I’m growing older too… October 26, 2018

‘Here with the kids too?’

An woman had started talking to me at the bar whilst I waited for my drink to be mixed. I asked her what she meant.

‘I brought my daughter and her friend,’ she told me. ‘You know, this band aren’t so bad! Sort of like that other band, with the boys in it? Are you here with your children?’

I told her I wasn’t, and thanked the bartender, and the Heavens, for my drink being ready. I refuse to believe I’m too old to attend a Hellions show of my own volition, despite it being suggested at each one I’ve been to.

Hellions,
Northcote Social Club, Melbourne, October 24, 2018…

A touring selection of DJs playing Goo Anthems was an odd substitute for support act, and made the night seem to open slowly, despite the venue filling early. It was a shame, but may have helped keep the ticket prices fairly low, and gave a chance to check out the merchandise stand where, thankfully, the album being launched was available on CD (as opposed to Hellion’s previous album launch where I found it only on tape.)

Luckily, the lack of support bands didn’t mean an audience that needed time to warm up. As soon as the band emerged on stage, the crowd erupted, even as the band started with a string of new material that only those who had pre-ordered the album would be likely to be familiar with. It was suitable to open with new songs – typical chorus-verse-chorus structure made their own with rips of duelling guitar and building harmonies – and satisfying to see the early enthusiastic reaction, which only built further as the radio-favourite X (Muah) from nine months earlier was brought alive. Later, another new song, Get Up! would hit with a surprise burst of funk-rock bass slaps reminiscent of nothing so much as a Red Hot Chili Peppers song.

Whilst the launch of songs from Rue saw Hellions exhibit a carefully rehearsed craft, the older songs played tonight took on a new life. Songs from Opera Oblivia, in particular, were played with a casual ease, allowing them to be heard in a new light, free of the heavy production of their previous touring incarnations. Oddly, though, weird gimmicks were employed, namely a confetti cannon to accompany the closing Thresher, which would have been as crowd-pleasing had it been played in the same raw style as other songs of the era, without any theatrics.

Nevertheless, the show had an energy and variety one doesn’t normally find at heavy rock nights, and, though launching the new record, it was nice to be taken back to early records, and to be a part of a heavy music audience who know how to dance without being brutal to the point of causing distress.

Hellions – Rue

Daniel Johns remarked at Silverchair’s career being spent in darkness until the release of Diorama, when he said the band relished the chance to finally paint in colours. Similarly, Rue feels like Hellions experiencing some relief and enjoying the simple pleasures life has to offer after the outrage that ran beneath the surface of Opera Oblivia.

Immediately lighter and more melodic than anything we have heard from Hellions in the past, Rue opens impressively with Panic! At The Disco vibes during Odyssey, setting a playful tone that will follow through the album. Even the initial mediocre leading single X (Muah) somehow finds new life when played within the context of the album, and the more impressive follow-up single Smile fits equally as well.

Lyrical leitmotifs, including referencing influences, have been continued from previous albums (to the point of reworking the last album’s Lotus Eater‘s chorus exactly for The Lotus) suggesting a stream-of-consciousness writing style, or perhaps that a concept album-esque story is running through all of Hellions’ work. References to aging in the album’s highlight Furrow and 26 seem to confirm an Adele-style naming convention to the band’s numbered song titles.

Rue is an album that sees Hellions continue the trademarks we’ve known from them since the days of Die Young like thumping builds to dramatic crescendos and frantic raps breaking into duelling guitar choruses, along with the thoughtful production added during Opera Oblivia. The result is a much different, but distinctly Hellions record that is just as worthy of the praise that was offered to their previous work. And just like previous works, it doesn’t wear out upon repeated listens.

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Armored Dawn sampler… December 14, 2016

Armored Dawn – Power Of Warrior Sampler

It was a pleasant surprise to feel something preventing this week’s Beat magazine from folding down the centre.  I shook the paper lightly and caught the CD which slipped out.  How novel.  It has been a while since a promo record has made it’s way into an issue.  From its cardboard sleeve, the CD looked distinctively heavy metal, thought I didn’t recognise the artist, Armored Dawn.

Although previously a common occurence, it has been a long time since a promo CD fell from the pages of a streetpress in this town.  Years ago, we would find Off The Record’s Jack, Jill and Coke compilations, amongst others, every few months, and Vice would offer their choice of music at least annually.  Now, I wonder, will children wonder at the free CD?  Will they take it as a look at something old-timey?

A post-listen glimpse at the website printed on the CD showed an elaborate page printed in Portuguese.  Further research reveals that Armored Dawn is the new moniker of a long-running musical project formerly known as ‘Mad Old Lady.’  The standard pub-metal-made-it cover photo belied the contents of the sampler – quality orchestral prog.

Opening with what feels like a harpsichord cover of the opening to Irene Cara’s Flashdance… What A Feeling, we are soon hit with a slow choral rock the likes of which Styx would be proud.  The song is called King and introduces a Tom Waits-meets-Frank Zappa lead vocal cut with harmonius breaks.  The effect is cinematic, and easy to imagine pouring over a crowd swaying in time.

The record – a sample, of what I can tell, from an album called Power Of Warrior – fades to a classic-horror interlude leading to Viking Soul, a quicker, power guitar sing along which peaks to a catchy chorus.  William Fly reveals duelling guitars and a more traditional sing along that will feel familiar to Iron Maiden fans.  Closer Far Away mixes that formula with piano breaks to add some variety.

Following familiar icons from the band’s website to various social media channels showed these to be songs from the full Power Of Warrior album, and having heard the sample, it went instantly to my ‘To buy’ list.  Not only was finding these songs a pleasant surprise with the usual Wednesday streetpress, but I applaud Armored Dawn for giving readers a tangible sample.  I hope it pays off well for them, because the sample suggests they deserve it.

All Is Forgiven… December 10, 2015

Before Sunday night, everything had been so obvious. The plot my immediate future would follow felt certain: Triple J would announce their Hottest 100 poll, and I would make a shortlist of my favourite songs of the year.  As always, it would be an extensive list that I’d whittle down to the regulation ten for my vote, and, for once, I had already decided upon which song I would highlight as my particular favourite, should the need arise for a tie-breaker.  I have had a place allocated for that honour for A$AP Rocky’s Holy Ghost almost since the first time I heard it.

Then Custard released a new album, and they launched it for Melbourne on Sunday.  And they changed everything.

Custard, with The Zebras,
The Toff In Town, Melbourne, December 6, 2015…

Powerful, rock drumming is all good and well, and certainly has its place and appeal, but from early on, this was going to be a night for the smooth, chilled out drummer.  Hitting with such power, as Darren Hanlon once mused, that it makes other drummers cower is not the order of this evening.  This is a night for the humble rhythm-keeper making it look easy at the back of the stage.

The Zebras’ drummer set the scene, making keeping the beat look easy for the band’s sway-along pop.  It was an enjoyable collection of songs, well suited to a Sunday evening, but perhaps better suited to a Sunday evening on a roof-top bar in the summer air than as warm up for another band.

Some of the high-profile fans moved to the back of the Toff as the front of the stage filled.  Before long, Dave McCormack appeared on the same stage where years before he had played one of the best $10 gigs, clad in a cowboy’s fanciest shirt, and introduced the band in which he became famous.  The show started slowly, with Orchids In Water, from the band’s new album.  It may have been a surprising choice for the band’s first club gig in over a decade, but this was to very much be a set that showcased new songs, rather than reminiscing on old.  This may be something which proved a disappointment for many in the room hoping to relive highlights from album past, but for at least myself – and, apparently, the bald man frantically moshing at the front of stage from before the band even arrived – the new songs would prove inspiration enough to rush to the merch table to snap up a copy the second the encore finished.

This impulse was cemented when the band went a little more upbeat and really started their show for the second song, We Are The Parents.  Despite having heard the song only a couple of times before during its feature stint on Double J, live it was one I could enjoy, and at least hum along to by the end.

Subsequent classics like Pack Yr Suitcases and Pinball Lez were crowd pleasers, but it was further new tracks that really impressed me.  The aforementioned super-fan went into crazy mode the second Dave’s brief lecture on the risks of utilising Melbourne’s parking garages for late-night purposes evolved into what I would later recognise as the spoken-word introduction to If You Would Like To.  It was the perfect song to very briefly tear up the floor to, and the fan certainly did just that.

The highlight of the gig was a three-song stint where Dave and Glenn Thompson traded places, with Glenn showcasing his new song Contemporary Art, and ending with Music Is Crap, which, while never a particular favourite of mine, wound up being fantastic live in the intimate setting.  Girls Like That, while eagerly anticipated, played a little too close to the recorded version for my liking, but was great to dance to again.  The sing-along Anatomically Correct made up for it, with Apartment leaving the packed house suitably reeling for more in the encore.  Upon returning to Pluto, Dave made clear to the appreciative floor that they would be closing on Caboolture Speed Lab.  Rather than retreating back-stage, the band stepped forward to spend some time mingling with the room.  As mentioned previously, I headed straight over to buy my copy of the new album.

Custard – Come Back, All Is Forgiven

Rather than picking up exactly where Custard left off all those years ago with Loverama, Come Back, All Is Forgiven seems to meet at the half-way point between old Custard records and the country flavours of some of the solo work undertaken by David McCormack during the 16 years between the two Custard records.  Just like a good Custard album, though, this one charts various different styles and themes during its course.

That country flavour melts into the bold and rhapsodic single We Are The Parents (Our Parents Warned Us About), and really sets the tone of the album.  It is when the band try to tackle almost arena-style heights that this album is at its finest.  The trend continues into album highlight and basis for the record’s title 1990’s.  Opening like a chilled out Blondie collaborating with Duran Duran, the road-trip sing-along feels like, rather than fading out after 4 and a half minutes, it could have comfortably continued for at least a few more verses.

The guitar tracks are out to prove Custard can still do straight-forward guitar rock with the finest, with clever songs like Contemporary Art and Queensland University.  It balances the creepy ballads and pop tracks well, and makes us hope we won’t be waiting so long to see another Custard record make its way to our shelves.

And now, after that late entry, I need to reconsider my Hottest 100 voting…