Blonde on Blonde : Tease [EP Review]

Every so often online social networking sites allow you the opportunity to literally stumble upon a musical gem from your own home town who, possibly, you should've known about already. Such is the case with Blonde on Blonde.

I was on Twitter and saw a profile pic for one Jack Bratt, followed the MySpace band link on his profile, and discovered Blonde on Blonde, a Brisbane band which I had never heard of before. Their sound is something wonderful, an amalgamation of the old and the new. I contacted the band on MySpace and they sent me their EP, "Tease", for review. Apparently, they've been giving the EP away for free! Crazy kids.

"Tease" entertains the art of seduction from the get-go with an alluring EP cover photo and packaging. And that's just the beginning. Monsieur Bratt's vocals are lazily sexual, reminding me of a less androgynous Courtney Taylor Taylor (The Dandy Warhols). In fact, that's the band Blonde on Blonde sounds most like, with their blend of '60s hep-cat cool and hedonist boheme pace. Their music reminds me of bits of early Stones tossed with Velvet Underground dressed with T-Rex. Part glam, part psychedelic, compressed by the laidback attitude that comes from certain indulgences, it packs a punch while maintaining an underlying sense of sensuality a la Cowboy Junkies. Yet, it has balls, like Queens of the Stone Age.

The first track from their EP, "Oh My Oh My", is currently enjoying popularity on Triple J's Unearthed site. A catchy guitar riff and funky drum beat embeds this song in your brain and, when the boy/girl harmonies kick in, the song begins caressing you from the ears down. This is radio-friendly single material to the max. It even carries an element of early '90s Manchester music movement in its solid yet undulating grooves.

"Pretty and Wide Eyed" ramps it up a notch and in this track, Bratt's verse vocals are channeling Marilyn Manson. My favourite track from the EP, it dresses up in shiny black leather and lets the whip hang loosely by its side, with an occasional crack, threatening and teasing at once.

"Marlon Brando" moves into early '70s art rock sounds and the guitar tangents lightly scratch your brain to provide a juxtaposition to the solid harmonies. "Say Say Say" gets down and funky with throbbing bass and whacka whacka guitar, like some blaxploitation theme song meets Led Zep grunt. My second favourite song from the EP, this song would be wild live, and that's when I next want to hear this music. I HAVE to see this band perform, as their sound is something phenomenal. They make old sounds contemporary and quicken the pulse.

If you'd like to listen to Blonde on Blonde, request a copy of the EP, or check out where they're playing next, visit their MySpace.

The Basics @ The Zoo, Brisbane

Okay, let's get the musician bias out of the way first up. If you know about The Basics, chances are you heard of them through their association with Wally De Backer (Gotye). The Basics is the band Wally performed in prior to his solo success as Gotye. It would be wrong of anyone to believe that The Basics' music is anything like that of Gotye or that the other members of the band are any less significant than Wally. The Basics knocked my socks off on Thursday night at The Zoo, and I think they're an incredible bunch of talented people.

The band normally consists of Tim Heath (guitar, vocals) - sadly sans moustachio magnifico on Thursday but looking 20 years younger, Kris Schroeder (bass, vocals), and Wally De Backer (drums, vocals, and bass drum case warmer). However, on Thursday evening, they were joined by Simon Imrei (guitars, percussion, vocals and keyboards), Dave Bramble - or, as he explained to me in the noisy confines of The Zoo, "bramble, like in Enid Blyton stories" (keyboard, tamborine, backing vocals), and two amazing sax players: Gideon Brazil (who has played in the Gotye mini orchestra) and Jake Mason (who also plays in Cookin' On Three Burners). The sound was much fuller than I recall from their earlier music, which contained a pared back '60s vibe. Their new album, "Keep your friends close", has elements from many musical forces working together to create a luscious, sensual sound, like being wrapped in velvet while simultaneously enduring a mild beating.

Absolute standout performances of the night go to several songs, one sung by each main member of The Basics. Wally's drumming on the song "Keep the door open" was mindblowingly phenomenal. His arms, like the extended limbs of an arachnid, flail seemingly randomly while creating a beat so powerful and overwhelming I was transfixed to the spot, as if absorbed by a voodoo ritual. Of course, the multi-talented pixie sang flawlessly for that song as well, as if his body weren't already exerting itself to its full potential on drums.

Kris channeled Eric Burdon while singing the song "The Executioner", a dark and sultry piece with reggae undertones. The band's sound is more than a sum of its influences; the overall effect is this exquisite blending of diverse eras in music - motown, The Animals, Johnny Cash, and The Specials - with an element that makes them sound unlike any other band. Their music makes you dance, makes you think, makes your heart race and your body shake. Their onstage presence is alarmingly innocent at first: their white business shirts and grey trousers make them resemble a bunch of high school kids, all freshly shorn and boyish. Then the onstage dirty jokes begin, the predatory glances, the blues guitar, the tribal beats, and you know these guys are more than they appear to be.

Tim's raw vocals on "Trouble in his head" were astoundingly atmospheric. The song's lyrical content is well crafted and it resonated with me as one of the night's 'moments'. The audience, still as stones lying on a cold, wintry beach, stood transfixed by both the beauty of the moment, the perfection of the song, and the emotive quality of Tim's voice. Except one girl, who just wouldn't be quiet and seemed quite oblivious to the fact that other people had paid to hear the people on the stage, not listen to her (you know who you are, with your dark pigtails, white dress, and whining voice.)...but even she couldn't ruin the moment. If I had to categorise the three Basics into singing styles, Wally is Sting, Kris is Burdon, and Tim is Cash, the blues man, with a voice containing more edge than the others'.

The vocal harmonies in "The No. 1 cause of death amongst youth today" were spotless and, when the band performed the single from their new album, "With this ship", the entire audience sang along enthusiastically. Tim's telecaster guitar offers a compressed and subtle sound, yet provides an undulating overlay to the music.

At the beginning of the gig, it took a while for the Thursday night crowd to warm up (and in some cases, to shut up ;), but once they did the house was rockin'. When The Basics returned to the stage for an encore, they performed songs from their back catalogue, including a couple of songs from "Stand out/fit in", "For girls like you", and "Get back".

The Basics are a live performance force of nature, both primitive and nuanced. The balance of energies between members onstage is near perfect. I absolutely loved their show and will definitely catch them next time they make it to Bris town.

For further information on The Basics, visit their website at http://www.thebasics.com.au. There, you will find links to their MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and where to buy all of their wonderful EPs and albums. 

The Basics performed at The Zoo on Thursday 12 November 2009.

Photo credit: Distaudio

This review was written for The Dwarf and will also be published on their website.

Nick Barker @ The Troubadour, Brisbane

The Troubadour in Brisbane is easily my favourite intimate live music venue. It's cosy with a nice colour scheme, has a red tassled frame around the stage with persian rugs on the wall, and faux antlers are mounted around the place, casting demonic shadows on the walls. It's a bohemian den of iniquity meets "Rawhide", and that sensibility suits me perfectly.

I first saw Nick Barker as I was entering the premises. As I walked up the stairs, he sprinted down them, a youthful vision in white t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, with a short spiky 'do'. This is a far reach from the long-haired, black jeaned, winkle-pickle wearing swampy rocker I recall from copious gigs in the '80s with his band Nick Barker and The Reptiles. I like the change. He looks healthy, fit and happy these days, which can only be a positive thing.

As my man and I walked into The Troub, I noticed the prevalence of guys who must've been spraying hair fertiliser on their faces for the past week: is it just me, or does 'Movember' get more popular every year? One guy, who resembled James Hetfield from Metallica circa '80s (imagine this with a handlebar mo) kept removing his shirt and getting told off (gently) by the bouncer (who sported the most impressive, substantial black mo of the evening, a la Alfred Molina in "Boogie Nights"). Another guy resembled Korn's Jonathan Davis with a porn mo. I must say, the porn mo looked great on him. From hereon in, I shall refer to them as James and Jonathan.

The support bands had almost ended. As I'd not been feeling the best all day, I'd opted to turn up just before Nick's performance which, I know, isn't the best way to operate but, when you're feeling dodgy, it's sometimes all you can do. There was a decent crowd for The Troub and, while the audience predominantly consisted of people around my age who probably had some curiosity about the new Nick versus '80s Nick, there were a good number of younger punters sporting that '60s fashion vibe. It's always good to see new fans of musicians who've been around for a while; I like - and encourage - that. I add, though, that it's kind of weird seeing '60s revivalists in clubs when that was the 'alternative' look most popular when I was a teenager in the mid '80s. What comes around goes around, evidently, several times!

Nick's set kicked off sans guitarist Justin Garner (from South Poor), who was otherwise distracted at the bar. A quick call-out over the mic for him to get onstage saw the complete band present within seconds. I was most impressed by the burly drummer, Michael Barclay (Paul Kelly and The Messengers, W.P.A.), sporting a frangipani behind his ear; I often do the same in frangi season, but have never seen a man do it. The juxtaposition between manly man and delicate flower was hilarious. The bassist, Alan Brooker, needed no introduction to some older members of the audience due to his work with Paul Kelly and The Dots. Justin, now fully in the moment, impressed me with his spontaneity in style and gutsy backing vocals. Nick - even with his small electric acoustic which, he joked, made him feel slightly inadequate - is still a force to be reckoned with during live performances. He has lost none of his edge, but he now has a darker quality which lends more credibility to his music. He still swears a lot on stage, but it's in that Aussie bloke way where it's more of an adjective than abuse. Into the set, he calls out to 'Jonathan', asking him if he liked the restaurant he was eating at earlier, adding he couldn't forget 'that' moustache. Mid gig, 'James' rambles on to the rear of the stage, shirt off, beer in hand, rocking out to the gig. This character was pretty hilarious, so we made sure we got a shot of him.

The evening was filled with this old-school Australian pub vibe, a laidback and fun vibe I haven't felt at gigs for a while. There were even the dodgy drunk dancers at the front of the stage who, if I was on stage, I would find really distracting; I often don't know how the band stops themselves from laughing. That drunken side-step with the lurch where they almost fall over, but don't...gets me every time.

The music performed tonight was a mixture of music from Nick's new album, "Black Water Blues", music from bands he respects, and some older music from the rest of his career. Highlights from the evening were the songs "Where I Wanna Be", a gorgeous slower song which, on the album, features female backing vocals. In this case, the drummer performed backing vocals with the guitarist adding vocals toward the end. It still worked and tugged on my heart strings. "Sunny's Song", written for Nick's son about the break-up of his relationship with Sunny's Mum, was another showstopper. The set was vibrant and dynamic, the country vibe of the album taking a back seat to a rockier edge. When Nick returned to the stage for an encore, he pleased some of the older punters with a rendition of his '80s cover hit, "Come up and see me (make me smile)". However, my favourite song from that era was "Down Today" and I must admit, it made me RATHER happy to see Nick performing that after all these years with such an edge and gritty vocals.

Nick is performing more gigs around Australia later in November and throughout December, so check out his MySpace for details. His album can be bought online at Hired Goons or at one of his gigs. 

[This gig was held on Saturday 7th November 2009]


Thanks to my man, Distaudio, for taking these photos for me with his phone cam when my point and shoot failed miserably due to lighting conditions and the desire to shoot without a flash.