If you noticed a new Spotify playlist on your way to work yesterday, just hangin’ out pretending like it was always there, you’re right – Spotify has introduced a new feature, the Discover Weekly playlist, which wraps up 2 hours of delightful, picked-just-for-you tunes and hand-delivers them fresh on Monday morning each week (which on a dreary Winter Monday goes some way towards making the morning bearable).
Perhaps in response to the widely acclaimed launch of Apple’s new Apple Music (the new and very serious potential usurper of the streaming throne), Spotify have unveiled what might be their best new function yet.
Discover Weekly brings together what Spotify describes as “our best-ever recommendations delivered to you as a weekly mixtape of fresh music… new discoveries and deep cuts, based on what fans are playlisting around the songs you love. It’s like having your best friend make you a personalised mixtape every single week.” Clearly they were creatively interpreting the concept of “best friend” because all this personalisation comes together with just a nifty little computer algorithm, promising to know you better than you know yourself.
Testing the theory, based on my playlist this week (which you can listen to, if you’re so inclined) I got a neat, punchy assortment of tunes, mostly from artists I’d not heard of, which flirted with some of the more unusual nuances of my music taste – a sprinkle of sparkly 80s synth pop, some ambient electronic dance and broader indie pop. Did it feel like a best friend had made it? Well, yeah, kinda – it was creepily good, and struck an impressive balance between introducing me to something new while keeping the familiar threads of my much-loved genres intact. Even better is that Spotify says “the more you listen, the better it gets”, so I’m interested to see what next week’s list includes.
Spotify sometimes creeps in new features from time to time (musical maps as a case in point), but unlike the sneaky manouevre of changing its icon colour (and the subsequent freakout from listeners everywhere), the Discover Weekly playlist is arguably a serious counter-move for rival Apple’s new streaming powerhouse, Apple Music. Apple Music does have a similar feature with its For You section, with the key selling point being its “human touch”; the idea being that algorithms can only go so far, but they need the creativity that people bring to fine-tune them. Equally, Apple Music promises to get better as you listen, making it a question of time to see which playlists end up trumping the other in the “I know you more than your mother does” stakes.
While I remain in the dark as to what funky algorithms and freakishly brilliant software developers collided to create Discover Weekly, we’ve come a long way from the clunky, hopeless likes of Spotify Radio (it’s still kicking around, but it sucked back in the day). These services mark a new age of music discovery, with technology that is sophisticated enough to show us new ways of listening, and can take a real role in shaping our musical preferences. In the 90s, it was taping from the radio and CDs, in the 00s it was Napster and iTunes, and now it’s streaming services who, more than likely, know our next favourite artist before we do.
Words by Monique Hughes and James Tait
Yes, July is well underway and that means that Splendour in the Grass is but a few short weeks away. Everything is booked, you’re buzzing with anticipation. There’s just the small matter of figuring out what to do when you get there. The set times have been released and that means that excitement has turned to solemn consideration, and an ‘oh fuck’ sense of foreboding.
“You’ll get to see us all,” they said. “You’ll have the best time,” they said. Well, festival overlords can be cruel because there’s over 100 artists and 12 stages and inevitably you will have some clashes.
How do you make the right choice?
We’ve got a framework that can help you make the hard decisions. Is a framework a bit too much, you ask? A bit ridiculous, given the whole idea is to run amuck in the sunlight, and give zero shits? Well, I’ve been known to over-plan. It’s served me well before, and I’m here to pass on the good word.
You can thank me later.
1. Stay true to yourself and figure out your non-negotiables:
The acts that made you buy a ticket, the acts that make your heart sing. For me, it’s Client Liaison, Death Cab for Cutie, Years & Years, The Dandy Warhols, Holy Holy, MØ, The Wombats and Jarryd James. Right here, right now, I’m making a commitment to them.
2. Align with your friends:
Sure, you have a list of “nice to haves” right under the “musts”. But generally, it’s not just you making hard choices, but also your crew, and festivals are, for most people, about sharing great times with good people. True friendship isn’t giving you the last sweet potato chip from the veggie man truck, it’s compromising on what you’ll see, and working together to make sure everyone gets to boogie down to their fave. Live music is best when shared, whether that be compromising and catching the last 15 minutes of another act just so you don’t lose each other. In a nutshell, it’s having your friends’ backs and helping each other have an epic time.
3. Know your priorities:
What matters to you most? Certainty: the artists you’ve possibly seen before, but you know give a guaranteed blockbuster show? Variety: mixing up the stages and genres? Brag-worthiness: ticking off the major headliners? Spontaneity: throwing caution to the wind and seeing acts you never expected? People: the music is important, but is it more important to connect with your buddies and create memories with them? It helps to think about what matters to you, so when you have to decide on the day, you can do it with confidence.
4. Take a reality check – there are some logistics and pure survival to plan for:
Of all the pieces of advice, this is certainly the most boring and perhaps obvious. Map out your preferred schedule. Build time in between acts you want to see (we’re making sweeping casual assumptions that you don’t have a jetpack to jump from one stage to another, but yo, hit us up if you do) because it will take time to work your way to the front for an act you want to see. WEAR A WATCH and look at it all the time. You never know when you’re going to find yourself walking past a drum circle that your body will not allow you to not participate in. You could find yourself lost in there for two hours and miss out on some sweet tunes. Also what’s cool is when you, y’know, eat and god knows Splendour has some deeeeelicious food. It’s not a bad idea to eat a mammoth brekkie and lunch to see you through the afternoon, particularly if you’re going to have an alcohol or twenty-three. Pace yourself over the four days: you need to spread the energy and love as much as you can.
5. Remember to have fun:
ALWAYS remember you’re there to have fun first and foremost. Be prepared that things won’t go according to plan, be open to things changing. No one likes that guy who became so overwhelmed with the choices he had to make, and was found whimpering in the corner of the foodstands, rocking back and forth while clutching a miserable gozleme.
Plan all you like, really. It does help, particularly for over-planners like yours truly. But I know that for me, while there are countless artists I’m aching and hoping to see, I really just want to have a swell time with my friends. The fact that I can see some of the best acts around at the moment whilst doing so is just an added bonus.
In late May, Strange Talk started confirming what we’ve long been hoping for, that new music is on the cards, a tour is being lined up, and perhaps even a new Strange Talk sound is going to emerge. It’s been a while since we’ve heard from the Melbourne shiny electro-pop four piece, whose debut album Cast Away blew us away in 2013 with its massive synth riffs, futuristic, glittery keyboard and overall magnetic beats. This week they dropped a taste of new Strange Talk sound to come with Something’s Bout to Change and it’s a banger; drenched with funk, a layered, intense build and a ripping, high-energy hook that will guaren-fucking-tee dance floor manoeuvres, stat. The repetitive lyrics – a simpler approach to what we heard on the album Cast Away – might not be for everyone, but frankly, when everyone’s getting down, who cares? If this is new Strange Talk, then sign me up.
It’s pretty exciting news from the Melbourne boys, who’ve done a smashing job winning over the US market with their irresistible, summery synth-pop vibes. Indeed, it seems the US has a thing for the delightful pop sounds of the Melbourne quartet; they were No.1 on the Billboard Uncharted rankings (with their shiny Phoenix-influenced Climbing Walls), made Billboard’s list of undiscovered talents, and the Huffington Post included them in their article 30 SXSW Acts About to Break after they rocked the music fest in early 2014.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMLxxXCYR1k]
Also, if you thought they sounded familiar, you’re right: they scored a huge coup when Snapchat used their nostalgic (if slightly cheesy) summery pop song Young Hearts for their new update in 2014.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9h30NcVy4E]
With an impeccable pedigree of previous collaborators and producers alike, including Van She Tech and John Fields (of The Presets and Cut Copy), talk of Strange Talk’s new music has us salivating. While we wait, put this immediately on repeat and reminisce about brighter, warmer days filled with glittering sunlight, sand and cider:
Not too long ago we spoke to Danny Harley (aka The Kite String Tangle) about his collaboration with Dustin Tebbutt for Illuminate, a gorgeous piece of dream-pop showcasing Harley and Tebbutt’s tender vocals amongst a wistful soundscape of melodic, warm synths. With the promise of a two-for-one performance featuring Dustin’s achingly pretty folk-pop and Danny’s kaleidoscopic, pared-back electro-pop, I was there with bells on to review the Illuminate LIVE show at The Metro Theatre in Sydney last week.
From the outset, I felt really good about this show. It’s wonderful to see two artists – quite distinct in their respective sounds – display the vulnerability and openness to create something like Illuminate together, and then lend their support to one another to design a live show that allowed them to share both their collaborative and individual work. This feeling of mutual admiration and friendship permeated the entire set and set a wonderful tone for the evening’s show.
With the room already beginning to heave and bulge at the sides, Brisbane support act JOY. (Olivia McCarthy, who we also took photos of recently) kicked off the performance with her delicate, crystal voice, which smoothed over a neat handful of songs including Stone and Weather. She had a slightly awkward stage presence and her voice grappled with commanding the room (hell, she’s only 17), but there was something captivating about her, with all the right things to grow into something marvelous.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtcz1gD47PQ]
Dustin Tebbutt was up next. When he joined the stage, the room bloomed with crimson, soda-orange and purple light, spliced amongst the shadows cast from a backdrop image of icy mountains (perhaps a nod to Sweden, where Dustin lived for two years). His set was simple and captivating; easing through songs like Bones and Honest Hands, with Dustin’s familiar falsetto melting into the rolling, gentle guitar chords. The drums, keyboard and backup harmonies that came with the live set added a new dimension to his songs and provided a structure that helped his sound carry through the room, the vibe of which had softened and felt like an intimate church. Covering TKST’s track Words, as well as new track Where I Find You and crowd-favourite The Breach, Dustin’s gorgeous voice shimmered against articulately delivered guitar. At times he was stripped back and completely acoustic, and others he flirted more strongly with TKST’s gleaming synth backbones, but his performance was a delight throughout.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/100360674″]
Danny (The Kite String Tangle) then emerged and embraced his production box, a space-like cube of synthesisers and microphones, wrapped in blinding strips of kaleidoscopic lights. The mood shifted immediately to an energised, chaotic fever as he delivered his first song What If, a funky assortment of jangling, clankering synthetic percussion that sounded like someone was let loose with drum sticks in an empty prison cell. Songs like What’s the Point? (with its gleaming keyboard), Stone Cold (with JOY. doing a splendid job filling in for Tiana Khasi) and Commotion felt seamless, textured and rich, and overall stronger than his more popular songs like Arcadia and Given the Chance. Danny also did a stunning cover of Dustin’s The Breach, a soaring, amped-up interpretation with scratchy electro beats and a deeper, atmospheric synth base. It was the highlight of his set.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul5NkRKzIkE]
It was then time for Dustin and Danny to take the stage together, first for a cover that everyone but me seemed to recognise (unfortunately Shazam doesn’t work in these situations) but more importantly for their collaboration Illuminate, a flawless amalgamation of their two voices in gorgeous harmony, set amongst a backdrop of flickering lights that hung in the sky like teal stars. Visibly overwhelmed by the reception from the crowd, Danny and Dustin hugged and thanked everyone and left the stage.
As the crowd dissipated I thought, man, more artists should do this; what a great display of camaraderie and friendship. Harley and Tebbutt built and shared the live experience together, and for want of a less clumsy phrase, the sum felt more than the parts.
Fresh off the plane from a whirlwind appearance at Japan’s 24 hour Taico Club festival, we caught Danny Harley, aka The Kite String Tangle, to chat about his collaboration with folk-pop delight Dustin Tebbutt on the single Illuminate, released in late April 2015. With a glistening core steeped in TKST’s distinctive, warm synths, Illuminate is a beautifully produced, melodic piece of electropop, with a rich, layered soundscape and a dreamy emulsion of both Harley and Tebbutt’s choral vocals. On the back of the single, the two have also announced an East Coast tour in June (Illuminate LIVE) as well as a set of limited edition 10″ vinyl splits featuring the gorgeous cover art of Leif Podhajsky and two additional songs, where each artist covers one of the other’s tracks (you can hear a sneak-peek of TKST covering The Breach on the artists’ Facebook pages).
After chatting way back in December, in this interview Danny gave us an update on his experience collaborating with Dustin: what it was like to build Illuminate from “the ground up”, the balance of holding your own creatively and being open to the creation process. Danny also talks to us about what they have planned for the Illuminate LIVE tour, wanting to have a female support act (Brisbane’s gorgeous pop ingenue JOY), who he really wants to collaborate with and his upcoming trip to visit the Northern Lights in Iceland.
As always, a delight to speak to one of Australia’s most exciting electropop artists and celebrate a collaboration that – we hope – isn’t over just yet.
Hi Danny, how’s it going? Are you back in Australia?
Hey there! Yeah I got back yesterday. Things are pretty good, cruisey, I’ve just been tinkering away.
You were just in Japan for the Taico Club Festival. How was it?
It was insane, really good. The Japanese audiences are very different – they’re super polite and attentive, they kind of watch the whole thing and then clap at the end, and they really absorb what you’re doing. It was a nice reception, and a nice mix of people who knew my stuff and people who were hearing it for the first time. It was an insane festival; I can’t believe they don’t have that kind of thing here. It went all the way through the night, it started at 2pm and went through to 2pm the next day – there was no sleeping time. I made it to about 7am but I had to be on a bus at 11am to get back to Tokyo.
That’s pretty hectic. Well, the primary reason for us chatting is to catch up about The Kite String Tangle x Dustin Tebbutt collaboration, Illuminate. Congratulations – it’s a gorgeous track and we think it brings the best out in both your sounds. You must be thrilled with the reception.
Thank you. It’s funny actually, for me it was a project that didn’t really have the pop song structure or anything immediately ‘grabby’ about it, it was just a cool track that was really vibey that I liked, and Dustin liked, and it was more about the process of creating an awesome little song that we both loved. Then when it got added to radio I was a bit baffled by it because I didn’t think it was the kind of song that would do that. I’m stoked with the reception, it’s really cool, and a testament to peoples’ music tastes in Australia that that kind of song can be added.
It sounds like you and Dustin have a great friendship and the collaboration was pretty smooth overall. Reflecting back on when you were going into it, what were you the most excited about and what were you the most unsure about?
Actually we’d only met a couple of times before we got in a room and started producing music. I guess there was a bit of pressure to hold your own creatively, and that’s both exciting and nerve wracking. There was no real ‘bad’ option because we went into it with no specific purpose in mind. We thought, if we got something out of it, cool, if we don’t, no time’s been wasted, so I guess there wasn’t any fear of failure. We went into it completely open and went from there. I had some of the basic structure (a lot of the sounds that you hear at the start, the pittery pattery synth ambience and random sounds) laid out from something I had been working on that wasn’t right for just me alone, so we laid that out and started working on it, and it turned into what it is now. We built it from the ground up from there.
You’ve got an incredible ability to capture feelings of nostalgia and the complexities of romance through your lyrics. Can you describe some of the key themes that Illuminate aimed to capture and how you and Dustin wrote the lyrics together?
I’ve never written lyrics with someone else before so it was kind of strange because Dustin and I, having only met a couple of times, had to get into a process that we both found quite personal. So it was interesting writing lyrics with someone else for the first time. We didn’t base it on anything too close to ourselves but it was something that we could both relate to that we could extrapolate from. The theme was exploring a blossoming relationship and the start of some of the complications that come with that.
I was watching the visualiser and reflecting on how electronic music can be quite visual, even some of the words we use to describe it are visual (sparkly, glittering, etc.) and the name Illuminate is quite visual. Given this idea of the ‘visual’ side of the song, can you tell us more about the cover art and the visualiser? Were you trying to represent the essence of the track?
Sexy cover art for TKST x DT ‘lluminate
Totally. The cover art was actually done by Leif Podhajsky. He’s one of my favourite album artists and I was really stoked we could get him onboard to do the art. He did the art for Bonobo’s The North Borders and a bunch for Tame Impala, some really impressive visual art. For this particular artwork we got a whole bunch of options and Dustin and I really resonated with this one. Visually it had a lot going on which was representative of the track for us, lots of little bits and pieces and glimmery little morsels. The visualiser was something that we wanted to do so it wasn’t a static picture. Something that Dustin said, which I hadn’t really thought about, is that it kind of ‘switches your brain off’ – there’s something happening to distract you but it’s not totally engaging in a way where it distracts you from listening. It’s a nice thing to have that gets you to think about the music more.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsowSrJmP0c&w=560&h=315]
You and Dustin have the Illuminate LIVE Tour coming up in June. I love that you’re designing the shows to highlight both your collaborative work as well as your independent stuff. Two for one, we like a lot. What do you think will be different about this tour?
This will be the first time I’m not performing solo, I’ll have a drummer with me which is cool and the first time I’ve ever done that. We’ll be doing the collaboration with my drummer, Dustin’s band and Dustin himself. It will be a fun collaborative energy towards the end of the set. You’ll have to let me know how it is!
Definitely, it will be great. Can you tell us about the choice of JOY. as your support act? (PS – check out our photo shoot with JOY. here)
Dustin and I know her from Brisbane. We both wanted a female support act to give it a balance and dynamic, and she’s pretty amazing. She does a lot of dancey stuff, and so do I, and I also do a lot of sombre stuff, so I think it’ll be great for her to be able to explore that side of things as well.
In the theme of Illuminate, we were thinking about how humans love lights, we’re attracted to them like moths to a flame. We’re going to give you a list of some of the most famous night lights in the world and you have to pick which one you want to see in person and why. The options are: a) NYE fireworks in Times Square, New York b) the Northern Lights in Scandinavia c) the Eiffel Tower at night d) heading to outback Australia and being able to see the stars and of course, e) Vivid Sydney.
Definitely lock in b) ‘Aurora Borealis’, for sure. It was my birthday a little while ago and my girlfriend got me a package to go to Iceland in a year or two – so it’s a long term project – but it’s one of those things we’ve always wanted to do. Huge goal of mine.
We know you haven’t crossed out the option of collaborating with Dustin again so we’ll definitely keep our fingers crossed for that in the future. Are there other artists you’d love to collaborate with?
Totally. I really like working with other producers and also with other artists (as a producer), so it leaves me really open to collaborate. If it was an open skies conversation I’d love to work with producer Jon Hopkins (who did a lot of work with Brian Eno), he’s my number one guy I’d want to work with. He’s got an insane grasp on sound and texture and everything he releases blows my mind.
Well it’s been a big year for you and sounds like it’s only getting bigger with your latest US tour announcement, really exciting. Good luck on the upcoming Illuminate LIVE Tour and thanks for chatting today!
Thanks – see you then!
Here are the details for the (very sadly SOLD OUT shows)
Sat 20 June – Brisbane – The Triffid
www.oztix.com.au 1300 762 545
Thur 25 June – Sydney – The Metro
www.ticketek.com.au 1300 795 012
Fri 26 June – Melbourne – 170 Russell
www.170russell.com 1300 724 867
Sunday 10 May 2015 is Mother’s Day and we, the Howl & Echoes gang, wanted to take a moment to wish our Mums – and all Mums – a Happy Mother’s Day. Mother-figures come in all shapes and sizes; some are biological Mums, Aunts or Grandmothers, some are Step Parents or Foster Parents and some don’t quite neatly fit into any of the above categories. Regardless, these beautiful people are the ones that played an enormous role in loving us, caring for us and shaping us into the people we are today. So to all Mums out there, new or old, have a swell Mother’s Day and we are sending you the biggest emoji love hearts and hugs.
To pay tribute to these lovely people, the H&E gang thought it would be fun to go back to where it all began, find out a little more about our dear Mums and ask them questions about all things music – we’re talking first gigs, favourite albums, pre-natal musical influences and bra-flingingly* good band crushes (*I’m taking creative licence here, the H&E Mums didn’t get nude as far as we know).
David Cassidy. Always.
Before we begin, I don’t want to alarm you, but we have a pretty trendy set of Mums here at H&E. Sneaking into discos and concerts at 16 years old, hitting up music festivals like Splendour in the Grass and mad sexy crushes on David Cassidy are all par for the course with these rock’n’roll Mums, whose favourites (more often than not) included U2, Elton John, Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac. So, if you’re reading this, whip up some pancakes for Mum’s brekkie in bed on Mother’s Day, sit down, read and enjoy. Happy Mother’s Day!
PS – our lovely Evangeline recently did a beautiful tribute to her Mum for our Flashback Friday series, well worth a read.
Andrew and his Mum Julie
What was the first band you remember really loving?
Probably The Police, but that was because I saw them in concert. There was music I enjoyed a lot before The Police, but it was based on the music rather than the band, you know?
How do you think your taste in music has changed as you’ve gotten older? Do you think it has changed?
A little bit! I think actually you’ve been a great influence for me. I probably wouldn’t have listened to that kind of music unless you’d introduced me to it. I’ve always liked something with a good beat that I can have a bit of a dance to [bops head to indicate dancing, apparently]. Something that makes me feel happy inside.
And who is your favourite artist at the moment?
Ooh, gosh… I want to say SAFIA, because I’ve liked all of their stuff I’ve heard so far. And I’m excited to be seeing them in concert, at the festival (Splendour in the Grass). I’ve never been to a musical festival before, only concerts!
What’s your best concert memory?
I haven’t been to that many, to be honest. The Police [laughs], because that was the first concert I had ever been to. I went with my cousin and her friends, and I felt really grown up because I was still at school – I was 16 – and they’re two years older than me, so they were in their first year of uni.
I went to stay at Leeds University and we went to a Police concert, it was very exciting! I couldn’t believe how many people were there, and people were fainting, and they were passing the bodies – well, they weren’t dead – over the sea of people. I was so close to the front, as well; I was about four or five rows back. The music just filled my whole being; it was such a great atmosphere.
Who do you think has influenced your music tastes the most?
Well, my friends, the media… I used to go to nightclubs a lot from the age of about 16. Of course I shouldn’t have been in nightclubs then, but I was – don’t tell your sister! It was just dependent on what music was played. I didn’t go looking for music, not like you do.
You’ve lived through six different decades now… Which of those has had the best music, in your opinion?
Bloody hell! Do you have to remind me? Well, I don’t really remember the ‘60s – but the best was the 1980s! But that might just be because of the age I was then. I mean you might look back and think this last decade was the best for music because that’s perhaps when you appreciate music most. At that age you’ve got more time to listen to music. In the ‘90s I was busy having babies and in the ‘00s I was busy working to try and earn money for them!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMOGaugKpzs]
Claudia and her Mum Viv
What is the first record that you owned?
I think it was Jethro Tull’s Aqualung. It had some quite shocking words that I hoped my mother didn’t notice when I played it in her car. I think I just liked to think I was a bit cool you know? I would always ask people if they liked Alice Cooper and when they’d say, “I don’t know who she is,” I’d think ugh you’re so lame you don’t even know Alice Cooper is a man. And the first seven single I has was Lola by The Kinks.
Ok, so what is your favourite concert memory?
I guess it was going to Paul Simon’s Graceland tour. I saw him in Birmingham and he had South African musicians onstage in the height of Apartheid, when they were banned in South Africa. People like Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Hugh Masekela, and he took that South African music to an international audience before anyone else.
Whats your favourite artist or album?
That’s really hard, I’ve got so many I love – Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Leonard Cohen, Fleetwood Mac, Cream, Rodriguez, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jack Johnson.
I think The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd is probably one of my favourite albums. Also Supertramp’s Breakfast in America. When my convent went to Europe when I was 15 we listened to Rodriguez’ I Wonder. I probably loved it because of all the risqué words.
You know I used to be naughty and hitchhike to the disco’s and my favourite song they’d play there was Take a Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed.
What did you play when I was in your tummy?
I listened to all sorts of music Clauds. I guess it was 1991, so probably still music from the eighties. (I then read to her some of the top artists of 1991, in an attempt to jog her memory) No not any of those, they were far too mainstream for me.
What band member did you have a crush on growing up?
We never saw videos because we grew up without television so the first time I saw music on video was Woodstock. I can’t think who I liked though. I always thought Roger Daltrey was pretty nice. I also really liked Donovan at one point when I was a young teenager. You know who else I thought was pretty gorgeous was Peter Frampton, I had a double LP of his. (Rings back later) When I was about four I said I would marry Elvis Presley.
What current music do you love? This is a good question for you because you think you’ve got pretty trendy taste don’t you?
I don’t think I’m trendy. I like Lana del Rey a lot, I just love her music. Mumford and Sons, is that too cheesy to say? I like Tame Impala because I think they sound like the Beatles. I do also really like Milky Chance and Mazzy Star.
(The interview ended with my mum singing House of the Rising Sun to me and saying something about the Black Eyed Peas.)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I_T3XvzPaM]
Danielle and her Mum Leonie
What is your favourite concert memory?
Probably the Dire Straits when they toured North Queensland – I went with your dad and we were in our mid-twenties. As we were going into the arena we were about less than a meter away from Mark Knopfler as he was walking in. I also really loved Kiss and Motley Crue on their latest tour – even managed to run into Vince Neil who gave us backstage passes.
Who’s your favourite artist?
I listen to a lot of stuff, Queen – I mean, Freddie Mercury was brilliant, he was an absolutely fantastic, all-round entertainer. I really like Elton John, another really good performer and song writer. Elvis’ later stuff, U2 and Creedence Clearwater Revival.
What did you play when I was in your tummy?
The Beach Boys, Madonna, a lot of Roxette, Blue Eyes by Elton John and If I Could by 1927.
What band member did you have a crush on growing up?
I think the drummer from Sherbet but I can’t remember his name (Alan Sandow)… Also, when I was growing up, The Partridge Family used to be on TV so David Cassidy was a bit of a heartthrob as well.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIufLA7Bx2Q]
Emma, her Mum Clare and her Step Mum Linda
I was lucky enough to be raised by two mothers – my mother, and my step mother. Each have been vital in helping me become who I am and I couldn’t imagine life without either of them. (Curly hair, loving life and probably laughing at one of her children – Linda, step mother; Sassy lady killing it in power pose – Clare, mother)
Clare, Emma’s Mum
What was the first concert you went to?
Fleetwood Mac, the first time I saw them. I had just started working when I was 17 and I took my Dad with my first pay. We didn’t actually get to sit together, we sat on opposite sides of the aisle but we had the best time ever!
What is your favourite artist or album?
That’s hard but I’m going to have to say… Paul Kelly. No particular album. All. Probably. Also Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours.
What did you play when I was in your tummy?
A mix of Crowded House… And there definitely would have been some Kylie in there *laughs* Early Kylie! Sorry Em
What band member did you have a crush on?
From the very early stages, my very first crush would have been Daryl Braithwaite from Sherbert and to this day, I still hold that crush. I have also been known to stalk him at the Livewire. My friends and I go every time he plays. I’m seriously getting him to play at my 55th birthday party, he’s only $5000 – worth it Emma, so worth it! He’ll just come and play an acoustic set for us… I wonder if he has a tambourine?
Linda, Emma’s step mum
What was your first concert memory?
I went and saw Dire Straits and I had to sneak out because I didn’t want my mother to know.
Favourite artist or album?
The Rolling Stones. I have lots of favourite albums though…. Probably Tattoo You.
What did you play when Andrew (my brother) was in your tummy?
I played Mozart and Vivaldi, and I also used to play Coldplay.
What band member did you have a crush on?
*looks at me in shock* Keith Richards, of course! And Leif. Garrett.
Who is that…?
He was just a hottie!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EmSanSFXEM]
Jess and her Mum Antoinette
What were your top five artists when you were my age?
In my 20’s my top five were Pseudo Echo, Bon Jovi, the Bee Gees, Witney Hudson and Lionel Richie. I liked all the pop artists. Oh, Caribbean Queen by Billy Ocean. Yes, I liked him too.
What kinds of thing influenced your taste in music at the time?
Well, it was the 80’s so there were things like big hair and fashion trends that influenced what was in music-wise. When I was even younger, it would have been ABBA. I liked what everybody else was listening to.
What did you think of the type of music your mum listened to?
I didn’t mind that because we grew up with it in the family. Nonno used to listen to it as well. It was all Italian songs, mostly old ones like The Tarantella and there were more modern ones as well. There was Ricchi e Poveri, that was a band they used to like. They used to put the records on and we’d all listen together. It was more traditional music though.
What’s your fondest music memory?
When we used to go to family’s houses, the kids used to get together and do the dance from Grease. The one to ‘You’re The One That I Want’. That’s what I remember whenever I hear the music from Grease.
What do you think of today’s music?
I like some of it. I don’t like head banging music, but I like some of the modern songs. I like that one that Sam, what’s his name? Sam Smith. Yeah, the one Sam Smith sings. That one. I like King. I can’t remember who sings that one. I saw the video today, it was good. I also like Five Seconds Of Summer. That’s about it.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_uoH6hJilc]
Lauren and her Mum Carolyn
What was your first concert?
Elton John in either 1973 or ‘74. At the Randwick Racecourse – absolutely fabulous. We did have Marcia Hines come and sing at out school, but I think that was probably ‘75 or ‘76. We also had a teacher, a maths teacher, who played Jazz so he and his jazz band came and played at our school, Geoff Bull’s Jazz Band. I remember them all. Of course we did have a music teacher who introduced music to us, none of which made an impact.
What was your favourite concert memory?
I have 2. I loved the Elton John concert. The way he came out wearing an outfit covered in balls, they were attached to his costume with straight flexible wires. It was not just music, it was a whole show. There was a whole story to him. I loved it. The weather was amazing, I was with a couple of friends, but the whole massive audience was all set an one, we were a massive collective fan base and we all enjoyed the music together. With talent, excitement, and wonderful music, it was 100% memorable. I loved it.
Another was about 1978. Bette Midler played Sydney at a theatre. We had great seats and she came out dressed as a mermaid in a large oyster shell, she was the kind of pearl, but remember she was dressed as a mermaid. Her incredible music was catchy and familiar. We loved her. Everyone felt comfortable singing along. Same as the other concert, everyone was happy and enjoying it as one. The music was so memorable and I loved it.
Who was your favourite artist?
I loved Elton John the most growing up (after my young David Cassidy phase,) Bette Midler, Cher, The Beatles, also Paul McCartney as a soloist, and Ringo too. Neil Diamond, Aretha Franklin, Barbara Streisand, Rod Stewart, Billy Joel… And also enjoyed The Monkees, and Davy Jones in particular. They were a band purely put together for a TV show, and they were meant to compete with the Beatles. They were good and many of the individual stars had their own story. One was in a a show with an elephant called Circus Boy, another… his mother invented white out.
What music did you play when I was in your belly?
I am not sure how much music I played specifically to you, but you were no doubt surrounded by Elton John, and much of the above music. I sang to you too, just fun stuff. I wasn’t very well, I had terrible morning sickness with both of you and it was not conducive to putting on music at times.
Who did you have a crush on?
The band I loved most was the Partridge Family, and yes I adored David Cassidy. They were a family band, and David Cassidy played the oldest son. He was super cute at the time. Then the Monkees and Beatles.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHwVBirqD2s]
Monique and her Mum Jennie
What is your favourite concert memory?
My first and best concert memory was going to see Carlos Santana when I was 16. I would’ve worn denim jeans and a nice white T-shirt and I went with my friend Debbie who was adventurous. I don’t know how my parents let me go – you could smell marijuana in the bathrooms – but it was so amazing, and I remember we were dancing down the front. The music was heavily flavoured with guitar. (?) I’ve also been to Simon and Garfunkel, Andrea Bocelli, Celine Dion and Elton John.
What’s your fave artist or album?
I love Alan Parsons I Robot and Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon. Money is my favourite song from that album, but I also love It’s a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong.
What did you play when I was in your tummy?
Anything 80s – Phil Collins and U2.
Hmmm… That might explain my obsession with 80s music.
What band member did you have a crush on growing up?
I loved David Cassidy and the Drummer from the Monkees when I was 16.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpbbuaIA3Ds]
Ruby-Rose and Mum Karen
What was your first live music experience?
I can’t remember my first big, big concert. [Long pause]. It might have been a free show at the Myer Music Bowl with The Sports and…. The Angels? Otherwise it was David Bowie at the MCG in the pissing down rain.
And your favourite?
There are too many. U2… Pink Floyd was a bit special. Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. Joan Armatrading is up there – I’ve seen her twice now. Simply Red. Santana was great. Apart from the drum solos that went on and on. Blondie at the Palais. I think [Chilean Latin American folk music ensemble] Inti-Illimani were pretty special. [Chilean folk/Andean music ensemble] Illapu get better every time. Jethro Tull was pretty great. Yeah. I think Pink Floyd. I never thought I would see that music performed live.
What about let downs?
It’s a shame I didn’t see The Cure when they were here last. I don’t know why we didn’t do that. Eric Clapton was shit. I regret not seeing Fleetwood Mac or Bob Marley ever in my life. I’m contemplating going this year even though I think it might be tragic.
Do you have a favourite band?
I don’t think I have a favourite band. I like lots of things. Fleetwood Mac – I listen to it [their album Rumors] every day. Maybe it’s my favourite album, not my favourite band. I was pretty impressed with U2 for a while but I think they’ve lost the plot.
You haven’t mentioned Aretha Franklin at all…
Oh! Yes! And you know who I used to listen to a lot? Nina Simone.
Did you have any major musical crushes growing up?
Um [long pause] Rod Stewart and Rick Springfield. But only for a little while!
No one else?
Stevie Nicks – but I wanted to be her, I didn’t want to fuck her. But all the boys wanted to fuck her, which is probably why all the girls wanted to be her. Are you gonna write that?
Yes.
[Shrugs] It’s true. I guess that’s probably why they were such a successful rock band.
Did you feel the same about Debbie Harry?
No. I liked Debbie Harry – had an appreciation of her style. I admired her.
What contemporary artists do you like?
None they all suck. No [laughs] I dunno. I don’t even know who, what, they are on the radio. I like The Panics. Very much. I don’t mind the ones from Byron Bay…
…Angus and Julia Stone?
Yeah! Um … Architecture in Helsinki. I don’t like Beyoncé. Artic Monkeys are clever. Los Lobos. I like them. I don’t mind The Killers. They’re contemporary, aren’t they?
Kind of.
The one where he goes to the prostitute and the shooting range or something?
[Mystery Jets album] Radlands?
Yes!
Is there anything you think we’ve missed?
I would like to see Nana Mouskouri. Your dad laughed at me… I’m fucking old you see, I have all these things to remember. I’m not answering the questions properly.
That’s okay.
But I think that’s enough from boring old me. That’s just a list of my rantings. My reminiscences.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gSKeCvSCpw]
Crystal Castles, which you’ll probably recognise as the goth synthpunk unison of singer Alice Glass (a vision of smeared lipstick and eye-engulfing black eyeliner) and songwriter/producer Ethan Kath, has been quiet since their 2012 release III. Famous for their ethereal, haphazardly lo-fi electronica and haunting, immersive stage shows (not to mention infamous for their overtly misanthropic lyrics and enigmatic media personalities,) Crystal Castles were endlessly intriguing when they hit the scene.
In late 2014, fans were gutted to hear Alice Glass’ unexpected announcement that she would be leaving the band and launching a solo career. The cryptic message accompanying the announcement, which cited Glass’ inability to fully realise her self-expression as part of the band, signaled some unrest between the former bandmates and paved the way for what has been a very strange set of exchanges between Kath and Glass, played out on social media over the past few weeks.
On April 17, Kath released a new song, Frail, on SoundCloud accompanied by a not-too subtle jab at his former bandmate: “I wish my former vocalist the best of luck in her future endeavours… It should be rewarding for her considering she didn’t appear on Crystal Castles’ best known songs.” Ouch. The message was since deleted, but not before Glass retorted with a retaliation of her own: “For the record, I wrote almost all of the lyrics in my former band and the vast majority of the vocal melodies… manipulative statements about my contributions to the band only reinforce the decision I made to move on to other things.” Part of the mystery of what-the-fuck-happened-there was solved with Kath’s response to a Pitchfork interview, where he (somewhat) backtracked on the snarky comments and added new comments about Glass’ departure. Kath relayed Glass’ reasoning for leaving CC because, “she was ready to ‘own her own darkness’” (an answer so perfectly representative of Glass that it makes my stomach hurt) and described how she broke things off: “After her year off, she tweeted that she was leaving. There was no discussion about it.” You have to feel a little bad for Kath if that’s really how it went down.
Cryptic code words and embedded hidden meanings aside, (which let’s face it, kind of add to the whole mystique that CC always embodied) three things are for sure:
- There’s more Crystal Castles on the way: Fuck. Yes. In the Pitchfork interview Kath acknowledged that he was making new material: “Frail was recorded recently and released as a message that we are in studio writing and recording a new album.” Kath also confirmed the mystery female vocalist: “A girl named Edith.” (Yep, Edith No-Name – we don’t know more than that.)
- If the new album as good as this teaser tune, it’ll be freaking awesome. Frail (listen on SoundCloud) will give you a vein-ripping shot of classic Crystal Castles, with thrashing, headache-inducing synth and chaotic pitched vocals that – yes – sound eerily like Glass.
- Glass will also release new material soon, evidently embracing the aforementioned “darkness” as part of her own solo act. Though there’s no word as to when exactly it’s coming out, unsurprisingly, it’s going to be impossibly dark, with Glass describing it as being “Like a kitten eating their hoarding owners after they die.” Lovely.
Die-hard Crystal Castles fans the world over will be waiting with bated-breath to see what darkness is unleashed from the ruins of the former Crystal Castles pair.
Listen to Frail below:
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/201041378″]
We’ve been ears to the ground, noses in the air, to stay close to story of Jay-Z’s new, premium music streaming service Tidal. Since launching in late March, the mega-star-backed rival to Spotify has had its fair share of drama and is making waves for both right and wrong reasons. While we wait eagerly for stats showing consumer uptake of Tidal, let’s recap on the latest news for the fledgling music service.
A music service by artists, for artists?
The main gripe with Tidal, as we know, was the circle-jerk of multi-millionaire artists (such as ‘Yonce, Jack White, Daft Punk and Alicia Keys) pleading with us on-stage to re-instate rightful reward for recording artists by shelling out a little more of our hard-earned dosh each month, for (momentarily) exclusive content and hi-def, ‘lossless’ audio. For pretty much everyone, it left a bad taste in our mouths, with few managing to really engage with Jay-Z’s grand vision. Frontman Marcus Mumford from British folk band Mumford & Sons pushed back against the service, saying: “We wouldn’t have joined it anyway, even if they had asked. We don’t want to be tribal… when they say it’s artist-owned, it’s owned by those rich, wealthy artists.” Death Cab for Cutie singer Ben Gibbard and Lily Allen also shared their distaste for the service, with Allen tweeting: “My concern is that Tidal may set emerging artists back.”
Streamlining, leveraging, consolidating, firing… wait, what?
Sadly, Tidal’s problems don’t end with a bit of flack from other artists – with the recent news that Tidal sliced 25 of its employees in a move towards “streamlining resources to ensure talent is maximized to enhance the customer experience” (a vague piece of business wank-speak, which, being a Management Consultant, is lost even on me) and at the same time dropping CEO Andy Chen in the process. Former CEO Peter Tonstad has (albeit temporarily) stepped up to the plate, no doubt to position Tidal for the next wave of offerings for its clientele, and “change the status quo”.
Murmurs on the horizon for Apple’s rival service ready to challenge Spotify, Tidal
Apple gave a hint of its imminent challenge to Spotify and Tidal with its latest software release, where, embedded among the updates was a new music app with a new look. Turns out Tidal isn’t the only one trying to woo big-name artists, with Kanye West, Taylor Swift and Florence and the Machine rumoured to be in talks with Apple about possible partnerships.
Unique, digital customer experiences and initiatives to support indie artists
Despite its challenges, Tidal is continuing to push the boundaries, exploring new corners of the streaming world and engaging customers in unique ways, with exclusive, digital concerts (known as Tidal X, featuring the likes of Demi Lovato and J.Cole) and even calling subscribers to thank them. Perhaps best of all, Tidal are launching initiatives to support up-and-coming, indie artists, which is music to our ears. When recently interviewed, Tidal exec Vania Schlogel discussed two initiatives, Tidal Rising (“Tidal Rising is basically that human element of bringing forward indie and emerging artists and giving them visibility as they grow their fanbases.”) and Tidal Discovery (“a way for independent and emerging artists to upload their music directly and be seen and heard.”), with a view of giving creative control and distribution power back into the hands of the artists.
You have to hand it to Jay-Z – he’s giving it a good old college-try. And while I’m still not going to fork out for Tidal, I respect his disruptive moves and desire to create a new and better digital experience for users. Plus, anything that will support greater visibility and a recognition for indie musicians has my vote.
So, what do you think? Are you a Tidal-waver? (Sorry.) Are the exclusives really worth the hype? Do your ears feel silkier and sexier now you’re being treated to ‘lossless’ audio? Let us know.
Stay tuned and we’ll keep you up to date as the Tidal-wave unfolds.
There’s a new player in the music streaming scene, and that badboy is Tidal, Jay-Z’s relaunched music streaming service which is poised to shake up Spotify’s grip on the market, or at the very least, stimulate about a week’s worth of intense debate about the ethics of music streaming and the how we pay for our ‘digital art’. If you’ve lived under a rock the past few days, let us bring you up to speed. Basically, Jay-Z decided to drop $54 mil on a tiny Norweigan streaming service and its parent company Aspiro and turn it into Tidal, the “first artist-owned global music and entertainment platform”. Tidal launched with a fanfare of A-list supporters (Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, Coldplay, Kanye West, Arcade Fire, Jack White and Daft Punk to name a few), some of the lamest sentences uttered in human history (“bringing humanity back to being artists” – WTF?) and not to mention a shudder-worthy social campaign (No Kanye, I will not be making my profile picture blue and hashtagging #TIDALforALL. You’re drunk.) Tidal’s promise is “high-fidelity sound, high definition music videos and expertly curated editorial”. It’s been two days, and already there are people from either camp rattling their fists at each other and debating the viability of the service.
The key ‘selling points’ of Tidal are:
- Better dosh for the musos: The artists own the music themselves, apparently through equity in Tidal, giving them a bigger cut of the pie
- A two-tier pricing model (that’s on the exxy side): $9.99 a month for a basic subscription, and $19.99 a month for high-definition, CD-quality ‘lossless’ audio (and no free tier a-la Spotify’s free-plus-ads service – so Swifty, kindly heel your frothing-at-the-mouth lawyers)
- Exclusive content: there’s some decent, can’t-find-it-anywhere-else content (all of Swift’s catalogue, plus exclusives from Jack White, Arcade Fire and Daft Punk to name a few) with more promised in the future (it seems that dealing in exclusives is a strategy favoured by Jay-Z, who released his last album Magna Carta Holy Grail exclusively for Samsung Galaxy Users before anyone else could hear it)
- There’s a great blog section (interestingly, mostly written by freelancers) with interviews from Courtney Barnett, Modest Mouse and Jimmy Page, guides to SXSW and more (but for now, this is freely accessible.)
So far so good, right? Putting aside the fact that it’s a bunch of the biggest names in music essentially engaged in one big circle-jerk, it’s all fine and noble. Yes, it’s great that artists will get paid more for their contributions – but it’s some of the biggest artists in the world we’re talking about here, and it’s likely a case of ‘the rich get rich, and the poorer get poorer’. The extent to which artists will be paid more is unclear and anecdotal right now, and in any case, Spotify doesn’t appear to be quite the cheapskate we thought it was (remember the Spotify-didn’t-pay-Swifty-enough saga, which has been revealed to be a bit of a numbers game.)
It’s not clear how independent and new artists will be supported and promoted on Tidal and we’d really like to see Jay-Z leverage his influence to create a platform that benefits aspiring artists, not just Rihanna and Calvin Harris. In a nutshell, it feels like a bunch of celebrities patting themselves on the back for being humble and awesome, but ultimately doing something that’s self-serving – creating a premium service for premium pay, for premium people.
Putting aside the exclusive content and the ‘artists getting better paychecks’ argument, Tidal’s key differentiator is its high-definition, ‘lossless’ audio. So does it really justify the price tag? Well, the average person, using the average headphones, realistically won’t be able to tell the difference (that’s pretty much the bulk of us.) There is hope for audiophiles (the kind of people who’ll drop $10k on a home stereo set-up,) where with the right equipment, the CD-quality audio apparently delivers. Interestingly, this premium offering has some market-experts thinking that Tidal is aiming to compete around, rather than with Spotify, creating an aspirational brand for its ‘I’ll have the best and nothing but the best’ listeners.
But let’s come back to these “exclusive releases.” What’s exclusive in 2015, anyway? Word on the street is that the Daft Punk exclusive 2006 video, Electroma, was already available on YouTube, and for the truly dedicated, pretty much anything can be downloaded in some work-around, dodgy way about 3 seconds after a first release online. Unless they start taking away more from Spotify (say, if Random Access Memories or the White Stripes discography was removed,) the exclusives may not be a massive drawcard for Tidal.
Tidal is intriguing, but it hasn’t really given us a good enough reason to pay more for music and make the effort to migrate from Spotify or other streaming services – yet. That said, there’s a lot of potential in Tidal and we’re interested to see where it goes next, particularly if we can see it using its leverage to support up-and-coming artists (say, through interesting strategies like microfunding and crowdsourcing,) using socials in new and interesting ways (allowing the Tidal community to engage with artists and other users seamlessly and in real-time,) offering a flawless, high quality user experience with the application itself, as well as genuinely compelling offerings (exclusives that really push the boundaries and get us excited, like some Netflix Original releases.)
With Spotify’s first-mover-advantage and its existing, 15 million user-strong footing in the market, ultimately it comes down to time, and how compelling Tidal’s value proposition is, to see whether it begins to pull users from Spotify and make a real niche for itself. So watch this space.
For now, it’s back to my Taylor Swift-less Spotify. Swifty, you and Tidal may have won this round – but next time you have a hit song out that I want to listen to, as a child of the 80s, so help me God if it comes to it I’ll pull out my old tape recorder and tape your latest hit from the radio. You have been warned.
It was a cool Saturday night in Sydney, and little boys and girls donned their most retro pastels and filed into the incomparable Oxford Art Factory ready to jive to the luscious synth-heaven of Melbourne-duo Client Liaison. The cavernous, nearly empty venue was like an ice box when we first arrived and it left me wondering why the venue felt the need to chill us like a prawn cocktail. Well, I figured that out later on, when the dancefloor became an entangled mess of sweaty, dancing hipsters who downright clambered all over each other to be in the same breathing space as Monte Morgan and Harvey Miller, who were in Sydney as part of their Pretty Lovers tour (and if you missed our interview with Harvey, check it out here.)
Starting the night off was Wrooks (Geordie Miller, also Client Liaison’s guitarist and the brother of Harvey,) who delivered a simple, satisfying introduction (with a hint of Client Liaison woven in through a mix of Feeling,) and while it was run-of-the-mill electronica, it served as a pleasant backdrop to the evening’s early conversations. With the room starting to bulge in anticipation, Sydney dance-quartet Retiree was up and managed to get people swaying with a surprisingly refined set full of moderated synth and subtle tribal percussion. In the context of Client Liaison’s unapologetically ostentatious glamour and vibrant pop, Retiree did feel like an odd support act, and never quite tipped over into generating full-on dance moves from the audience – but it was a solid performance that had nods all-round from my friends.
It wasn’t long before plumes of purple and blooms of pink smoke curled out from behind ebony curtains, as Client Liaison (accompanied by Geordie Miller on guitar and Tom Tilley on bass) stepped forward to embrace the panicked fever of the audience. Pitch-perfect renditions of Free of Fear and Feeling well and truly had the audience moving. And I mean moving. In fact, it was the kind of pushing and shoving generally reserved for acts with, shall we say, way more grit than the disco-bright pop-emulsion that Client Liaison delivers. It was genuinely hard to stand upright.
Sassy, ‘fitness-instructor’ dancers, clad in pink, black and molten-gold leotards, soon arrived on the stage and with Monte’s liquid motions, created a visual feast of sensual movement and light. It’s true that when Monte is on the stage, he’s knee-weakeningly commanding (despite the pastiche of 80s paraphernalia being funnelled to me on screens, like parliament house in the days of Keating, and the beloved Ansett Australia airline,) and although a touch too stern in his expression, Morgan’s voice is perfection; with enough femininity and youth to make it relatable, delivered with razor-sharp precision.
For me, only two songs fell flat – Rain (a Retiree mix) and Christine Anu’s respectably covered, mid-90s Aussie dance-them Party. I think people thought it was cool, but for me it just wasn’t necessary, juxtaposed with Client Liaison’s near-perfect, small backlog.
Soaring highs were reached with the tour-leading track Pretty Lovers, with its not all-together real, but-didn’t-really-care saxophone solo sending the audience into a tail-spin, and the ballad Queen, which glistened with sparkly keyboard and had the audience echoing Morgan’s lyrics as he strained towards them. Undeniably good, too, were the spirited Groove the Physical and the pulsating, dark-disco of the encore act of End of the Earth, which was spliced with samples of INXS’ Need You Tonight (a fucking stellar manoeuvre if you ask me.) Morgan and Miller finished the set on a high, with Morgan initially changing into an appropriately camp glitter jacket and then ending up shirtless, all skin and bones and dark curls, but still insanely desirable as he gyrated towards the last few moments of the set. With End of the Earth fading into silence amongst the cheers from the audience, Morgan blew a kiss and it was over.
My first time seeing Client Liaison, the disco-darlings lived up to my expectations and then some – what a fucking epic performance it was. Perhaps it was that they had been rained out the night before (what was initially thought to be an act of vandalism that stopped the set halfway through, actually was a case of sprinklers accidentally being set-off, leaving fans in despair and quite fairly unfulfilled), but the energy in the room on Saturday night reached fever-pitch time and time again as Client Liaison performed. I left the concert in ear-ringing bliss, damp all over from the sweaty dance-mess I’d just been a part of, and reluctantly let the cool night air into my lungs as I left what was, frankly, an amazing gig. It goes without saying, but please do pay those boys a visit sometime.
Check out Client Liaison with End of the Earth here, and if you want a little more, check out our photos of CL live with Flight Facilities!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvTSGyogzl8]