The Middle East @ Factory Theatre 6th of June

The Middle East were... fine. That's really all I have to say about it. I usually write really long essays about concerts, but I can't think of anything worth while except "Yeah, it was pretty good".

It seems sort of silly though, that you'd leave your most popular song (Blood) till encore just to guarantee you got one. But other than that I was substantially entertained.

P.S. The support bands were also pretty good. The website tells me they were called Grand Salvo and Emma Russack.

My baby shot me down

Is it worth it?

I haven't figured out if it's worth buying tickets to Soundwave Revolution for the soul purpose of seeing Hole play live. Other then that I'm not fussed about seeing anyone else, except maybe Sisters of Mercy, but even then not really. Theres some totally un-ironic hair metal I may be able to psych myself up for as well Dashboard Confessional who I recall were actually ok. Oh and Primus are playing too, who i'd see for sure.

Someone needs to explain to me the difference between soundwave and soundwave revolution though, assuming I do decided to blow $166.30 on one band that would totally be worth the money.

Dandy Warhols, Enmore, 29th of May 2011

Source

(This is delayed by a week because I couldn't log into blogspot so excuse my sketchy memory).

It's difficult to really put into words how amazing the Dandy Warhol's were last Friday, I could just type: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and it could sum up everything better then I'm about to.

The first song I ever heard by the Dandy Warhols was "We Used to be Friends" (the theme song to Veronica Mars) back in 2006. I started High school that year and consequently found myself loosing contact with people I used to be friends with, I was already obsessed with the song (in ways only a 12 year old girl can be) and was convinced the song had some deep profound meaning in my life. It didn't, it was just a catchy song, with a chorus that could blatantly apply to any loss of friendship (or you know... the stuff covered in DiG). But it was still an excellent song, and once I got over myself I bought '13 Tales from Urban Bohemia' . Albums like '13 Tales' probably make it very difficult to catagorise a band like the Dandy's genre-wise because it's a whole mash up of songs that don't sound like they have anything to do with each other, my friend who accompanied me to the concert described '13 Tales' as a "mind-fuck in a good way" and I couldn't have put it in better words. This whole "mind-fuck" business and mish-mash of songs and genres I imagine, would make it really fun to play in a band like the Dandy Warhols. There seems to be no restriction in only writing songs that fit an archetype established early in ones career so the ability to constantly be progressing and changing is more natural then contrived-- this is obvious when you consider that they've been around for 17 years or so and show no signs of stopping (their new album is out early next year).

For the time being, just seeing and hearing them play is enough to make you realise how unique they really are-- there's no real fixed set list as shown by the spontaneous decision to play 'Kim Deal' after an audience member requested it, and almost every song is played with the same enthusiasm and energy, as when it was first released. Except for perhaps 'Bohemian Like You' which understandably may feel over done knowing it's the one song everyone in the audience knows off by heart, it sounded more reluctantly played then any of their other songs-- but it's not a Dandy's concert if you leave it out. It didn't matter, every other song they played had the audience on a such a high, whether they were jumping about, attentively watching/listening/singing along or literally getting high. It was music that truly filled the room, I imagine it wouldn't have mattered if you were seated right at the back or standing at the front-- there's something so exciting about their music that just experiencing it live (and in a venue like the Enmore) makes nobody feel like they're missing out. The wall of noise they create in their more phsyc-pop/rock songs* is easy to get lost in, and as one audience member stated "that was like being born again". But even when 3/4 of the band leave briefly and singer Courtney Taylor is left to perform an "acoustic" version of 'Everyday Should Be a Holiday' the mood doesn't change as the audience more then happily fill in the gaps... the Dandy Warhol's had everyone in that room in the palm of their hand.

Considering the Sydney concert was one of the last shows of their Australian tour they played for almost 3 hours, which is damn impressive but sort of expected when you consider how many albums they have (that's 9). There was also a special guest appearance by the Vines, who accompanied the Dandy's on-stage towards the end of the night to 'jam' (cue more psych-pop/rock and "mind fucks"). Though it was a lengthy concert nobody would dare have moved (except if you were epileptic because the amount of strobe lighting was insane)-- after all theres something so comfortable about a gig that everyone can feel is really really good.

Also I caught one of Pete's plectrums!

*I could have just made that word up.

I tumble

givemeyoureyesineedsunshine

I haven't relocated, I still plan to write my long essays on nothing and everything. But for the days I can't formulate a coherent sentence my tumblr is a go-to.

Coming up soon on when in wonderland... the Dandy Warhols concert.

How nice it would be...

...to own Frida Giannini's record collection.

image via SoHaute

It's Record Store Day today, which I didn't realise until I ended up at the Vintage Record at two o'clock and the guy at the counter announced it. Also, I think he thought I was Swedish because he asked where I was from, which has happened before (then they usually start speaking Swedish to me). But how about that for good timing? (going to a record shop) especially considering it was a spontaneous decision, I'm not so secretly very proud of myself.

So I celebrated with 3 purchases:

image via wikipedia

Television: Adventure

image via Reino de Mondongo

Faces: Long Player

image via brightestyoungthings

Cyndi Lauper: She's so Unusual

Super profound indie song lyric

A while ago I started to become interested in interior design, sparked by the Selby and the world of interiors feature on Hamish Bowles, and became convinced I should change my room.

For a teenager, changing ones room is like moving into adulthood, trying to prove to people that you have mature and civilised taste-- making this "BEDROOM MAKEOVER ZOMG!!!" really cliché and a bit sickening. I've never tried to impress people with a contrived taste, but at 17-- the bedroom you've had since you were 7 does start to represent the phases you wish you could forget (why the 'Hello Kitty' bin? why Marie Antoinette style knick knacks? why the heap of dress up hats?) and so, after much deliberation, I've been promised an eventual "bedroom makeover" sometime by the end of this year.

I'm stuck with the same furniture, which is a pretty standard mahogany dresser and wardrobe, and a bed that represents my Marie Antoinette phase (but is actually pretty standard and plain too-- its white), I don't mind the furniture in my room. So at the least I'll have my room repainted, which is fine (my room is currently a dusty-purple colour, chosen when I was 7).

I just realised how spoilt I'm starting to sound, and I apologise. If you've come this far through the blog, well done-- at least I feel better having somewhat justified my annoying tone. Not to mention, you don't care about what my room looks like-- especially considering i'm not going to show any pictures. Also, i'm getting off track-- this is what I wanted to post:

Images via design to inspire.

Is this house not the perfect combination of shabby, clutter, fancy, eclectic and minimal? How does that even work?, those words shouldn't go together so perfectly to describe something. It is the house of my dreams for that reason however. Also, it incorporates my favourite colour, grey ("it's not a colour it's a shade!" blah blah) into almost every room. I've decided I want my house to look like this, when I get my own house. And that's why I decided to post these photos here, to cement them in the interweb, so one day I will rediscover this blog, laugh about my attitude towards my fairly nice room and decide my house should look like my 17 year old dream home. And if that's not enough post-modern nostalgia for you, then I don't know what is.

Soapsuds.

I know this song is old (in an uncool way) but Its still a little wonderful, I think. Also-- what the frak with the White Stripes, Gorillaz and LCD Soundsystem all going defunct in the same week. (IT'S NO TTHE ILLUMINATI JAY-Z!)

I've been much too bored/preoccupied/lazy to think about writing on this blog, or even to think about something to a large degree that would make posting anything worth while. I'm getting sick of the way this blog looks, which is much like a patchwork quilt. I signed up for tumblr, thinking it would be easier to do posts without much substance. I do like the way it looks, it takes much too long to make blogspot pages look good (and I still haven't worked out how to make images the right size). But, I couldn't get the URL I wanted so I deleted it soon after, however I might return to it later. Who knows. Also I think tumblrs are much more accessible, as one post links to another account and so on, it's a food chain really.

What did catch my attention, weirdly enough was this Roberto Cavalli collection. I say "weirdly" because its nothing like the Erdem collection which I posted about last month. Also, i've never really fancied Roberto Cavalli, but I'm lately i've been getting my tacky, rockstar on (in my mind) and have seen some beauty in his use of textures and colours and all things that make fashion editors smile.

And my favourite dress:

Isn't it?

Words cannot describe how much I am in love with this wonderful activity book by Nina Chakrabarti! It feels like I'm four years old again (in a non guilty way-- unlike my secret love for Yo Gabba Gabba), colouring in and joining the dots... reminds me of how remarkably easy it was to be "creative" as a child, minus the proud parents looking over my shoulder and saying "Naww, I know colouring in the lines is difficult, but your family picture that resembles something a schizophrenic Andy Warhol might have drawn with the tears of the Easter Bunny is just bless..."

Now that I am able to colour in the lines and draw patterns on all kinds of things this book requires, a sense of pride has come over me. I've come so far... yet I'm still filling out an activity book. Though as I said, the whole idea of a fashion activity book makes me feel less guilty and stupid, it feels ok to be colouring in. Let me show you what I mean:

I just finished this page of colouring in Vivienne Westwood shoes! (that sentence does deserve an exclamation mark on account of my pride and excitement). Sadly, I can't really tell you exactly why I love this book so much, other then the fact that the idea of it is so juvenile, yet the context is such a good idea. I didn't even buy it, I just found it in my house (my mum bought it for book design ideas).

I've also heard about Wreck this Journal which is similar idea, you can probably guess by the name what it involves. And another one that involves colouring in bands album covers and lyrics, that I've forgotten the name of (also seems so triangle that I may need to eat my feelings and resent people if I come across it). None the less, I think the idea of having activity books for adults is pretty ace (for failure of a better word) and surely a medium that cannot be easily adapted into ebooks, which is another blog post in itself. Gosh I resent ebooks.

Erdem Spring 2011

Just a quick update, there aren't enough words to describe this collection anyway. Enjoy!

(all photos from style.com)

"I've got your memory, Or has it got me". Cat Power @ the Opera House

"Rock music should be played in grungy little pubs with small crowds, no offense-- thats just what I think. Look how far away the stage is, I can't get in the mood this far away, I like standing when I'm listening to live music." So stated the Irish tourists sitting behind me at the Cat Power concert last night. Clearly they weren't aware of who Cat Power is and what kind of music she plays. Though the venue was probably not the most obvious choice you've got to admit the Opera house is impressive just to be in, people go to the opera house to listen to music, not throw beer bottles and heckle (ala Blues Brothers and *erhem* grungy little pubs), and of course people listened. With little noise coming from the audience except for the wall of noise created by the applause after each song the audiences silence may have been disconcerting to Cat Power, who whispered into the microphone at one stage "are you nervous to be here too?".

The moment she broke into her set, supported by the brilliant Dirty Delta Blues band I and seemingly the rest of the audience were entranced and attentive. The Irish tourist behind me shut the hell up-- except at one point in the middle of the first set when they whispered to each other "I didn't think it would be like this!". Even now, a day after the concert I'm having a King Lear moment-- being unable to say exactly how amazing it really was, I could easily say "you had to be there" but for the purpose of this sad excuse for a review I won't be that annoying and cheapskate about this. After all Cat Power's performance deserves more then "it was amazing, but you had to be there".

Every song she sang was captivating, she has the ability to pull you into this strange, strange world in which these songs emerge with every lyric she sings-- as though you were there. But even so, without knowing the background struggles of Misses Chan Marshall you're... transported emotionally from beginning to end. Before you give up reading this because it sounds as though I'm trying to be poetic and professional, I don't intend to make you cringe-- I can only really describe last nights concert in this way, giving it the approach it deserves.

When the concert was seemingly over the applause kept going and alas! after 5 minutes of clapping, shouting (finally!) and foot drumming they returned from backstage and generously played about 5 more songs... each one as brilliant as the last. I didn't think there were any sound problems, I thought it sounded great-- unlike Cat Power who kept walking up to the sound desk and asking them to fix something or other throughout the entire concert. I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the guys on the sound desk. There were a couple of faster, more "rock" songs in this set, as well as some sound-scape songs as opposed to the soulful blues she played in the first, however it was a wonderful combination that tested the skills of the band (they were great in everything) and when combined with Chan's beautiful voice heartbreaking... even though I'm not particularly sure why.

Given the chance to go to another of her concerts I would like a shot. Her music is magnificently good but so underrated. When telling people I was going to her concert the majority didn't know about her, but I predict that more people will. Even with her 15 years in the industry her sound is so new and different, yet so obviously inspired by blues, folk, soul and perhaps even pop. I'm not sure how that even works but it's interesting to watch and even more to listen to. Given 3 more years Cat Power's presence will be more prominent the ever, I don't doubt it for a minute that her fan base will grow to "Indie famous" proportions but for now, it's nice to know I've at least seen her live before her tickets start selling out in minutes.

Snake Valley

My god the styling for this Topshop collection is good.

Unfortunately I can't find a better word for what this is, so I'm going down the eclectic route. I could also use the word "ethereal" but pretentiousness isn't my thing no matter how good I am at it.

So lets start; the look-book is so much more stimulating then looking through the key pieces, it is really the styling that makes this what it is. The combination of leather and tie dye, granny squares with aztec prints and outer space with paisley somehow works and looks thrown together in a way that's so effortless, random yet clever.

Most of all this collection is clever, because the idea is not new at all. The majority of pieces are reminiscent of the 1970s or even past trends (remember the tie-dye trend, or the fringed trend?). Of course there is a tacky element to the pieces individually, but tacky is in right? And not necessarily a bad thing, it just plays with that idea of eclecticism. Also, I found that (although it is a new collection) the clothes look worn, used and loved. They look like they could be picked up from a second hand store and worn till they're ripped at the seams. It also looks like the clothes could have been picked up individually from somebody's worldly adventures. I only wish the look book could have been shot at in a desert in Arizona or in Machu Picchu, but the block colours work too I guess.

To describe my feelings about Snake Valley I could just type "Love" over and over again, I could also run onto the street singing and dancing.

References?

Easy Rider, Frida Khalo, David Bowie, Woodstock, Crochet, John Lennon, Nevada Desert, Nebulas, Mosaic, Dream Catcher.

Click image to enlarge.

Also, I'm in love with this album.