Jerome's Preston School of Industry. I wonder if Spiral Stairs will come play.)
I've seen a few shows since I last posted, most notably Midnight Oil at the Royal Theatre in Canberra
It looks like Midnight Oil is becoming that band that keeps reuniting for charity. I wonder if they'll reunite for the next charity concert as well? There was no 'US Forces' or 'Short Memory' unfortunately. I really would've loved 'Short Memory' but I wasn't disappointed and neither were those who witnessed them.
To be completely honest, I don't know that many Midnight Oil songs. I knew about half a dozen. I will say that it was a good show with a caveat. It was a situation where I knew they were doing a really good set but I couldn't get into it. There was no connection. Maybe it was the venue or just the atmosphere, I'm not really sure. 'Beds are Burning' was the only moment where there was a flicker of something but then it disappeared.
The most recent show I went to was C.W. Stoneking on Saturday night. He played at the intimate venue of the Playhouse in Canberra. I'm actually surprised that not many other bands play there because it is really good. It was highly enjoyable show and I regret not seeing him before. I missed the support act unfortunately and got in about a minute into the first song.
One thing that did make me a bit uneasy during his performance was the racial undertones of hokum. Though I enjoyed the songs, some of the dialogue that's part of the songs plays on the stereotype of African-Americans. I don't think it was intentional, rather it draws on the style of songs from that pre-war era but it was something that I thought about after the show.
Still, I really should get his new album Jungle Blues. There are a few other albums I've also been meaning to get next time I go album purchasing.
I have a few more shows over the next few weeks. I'm seeing Darren Hanlon tonight and also have tickets to see School of Seven Bells. I'm planning on going to see the Drones and the Grates at ANU Bar. I'm also contemplating Trail of the Dead, Okkervil River (or Ratatat depending if I'm in Sydney or Canberra that weekend) and Battles.
I'm also excited about the Flaming Lips touring. I have a feeling they'll be Splendour headliners and Splendour will be the weekend between Lollapalooza and Fuji Rock Festival, meaning awesome lineup. Please tour Weezer and Animal Collective.
But yeah...hopefully more regular updates.
