San Cisco @ Florida Beach Bar, Terrigal NSW Australia 24/03/2018 written by Brendan Lewis

LET’S GO THE DISTANCE

Throw your dancing shoes on, whip out those awkward bumblebee sunnies, rock that retro perm and let’s disco with San Cisco! No more waiting for the weekend, for the weekend is now here.  Tonight, these wild things are bustin’ an old-school magic groove, proving that these kids are cool still, as they do their thang in super slow slo-mo, and go the distance.

Let’s par-tay! ….which glittery dress do I wear?

After settling on a dress with the perfect balance on classy and slutty, I’ve shimmied my way to the front on this dancefloor to join the charged up high-spirited crowd, ready to boogie as a synth-based auramatic intro, filled with anticipation starts as the band walk out on stage here at “The Beery” …...side note... seriously people,  how the hell did you get ‘The Beery’ from Florida Beach Bar???

The band start this party off with ‘Did You Get What You Came For?’ off their latest album, followed by ‘SloMo’. The first of these two grooves is very strong in the 90’s synth-pop force, and as clear as Jordi’s lead male vocals are which is always a relief, the over-all sound isn’t as loud as I would’ve expected, and is very focused on vocals, synthesisers/keyboards and drums. On top of this, there’s not a lot of movement on stage to catch my limited sight, which may be due to the may-be faulty sound mix making the band struggle with their sound, or the fact that the audience hasn’t started shakin’ a tail feather yet, or perhaps, the fact that the band aren’t overly energetic is what’s causing the lack of energy in the audience? We now reach the songs’ bridge section, which features a crowd-pleasing guitar solo to help get the crowd moving, but still, this isn’t the big bold kick-off song I normally expect at a show… wait for it…

Next, ‘SloMo’ is far from it, with it’s up-beat tempo, that the catchy-as-funk vocal melodies in the chorus and the attention-grabbing guitar riff dances on. It’s great that the guitarist gets its’ turn in the the spotlight and shine brightly as they rightly should, and this songs’ classic disco-anthem vibe is extremely colourful like a mirror ball reflecting all the psychedelic lights, and easy to get down to and get my slut on, I mean, dance on. This does prompt the crowd to start drearily bopping and singing along, but the energy is still quite withdrawn.

The band now say a quick hello and thank you to the audience before the next swagger of songs ‘About You’, ‘Beach’, ‘Magic’ and touring track ‘The Distance’. ‘About You’ features a far more chilled-out vibe with calm honest female-lead vocals, with hook melodies in the chorus that get stuck in your head….. Or at least it sounds like female vocals…. If that is still you Jordi, my bad, and well, take it as a compliment, you’re pulling off a chick’s voice too! The fact that people are singing along more attentively now indicates that this is a fan favourite and is further drawing peoples’ attention which is good, but the absence of musical and on-stage energy doesn’t raise the nights’ vibe sufficiently at this point…. Wait for it….

The energy on stage starts creeping up at last in ‘Beach’, with Jennifer now on keys grooving away judging by the blurry shape of wild curly hair moving around, and the/a guitarist (Jordi?) starting to bust a noticeable move, closer to the front. The atmosphere in the venue is changed to a high-school prom/formal dance feel with a chorus of girly sing alongs, like in that movie, you know, that movie with the daggy high-school prom. (you mean every soppy teenage romances ever made?) exactly! As cheesy as this vibe is, Jordi is showing off some sparkly vocals full of diversity, with both crisp highs and smooth lows.

After the musical and audience’s energy is dropped in ‘Magic’ despite more on-stage energy from the band, with seductive retro-funk female lead vocals. (I’m quite certain this time they’re female). These vocals build up to an even more seductive vocal hook at the songs’ end, Jordi now says hi and asks how we’re all doing, and spruces up the positivity with a quick engaging chat to raise the energy for ‘The Distance’. ‘The Distance’ raises the energy nicely after that half-time rev up from Jordi, dual male/female vocals and smooth walking bass lines, now people are starting to get their groove on and I can finally unleash my super-dorky moves in this hyped up crowd!

For the rest of this night of getting my slut on, I mean, dance on the band serve up more tasty retro treats like ‘Awkward’ (how I’m feeling as I try and sing along to the incredibly infectious vocal hook, and sadly fail) but ‘Hey Did I Do You Wrong?’ really? Well, if so let’s ‘Wash It All Away’ with loads more energy which is climaxing to sweaty levels, as ‘That Boy’ on stage continues to fire us all up as he totally shows me up with his disco dance moves! All these songs are filled with unique disco-synth vibes that are highly uplifting and get the crowd moving and jumping to the point where it’s starting to resemble an actual mosh-pit which, side note, thank god I have the barrier to hold on to, because the floor is EXTREMELY slippery due to sweat and spilt drinks and would be rather tricky for even patrons with full range of vision. But, all good things must come to an end, after the band engage us more and share quick stories between songs, they now announce that this is the last song. The lucky last song tonight is ‘Fred Astaire’ with its up-beat shakin’ verses, and slow nostalgic choruses and the guitarist to my left (again, quite possibly Jordi) party-rockin’ out up close on stage, and regardless of the band having to pause the song to check if someone in the audience who obviously was injured was alright (slipped on the dangerously wet floor maybe?) this song ends the night on a high!

You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here….. Just kidding, there’s an encore. The band give in to the intoxicated roars from the crowd demanding an encore and give us two more songs ‘Run’ and fan favourite ‘Too Much Time Together’ thus capping the energy off with a band and making the crowd go wild and jump/get their slut on more fiercely than previously!

Now for the hardest part of the night, coming down from the hype of energy, coming home and slipping off those heels exposing blistered feet, scrubbing off mascara and getting out of that sparkly classy/slutty dress and looking back on the night I just had, and my god, I can imagine that would be a right pain in the ass if I weren’t pulling your leg and were actually wearing that sparkly dress. (which I could totally pull off btw)

It took a little while for the show to creep up and get everyone energised and draw their attention, and the mix of sound seemed a little unsure, but when it picked up it really picked up and was a truly fun retro disco vibed night in the end, filled with anthemic hooks and infectious vocals and synthesiser melodies!

Hilltop Hoods 'Show Business' Tour - Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney 03/09/2022

LET’S CHASE THAT FEELING!

Tonight, I’ma Chase That Feeling down here at the front barrier of Qudos Bank Arena in The Nosebleed Section, because Aussie hip-hop icons Hilltop Hoods are Still Standing after the involuntary hiatus on the music scene caused by the pandemic, and Hilltop Hoods are ready to party and remind us why we need to hold on tight to live music and why they’re at the top of the Aussie hip-hop scene, on the bands’ ‘Show Business’ Tour! 

Now, if you’re familiar with my reviews you’d know I normally take my readers through an in-depth, song-by-song analysis. Tonight though, I don’t feel that’s necessary and I’d just be repeating myself… a-lot! No no, it doesn’t mean this show is repetitive and anything short of special, quite the opposite.

The energy, excitement and sheer fun-happy vibes skyrocketed straight away with opening song ‘Leave Me Lonely’, with a notable suspense-building sudden stop in the bridge section to raise the impact for the final chorus, then straight into one of my all-time favourites, ‘Chase That Feeling’. Which I should note, that for the live experience this song features an extra ‘synth’ sound added into the songs intro.

Now, picture this, you’re in the crowd at Qudos Bank arena, if you’re not wearing protective ear-plug down here at the front of the standing crowd (I am THANK JEEBUS!) you’re bombarded by bones-rattling bass, but luckily, astonishingly, it doesn’t even come close to drowning out the vocals and other musical layers, I mean, there could be a smidgen more mid-range in the mix, but that’s me looking for any gaps, but by the sheer excitement emanating from fans around me from the band racing around the stage, feeding off our energy and each others on stage perfectly surrounded by a dazzling light show, you’d think this is as good as it gets and that it’ll be more of the same throughout the performance right? You know, fans sing along at the top of their lungs… in my ears, the band revs us up between songs, we clap along to beats, jump when the band tells us to, maybe a bit of confetti for us to bat-away from our faces like cats etc etc.

Well yes, that does all happen as I described but with a few key differences that make this show truly special and memorable. First off, after the band play ‘Chase That Feeling’, they ask “has anyone here not seen us before?” which the young girl to my right calls out that she hasn’t, it’s her first time. (you never forget your first) Then, the band member who asked the question pointed the girl out and ask what her name is, “Mia!” then the band say hi to Mia, thank her and the rest of us for being here, mention Mia a few more times as the band rev us up leading into ‘The Nosebleed Section’, which was perfect for the songs’ lyrics in the chorus “I fell in love with the people in the front row”... but apparently my blind eyes missed one little, iddy-bitty detail. After Mia called out her name and one of the band members confirmed it, he unfastened his watch and gave it to Mia! No, I doubt it was a $10,000 Rolex or anything, more likely one of the custom Hilltop Hoods G-Shock watches, which if anything I think is better!

But the special moments don’t end there! After the band play ‘I Love It’, one of the band members “where’s the blind guy with the sign?” (yes, me) and wants me to hold it up for him to read out. Apparently he has it shown on the big screens for everyone to see while he reads it out, calls me a bloody legend and asks “who reckons I should give him a drum stick” which he does. And he calls ME a bloody legend?! Then a couple of songs later, after nearly burning my eyebrows off with pyro-technics and covering us all in confetti (definitely not the last time for either!), the bloody-legend who gave me the drum stick and gave Mia his watch came off the stage to connect with us in the front row more personally, including giving me a hug during one of their song.

Now I could go on and on about the insane energy from start to finish, the perfect flow of musical energy from one song to the next, being absolutely covered in several rounds of confetti, not to mention losing my eyebrows and beautiful Irish-red beard to at least three separate occasions of flames shooting up from the stage about five metres in front of us here at the front, and how the band performed each song perfectly, but the most important thing to point out is this.

It’s one thing to talk to the crowd at an arena concert with roughly 22,000 fans, rev us up and what not, but Hilltop Hoods have shown, no scratch that, proven to us that their fans do really mean so much to them and they will go out of their way to connect with us even in a massive venue with rules, regulations, precise time restriction, complex stage set ups etc. They perfectly blended the intimacy of a small venue like they played at in their early days where they could be closer to their fans, and a full-scale arena show with all the fancy trimmings and effects.

This night, finished with the grand finale of ‘Cosby Sweater’ which Hilltop Hoods brought Elsy Wamaro and A.B Originals on stage to do some extra parts and join in on the fun, was truly a special, fun happy celebration of the music we all love, being back to witness it live on stages again, and sharing it with fans, friends and loved-ones alike, venue sizes and limitations be-damned!

I Love It!

Dip Road Dogs, Shakshuka EP review

READY FOR SOMETHING NEW?

The EP is blasted off the starting mark with electrifying and exciting distorted guitar strikes in ‘Chaos In Kherson’. To follow the excitement building guitar riff, the fast-paced taps of the drums leaps forth in a burst of energetic patterns which perfectly raises the anticipation for the sequential ray of warm, hypnotic vocals, laced with spacey reverb, reminiscent of The Cure and David Bowie. These attributes are carried all the way throughout the song, filling me with a bright nostalgic feel like that of when looking back on a pleasant time in the past.

‘Labour Day’ up next, offers a similar musical flavour, with warm reverb-laden vocals and a fast-paced drum beat, yet offers a static wave of violin-like sound in its intro, a pulsing psychedelic guitar riff plus what seems to be possibly a harmonica nearing the songs end, giving a dash of diversity whilst keeping to a soul sound.

Third song in, I personally like to hear something a little bit different whilst still in the general realm of sound, ‘Lazy’ fits that criterion! Although yes, it does still feature the previously heard warm, hypnotic retro vocals in the previous two songs, plus a bright and similarly warm major-key tonal colour, the even more calming rhythmic sway of the violin plus the addition of dual-layered vocals in the chorus, give this sweet little track a suitable potency to the record.

My personal favourite on this record is the next track ‘Serenity Now’. This song lifts you out of the calm trance ‘Lazy’ left you in, with it’s blues/roots edge in the form of the swaggering drum beat, with the sharp guitar riffs riding the storm cloud-vibe, as it gets ready to unleash the clap of thunder that is the chorus, with elevated guitars and soaring vocals not heard on this record prior!

‘McClurkin Ave Blues’ brings a more country/blues feel to it, with it’s wailing guitar outcalls, walking bass lines and cruisy vocals, which isn’t my personal cup of tea, but I can appreciate it, and who knows, when I feel like leaning back and chilling out on a lazy Sunday arvo, this song might appeal to my tastes more?

What does appeal to my tastes however, is the final track on this record ‘Something New’ which, forgive my pun, offers something new in the form of crisp piano, and progressing drum beats from the start to the finish. What really appeals to me however, apart from the addition of piano, is the mix of a nice chord progression plus soothing yet urging dual-layer serene/mellow vocals, squirting guitars and rushing drums in the chorus. 

All good things must come to an end, but in my opinion that’s a pretty bloody-good way to cap off an easy to like musical journey with elements of indie, rock, retro 80’s, blues and pop such as this!

Check out the Q&A interview with lead singer Dave Chirnside here