After finding my place in a decisively hot Alley Cat Bar last Friday, I sat down to watch Chris Burrows - the leader of his Anorexic Olsen Twin outfit - begin his set; his friends making up a good portion of the audience. Singing about goon, how shitty his life is, time travel and, well, his friends, The Anorexic Olsen Twin is a very likeable entity. It is simple stuff, acoustic cabaret pop-punk music with identifiable themes: music for a small town, really. Burrows is more concerned with lyrics and simply having fun than any form of professionalism, and it definitely shows live.
The Anorexic Olsen Twin
Alligator Creek, the pseudonym for Townsville-come-Hobart resident Cahill Kelly, trotted his timid self to the stage for his first ever show in Hobart. Guitar in hand, Cahill played his lo-fi folk-pop, his music carried on the strength of his voice. It isn't a particularly strong voice, more-so a whispery Phil Elvrum-like voice, but it is certainly the core component of the Alligator Creek sound. Sensitive to the point of almost appearing shy, his songs almost floundered in the overbearing pub environment due to their intimacy and gentleness. Any intricacies, intended or not, seemed lost amongst the layers of conversation, which ultimately hampered the potential of Alligator Creek. As a result, it is clear Cahill's music would fit superbly well at a Melodica show - that being one of quietness, audience silence and interest. Similarly, but not suprisingly, locally his music could be pegged between Billy Whims and Transcription of Organ Music. Suprise, suprise.
I found his Myspace recordings worthy of listening, and he even has a three-song EP avaliable for download. For free, of course. Beware of the phone ringing in the background of the final track. Lo-fi at its peak?
Cahill Kelly - Alligator Creek
As the captured heat intensified, The Lucky Dips branded their accessible punk rock for a diminshed but receptive crowd. If you will excuse the comparison, their brief songs reminded myself of early early Joy Division - think Warsaw, The Drawback or Ice Age. This probably has something to do with Adam's voice, but it suits the music. Simple, catchy; my favourite song "Did It Really Happen" can be heard on their Myspace. Nothing mind blowing, some will like it, others won't. The end.
The Lucky Dips
Tiger Choir brought with them a rebuilt audience, chairs pushed to the side and everyone standing in the boiler room that the Alley Cat had become. Okay, 'boiler room' might sound a tad strong, but once you combine dancing with the already hot room, it certainly felt like it. To be honest, at this stage I was too busy having fun to be analysing the band fully. This is the first time I've heard Tiger Choir
live, though I did appreciate their self-titled EP released last year, and I will mention the songs sound good live in comparison to the record. The sampler was used effectively to create a 'unique' or singular experience - sorry, bad explanation. Too often I find bands who work with electronic components in their music to be guilty of simply cueing the electronic samples or pieces with little effort. Maybe I just didn't pay enough attention and was too busy sweating to determine exactly, but Tiger Choir seemed to avoid this easily. The music sounded natural.
Sam Nicholson - Tiger Choir
Although they don't stray too far from their typical sound, particularly noticeable in the repetition of echoed vocals through the songs, the tracks have enough variety between each other to maintain interest and even excitement. The drums were used well, sometimes highlighting the vocals, other times to create a recognisable path. (well derr) The band played a couple of new songs, but for the life of me I couldn't remember them if I tried. Alas.
Oh, and Sam threw out a bunch of balloons which entertained the crowd for at least three songs. Bravo. Dancing, sweating, playing with balloons, taking photos and listening to the band is about the limit of my multitasking. They finished with 'Young Living', an optimistic indie-electronic-hipster-anthem-song. Phew.
I should just get a flickr and put all the photos there...
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