My Bloody Valentine

My recent solo trip to Melbourne has given me plenty of things to write about, and rightfully so. It was the first time I went back to Australia since the end of my Brisbane stay back in 2009. But let's save that for another time. The main reason I went there and spent stupid amount of money that was going to fund my dream amp - Twin Reverb - was to see one of my favorite bands of all time : My fucking Bloody Valentine.

Not in order : 

1. Fugazi

2. Dinosaur. Jr

3. Sonic Youth

4. My Bloody Valentine

5. Unwound

This is a list of "Bands I Need to See Before I Die" that I mentally made back around 2007. Back then, the list seemed pretty impossible. I did get to see Dinosaur Jr in 2008/2009 and Joe Lally solo show (probably the closest thing I'll get to Fugazi, somehow missed The Evens a few years ago argh!). My chance of seeing Unwound has always been less than zero percent. Now that Sonic Youth is taking a hiatus, I doubt that i'll get to see them as well.

It is worth noting that back then My Bloody Valentine was still 'inactive', so when I heard about their tour to Australia, i pretty much lost it. I was originally going to see them at All Tomorrow Party, but that thing sold out in like five hours. Hope was not all lost because they did announce their side shows a few weeks later.

I had browsed through the internet to see their setlist for ATP and Japan tour, and the Melbourne show was pretty much the same with different song order. It's a good mix of Isn't Anything (would've been more awesome if they had played Sueisfine though), Loveless, and songs of their EPs. They played one track of the new record, New You. I actually expected them to play more since I am quite fond of the new album. 

Earplugs were handed out at the door and that was enough to make me all giggly inside when entering the venue. I was there pretty early in hope of getting some merch or records. I can't tell you how disappointed I was over the fact that they didn't have any records with them. Total bummer. I'd love to get a copy of 'm b v'.

My Bloody Valentine was glorious. Kevin Shield's guitar, as you would expect was about twice as louder as the other instruments. Even the frantic drumming was no match for it. I saw a double stack of Marshalls and a few Fender combos behind Mr. Shields, perhaps some Vox too, I'm not too sure. Although it was weird hearing all the pre-recorded synth lines, Kevin Shield's guitar tone was pretty magical to my ears. The big, processed swirling guitar was there, banging at my ear drums and it was lovely.

The vocals were really low in the mix, causing them to be a bit inaudible. I don't know if this was intentional or not. Belinda pretty much stayed on her spot the entire night and didn't say much bar a few words through her microphone. She looked amazing as always. By midway through MBV's set, it was pretty much impossible to move around because well, every inch of floor was filled with people. 

There was no encore and MBV closed their set with 'Your Made Me Realise', complete with the extended 10-minute noise part. I have to admit that it got pretty fucking loud at some points where I kinda had to cover my ears with my hands. At no point throughout the show did I put on the earplugs. Fuck earplugs. It's pretty amazing how my ears were not ringing after the show. Maybe it was not loud enough heh.

In conclusion, the show was definitely worth the trip. It was a sonic experience, quite like no others. It would've been nice if they had changed up the setlist a bit and surprised us (Sometimes, maybe?) but I guess it's hard when you're playing a dozen shows on tour. They were probably the second loudest band i've seen, just slightly behind Dinosaur Jr. 

Thanks to Andrew, Lee, Steph, Madrim and Bianca for making the trip possible.

A few videos that I took myself : 

Quiet Steps - Think Aloud

Quiet Steps myspace
Quiet Steps facebook

During my 3 years and a half stay in Brisbane, I have managed to witness Quiet Steps live performances at least 15-20 times. I’ve seen them played a house show, a warehouse, a “proper” music venue, you name it. I’ve seen them at their good and bad days. I guess I would like to say that I have gotten quite attached to their music and their live shows, but I’ll try not to be too biased here.

Quiet Steps released their first ep in 2007. It was fairly well-received, I think. I do not know how many copies they sold, but their shows around 2007-2008 always had at least quite a few people showing interest towards the band. I recall their set at No Culture Festival II and La Quiete show as being quite memorable. The way things were might have had something to do with similar style bands like James Dean and Drowned Out being around at the time.

Fast forward a few years, Quiet Steps finally released their first ever full length, entitled Think Aloud. Some of the songs on this album have been in their setlist for quite sometime now. Songs like “Assimilate” and “One Breath” were introduced as early as 2007/2008. They had a handful of songs ready by early 2009. I even remember paying a visit on one of their mixing sessions.

You’re probably wondering what took them so long to release the album. Well, I don’t know all the details behind the delay. I do know that they were trying to figure out how to release the album, if any label who would be interested to put it out, looking at their options, etc etc, that sort of thing. Maybe it had taken them longer that it should, then again maybe not. It’s their decision after all.

On to the good stuff now, Quiet Steps decided to go the DIY route and self-released their new full-length. They also urge people to download the album on the internet for free, which have been put up by the band. I believe the band is running a limited batch of hand-made packaged CD-R of Think Aloud, so get in touch with the band quickly if you’re keen for a copy!

How is Think Aloud compared to their debut EP? You can tell it’s still the same band. However, it’s easy to tell that the band has progressed a lot from their debut. The songwriting is still as good as ever while new ideas are being introduced. Clean vocals are present in the middle part of “Measure Reaction” (one of the very highlights of the album for me); “Exclusion” has an amazing danceable instrumental bit at the end, and “Surrounded” is a fast punk number running at 24 seconds. I also feel obliged to tell you that there is a lot of killer riffs on this album. The bass in particular stands out with its jazzy and yet aggressive style of playing.

I don’t know much about production, but it’s noticeably better than their ep. It’s not as clean and produced. It sounds fuller and denser. The vocals sounded as if the mic was put on one side of the room and the band at the other.

Think Aloud is an excellent first full-length by Quiet Steps. I like the direction they took with the album and the amount of creativity they put into it. At this point, they don’t really sound like anyone. I feel like comparison to Sinaloa isn’t doing them justice anymore. Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait another three years for another album.

















Quiet Steps - Think Aloud

Slug Guts – Down On The Meat LP

Slug Guts myspace

Hailing from Brisbane, Slug Guts have managed to achieve a relatively considerable success considering the time they’ve been around as a band. In just less than a year, they have managed to play with Flipper, Grey Daturas, Lightning Bolt and got onto the Flip Out festival in Sydney and Melbourne, playing alongside bands like Deaf Wish, Eddy Current Supression Ring, etc. They also joined Melbourne-based label Stained Circles whom they released this LP on.

Before I get to their music, I just want to touch on a few other things. People who have seen/know Slug Guts are probably aware that they have a “look”. Now, I don’t know why they dress like that. Maybe they’re trying to create an image of some sort. Or maybe they just like dressing like that. Who cares, really? If their music doesn’t suck then that’s all that matters (it doesn’t).

Slug Guts play swampy, clunky Australian post-punk with bluesy guitar lines. The drum and the bass are the main drive of the rhythm section with the two guitars swirling around, turning and twisting the songs in and out. Singer James sounds like a toad being choked to death while forced to sing. The vocals are definitely an acquired taste. It’s somewhat a similar delivery to another australian band, Bird Blobs.

The production of the record is clear enough, although it’s a bit thin and emtpy. It lacks the punch and power that usually comes through their live performance. Or maybe it’s intended to sound that way. I don’t know. Apparently the recording was done in 8 hours or something like that.

Slug Guts live @ Flip Out Festival, The Corner Hotel (2009-09-05) (credit goes to Fan Made Recordings)

Show Review : Daniel Striped Tiger, Circuits, To The North, No Anchor (The Step Inn 7/5/2009)

Nothing gets me excited more than a show with a good line-up. Daniel Striped Tiger were playing 2 shows in Brisbane and i couldn't be more happier with the supporting bands since i considered them to be some of the best bands Brisbane has to offer at the moment (No Anchor and To The North on the 8th of May and Tear Gas and Quiet Steps on the 9th) . I got to the venue at about 9 o'clock, and to my surprise (and relief since the fliers says the door opens at 8) there were only a few people in there and no band has played yet.

Fifteen minutes after stepping my foot into the Step Inn, No Anchor was set to open the show. No Anchor is a 2 piece band - drums and bass/occasional shouts/vocals. I believe the drummer used to play in Look!Pond, another awesome band. To describe No Anchor sound would be quite a task. Just imagine a fuzzed out rock with Sabbath/Melvins riffs meets Boris stretched out into an affair of droning mess. Their set that night consisted of all songs from their new album Steam if I'm not mistaken, my memory is a bit fuzzy (pun intended). I managed to get my hand on a copy that night. The packaging is quite unique and cool, just like they did with their debut Fire Flood And Acid Mud. A lot of thoughts seemed to be put into the artwork to reflect the band's aesthetic and sound which is something i really admire.

No Anchor website
No Anchor myspace



To The North were up next. The venue was a bit more filled by the time they're about to play. For those who aren't familiar with the band, think of Kinsella's bands (especially Owls and Ghosts and Vodka) meets Hot Cross with some jazz tendencies and you're somewhat close. In my opinion, these guys mashed their influences pretty well and turned it into something refreshing and relatively new. With only an EP and a 7" split with Ohana in their back catalog under the span of 3 years, they have managed to sustained a small group but loyal following. Their set consisted of mostly new songs that they have been playing for a while now except for "We Are Not Ashamed "which can be found on Face First Compilation (www.myspace.com/facefirstcomps). Their new LP should be out in a few months.

To The North myspace
To The North blog



Up next is Circuits, from Melbourne who happened to be Daniel Striped Tiger national support for this tour. I had heard a few tracks on their myspace prior to the show and they didn't sound too bad. It turned out 3/4 of the band are also in Majorca with the chick who runs Yellow Ghost Records on vocals and ex-bassist of Quebec. Straight off the bat, they launched into song after song with very manic and enjoyable performance. The music itself has that thrashy screamo vibe to it with a lot of melodies and octaves. I could definitely hear parts that reminds me of His Hero Is Gone and more current bands like Ampere. Some parts are really cool, and some are just downright sloppy. It'd be interesting to see where they would go from here, after all they're still a young band.

Circuits myspace

Daniel Striped Tiger were the last band to play and it's no secret that i like their music a lot (see a few post below). They launched into their set with "Dawn Flared Into" off the Desert Bird EP and their set that night pretty much consisted of a few songs from each releases plus a new track, Was It? which will be on their upcoming split with Teenage Cool Kids from Texas. Singing along to "Untying Knot" is still the highlight of the night for me as it's probably my favorite Daniel Striped Tiger song. At the end of their set, the crowd asked them to play more songs. And they did!

Overall, it was a really good show although the turnout is somewhat disappointing. There were maybe about 40-50 people tops. It might have been because the show was on Thursday night. Whatever. They've missed out on a great show!

Daniel Striped Tiger myspace

Tear Gas

I've been listening to a lot of Japanese hardcore lately. And i gotta say, as a fellow Asian i have to give them massive props for making such ferocious music...................and Godzillas. One can't help but notice that Japanese hardcore has a fairly distinctive sound. It's usually fast, raw, thrashy and features (if any) guitar leads/solos not unlike a lot of 70's/80's rock/metal bands. They seemed to take a lot of influences from heavy/thrash metal, UK d-beat and glam/death rock (G.I.S.M?). Another thing i couldn't help but notice is the impressive chops that these guys have when it comes to their ability with music instruments. While it is normal for most American hardcore bands to change their sound or move onto something else after getting better at their instruments (see : Black Flag, Fugazi, Die Kreuzen, etc), Japanese tend to stick to hardcore while at the same time implementing a lot of advanced techniques and skills they can bring into the band, resulting in a more complex, modern, epic sound (Paintbox, Etae).

Why all the Japcore talk? well, this post is about a band called Tear Gas who very much play this style of hardcore with maybe a bit of Poison Idea thrown into the mix for good measure. The vocals delivery are gruffy, pretty similar to Bastards/Septic Deaths. Hailing from Brisbane, Australia these guys have been around for maybe about a year or two? I'm not too sure, but from the countless times i have seen them, they've managed to get good reactions and thus made a name for themselves in the local scene. They also have opened for bigger bands such as Extortion and Trash Talk (USA).

Tear Gas put out a demo tape sometime last year and all 200 of them have sold out. I believe there's also a 10" bootleg floating around somewhere? Don't quote me on that one. One of the members have put up their demo up for grab on a few local message boards, so I'm simply just passing it along. Unfortunately it's pretty hard to get more info on these guys since they are too punx for myspace kekeke. Anyway, enjoy the demo.













Tear Gas Demo (2008)

Extortion

Extortion myspace

I came to Brisbane 3 years ago. Since then i have been going to local shows and enjoy finding new bands to listen to. I discovered that Australia has so much to offer when it comes to music. There a lot of good bands here. A lot. Sometimes you just have to dig beneath the surface to find the really good ones. Upon my journey, i managed to discover bands like Insurgents, Tear Gas, Hard Luck, Deaf Wish, Snake Run and heaps more. And last but not least, Extortion. I have had the pleasure of seeing them last year. And it was one of the funnest shows i've ever been to.

Extortion is a hardcore band from Perth. Extortion play a blazing fast hardcore, with start-stop riffing and occasionally slower groovy parts. I can hear the influences of 80's Boston bands like Negative FX, SSD, DYS as well as many fast/power violence bands such as Infest and Crossed Out. Perth is also responsible for Heist, another awesome band who plays this style of music.

This is Extortion's self-titled. This is their first release and it's also my favorite release from them. I believe it's out of print. It it isn't, someone let me know and i will gladly take the link down. Download this and have your mind blown.

Download here

Joe Lally

Joe Lally Dischord page
Joe Lally myspace
Joe Lally website

I'm not gonna lie. I wouldn't have bothered checking out Joe Lally's solo stuff if i didn't find out he was touring Australia. Being a Fugazi fan myself,I knew i would kick myself in the head if i missed the gig. I had missed The Evens when they came out here 2 or 3 years ago and i'm still bummed over that.

So i downloaded (gulp) his latest solo effort, Nothing is Underrated not knowing what to expect. I'm not really good at describing something but if i were to describe his music it would be a minimal, sparse, bass-driven alternative rock. Upon first listen, i was disappointed. The songs were nice, calm and well...safe for the most part. But they seem incomplete and goes nowhere. They didn't have the explosiveness that Fugazi has nor the unique quality that a lot of Dischord bands have.

After a couple of listens, the album started to become more interesting since i'm picking up things that i wasn't before. Guitars in "Scavenger Garden" is simply 3 minutes of ear-blistering walls of noise and feedback. "Pieces of String" is a quiet piece only utilizing Lally's simple bass as the backbone and organs at the end. It became clear to me that Nothing is Underrated is a really personal album. The lyrics are very much social-aware and poetic at the same time. Lally's sparse arrangements and somewhat monotone vocals delivery achieves what his songs intended to do. Nothing is Underrated is not an amazing or groundbreaking in any way but Lally's attempt at individuality and honesty is simply admirable and enjoyable.

Here's a video of Joe Lally performing Scavenger Garden at the Step Inn, Brisbane that i recorded and uploaded myself.

Apparently on this Australian tour, Lally is accompanied by 2/4th (A drummer and a guitarist) of a Sydney band called Gallucci who i ashamedly had never heard of before this tour. They were great musicians when i saw them playing with Lally in Brisbane so i will definitely check them out soon.

Also, at one point during his last song, Lally put his bass down and proceed to sit on the floor right in front of me (I sat about 4-5 feet away from the band) while the rest of the band kept playing. Cool.