Articles about BAD!SLAM!NO!BISCUIT!

There is an article about the 18 January BAD!SLAM!NO!BISCUIT! in both the Age and the Canberra Times. You can also read a short take on the upcoming poetry slam in the City News. Thanks to Adam Thomas for the photograph used in the articles.

One-hundred word reviews

A 100 word review: Ladies Sing! Sunday 8 March, The Front Café and Gallery, Lyneham

One-hundred word reviews

100 Word Reviews will now appear here.

A 100 Word Review: Corinbank 2009, Corin Forest, Brindabella Mountains

One-hundred word reviews – Rising, from Melbourne’s The Go Set

The Go Set’s fourth full-length recording, Rising, is everything you would want in a Celtic inspired union anthem album – but with subtly more. Bagpipes, sea-swept chorus, rail-roads, men chained and exported, here we go, here we go. The album takes colonial history and places it firmly within the modern context. The Roaring Forties evokes the stigma of Australia’s painful response to boat-people. Armentieres re-works the bawdy World War I "Mademoiselle from Armentières" into a love song, as the girl with jet black hair swallows streets that once ran liquid with mustard gas. As they say, all hell has been unleashed.

One-hundred word reviews – The Barons of Tang, the Phoenix, 17/1/2008 – Melbourne Gypsy Hardcore

The Barons of Tang - Plague on Wheels Tour. Tuba on the floor, shirts off, death metal punk Gypsy – why not Romani? – Hardcore; the Phoenix. Dance, dance, dance, the crowd was up for the Barons of Tang from the outset and in a set too short for everyone they frolicked us through their sweaty musical array before passing the top hat around the crowd - University holidays equal no pay at the Phoenix. The Double-Bass player was declared: “good enough to do me for a week.” Then it ended. Unfortunately I missed the Super Best Friends, I was chasing Vampires.

One-hundred word reviews – The Wiskeydicks, Woodford - where were you?

Canadian visitors to Woodford, The Whiskeydicks played a storm over three nights, turning on acoustic folk Irish-Canadian punk for the small devoted following turning out for them. Playing two short set-lists on 30 and 31 December, they had a grand finale of 45 minutes to close the festival at Bazaar. Highlights included a rendition of "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" along with their song “The Godfather”, the Cello-player leaped through NoFX inspired hoops – fun – fancy hats held prominence, and the Middle of the Year Girls danced the crowd into a frenzy of jigs and jumping – very hot, hot, hot...

Very short reviews, late and not of any use – Grand Salvo and Oliver Mann, the Front Gallery and Café

Grand Salvo played the Front Gallery and Café on 30 November 2008, along with Oliver Mann.

It was late Sunday afternoon and Birds Love Fighting had been setting up the Mics and had the Barbie warmed up with meat and vegetables to eat – on bread. The cider was cold, the coffee nicely warm, and a very tiny crowd had settled in to hear first up, Oliver Mann, followed by Grand Salvo.

The last time Grand Salvo played in Canberra it was with Laura Jean, who commands a relatively large Canberra following, so this afternoon was a very different affair. Where the Front had been previously packed for Laura Jean’s last two visits to Canberra, only a few came in for Grand Salvo, and so that meant that many in Canberra missed an intimate and satisfying afternoon.

With this tour Oliver Mann launched his latest album, The Possum Wakes at Night. And this afternoon, he with his powerful vocals, along with band member Monica Sonand, took the small audience – unfortunately more people outside than in - through songs that belied the sometimes comic content of his lyrics.

Grand Salvo followed with mournful folk music, opening with Bear, from the album Death, and you could see a few teary eyes in the crowd. Their music, awash with beautiful forlorn lyrics, would have been out of place on the warm Sunday afternoon, except the melody and quiet voice that held the tiny crowd spell bound.

One note of caution: do not approach the Grand Salvo lead and ask him to sign your cd, nor tell him about any kind of emotional response his songs may trigger within you, unless you want to be treated poorly. If you like that kind of stuff go ahead - you will be in for a treat. Or like me, when you realise it may be some kind of lame defence mechanism, you can hang around and talk to him more and make him feel uncomfortable about being an arse.

P.S. Oliver Mann is really nice, talk to him, if you like nice people.

The Ellis Collective, The Understudy and, A Disappointing Fireworks Display

My write-up of the Saturday night phoenix gig for Culturazi.

New old review

Better late than never, the review of the Andi and George Band and Alice Cottee at the Front.

Cuthbert and the Night Walkers

An article on Cuthbert and the Night Walkers and Institut Polaire at Transit Bar.

Winnebago Deal and Looking Glass

Winnebago Deal & Looking Glass Article.

Mojo Juju and the Snake Oil Merchants, the Ellis Collective, the Andi and George Band and, Mr. Fibby

Mojo Juju and the Snake Oil Merchants, the Ellis Collective, the Andi and George Band and, Mr. Fibby, an article on two nights of music.

The Gin Club, The Gentlemen of Fortune & Dan Mangan

The Gin Club, The Gentlemen of Fortune and Dan Mangan reviewed quite a while ago.