Half way through, Duran rendered a version of Warm Leatherette. After that, for all I cared, the roof could have fallen in and the show would have rated:

2008 Thursday April 3 Jesus and Mary Chain (Palace Melbourne):

The gig lasted longer than 20 minutes and there was no riot. JAMC didn’t do anything at all, except walk on, play tunes, and walk off again. But what tunes they were.



(See also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFrMcJpLr0Q courtesy of Fitzroyalty).

2008 Saturday April 5 V-Festival Melbourne: Jesus and Mary Chain, Duran Duran, Smashing Pumpkins, Presets, Didn’t see Glass Candy, alas…

2008 Saturday April 5 V-Festival Melbourne Duran Duran:

2008 Thursday May 8 John Foxx (The Corner, and ACMI)

Brilliant. Something to aspire to…

2008 Saturday June 7 Stephan Bodzin (Brown Alley):

The future came to Melbourne for one night. It’s name was Stephan Bodzin…

2008 Interpol (Festival Hall):

Great tunes, but a slightly flat gig, I felt…



2008 January 28: Big Day Out: (Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne): LCD Soundsystem (highlight of the day), Bjork, Pnau, Billy Bragg, Unkle, Carl Cox:

2008 January 28: Big Day Out: Bjork:

This gig seemed to be half about a large a rather entertaining if slightly anachronistic looking horn section, and half about touch screen MIDI controllers. Bjork somehow brought it all together.



2008 January 28: Big Day Out: Unkle:

Seeing Unkle was something like what I imagine it would be like to have seen The Cure circa Disintegration, if with somewhat more video projection…



2008 January 28: Big Day Out: Pnau:

It was as though several thousand Pnau zealots had suddenly dropped from the sky…



2008 January 28: Big Day Out: Carl Cox:

Suddenly, dance music cliches all seemed fresh and apt. Blinding force, pure energy etc… An auditory and visual spectacle…

2008 Friday July 4: Roland S Howard (Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne):

Continuing to play Ding Dong on a monthly basis. Melburnians should head down…

2007 November, Boys Noize (Abandoned Cinema Complex, Chinatown):

Producers are sometimes accused of being slightly over-shy, retiring types. Not so Alexander Ridha. Sometimes, you just have to have your camera out at the right moment.

2007 May 27, Ellen Allien (Volksbühne, Berlin):

EA in her home town…

Other notable recent gigs (video, photos anyone?)

2008, Friday March 7: Chicks on Speed (ACMI, Roxanne Parlour): A good gig, but their presentation at ACMI scored just a notch higher on the arty anarchy meter… Someone’s video from a couple of year’s back: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1UtBiZ1My4

2008, The Bravery (The Corner): Scored a ticket after its original bearer couldn’t attend. Similar gig to the last one at the P.O.W. a couple of years back. Somehow, this time, they all looked younger. At We Love Sound festival, same week: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfMFPwxfZiM

2008 Wednesday June 4 VHS or Beta (The Corner): Craig Pfunder did an admirable job of singing his guts out. The rest of the band seemed a little startled by the whole exercise. VoB performing Night on Fire in NYC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFzG-i7Wld0&feature=related

2008, Monolake (Miss Libertine): By most account, ML went a little too abstract on this night. This wasn’t perfect dance floor fodder, but may have worked better in a different context. MIss Libertine is neither dark nor atmospheric enough to house any kind of deep electronica. Monolake ‘Linear’ music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O4Qjeax7TU

2008 Sunday April 6 Nick Cave (Q&A at the Melbourne Arts Centre). Centred around Nick Cave taking shots at the slightly awkward host from RRR. Other than that, managed a good balance between studied nonchalance (and/or bewilderment) and artful use of the work fuck.

2008 Monday March, Control Q&A with Anton Corbijn. Control + Anton = Greatness.

2007, Franz & Shape (DJsAintRockStarts): (@ Bash, not my video): F&Z played a great set of dark EBM electro to a bunch of somewhat gormless South Yarran young fashionables. Where, as Douglas McCarthy once said, is the youth?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHn2ygzsFjA

2007, Peter Christopherson video seminar (Toff in Town): World weary was Pete’s angle, but it was all a beautiful and entertaining mass of Ice T and NIN videos punctuated by the questions of a handful of TG obsessives.

2007, The Cure, Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne: I am not sufficiently impartial to be able to capably review a Cure concert. Key observation is the general change in the feel of the tunes with this lineup, which seems to be reflected in the new singles. As is well know, keyboards are gone, drums are almost entirely unprocessed, style of drumming is looser, jazzier and more chaotic, guitars are fuzzier, and Robert’s vocal delivery seems somehow more ‘relaxed’, somewhat chirpier and less angular than in the past. Simon’s bass is more buried in the mix, as are more percussive, dance driven elements; the mix is bright and mid-range dominant. Atmospherics and tension are still there, if a little less pronounced. An interesting taster for the new album, 4.13 Dream, now only weeks away.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFksnRiD-wc

2007 August 4, The Cure, Challenge Stadium, Perth: (not my video): I am not sufficiently impartial to be able to capably review a Cure concert. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEaydcpxz8w

2007 October, Grinderman (The Forum): The bushrangers came to town. Then they went backstage, Nick popped out, and asked, ‘what do you want to hear?’. People yelled things out, then NIck sat down and made it up for himself. Nick made a joke about Google, then the bushrangers reappeared. NIck spend the rest of the gig sipping water and glancing furtively at Warren Ellis, who seemed to struggling to maintain verticality. A good night. (Not my video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zsa2TrBaERs

2007, White Rose Movement (Brown Alley, Melbourne): White Rose Movement seemed to be living a dream I once had. If they don’t end up dominating the world, it may only because they end up being too cool to be understood far beyond the bars of Hoxton. But if only there were more music like this. A Sydney gig (not my video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQmP5QRzK7I

2007, Rex The Dog (Bootleg, Geddes Lane Melbourne): No one turned up. The whole thing, including Rex, seemed a little perfunctory. Still, when he gets the ingredients right, what a producer. At Future festival, same weekend (not my video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC6zI0cFMR4

2006, Black Strobe (Lounge, Melbourne): Just when it seemed like they might spearhead a new wave of alternative music, no one turned up. Well, enough to make for an appreciative audience, but not to add up to an event. Serves them right though, I spoke to Arnaud Rebotini, who was less than responsive. No Ivan Smagghe. The rest of them seemed humble and genuine. A Sisters of Mercy t-shirt on the keyboard player. Here’s hoping they make it back some time. An Edinburgh gig (not my video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJaPE8hkZ3g

2006 September, Nitzer Ebb (Evelyn, Melbourne): Heroes came to town. Turn out was mostly goths. First two rows of people clearly went to heaven. Aviator wearing Douglas McCarthy looked slightly like Robert Patrick in Terminator 2. Bon Harris and a female accomplice each on percussion. The period of separation has given the time to pinpoint the parts of Nitzer that work best. Ascetic, synthetic, cutting, controlled. Join in the chant. A London 2006 gig: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwZCftAT31E&feature=related

Gigs Coming Up: Friday September 26 The Faint @ The Prince Bandroom (been waiting for this one since missing them last time round), Thursday October 2 Ladytron @ The Corner (been waiting for this one since always), and not least, Sunday October 5 The Futureheads @ The Corner.