Henry Rollins

What happens when one of the greatest punks of all time gets old?

He goes from doing this:

To getting on his soap box and making angry, and very often hilarious, rants. Or in this video's case, letters:

Ahh Henry Rollins. The former front man of legendary punks Black Flag and now world acclaimed poet, comedian, angry man and just general all-round opinionated asshole and performer. I've never had the honor of seeing him stand on stage and do his stuff, but he's been coming to Australia for many years, winning over our crowds with his brutal honesty.

2012 will be my time to finally see it. 

May 1, Tanks (Cairns)

May 2 and 3, Powerhouse (Brisbane)

Some more news

These three slipped under my radar while I was updating a few minutes ago.

No Years
I always find New Years Eve to be the worst day of the year. There's so much anticipation for a huge party that'll be memorable, but it generally ends badly and in disappointment. From all reports, most people's are like that. So instead of being predictable with bars/parties/fireworks, why not go out and see some killer live music? That's the theory behind No Years at the Powerhouse anyway, which brings a kick-ass indie festival to New Years Eve. The first announcement this year has The Dum Dum Girls, as well as Australian acts Ball Park Music, Charlie Mayfair and Last Dinosaurs. There's more to be announced. December 31 at the Powerhouse, spread over 2 stages.

Track and Field

Track and Field is an occasional indie music night-club. It's been a while, but it's time for another incarnation, this time at the Arena. Featuring Bleeding Knees Club, Deep Sea Arcade (launching their new single all the way from Sydney) and Velociraptor, it'll be a good night of Australian indie. And drinks. Don't the two go hand in hand. The Arena, November 25.

After the Fall
I mentioned a while back that the awesome New Jersey melodic hardcore (not the Australian rock band) After the Fall are coming on a tour with Melbourne band Anchors. Well they've just named their local opening bands and it is shaping up to be a huge night, with Friends with the Enemy and Milestones opening. I'll be there early at the Jubilee come November 17.

Southern Indie Music Festival Sideshows Coming North to Brisbane

Apologies. I promised myself I wouldn't do this ever again, but there's been so much news updates in the last 2 or 3 days and I have so little free time that the only way I'm going to get it out to you right now is in one of those "one-size-fits-all" blog update. Except this one size happens to be Shaq-size. So there's plenty of room for all of the news.

The following news items are in no way in an order of importance, more or less just which tab I have open in my browser closest to the blogger editing window.

The Kooks
The weird thing is, I saw this on a bus stop near my shopping mall days before the official press release. But yes, indie darlings the Kooks are coming to Australia for all the southern New Years festivals, which means we get sideshows up north! January 2nd at the Tivoli.

Beirut
Appearing at some of the same festivals will be the folky indie sounds of Beirut. We get them at a full gig, January 12 at the HiFi.

Deerhoof
Let's just presume every indie band playing in that fortnight is on one of these festivals. Deerhoof would be one of the ones I'm most excited for though. Their experimental indie style is quite an inspiration to many modern indie bands, and they are playing Woodland for like $24! It's on the 10th of January. I can guarantee it will be a sweatbox, but bloody hell, it'll be great.

Fleet Foxes
Is this folk-rock band playing a southern New Years festival?
Yep.
Are we getting a sideshow?
You bloody well know it.
January 11, the Tivoli.

J Mascis
The creative genius behind the legendary noise band Dinosaur Jr is also coming out for some festivals, but in his solo acoustic mode (which is still bloody good). He'll be playing sideshows at the Sound Lounge on the Gold Coast on January 7 and the Powerhouse on January 10. Given Woodland's late starts, you could probably do this before Deerhoof. I'm thinking of that plan anway...

Kings of Leon
Despite the rumours of their break-up, alcoholism, etc, they are coming down under to play their postponed tour from last year. This band really polarises me. Their first two albums, were amazing. I still love them to this day. They inspired me to relearn guitar when I had given up on it, and they blew me away on their first Australian tour oh so many years ago. Then they released a bunch of tripe. And continue to. But hey, if you like them now, they've added a new Queensland date on their tour, at the Gold Coast Convention Centre. It will be November 9, the day after their show at the Entertainment Centre.

Off!
Switching genres now, Off! are a band made up of former members of Black Flag, Circle Jerks and Rocket From the Crypt. I don't think you can get anymore punk credibility there. But they're bringing their old school style of skate-hardcore punk to Australia.

If you can't see the tour poster above, I'll tell you what's on it. We get two shows. Dec 4 at the Zoo for the 18+ and Dec 6 for an all-ages at Sun Distortion (this will be insane). I cannot wait.

The Tallest Man On Earth

He's really not that tall. And he's Swedish.

But as you listen to his folk music in the above video, you can't help but come to the conclusion that pretty much everyone else has: he sounds like old school Bob Dylan. I've yet to read a review that doesn't make this link. It's not a bad thing at all though. His song-writing and his singing is very similar in both style and absolute awesomeness.

Come October, he'll be down under playing a show at the Powerhouse. When it comes to venues to sit down and listen to a man play his guitar and serenade me, I can't think of many other perfect venues. Maybe the Troubadour or the Globe.

This is not a show you want to miss. October 21, Powerhouse.

Quite frankly my dear, it's a pop festival

Brisbane Festival: It's not just fireworks and F111s flying overhead (especially not since the planes got retired) but it's a month of amazing culture in Brisbane. A part of it this year that is more to the tastes of the music blogger in myself is the Frankly! It's A Pop Festival festival.

Now I'll be upfront, I've never listened to any of these bands. Not once. But LA Vampires and Wet Hair have been on my to-listen-to list for a long time. Oh wait, I lied, Wet Hair is actually coming up next on my playlist!

But that doesn't bother me, because this is what Brisbane Festival is all about, getting out there and experiencing all different forms of art and culture that most Brisbanites don't even know exist. That, and it's curated by Lawrence English. He used to work in the same building as the girl and I have been to a few of the music events he has curated. He works hard to bring out interesting music talent and he's yet to let me down.

So come September 10th, head down to the Powerhouse and experience some enjoyable pop-music. It's just not the kind of pop-music that bad FM radio stations play.

More of the Brisbane Festival will be announced over the next month or two.

EDIT: I just listened to Wet Hair. Wow, lofi psychedelic noise rock, and apparently they're from Iowa City. My old stomping grounds. I'm actually more than a little excited for this festival now.

Paul Kelly, the slightly OCD tour

Are you Australian? Yes? Well good. I don't need to introduce Paul Kelly to you.
Just in case you're not Australian, or heaven forbid, don't know who he is, just know that he is one of Australia's greatest (if not the best (John Williamson may have something to say about that though)) singer-songwriters.

Everyone knows this song:

He's coming to Brisbane for 4 nights. Playing all of his songs in alphabetical order. That appeals to the little OCD person inside of me. He's playing the Powerhouse 30 November to 3 December. Get in quick, it's selling like hot cakes! Tickets here

Emilie Simon

I have no idea why, but the So Frenchy So Chic shows at the Powerhouse always seem to miss me until only a few days before. Last time I found out about it only about 2 days before it, this time I've at least got 4 days until Emilie Simon takes to the stage.


She's French (obviously). And she does electronic/trip hop singer songwriter kind of stuff. It's quite relaxing and beautiful music.

She'll be playing the Powerhouse this Friday, the 1st of October.

No Years

It's not too early to start thinking about your New Years Eve plans. It's only a few months away now you know. If you come up with no ideas though, you should head to the Powerhouse for the No Years Festival.


The headliners are the Shout Out Louds. I've always said that Sweden makes some of the best music in the world, and the Shout Out Louds do not let that reputation down. Imagine as if Robert Smith (of the Cure) was Swedish. That's how I think the Shout Out Louds sound.

Also playing are the John Steel Singers, Parades and Little Scout. A great indie way to ring in the new year. And who knows, you may get to pash a hipster at midnight.

No Years Festival, the Powerhouse, December 31.

Shout Out Louds

All the news in one! Because I haven't had time this week

Sunday Afternoon Free Music
At the Powerhouse. From 3:30 catch local boys The Paper and the Plane. I've seen these guys open for some of my favourite bands of all time (From Autumn to Ashes and Brand New) and not to mention they are just tops guys that run the Kill the Music store. Catch them for free at the Powerhouse.

MySpace

Xiu Xiu
Speaking of the Powerhouse, on the 4th of September, one of the strangest electronic/goth/post-rock bands you've never heard of is playing. Xiu Xiu, from the USA are playing as part of the Frankly! pop festival. It's probably not most people's cup of tea, but they do some interesting goth pop music. I hope they play the song Chocolate Makes You Happy.

www.xiuxiu.org

Muse Supports
Muse are playing the Entertainment Centre on the 5th and 6th of December. They announced their supports today, Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro, who seem to be coming down under a lot in the last 2 years. Unfortunately for us, they are playing all of the shows of the tour but Brisbane. Instead we will get the local prog-rockers Dead Letter Circus, fresh from 2 sold out shows at the Zoo. I like them, but at the same time, I feel like we are getting slightly jipped.

Further Seems Forever
Everyone's favourite Christian-emo band of the 90s is back! And for those of you who don't know, the lead singer Chris Carrabba left to go start Dashboard Confessional. And that's when they went shit. But now, he's back, and the band is back in the studio! They've leaked a bit of rehearsal footage:

Spring 2011 from dashboardforever127 on Vimeo.

Ben Harper
...has disbanded his recent band the Relentless7, after their no show at Splendour. However, he has formed a new "super band" featuring a Beatle's son (George Harrison's son to be exact). They are called Fistful of Mercy and will be releasing an album on the 5th of October. Not too bad on first listen:

Free album?
Lastly, Melbourne band the Basics are giving away their new album for free! It's live, but it's a quality recording (and they rate it their best!). http://thebasics.bandcamp.com/

Brisbane Festival 2010

Every year the Brisbane Festival celebrates art and everything that is Brisbane. Starting with the fireworks frenzy that is Riverfire (sans F-111s for the first time this year, sad), it also includes concerts throughout the festival run (September 4-25).

The "bigger and mainstream" acts occur mainly in the Spiegeltent, set up in King George square. It features music every night (at 7pm), cabaret most nights (at 9pm) and Jazz on Sundays. Although there are plenty more shows scattered around our fair city. Some of the acts I'm considering this year are:

Paul Dempsey - The lead singer from Something for Kate has been striking out on his own for a while now doing his solo acoustic act. And sold out many a show in our town. He's playing September 5, 6 and 7 at the Spiegeltent.

http://www.pauldempseymusic.com/

Ed Kuepper - The founder of Brisbane's (and possibly the world's, I've got in many debates about this) first and legendary punk band the Saints and now touring guitarist for Nick Cave. September 15 at the Spiegeltent.

Robert Forster - The last surviving half of Brisbane indie legends The Go-Betweens. He'll be playing everything old, new and lots of covers. September 18 at the Powerhouse.

I'm sure there'll be more announcements and more I'm excited for!

So Frenchy, So Chic

I can't believe I almost missed this show, but it somehow slipped under my radar. Probably because of it's "artsy fartsy" ways.

So Frenchy So Chic is a show at the Powerhouse next Monday, the 14th of June. This show features some French bands, most notably Nouvelle Vague. I saw Nouvelle Vague at V Fest years ago and was swept up by the whole vibe they give off. The vibe is Bossa Nova covers of classic punk and new wave songs. Although purely a covers band, they do something most covers bands don't: they make the song completely theirs. For instance, Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart:

Amazing stuff. Nouvelle Vague has a revolving door of female singers, most notable in the past Emilie Simon and Camille. I am not 100% sure who is singing on this tour, but whoever it is, you can guarantee she will be amazing.