Monday, June 30, 2003     Zut-Alor Whilst record shopping... yes, remember we apostles are analogue sound lovers and still partake in that quaint habit or record shopping. This apostle came across the Zutons a rather gentle sounding 45" called Creepin & Crawlin. And if i hadn't had to return to antipodean shores I might well have made the effort to check them out on their current UK jaunt       [posted in Bondi :: at 09:53]     Bare Faced Cheek Love 'em or loathe 'em, you can't fault Har Mar Superstar's devotion to the magic of publicity. Never shy to any photo opportunity, Har Mar enhanced their Glastonbury performance with an appearance by the girls from Manumission. Clad in minimal clothing - ie knickers emblazoned with the Har Mar name - the girls helped the ageing rocker get half a page in the "Uk's fastest-growing newspaper" the Daily Star. Never normally interested in the dark art of live music, the Daily Star also can't resist a nice girlie. "But what about the music?" I hear you cry. Surely you don't think the Daily Star mentioned the music.       [posted in Marylebone :: at 08:59]   Sunday, June 29, 2003     Gelbison.... Pizza Delicious Sorry for the heading you have to be a Bondi resident to know what we're on about. Anyway Monica's been out and about again .. she's a gem.. her gig review this week If what Faker was attempting to fake was the 80s, they were spot on. They come off like a band from the earlier part of this decade that you somehow missed. From the stripped back lyrics to the guitar action stuck on repeat to the jerky epileptic movements of their lead singer, Faker manage to make the 80s look all so good. Thank god they've decided to stick with the 70s rock hair and fashion though. Next up were Gelbison, who came armed with songs that are not only well constructed but also incredibly exciting. For a band with only one album up their sleeve their sound is incredibly mature and already distinct. In their one hour set Gelbison manage to try their hand at folk-based pop, power rock and synth-induced 80s new wave, sometimes all within the one song (ŒMetal Detector‚ case in point). They achieve a fine balance between guitars, drum, voice and the keys that had a few nice effects to boot. Their best songs are slower than slow (and there are quite a few) where they slide from each progression so subtly that you swear you weren't moving at all. But by the end of the song when you finally break out of your reverie you realize they've taken you to a beautiful place and the audience eagerly await en-masse for the next song to take them somewhere equally beautiful. Like Decoder Ring who played at the Annandale not so long ago, Gelbison are interested in exploring where songs can go, and hope to take the audience with them.       [posted in Bondi :: at 06:10]   Saturday, June 28, 2003     In The Never Ending Search For A Suitable Enemy It’s a few years since I deliberately went to see the support band, but that was the case this time. Various Apostles have tried (and failed) to hear the Folk/Drone rock of Joy Zipper, only to be defeated by short notice and no-shows; tonight Angel Apostle and I were to finally get to see them. But there were a couple of hurdles to clear before we saw the American Whippers.* First Ticketweb hadn’t told the Metro Club that they’d taken my money for the evening. Fortunately since the doorman thought I looked “fairly honest” (the nicest thing anyone’s said about me in ages) he let us in. (Tip – they couldn’t believe that anyone who would turn up to the club 15 minutes after the doors opened had to be on the guest list – this may be of use to you at some point…) Second there were the support act’s support acts to watch. First up the Hordes, billed as a “Twisted” rock act. Apart from the singer’s hair, half American classic, half Flock of Seagulls, not a lot about them appeared twisted. Fine bass player though. Last time the Angel Apostle and I ventured out on our lonesomes we caught a set by Louis Eliot (former singer with Rialto, who had four hits in ’97 and ’98); as fate would have it here he was again. It’s ages since I saw anyone use the “shoulder rest” for a mouth organ, so I was happy to be entertained by this for some while. And then they were on. Vinny (guitar, hair, voice) and Tabitha (Keyboards, ear-rings, voice) plus a bass player and drummer sadly had to wait there for a few minutes while something technical happened. The technical stuff didn’t go too smoothly in the evening; rather than feedback they caused a kind of reverberation in the main body of the venue, and the taped voices broadcast in an otherwise excellent “Alzheimer’s” didn’t work the way you would like, but the evening transcended such minor quibbles. And it was fitting that they finished with a top class version of My Bloody Valentine’s “You Made Me Realise”. Why? Only because MBV main man Kevin Shields twiddled some of the knobs on the forthcoming album. Good stuff all round, and all we needed after that was to see the top of the bill, Mankato. Sadly, after fifteen minutes of watching them gaffer tape a keyboard stand we got bored and drifted away! Maybe next time. *It’s a play on the name of their new album, due out shortly although copies have been circulating since December.       [posted in E End :: at 21:51]   Sunday, June 22, 2003     MC Blue @ Funktrust It's Thursday night, and there's only one place for a bunch of friends who are looking to stay up to the wee hours on Friday to be Funktrust at Hunter bar. Funktrust is the undisputed king of club nights, as deemed by myself. Its relocation from Globe to Hunter has not seen a change in the Funktrust spirit of fat, chunky dance music and a no bullshit attitude for fun. Last Thursday saw special guests King on the decks and MC Blu on the mike. Brisbane based Blu can be heard featured on various Australian hip hop tracks doing the rounds on 2ser, and with a voice like hers, its no wonder. While her rapping is solid, it's her ability to weave in sung melodies with a voice that?s smooth and sweet that puts her apart from the other Australian fem-cs. Monica       [posted in Bondi :: at 15:28]   Saturday, June 21, 2003     In The Neighbourhood of Infinity Ever loved The Fall so much you just kept on dreaming about them? No? Well this guy has.....       [posted in Bow :: at 08:49]     No Future In the week that the Pistols have announced they are once again to take to the boards it is good to know that punk is still relevant to the kids of today. sTiLL PuNk, sTiLL SuCks!! is the blog of 'a girl in punk'. No idea what she is on about for the most part (not being familiar with her mother tongue) but she seems suitably scornful of anyone taking umbrage at her kind of punk:- "PuNk can't be defined, PuNk is what you want it to be, you don't care about what people think right, so i don't care about what you think the definition of PuNk is! - we don't play by anyone's rules but,our own" Yeah!       [posted in Bow :: at 08:38]   Thursday, June 19, 2003     The Religious Top Shelf Marylebone Apostle, regular visitor to Ebay's saleroom of religions artifacts (well, aren't we all?) was somewhat surprised to see that, nestled next to the 'sleeping-eyed religious nun doll', the 'fantastic religious lustre plaque', the postcard of Jesus with sheep, and the 'antique stained glass window' (selling for a stonking $3,999) is a mint copy of 'Religious Wars' by the Subhumans. Maybe the great shopkeeper in the sky has put that on the wrong Ebay shelf. Anyway, yours for a bargain $9.99.       [posted in Marylebone :: at 11:15]   Tuesday, June 17, 2003     Running Up That Hill If you happen to be around The Arnold Arboretum at Harvard on Saturday June 28th do make sure to go check out Liz Tonne (Voice) and Bhob Rainey (Soprano Sax) who will be laying on an unaccompanied improvisation whilst walking up the atmospherically named Hemlock Hill (170ft.). Full details from this guy.       [posted in Bow :: at 07:51]   Saturday, June 14, 2003     Board Room Takeover London's 93 FT East was the setting on Wednesday night for part 4 of the Southern Records hosted Hostile Ambient Take Over gigfest. First up this time round were Youth Movie Soundtrack Strategies who seemed undecided whether they were a blistering 3 minute punk act or a noodlefest post rock outfit. Personally I thought they should head for the former but Angel Apostle was all for the latter... It would be easy to dismiss Ten Grand as just a radical haircut (think Pippi Longstocking meets Bob Marley) and a bunch of art rockers from Iowa City... so I will. Top of the bill were Cat On Form (which must surely be one of the worst band names in recent memory) who were struggling against having had to replace an ailing drummer (and occasional vocalist) at short notice. While hardly the most innovative act in the world they managed to put on an entertaining enough display of bare-chested guitar thrashing and sixth form politico musing. Star of the night was undoubtedly William E Whitmore - one man and his banjo laying it down nu-grass stylee. His tragedy laden songs (complete with titles such as From the cell door to the gallows and Sometimes our dreams float like anchors) were hauntingly beautiful and had the majority of the audience in rapt attention. Well worth checking out if he's passing through your town. All in all the evening left me somewhat unsatisfied and, with the notable exception of William E Whitmore, the feeling that the rest of the bands had failed to live up to the title of the event.       [posted in Bow :: at 17:06]   Tuesday, June 10, 2003     Meanwhile - In Sydney Monica's been out and about again.. our gigging guide has been to see... David Lane With the recent release of his third album, 11 reasons to sing, Friday night at the Metro was David Lane's. Over the past decade or so, David has built a strong following and the crowd was filled with avid Lane fans. After Abby Dobson and Jay Walker's enjoyable supporting performances, David Lane stepped up to showcase his range of delicately handcrafted pop and folk turnes. The beauty of David's music comes from its accessibility. It doesn't strain with a desperate need to impress. Instead he gently lays himself out before you with quiet sincerity, and leaves it to you to enjoy the music, which you inevitably find yourself doing. Such heartfelt honesty eases you from melancholy, moving ballads to catchy pop, like his song Superstar. A good night. Thanks again M       [posted in Bondi :: at 06:27]   Monday, June 09, 2003     Bring Me to Lie Here at 12 Apostles, we wonder why wonderband Evanescence are keeping their true identity under their hats. Evanescence - who share their home town of Little Rock, Arkansas, with Bill Clinton - have just swooped straight into the UK charts at number one with their debut single Bring Me To Life. They are the first Christian rock band to top the British charts, having been at No1 in the US Christian charts since the release of their album. Reports say that, since their sudden success, they have 'become wary' of the Christian connection and are distancing themselves from their church-going audience. Sounds like biting the hand that feeds. Church suddenly not cool, eh?       [posted in Marylebone :: at 18:42]   Thursday, June 05, 2003     Cashing in on The KLF Fierce bidding is underway over at ebay for a copy of the KLF's Pure Trance 3 12". Demand is obviously high for this ultra rare memento as the current bidding has it valued at £920... Meanwhile back in the here and now Jimmy Cauty appears to be in a spot of bother with the Royal Mail - who have objected to his recently produced Stamps of Mass Destruction.       [posted in Bow :: at 17:24]   Wednesday, June 04, 2003     Not Just for Effect Today Brighton seafront is the venue for a musical Guinness Book of Records' attempt. Skunk Anansie guitarist Ace plays a guitar using 100 pedals in a world record attempt for the most number of guitar effects pedals played at once. Place your bets.       [posted in Marylebone :: at 08:01]   Tuesday, June 03, 2003     The Strange and Frightening World of The Fall Completist As far as muso research undertakings go, The Fall gigography must be one of the more extreme examples. These guys are trying to assemble a complete on-line record of every gig ever played by the various incarnations of that most glorious of bands. Not content with days and dates they are trying to provide set lists, ticket stubs and flyers. Here at the 12 Apostles we salute such a noble undertaking (though personally probably wouldn't go to the trouble). However in the name of completion we will be sending along scans of some dozen or so Fall tickets in our apostolic archive. Surely future generations will look back this invaluable resource and wonder at what manner of man (for judging by the 'thanks' list this is a almost exclusively male undertaking) had the wisdom and forethought to provide such a marvel.       [posted in Bow :: at 09:53]   Monday, June 02, 2003     Dateline Sydney: Gig Weekend Thanks Monica: she writes for us.. It was a weekend of electronic-rock acts at the Annandale, with no shortage of exciting bands showing us that 80s new wave is an influence that’s just not going away. Thursday night Kiwi outfit Goodshirt drew us little butterfly wings and took us sailing through blue skies with a sound that’s eclectic and unexpected. Using synth-notes to great effect their songs are both catchy and interesting. Tinged with a wonderful nostalgia it's no wonder the cover of their debut album ‘Good’ features a rainbow and includes stickers for the album booklet. Many of the songs from this album featured, including the wonderful ‘Slippy.’ With lyrics like “slip away should I stare any longer? Away with the fairies from over yonder,” who can resist? While I was unable to make it Pre Shrunk, two nights later Decoder Ring drew in the crowds once again. Decoder Ring has a remarkably different approach. For one, they are singer-less, and adding vocals to their sound would certainly take away from their powerful blend of electronica and rock. It would take us somewhere far more grounded and ordinary. Instead, Decoder relies on a variety of sounds, from heavy guitar action verging on metal, deep bass and driving drums offset with twinkling keyboard melodies and an assortment of synth-ambient-electronic sounds. All of which culminate to create a complex and surprisingly emotional soundscape that Decoder actively invite us to step into and explore. This is music to be listened to, not just heard. Apostle Note: Bondi apostle has now heard a number of good things about Decoder Ring from around the traps.. it seems we are heading towards Underworld meet the Floyd with these guys.. they could be the underground rock sensation from antipodean shores this year       [posted in Bondi :: at 10:58]   Sunday, June 01, 2003     Booty Up For Grabs Fans of mash-up bootlegging should check out Go Home Productions who are currently offering up the whole 30 mins of the recently broadcast XFM Superchunk mix, which features a few of this Apostles personal soundclash favourites including The Return of The Weather Episode (Snoop Dogg & Dr Dre meets Crowded House) and Baby's Got a Crazy Horse (The Prodigy meets The Osmonds). The mix will only be on line for a limited time so grab it while you can. While you are there go check out the masterful Shannon Stone (Shannon meets The Rolling Stones).       [posted in Bow :: at 19:10]   [news archives]