A rowdy audience all gathered to the sold out show on March 20th at the Tivoli in Brisbane to watch the folk brother/sister duo from Sydney Angus and Julia Stone. They took to the dimly lit stage which was set adorned with a single seat, lamps, picture frames and red wine, perfect for a laid back evening. Angus and Julia both then donned their instruments ready for a night of sweet folk pop. And The Boys from the duo’s new album Down the Way was second in the set; using Julia’s unique voice a flawless performance of this song was delivered setting the pace for what was going to be a magical night.
Tonight, a handful of new material was displayed which showed the progression of the band. Down The Way sees Angus and Julia Stone use their unique voices to evoke many emotions and encapsulates broken hearts through their unique storytelling. Onstage they are supported by Matt, Rob and Jake, the new backing band, who were flew in from New York for this tour. The duo managed to mix up the set with new and old material, captivating the audience with crowd favourites such as Wasted, Private Lawns and Mango Tree.
Two appealing additions to the already amazing set list was a solo by Julia of the Grease song You’re the One That I Want, during this Angus decided it was a good time for a glass of wine and time out on the couch and the second song which supporting band Boy and Bear joined the stage to cover Dreams originally by Fleetwood Mac. The pair then closes the set with the slow and beautifully sung Santa Monica Dreams however due to a guitar string malfunction Julia is required to start again and expresses that she now “has to go through all the emotions again”.
Angus and Julia Stone throughout the show were often humbled at the audience’s enthusiasm, particularly Angus who was smiling throughout Just a Boy as the audience sang with him. It’s quite easy to see that these two have progressed from their debut album and will continue to do so in the future.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Hope, visions, future
You were created to love and be loved. You were meant to live life in relationship with other people, to know and be known. You need to know that your story is important and that you're part of a bigger story. You need to know that your life matters.
We live in a difficult world, a broken world. Life is hard for most people most of the time. We believe that everyone can relate to pain, that all of us live with questions, and all of us get stuck in moments. You need to know that you're not alone in the places you feel stuck.
We all wake to the human condition. We wake to mystery and beauty but also to tragedy and loss. Millions of people live with problems of pain. Millions of homes are filled with questions – moments and seasons and cycles that come as thieves and aim to stay. We know that pain is very real. It is our privilege to suggest that hope is real, and that help is real.
You need to know that rescue is possible, that freedom is possible.
The vision is that community and hope and help would replace secrets and silence.
The vision is people putting down guns and blades and bottles.
The vision is that we would learn what it means to love our friends, and that we would love ourselves enough to get the help we need.
The vision is better endings.
The vision is the restoration of broken families and broken relationships.
The vision is people finding life, finding freedom, finding love.
The vision is making change.
The vision is the possibility that your best days are ahead.
The vision is the possibility that we're more loved than we'll ever know.
The vision is hope, and hope is real.
We live in a difficult world, a broken world. Life is hard for most people most of the time. We believe that everyone can relate to pain, that all of us live with questions, and all of us get stuck in moments. You need to know that you're not alone in the places you feel stuck.
We all wake to the human condition. We wake to mystery and beauty but also to tragedy and loss. Millions of people live with problems of pain. Millions of homes are filled with questions – moments and seasons and cycles that come as thieves and aim to stay. We know that pain is very real. It is our privilege to suggest that hope is real, and that help is real.
You need to know that rescue is possible, that freedom is possible.
The vision is that community and hope and help would replace secrets and silence.
The vision is people putting down guns and blades and bottles.
The vision is that we would learn what it means to love our friends, and that we would love ourselves enough to get the help we need.
The vision is better endings.
The vision is the restoration of broken families and broken relationships.
The vision is people finding life, finding freedom, finding love.
The vision is making change.
The vision is the possibility that your best days are ahead.
The vision is the possibility that we're more loved than we'll ever know.
The vision is hope, and hope is real.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Alligator tears, spilled over you.
Tegan and Sara, my two favourite ladies in the world are touring Australia!
Many dates for intimate gigs and festivals and you can read it all here on there website:
http://teganandsara.com/news/time-travel-australia/
xx
Many dates for intimate gigs and festivals and you can read it all here on there website:
http://teganandsara.com/news/time-travel-australia/
xx
Blue Juice, Skinny Jean and Last Dinosaurs Gig @ The Zoo
As Blue Juice was getting ready to wind down their Broken Leg tour they had to make three last stops, first up The Zoo in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley. To brisbane locals the Zoo is an iconic venue, promising to provide an intimate evening of music. Supporting Blue Juice was local Brisbane acts Last Dinosaurs and Skinny Jean.
The night started out with Last Dinosaurs a smooth sounding Indie band taking to the stage to pound out their tunes to all that would listen. These four lads were very captivating and the audience responded enthusiastically, the evening was getting off to a great start. Next was the five piece band Skinny Jean. Skinny Jean was really quiet amazing to watch, if you were not dazzled by Jemma Hicks on the Vibraphone and Glockenspiel, an unusual combination, then you were mesmerised by Skên Onion, providing interesting vocals. Combining these talents along with guitars and drums made for a rather entertaining sound. Skinny Jean manages to mix up their set with upbeat dancing songs as well as darker, intense songs to keep the audience entertained. My highlight was Jemma Hicks stealing centre stage and my heart, belting out a sweet song of her own.
At long last Blue Juice, what we had all been waiting for. Everybody had clearly put on their dancing shoes and it was impossible not to join in the revelry. You could feel the energy transfer from the band to the audience in a wave of lyrics and Blue Juice were faking nothing, with their energetic dancing and jumping all over the stage. Showing stamina, the energy levels remained high, with the audience climax during Vitriol, Broken Leg, I Aint Telling the Truth and The Reductionist. I nearly lost my footing a few times due to some rather eager punters. After a few screams from the audience, there was an encore. Leaving nothing to complain about, satisfied and dripping with sweat we raced to the stairs along with the crowd to get some much needed air outside.
The night started out with Last Dinosaurs a smooth sounding Indie band taking to the stage to pound out their tunes to all that would listen. These four lads were very captivating and the audience responded enthusiastically, the evening was getting off to a great start. Next was the five piece band Skinny Jean. Skinny Jean was really quiet amazing to watch, if you were not dazzled by Jemma Hicks on the Vibraphone and Glockenspiel, an unusual combination, then you were mesmerised by Skên Onion, providing interesting vocals. Combining these talents along with guitars and drums made for a rather entertaining sound. Skinny Jean manages to mix up their set with upbeat dancing songs as well as darker, intense songs to keep the audience entertained. My highlight was Jemma Hicks stealing centre stage and my heart, belting out a sweet song of her own.
At long last Blue Juice, what we had all been waiting for. Everybody had clearly put on their dancing shoes and it was impossible not to join in the revelry. You could feel the energy transfer from the band to the audience in a wave of lyrics and Blue Juice were faking nothing, with their energetic dancing and jumping all over the stage. Showing stamina, the energy levels remained high, with the audience climax during Vitriol, Broken Leg, I Aint Telling the Truth and The Reductionist. I nearly lost my footing a few times due to some rather eager punters. After a few screams from the audience, there was an encore. Leaving nothing to complain about, satisfied and dripping with sweat we raced to the stairs along with the crowd to get some much needed air outside.
I’ve finally found Sainthood
I wrote this when the album first came out on another blog, i decided to post it here to :)
A couple of days ago the eagerly anticipated Sainthood by my favourite Canadian twin sisters Tegan and Sara leaked onto the internet, now before you get angry about downloading it, i assure you i have already pre-order a copy along with the three part book On In At. However just like any other Tegan and Sara fanatic i couldn’t wait any longer. Sainthood was due for release on the 27th October 2009, is the 6th studio album for Tegan and Sara and was Co-Produced by Death Cab for Cutie’s Christopher Walla and Howard Redekopp.
After the huge success with The Con I thought that they couldn’t possibly get much better, but without fail they have proven me wrong. I am a huge fan of Tegan and Sara and after many listens though their full record i have to say, to me this takes the award of best album of 2009. Sainthood as Tegan Quin put it is about love and even if the songs aren’t directly about love then they use love as a metaphor and this is quite evident in Hell. Sainthood addresses themes of love, devotion and relationships and never falls short of accurately portraying these feelings we all experience.
Sainthood is also monumental in the fact that it was the first time that both sisters collaborated together, however only one song Paperback Head made it to the album, thankfully. Tegan and Sara’s writing abilities are so very different from each other and that is what makes them special, they are able to offer two very different perspectives and writing styles. Sorry to say but Paperback Head just didn’t excite me.
I have been a Sara lover for a long time and once again its Sara’s songs that have captivated me within this record. Songs such as On Directing display her complex lyrics that are backed up with catchy melodies such as in Red Belt.
Never fear because Tegan doesn’t fall too short. Tegan impresses me so much with The Ocean and continues to display her simple catchy pop tunes that were shown throughout The Con. Tegan continues to shine when branching out into a semi punk number Northshore and I have to say I cannot wait to dance to this at one of their gigs.
It’s clear to see that both girls seem to have matured in their song writing. Time and time again they do not disappoint with every record they put out. Sainthood is out on 27th October and I encourage everyone to go out and buy it!
A couple of days ago the eagerly anticipated Sainthood by my favourite Canadian twin sisters Tegan and Sara leaked onto the internet, now before you get angry about downloading it, i assure you i have already pre-order a copy along with the three part book On In At. However just like any other Tegan and Sara fanatic i couldn’t wait any longer. Sainthood was due for release on the 27th October 2009, is the 6th studio album for Tegan and Sara and was Co-Produced by Death Cab for Cutie’s Christopher Walla and Howard Redekopp.
After the huge success with The Con I thought that they couldn’t possibly get much better, but without fail they have proven me wrong. I am a huge fan of Tegan and Sara and after many listens though their full record i have to say, to me this takes the award of best album of 2009. Sainthood as Tegan Quin put it is about love and even if the songs aren’t directly about love then they use love as a metaphor and this is quite evident in Hell. Sainthood addresses themes of love, devotion and relationships and never falls short of accurately portraying these feelings we all experience.
Sainthood is also monumental in the fact that it was the first time that both sisters collaborated together, however only one song Paperback Head made it to the album, thankfully. Tegan and Sara’s writing abilities are so very different from each other and that is what makes them special, they are able to offer two very different perspectives and writing styles. Sorry to say but Paperback Head just didn’t excite me.
I have been a Sara lover for a long time and once again its Sara’s songs that have captivated me within this record. Songs such as On Directing display her complex lyrics that are backed up with catchy melodies such as in Red Belt.
Never fear because Tegan doesn’t fall too short. Tegan impresses me so much with The Ocean and continues to display her simple catchy pop tunes that were shown throughout The Con. Tegan continues to shine when branching out into a semi punk number Northshore and I have to say I cannot wait to dance to this at one of their gigs.
It’s clear to see that both girls seem to have matured in their song writing. Time and time again they do not disappoint with every record they put out. Sainthood is out on 27th October and I encourage everyone to go out and buy it!
Freedom, Equality and those little things we take for granted
Freedom, equality and rights. Three words that are thrown around constantly, used everyday and are so important to the individual. Our universe is centred around them, we have rights advocates, freedom fighters and we constantly demand equality. Looking back throughout history it is quite clear to see that their has always been some fight or another over these three simple words. Denial of rights and freedoms are always a hot topic. We all aparently born free and equal, according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights we all have rights no matter what race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status we have. So i ask you this, why the fuck today, in 2009, are we still fighting for our rights, can we not learn from history, is the human race really that dumb, naive and close-minded.
In the last few years the concept of same sex marriage has been constantly popping up with politics, media and any other outlet it can. Marriage. Its one simple word that holds so much meaning to individuals. Many countries throughout the world are denying same sex couples the right to marry. Legislation classes marriage being between one man and one women and this definition can be related back to the bible.
I am deaply affected by this. I don’t understand how this world can deny a certain group of people the rights to marry the one they love and the majority of reasons why stem from an acient book based around beliefs and stories that may or may not be true. Im not trying to blame religion or deny whether it is true or not, as i have religious friends and families, i just believe that those reasons are not valid.
Throughout the world there are only a few countries that recognise same sex couples and allow them to marry, some being; South Africa, Canada and certain states within the United States of America. United States of America, easily can be recognised as the biggest country in the world, unfortunatly ours and most countries rely on the USA in some form or another. For a big country like this only four out of the fifty states recognise same sex marriages, a big country which centers on discrimination? And Australia! Dont even get me started, we dont even recognise it whatsoever, instead we have “civil unions” which is an utter joke.
Alas, everyday there are groups of people who are fighting so very hard to change this, one recent event that happened in California was the overturning of legal same sex marriages that were being performed throughout 2008, this was dubbed Proposition 8. Proposition 8 was a ballot vote within California and unfortunatly for homosexual Californian couples Prop 8 was passed however the marriages that had been performed before the passing was still recognised, this included the famous marriage of Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi.
Today was another sad day for the gay community, the state Maine which is situated within the USA voted for making same sex marriage illegal, it was meant to become legal in January 2010. However the brighter side to this sad story is the margin of the gap between legal and illegal was smaller in compared to Prop 8, showing that slowly but surely this war will be won.
Things take time, however the gay community has every right to be impatient, i don’t know if things will change, i hope they will, education is the key. I leave you with this, it sums up how i feel, its heartbreaking and honest.
In the last few years the concept of same sex marriage has been constantly popping up with politics, media and any other outlet it can. Marriage. Its one simple word that holds so much meaning to individuals. Many countries throughout the world are denying same sex couples the right to marry. Legislation classes marriage being between one man and one women and this definition can be related back to the bible.
I am deaply affected by this. I don’t understand how this world can deny a certain group of people the rights to marry the one they love and the majority of reasons why stem from an acient book based around beliefs and stories that may or may not be true. Im not trying to blame religion or deny whether it is true or not, as i have religious friends and families, i just believe that those reasons are not valid.
Throughout the world there are only a few countries that recognise same sex couples and allow them to marry, some being; South Africa, Canada and certain states within the United States of America. United States of America, easily can be recognised as the biggest country in the world, unfortunatly ours and most countries rely on the USA in some form or another. For a big country like this only four out of the fifty states recognise same sex marriages, a big country which centers on discrimination? And Australia! Dont even get me started, we dont even recognise it whatsoever, instead we have “civil unions” which is an utter joke.
Alas, everyday there are groups of people who are fighting so very hard to change this, one recent event that happened in California was the overturning of legal same sex marriages that were being performed throughout 2008, this was dubbed Proposition 8. Proposition 8 was a ballot vote within California and unfortunatly for homosexual Californian couples Prop 8 was passed however the marriages that had been performed before the passing was still recognised, this included the famous marriage of Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi.
Today was another sad day for the gay community, the state Maine which is situated within the USA voted for making same sex marriage illegal, it was meant to become legal in January 2010. However the brighter side to this sad story is the margin of the gap between legal and illegal was smaller in compared to Prop 8, showing that slowly but surely this war will be won.
Things take time, however the gay community has every right to be impatient, i don’t know if things will change, i hope they will, education is the key. I leave you with this, it sums up how i feel, its heartbreaking and honest.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Burn your life down
Some of the very best moments in my life are the ones where nothing amazing happens. For example Sunday night was simple and nice. It all started with three housemates all extremely bored and without work on a monday, four bottles of spirits, four beers and a bottle of red wine (note: not all way consumed, but the majority was). Four Kings was the game and happiness was the aim, for me atleast.
As the night slowly progressed it became one drunken stupor, and lets say alot was revealed that night, i am now closer to two of my housemates then ever before. I also lost twice and was forced to consume a vile potion of mixed liquor. It was about 1 am when i thought it was best for me to retreat to my bed, i stumbled up the stairs and somehow managed to find my bed. This was where the night turned bad, lets just say i am a mean drunk and i am sorry to the person who i was nasty to, i hope you know i dont mean it.
As the night slowly progressed it became one drunken stupor, and lets say alot was revealed that night, i am now closer to two of my housemates then ever before. I also lost twice and was forced to consume a vile potion of mixed liquor. It was about 1 am when i thought it was best for me to retreat to my bed, i stumbled up the stairs and somehow managed to find my bed. This was where the night turned bad, lets just say i am a mean drunk and i am sorry to the person who i was nasty to, i hope you know i dont mean it.
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