THE jezabels
http://www.theowlmag.com/features/hear-this-the-jezabels/
HEAR THIS - The Jezabels
The Aussie’s pull out another treasure chest for the world to explore. This four piece music group are graced with front woman Haley Mary, you could just gobble up her fragile yet powerful beauty physically and vocally, her full dramatic vocal sound of Kate Bush meets the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s! The Jezabels describe themselves as “”intensindie” which capture their intense sound perfectly. This group definitely have a handle on the emotionally sophisticated take of indie rock! Their bass-less arrangement is comprised of Heather with her Conservatorium-trained piano playing, Sam’s sensitive rhythm guitar, anchored by Nik’s refined and explosive drumming and sealed with Haley’s incredible presence and unlikely voice.
The Jezabels take you on the intense dramatic story telling voyage which draws you right into the plot of the story …….. Look out for their Album release in September…
This gig will never be topped . xx THE CURE
Photo credit: Prudence Upton
In a world exclusive show, The Cure played their first three albums in full for what was perhaps the first and probably the last time they ever will. To start the evening Three Imaginary Boys was followed by Seventeen Seconds and the band then wrapped up with Faith. And like the troopers they are, The Cure gave more, much more – an extended encore of 14 songs.
The Cure’s evening of “Reflections” was an exquisite treat for fans to reminisce on where the three piece started and in a format that the band not only embraced, but fully delivered in Sydney. Word seeped out from Southampton, UK ten days prior that The Cure was rehearsing the format and right there the anticipation began in earnest. Then and now, whoever or whatever introduced you to The Cure, to them you should be eternally grateful.
The Cure represent the original “Goth Emos” that actually reflect truth, real love, and raw emotions in their music. True pioneers of their distinct sound and for me, one of the most influential bands of the era.
Straight up question. “WHY HASN’T ROBERT SMITH BEEN KNIGHTED?” He has held his own for 30 years before and after the red lipstick and crazy hair. With sparing, but often amusing dialogue, he owned the prestigious Concert Hall at The Sydney Opera House. Over two nights, a fortunate audience of 2,000 dedicated Cure devotees were honored to witness the concert of a lifetime.
On a personal note, I saw The Cure four years ago at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre and considered it the best concert I had ever seen. I never witnessed a world class act play for three hours, yet what I did notice back then was the lack of enthusiasm in the crowd. Back then, the emo goths were all a bit caught up in themselves and they forgot to give any emotion back to The Cure. In truth, the fans were not just dressed in black… they were dead.
Back then in Brisbane, Sir Robert was very humble, not really one to engage in stage banter and confirmed what he was known for – a certain shyness. Flash forward to today, Sir Robert Smith playing in Sydney’s iconic Opera House became a very playful, cheeky, sweet, and happy Mr. Smith. Yes, a smiling Mr. Smith. A joking Mr. Smith, even. When coupled with his unmistakable and immaculate vocal style, it was a Sir Robert few had ever seen before, showcasing a voice as smooth as 30 years ago.
The Cure seemed hell bent on showing that you can see A Forest and the trees. Three Imaginary Boys repped the band’s roots in a solid opening session. The original three-piece line up are the authentic 1979 goths with Simon Gallop making his presence felt with his down low moves with a bass line that just grinded throughout the entire performance. The crowd was lifted to their feet from the opening bars of “A Forest,” the signature tune from Seventeen Seconds and pretty well stayed there for the remainder of the concert. I was struck by how often the band led in with the “tap tap tap” of the drum sticks together, creating that real primal simplicity.
Every note seemed studio perfect and was faithfully amplified by the high curved ceilings of the Concert Hall, a room that was subtly taken over by the presence of the exquisite coordinated light show. Multi shafts of light beamed down on each member of the band moving and reaching out to the crowd like the five fingers of the hand scooping us all up one by one and dragging us back to the stage and the performers. Jason Cooper on the drum kit was cleverly elevated on stage allowing the performance to be seen for the precise use of percussion, bass, lead and vocals. Meanwhile the outside of the Opera House was illuminated by a continuous dancing light show. Spectacular.
Smith’s signature “eeows,” those high pitched bursts of excitement, were dropped in superbly throughout the four-hour set and matched his very playful, cheeky comments. What I learned at this concert, was that “emos” can smile, dance, and play! Amazingly, after the first three albums, The Cure came back on and did another hour-long set. The Opera House was alive and on their feet… smiling, dancing, and cheering.
1st Encore:
“World War”
“I’m Cold”
“Plastic Passion”
“Boy’s Don’t Cry”
“Killing An Arab”
“Jumping Someone Else’s Train”
“Another Journey By Train”
2nd Encore:
“Descent”
“Splintered in Her Head”
“Charlotte Sometimes”
“The Hanging Garden”
3rd Encore:
“Let’s Go to Bed”
“The Walk”
“The Lovecats”
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Catriona Noble - has posted 10 posts on The Owl Mag.
Aussie chick. Passion — music/festivals. Lives by the beach. General muck up/ laughing till it hurts. Get me OUT and ABOUT!
Posted on 08 June 2011. Tags: Seventeen Seconds, Sydney Opera House, The Cure, Three Imaginary Boys
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The Presets review for Coachella
http://www.theowlmag.com/news/ditties-from-downunder-aussie-picks-for-coachella-the-presets/
The Presets
Think heavy club beats meet romantic pop music.. BAM ..THE PRESETS x
Dance Electro Pop. The heavy sounds of computers keyboards, drums and beyond, deep mature stylish voice. Fantastic dance band who are the masters of the crescendo then softly gently brings you down. Distinct strong stylish vocals just grab you in and commands your attention, then drop in The Presets’ Fat weighty techno sound and that room is jumping! This clever duo pulls out a deep, dark, romantic intoxicating blend of swoon at the rave. These boys met at Sydney Conservatory of Music in an instrumental band but soon branched out with their own pure genius, distinct sounds and have been perfecting the techno world since 2005. They have won the highest accolade in Australia ,The ARIAS in 2008, the first ever Electro band to be awarded “Album of the Year”, “Apocalypso” and expect a new Album out by the end of the year.
Check them out with me at Coachella… I bought 2 blow up boxing kangaroos. The Aussies are in town…
Architecture in Helsinki Review ……… www.theowlmag.com
This Australian five piece group hale from Melbourne with a genre described as Avant-garde, Indy Pop. Take it from me they definitely ooze that real arty type of upbeat intelligent presence that is absent in mainstream, all members cleverly cross pollinate by playing multiple instruments. Their masterpieces are created by a wide range of instruments: analogue synthesizers, samplers, the glockenspiel and handclaps(a personal favorite), spilling over into traditional instruments like the trumpet, tuba, trombone , saxophone, clarinet and recorder as well as the more standard guitars, bass guitar and drums. Now that’s talent on steroids!
The members met through Art School back in 2003, evidence of which is drenched within their positive inspiring music. Delivering their fifth studio album after a notable absence, Architecture in Helsinki truly dazzle with their dynamic, intelligent pop arthouse on-your-feet PERFORMANCE. A clever blend of male and female vocals unlocks this marriage of music unity. Visual Art should hold your attention, make you peel off the layers and go deeper . I present to you Architecture in Helsinki…
To share a little secret they have prompted one of my most thought provoking reviews to date: a rewarding and artistically inspiring journey …. Please don’t miss them
http://youtu.be/IxjcszKEcHE
Little Red Review - The Owl Mag .. www.theowlmag.com
Little Red…… Review
The first thought that comes to mind when thinking about reviewing this band is a fresh modern take of a 60’s style pop band. Light, fun and refreshing, leaving all the heavy complications for the “BLUES” to take care of. When I first heard their debut single “Waiting” I certainly pricked my ears up which morphed me into an underground bar in London where all the Beatniks hung to listen to the risqué “rock n roll”. Clean, simple, no mess beat. Turn up the cute fresh clean fun innocence of this vocal group. Beach Boys/The Monkey’s/Gidget meet Vampire Weekend, at the HAMPTONS. This 5 piece perform a fun tight great live show. The formula is simple: Tom takes the bass note, Quang the baritone, Dominic the lead and Adrian the tenor part, while Taka provides the beat.
Australian’s voted their song “Rock it” as number 2 In our latest Triple J Hottest 100 poll, an extremely high accolade in this country, so the prospect of wide appeal is very real.
Check them out at the SXSW festival in March …..
