Ebony & Ivory - The Log Cabin 20/08/10

When a friend organised for a few of us to catch up and get some dinner at the local Log Cabin, I was in when she said Live Music. I didn't know what to expect, but what I got was a fantastic duo cover band made up of singer Jesse Suitupe and guitarist Saul Santilli. The amount and quality of sound that came out of these 2 guys was amazing.


They played a huge range of hits to keep everyone happy and it wasn't long before everyone was up and dancing to songs like Superstitious, Sunburn, Jack and Dianne, All night long, Kiss, I shot the Sheriff, and a beautiful rendition of Ben Harper's, Steal My Kisses. Jesse has an amazing vocal range and a really soulful sound. He's a bit of a cross between Cee-Lo Green from Gnarls Barkley and Guy Sebastian (without the lameness) but he has no problem rocking out to the grungier tracks they play. I was most shocked when I realised half way through that they were playing Beyonce's Halo. Now, I'm no Beyonce fan but this version was really good and I actually think Jesse managed to sing it in the same key as Beyonce! Like I said, amazing vocal range. Saul's guitar was really funky and the jams he had between tracks showed the guy has some serious talent.

It was a great night out and I always love a good dance, especially when the venue is just around the corner! These guys were awesome and maybe a bit wasted as a cover band. I get the feeling they have a stack of their own songs but are currently really happy just playing great covers. They play at The Crown Hotel Sydney, The Courthouse Hotel Sydney, The Colonial Hotel, The Log Cabin, The Macquarie Hotel Liverpool, Penrith Panthers and the Matraville Hotel. They have 2 upcoming gigs listed on their facebook page which are The Log Cabin, Friday the 10th of September and The Office Hotel Sydney, Saturday the 11th of September. If you have the chance to check them out, do it!

Song of the Day! The Subs - Mitsubitchi

It's so close to the weekend I can smell it!! This song is just what everyone needs, to keep trudging through the week and make it to the weekend! I dare you to listen to it and not bob your head or tap your feet! IMPOSSIBLE!!!
I know it's been around for a while but I cant help but love it, and thats why it's my Song of the day!

Song of Today!

I was going to try to leave it a few days before I added another post and a new song but I heard this Pendulum track again today on the way to work and I just love it. Pendulum are such crafty guys, originally from Perth but now based in the UK and I love most of their stuff. I can't wait to see them live in November!
For now, check out what they've done with the old school ABC News theme!! Love it!

The EELS - The Enmore 14/08/10

The last in a string of gigs over the past few weeks was The EELS, again, at The Enmore. Almost by accident, I managed to see both support acts, the first being listed as Ventriloquist. Hmm... I thought... I haven't heard of this band before! As I walked in I was surprised (oddly enough) to see a woman on stage with a doll on a chair pretending to talk for it. Her jokes were average but she was only on for 15 minutes and the weirdness factor was entertaining enough! Up next, the bill said Laura Imbruglia, I googled and sure enough, she's the sister of Natalie. I noticed a small boy on stage who picked up a massive acoustic guitar and left me shocked when the most amazing female voice busted out of it! She was really interesting. Her style was a bit country and her lyrics were funny and angry-man-hating at the same time. Think a little, bitter, female, John Williamson. Loved her!

Then on came Mark Everett better known as E. The weirdness continued, 'IT'S THE STIG!' I thought. E was dressed in a white racing jumpsuit and his face was completely covered, with beard, Sun glasses and a camouflage bandanna. He started out with a few softer songs from the last 2 albums before the rest of the band wandered onstage and kicked it up a notch. I was confused because of E's outfit compared with the rest of the band who were all in funky jazz/rock get up with vests and caps. Over the course of the set I slowly realised that all band members had sunglasses on and were all massively beardy!

They played great tracks like Prizefighter, Hombre Lobo, In My Dreams, End Times and my favourite Fresh Blood. But they also mixed it up a bit by playing My Beloved (one of the many songs they have on the several Shrek soundtracks) double time and much more funky. They also changed God Damn Right when E sang the songs lyrics to the band playing The Beatles Twist and Shout. Bizarre but really entertaining! There was also songs featuring Punk influences as well as Rockabilly, but the weird crescendo of the night happened during an odd Latin sounding track when E went to the back of the stage opened a little coolie box and proceeded to throw Cornetto's into the audience. At that point I remember thinking, why is The Stig throwing ice creams into the audience during a Latin song? I don't do drugs but did I accidentally take acid somewhere along the way?

They played a few slower tracks for an encore then that was it for the night. From the moment I walked in and there was a Ventriloquist onstage, to seeing a 12 year old boy take the floor that turned out to be a woman with a huge voice, to The Stig throwing out ice creams during a Latin track, I spent the night so very confused! Confused, but thoroughly entertained!! I've been told, you never know what to expect when going to an EELS gig and what we got was definitely unexpected!

Florence and The Machine - The Enmore 05/08/10

Florence's side shows have been eagerly awaited by all fans who couldn't make it to Splendour in the Grass this year and shows sold out immediately. There was so much demand they announced a few extra shows which played in the days following this Enmore gig.

The support act was Ernest Ellis from Sydney who played an interesting mix of soulful dream-like melodies with slow and determined drum beats. Very cruisey but more suited to a Sunday afternoon than a Thursday night. He closed his set with a great rendition of the only track I've heard from him on JJJ Heading for the Cold.

At 9.30 Florence made her entrance and my goodness what an entrance it was! She sure has a flare for the theatrical side of performing! They opened with Drumming Song and shook the audience violently from their lull between acts. Florence wore a flowey feminine lacy cream dress which flared out as she spun and danced gracefully all over the stage through the entire gig. I've been present at a Florence and the Machine gig when they played the Laneway Festival earlier this year, but being of the shorter persuasion I didn't actually get to 'see' them. This time.... I SAW!

She played hit after hit including My Boy Builds Coffins, Hurricane Drunk, You've Got The Love, Raise it Up, Kiss with a Fist and Dog Days are Over including, amongst many others, my favourite, Cosmic Love which saw a little set change as they lowered a gorgeous fairy light backdrop to accompany the romantic song. Changing it up a little, she got very creepy with a shawl and strobe lights representing lightning during her song Blinding. I've always liked this song although it disturbs me with lyrics like: "No more dreaming of the Dead, as if death itself was undone. No more calling like a Crow for a boy, for a body in the Garden." She also played a few new tracks which sounded amazing! Cant wait for the next album to come out.

Whilst my ears did feel like they were bleeding as Florence blared into the mic which I wished the sound guys would turn down just a tad, if I was ever to go deaf, I couldn't think of a better way to do it!

With her amazing vocals and high energy, Florence was unstoppable as she danced from beginning to end with the help of her fantastic band; her Machine. I heard that 15,000 people decended on the natural ampithearter to watch them play at Splendour and I felt so lucky to see her at The Enmore, such an intimate venue which apparently holds just over 2000 at capacity. She blew my ears off but it was well worth it!

Band Of Horses - The Enmore 29/07/10

It was a sold out show and it's not hard to see why. Over the last few years Band of Horses have been gaining more and more fans with their beautiful Hillbilly-chic music and as they are on the Splendour in the Grass line up this year, which is on this weekend, thankfully they decided to do a few sideshows.

Band of Horses opened with The Great Salt Lake and I was surprised to see a huge image of a lake with interesting rock formations projected onto the back wall behind the band. They sounded amazing and as the show progressed the images changed to reflect the general theme of the songs being played. The images also began to change throughout the songs and by 4th song the images were flicking by so fast I started to feel motion sick! I decided to stop watching the footage and start watching the band which helped.

They played some great old classics from Everything All the Time and Cease to Begin with some standouts for me being Is There A Ghost, Ode to LRC, and Islands on the Coast which had impressive photos of gigs and festivals that the band had taken. There was also a lot played off their new album Infinite Arms including the charming tune Blue Beard. I was surprised to see the keyboardist take lead vocals for the song Older. I knew it sounded slightly different from a lot of their other stuff but I hadn't picked it being a different singer. Great Song!

During the chorus of the soulful Detlef Schrempf one audience member nostalgically raised his or her lit cigarette lighter to the sky in appreciation. What followed was an angry security guard with a torch flashing at them to put it out. Soon after the entire crowd was lit up with little glowing flames waving in time from side to side! Sticken to the Man!!! It look awesome from my vantage point on the stairs near the back of the intimate venue!

When they played Cigarettes, Wedding Bands they had a fascinating backdrop of an old desert shack with the sky filled with fluffy clouds. That distracted me for a while but the band soon regained my attention when I was slapped in the face by a freaking amazing guitar solo. My notes here say 'Amazing guitar...HOLY CRAP!' :) They busted out Laredo which the fans loved and it was played with a backdrop of really interesting black and white pictures of the American mid west reinforcing their country influence and sound.

They played No One's Gonna Love You as part of their Encore and I was thoroughly satisfied as that's my favourite song by them, they also made heart felt thanks to many people that got them there and helped them along the way and Ben Bridwell (lead) went on about how appreciative he was of our rowdy audience. It was quite sweet.

It was a feast for the eyes, the ears, and the heart! The crowd was buzzing as it left and spilled out into the street. Band of Horses never disappoint and you'd have to have a heart of stone to not feel the emotion they pour into each and every song. Great gig!

Blue Beard.mp3 Be patient it's a big file.

Song of the Week

I DID IT!! Finally managed to link an .mp3... I think! Please let me know if it doesn't work. If it does, whilst you're there you might as well listen to this awesome track! It's my favourite song right now, With You in My Head by UNKLE.

I haven't listened to much from UNKLE in the past but I'm thinking I might start because I love the complexities in the beat and sexiness of this track. It's currently on a certain Vampire Movie soundtrack but don't let that deter you, give it a listen and let me know what you think.

Also do me a favour and become a 'Follower' of this blog if you aren't already! :)

ENJOY!
With You in My Head.mp3