Harvest Festival
Riverstage and Botanical Gardens, Brisbane
Saturday 19 November 2011

Harvest Festival is not above flattery. “Congratulations on your good taste and adventurous spirit,” reads the first line of the 36 page colour program I’m handed upon entry. This psychological ploy makes me smile. Which music fan, anywhere in the world, does not believe that they have the finest music taste? To argue otherwise suggests a lack of self-belief, or false modesty. And the rest of us? Our taste is fantastic. The best. Thanks for asking, Harvest. For AJ Maddah to align his festival with that sort of stroked-ego…

Fri 7 Oct – The Panics, Georgia Fair, Atlantic City

The Panics
The Hi-Fi, Brisbane
Friday October 7 2011

I adore The Panics. For mine, they're one of the most consistent Australian bands in existence. I've seen them a bunch of times in the last five years, and it's been a joy every time. Tonight is no different. They perform their songs faithfully and passionately. There's not much more to it than that - there probably never has been, for these five guys - yet it works so damn well. These are finely-crafted rock tunes that each set an immediate…

Fri 9 Sep – Elixir

The true mettle of any musical outfit can be measured against how they perform in adverse situations.

Six hours before this show, inner-city Brisbane is subject to a torrential downpour. When Elixir begin their first set of a two-night stand, a chill wind runs through the makeshift outdoor theatre.

It stays this way throughout their 90-minute performance. Yet besides the occasional raised eyebrow and witty quip between songs, the three-piece jazz trio and their string quartet stay focused, airborne sheet music be damned.

Eight years have passed between Elixir's self-titled 2003 release and last month's…

Fri 26 Aug – Big Boi, Theophilus London, Thundamentals

Déjà vu. I swear I saw Big Boi and crew perform this exact same set in Sydney last November. Granted, that was a very good set for a three man team: Boi, co-MC Blackowned C-Bone, and DJ Cutmaster Swiff. This time around, his touring unit is filled out by a four-piece band: a drummer, a guitarist, and a two-piece horn section, complete with choreographed dance moves. The latter three wear matching red jumpsuits. It's a pretty full stage for a hip-hop show, especially if you take into account the backdrop used…

Fri 29 Jul – Splendour In The Grass 2011

I reviewed this for Mess+Noise in three parts. You can read all of them here.

Sat 23 Jul – Meet Me In The Middle Of The Air

To read this review on thevine.com.au alongside photos by Justin Edwards, click here.

The headline event of the annual Queensland Music Festival (QMF) is a pairing of Pauls: Kelly, cherished songwriter, and Grabowski, acclaimed pianist and composer. I've seen it advertised on three huge billboards across Brisbane. Dubbed Meet Me In The Middle Of The Air after one of Kelly's songs, it translates as a statement of intent on behalf of QMF organisers. Yes, we deserve to be taken seriously! And evidently, when you need serious credibility and…

Fri 24 Jun – Karnivool, Shockone, Over-Reactor

Karnivool
The Hi-Fi, Brisbane
Friday 24 June 2011

Karnivool, what went wrong?

I'm appalled by what I see and hear tonight. Maybe it's because I gave Sound Awake one listen upon release in 2009 and shelved it under "impenetrable". This, from a longtime fan, who has spun Themata—the band's 2005 debut—probably more than any other album in my life. The two releases could well have been conceived by different bands: at their inception, this Perth five-piece favoured punchy, engaging hard rock compositions which averaged four minutes in length. Four years later, their ambitions…

Thu 23 Jun – Helmet, Pangaea

Helmet
The Hi-Fi, Brisbane
Thursday 23 June 2011

Most of the time, there's no real advantage to living in this city when it comes to international touring artists. Usually it just feels like we’re just another faceless stop on their touring schedule. You know, that whole “Hello……Brisbane!” kinda thing. Play the set, thank the crowd, cross it off the calendar. Which is fine. It’s unfair to expect that every musician popular enough to tour Australia is familiar with the Queensland capital. But when an international band has a true connection to this city—rare though…

Sun 5 Jun – OFWGKTA

Odd Future
The Hi-Fi, Brisbane
Sunday 5th June 2011

This is a strange show. Everyone knows how they should act based on what they've seen on YouTube. Moreso than any other current act, Odd Future are beholden to mediated expectations. We know that their act involves several sure-bets: Tyler, The Creator comes out in his green mask. Rowdy chants of "Wolf! Gang!" and "Swag!" are de rigueur. The MCs regularly launch themselves onto the crowd's outstretched hands. The hundreds down on the floor bend and sway, never stationary for a moment. Extended middle fingers are…

Tue 31 May – The Dandy Warhols, Los Huevos

What if I put it to you that The Dandy Warhols are one of the best American rock bands alive? The more I watch and listen tonight, the more plausible it seems. I didn't walk in expecting to happen upon this realisation. It hit around halfway through, when the rest of the band left the stage—keyboardist Zia McCabe and drummer Brent 'Fathead' DeBoer for a toilet break, apparently—which left frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor to unveil his "secret weapon": a solo version of 'Every Day Should Be A Holiday'.

I doubted whether he…