Launceston + The White Box / N&W&T&S Zine

Noise & Words & Things & Shit has been a little inactive recently. Apologies to the two and a half people that checked the site since the previous post. In the meanwhile, I travelled to Launceston for a pretty cool arts festival in Junction 2010, while at the same time exploring the Streets Alive urban art infestation (AKA, the 'let's cover the city in knitted cotton' festival.)

For the former, I mostly just chilled at a parish hall for a few days, taking part in the Make Space interactive event. Here, beside some wonderful comic artists, I set created a collaged (horrible) poster for tomorrow's Melodica show, drew a few (horrible) pictures and attempted to make a (horrible) tiny zine for this here drivel space. Unfortunately, I ended up creating a 12 page zine that has very little to do with the N&W&T&S blog. Not much in the way of news/reviews of Tasmanian music, mostly just those badly sketched drawings recreated to fit into a zine and a few unfunny one-liners/oddities scattered throughout. It does feature an interview, though, but it might be a bit too conceptual and follow the same daft humour. Either way, a few copies of Issue (n)One of the zine should arrive back in my hands sooner or later - the Launceston outer-suburbs bus timetable made sure I missed more than I'd have liked, so I didn't have the time to photocopy the zine myself. D.I.Y.? Uh...

As part of the Streets Alive art invasion, free performances by several local/interstate acts were staged in an (unused?) warehouse/shopfront space. Titled 'The White Box', the area featured a tiny square box in which solo acts could perform inside of, while video of the performance was projected on the outside of the box for spectators. I only managed to catch two performances though, and neither were cramped inside the little cube. Launceston locals Invisible Boy were the first of the two acts, who played that type of pop/rock/folk music you expect to hear from a band who cut its teeth/ears at Irish Murphy's. It's safe soft-rock with good intentions, and while the band brim with confidence, the song writing never reached for anything more interesting. The lyrics were cliche at best ('Grey Blue') and the lead guitar sounded like it belonged in a ten-piece band called Funkin' Awesome, who only play Wednesday nights at the local RSL - no disrespect to the local RSL intended. If you don't trust me, you can judge for yourself at this Saturday's One Fine Day festival of music/boredom at the Republic Bar.



Hobart indie-pop doo-wop rocket-box Billy Whims arrived (fashionably?) late to the white-coloured warehouse. Strumming/singing/slaying her way through the solo set, Bridget changed between wistfully playing the guitar and plink-plonking the tiny keyboard that could have been mistaken for (and might actually be) a toy. The pre-programmed backing tracks of said keyboard made for a new version of an old favourite, with the Community-endorsed 'So It Goes' featuring a tempo-altering hip-hop backing track. If you had never heard the song before, it might have sounded a little odd, but it transformed the tune into some of the most gleeful (and almost comic) three minutes I've had in the past few months. Bridget's voice conjures up such phrases as 'sugary sweet' and  'a melodic delight', but in her case, it is never sickly so. On record it is simple, soft and sweet; but when Bridget performs live and solo, it is one of only two instruments that occupy the same space at once. Consequently, the vocals take a bigger role in such a setting, and are treasured as much. The content of the songs (indie-pop meanderings about wilderness, nature, animals and so forth) work because of the voice.




Although the live mixing wasn't particularly good, the use of an alternative space as a venue was welcomed, and perhaps even commended. I have no clue regarding the number, variety and state of music venues in Launceston, but regardless of outside venues, I have my fingers crossed we'll see more art/music shows hosted at this particular space.