The Rubens 'Live Loud & Local' - Coogee Bay Hotel Sydney 03/02/2021

AN ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE!

The Rubens ‘Coopers Live Loud & Local’ @ Coogee Bay Hotel 03/02/21

Much loved Sydney soul-pop/rock connoisseurs, The Rubens just released the Masterpiece of a fourth album that is ‘0202’... on 12/02. To bring their live music back to fans after the forced hiatus from COVID-19 lockdowns and to get fans excited for the album with a taste of new music, The Rubens, brought to you by Live Nation Australia and Coopers Beer (the latter supplying a generous amount of their products to the band, who in turn gave me full access to when I interviewed them before the show, Hallelujah!).

Free beer, catching up with an awesome bunch of musicians for an awesome interview and live music after so long, understandably I’m feeling like a Million Man!

Free beer aside though, Masterpiece indeed…

Like all masterpieces from the likes of Van Gough, Da Vinci and those Ninja Turtles ones, each piece has its own complexity and layers, this show is no different.

Let’s start with the background, a simple uncrowded, modestly spaced canvas in which each stand-out focal point, in this case, the band members both individually and as a whole, are highlighted by simple, but highly effective lighting of differing colours and pattern which literally highlight each member, being more-so effective as each member has their own designated space, diffusing their own personal touches of complementive splashes of movement to the musical colour.

You know when you look at a piece of art, and something nags at you, a finite, subtle detail that may or may not have been intentional? Well, when the lights go down, and the chosen song for the band to walk out to blasts out of the speakers, building up the excitement to a fever pitch, the next few seconds that follow (the crucial elevated point in which to grab and carry) are filled with silence? This could be intended, as the opening song ‘Muddy Evil Pain’ paints the mid-ground of the shows canvas in a cooling, exciting, bright (and for those of us with Synesthesia) blue synth pallet for Sam’s warm, and I say this in a completely manly analytical way, seductive vocals

I find that the effectiveness of the use of colour and how they contrast, largely defines a painting. In the concert scene, likewise does the effectiveness of how all the sounds in a performance are balanced. My first reaction to the balance of sound is “wow! Sam’s voice sits perfectly in the mix, but wow that bass is a bit overwhelming” but when I really think about it, yes, the bass is very prominent, but thankfully all of the other musical elements still shine through adequately and so as the show progresses, my focus is drawn to the bass at times like the raspy guitar and bass hooks in ‘Best We Got’, but in a pleasant way. Although the guitar and bass riff do risk drawing my focus away from Sam and his passionate voice.

This masterpiece is not a conceptual piece, it has true authenticity throughout it! Each song is bang-on to the way it was recorded, new and old songs alike. Not just the sound has true authenticity though, the way Sam talks to us between songs expressing how he was nearly brought to tears of joy as he walked out on stage at the start of the show, to the funky wiggles and dance moves he whips out during some of the more seductive songs, like ‘Go On’, ‘My Gun’ which Sam adds slight personal expressive adjustments to the rhythm of his vocals in the verses, which gives the song a more unique to the night feel, and of course, ‘Hoops’ which isn’t actually at the end of the set. That brings me to another important aspect of this work of art.

A lot of concerts and paintings alike, will display a bold exciting element at the start to draw the viewers attention and raise excitement, then save the best finishing touch to last, but in some cases, if you look at all the details in between, it dips and curves, which don’t get me wrong, in some instances is effective yes, but I’m in awe of how the show tonight is like a painting of a speeding train, it just keeps building up momentum as it travels which is largely done through the placement of the songs in the set, being so placed for the flow of the songs energy regardless of popularity, which even though smash hit ‘Hoops’ does of course raise the energy in the crowd, the energy just keeps rising in the proceeding songs!

Ah now for the actual song ‘Masterpiece’! Sam very excitedly prompts the crowd to stand up at our COVID-friendly seating positions, getting caught up in the moment, which is a brilliant burst of colour in the middle of the set and as intended, raises the energy level in the room immensely! A lot of that energy is from security racing around ordering people to sit back down, not just in ‘Masterpiece’ but here and there for the rest of the show especially in ‘Million Man’… whoopsy! To be fair, Sam does apologise profusely to security after ‘Masterpiece’.

This show from the dazzling colours and textures of electronic-pop mixed with indie-rock, soul, funk and pinches of gospel flavour truly does leave me with that feeling like when you lay eyes on a true masterpiece that will stand the test of time, and leaves you entranced and mesmorized in it’s beauty! 

A message to The Rubens… Better get your musical and performance brushes ready guys, ‘cause after that masterpiece, you’ve left a large anticipatory canvas to fill on your album tour in April!

Walking On Cars 'Colours Australian Tour' - Factory Theatre Sydney, November 29 2019

“LIKE A KINDERGARTENER WITH A DULUX COLOUR CHART”

Imagine, if you will, a canvas of vast emptiness and thus possibility. Then just like the big-bang, bringing light, life and colour to the once blank canvas that is our universe. This is poetically fitting for this show tonight, because Irish alternative-rock band Walking On Cars are here in Sydney for the first time ever, to fill this blank canvas with their musical colour, in celebration of their second studio album, ‘Colours’.

And if for no other reason, this show will be memorable surely, seeing as lead singer Patrick told me in a recent interview (interview here) the band walked onto the stage at first, completely naked.

So well, “lads, let’s walk on cars!”...

I’m right up against the stage, there’s no barrier between the crowd and the band, so this could be very awkward if they do walk out naked. I feel rather conflicted that no, they are not, even I can see that thanks to Patrick coming right up to the edge of the stage, nearly standing on my hands, before launching into the first two songs, ‘Too Emotional’ and ‘Don’t Mind Me’.

I had expected the opening song to be the typical choice being the opening song off the touring album, in this case being the darkly wicked rebellion of ‘Monster’, but opening with ‘Too Emotional’ to a backdrop of dazzling lights brings a very suitable uplifting vibrant essence. Although I feel the bass is slightly too potent in the sound mix (only because I’m picking all the pieces apart analytically like Lego), Patrick’s brilliantly controlled falsetto vocals, even while he dances around the stage is the main focal point of colour. This song with it’s bright musical colour mixed with the visual colour in the stage lighting is like a kindergartener taking to a Dulux colour chart sample kit to my Synesthesia!

Although the tone deepens to a solemn deep blue in ‘Don’t Mind Me’, Patrick’s on stage charisma with him taking to a single electric drum pad to accompany the sharp, precise drum strikes keeps the energy in the crowd elevated nicely! This added with the increased urgency-filled cry of emotion in the last chorus caps this song off superbly!

Next we have splashes of colour, ‘Waitin On The Corner’, ‘Always With You’ and ‘Ship Goes Down’. In all three songs, Patrick maintains a high energy to his on-stage charisma, being the common thread that links each musical story to the next. For ‘Waitin On The Corner’, I’m filled with a rich pastel red glow emanating a dance provoking vibe, with all voices in the crowd singing in unison constantly throughout the song. The icing to the feel-good energy cake is Patrick taking to playing a guitar while captivating the audience with his voice. In ‘Always With You’, once my ears become acquainted with what song it is, I’m wondering where the piano intro is? Then I realise it’s there, just not prominent enough which is a bit disappointing. But again, Lego pieces. In ‘Ship Goes Down’ a refreshing cool ice-blue soulful mist settles on the aural palate, and with Patricks full-hearted honesty, the dancing melodies and Patricks on-stage charisma, I feel the atmosphere is quite reminiscent of The Script.

As the set progresses, I’m seeing a lot of blue as far as my Synesthesia is concerned, which is usually a pretty good indication of the songs key being in C, which I mean, come on, that’s pretty normal in mainstream music. However, this show is far from bland and typical! The way the band move from song to song, Patrick swapping guitars, taking to the single drum pad and dancing around the stage whilst perfectly controlling his vocals added with the general musical vibe, is of performance calibre of that of The Script, Imagine Dragons and OneRepublic!

For me personally, the highlights are how well Patrick moves up and down his vocal range, stretching his vocal chords like and accordian, whilst keeping perfect control especially in ‘Love Backs Down’, along with the burst of euphoric energy in ‘Two Stones’ which Patrick perfectly conducts the crowds energy and vocal hook sing alongs. Another crafty element to this song, is the nifty little vocal lick at the end of the songs chorus, being set to be triggered/played at the drum strike of Patrick on the electric drum pad. As well as the addition of female vocals from keyboardist Sorcha in ‘One Last Dance’ with it’s love-struck warmth and Imagine Dragons flavour!

As the show draws close to its end, dishing out deep emotional greens, pleasant bright yellows and pop-typical blues (musical colour I mean), blending a perfect brew of contrasting colours and thus emotions, with both solemn, heavy-hearted minor tones and bubbly, happy uplifting major tones peppered throughout, I’m feeling so glad I came out to witness this memorable show, because before too long, you’ll be paying big-bucks to see them in much, much larger venues, that, I have no doubt!

But all things must come to an end at some point, and the anthemic, rebellion of ‘Monster’ with its chorus hooks that demand full attention and singing along to, is a pretty damn good finish to a bloody good show!

But just like a painter never being fully satisfied with their work and constantly adding final touches, yep, there’s an encore, which is good seeing as we haven't yet witnessed the band’s greatest hit ‘Catch Me If You Can’ yet!

This encore starting off with ‘Catch Me If You Can’ which sprays beaming energy that gets the whole crowd singing along to, also features ‘Coming My Way’, ‘When We Were Kids’ and finally, to my delight, ‘Speeding Cars’. Although ‘Speeding Cars’ is a temptingly pleading song, the vocal hooks and the grand rock-out at the songs close is simply ace, and the perfect final touch to step back from the masterpiece that is this show, and admire with full satisfaction, even with the band not playing ‘At Gunpoint’ as I’d hoped!

Ali Barter - 'Hello, I'm Doing My Best' album tour, Sydney, November 1 2019

BREAKING NEWS OUT OF SYDNEY

THIS GIRL MAY SURPRISE YOU!

Put out your Cigarette and Please Stay focused. I Won’t Lie, This Girl Ali Barter has Big Ones of music (not talking about any Girlie Bits here, get your mind out of the gutter) instore for the Oxford Art Factory Sydney, on her ‘Hello, I’m Doing My Best’ album tour. This album and likely performance too, is full of Hypercolour, filled with exotic pop/rock flavours resembling that of which you would find at a Far Away Cocktail Bar in Tokyo.

As soon as Ali puts One Foot In the venue’s she plays at, the crowds are treated to a spectacular experience. Brendan the blind guy is at the Oxford Art Factory with the full scoop…

Brendan; “Thanks… I guess, me in the future? The atmosphere here at the Oxford Art Factory is well, electric, there’s no other way to describe it!”                     

Brendan; “When Ali walks out onto the stage to very enthusiastic applause, you’d expect the opening song to be the opening song off the album in which the tour is set around. When I interviewed Ali recently (interview here.) she told me that her performances have grown not just in fact that she’s gone from being a three-piece band, to now being a four-piece, but also in the sense that this being her second studio album, she now has a lot more songs to play around with in her set. You can tell Ali’s really put this into consideration with how she shapes the flow of energy in the set with what songs go where. Coming back to expecting the first song of the night to be the opening track off her latest album, that would be the soft, raw, delicate ‘Lester’, which flows straight into the edgy attitude-driven ‘Ur A Piece Of S**t’. But instead, Ali chooses not to even start off with anything delicate in the slightest, and instead hits the energy hard with ‘Backseat’ off her latest album, which really lands the energy at a running pace!”

“How does the crowd respond to this?”

Brendan; “The crowd absorbs this energy just as Ali would likely have intended, with maximum positivity. There’s no shortage of fans singing and dancing to this still quite fresh track, and when Ali follows up with ‘Cigarette’, the opening song off her debut studio album, then ‘Please Stay’ also off her debut album, the energy around me in the crowds seems to lift just that one step higher.”

“Sounds like it’s going rather well so far. So how is Ali’s performance?”

Brendan; “I can’t fault it to be honest! I’m finding her bass guitar is a little too heavy in the sound mix, but that’s not Ali’s fault, and it doesn’t smudge Ali’s vocal attack thankfully. Ali’s vocals from what I can tell are sharp and precise, a sign she’s poised, well-rehearsed and in her element. What’s more, she’s confident in her vocals as well as when she embraces her audience and shares personal anecdotes about her life that influenced particular songs. You know those times when you can hear the smile on someone's face when they speak? Tonight is one of those examples.”

(Ali informed Brendan after the show that she was indeed smiling all throughout the show).

"Are there any particular moments that stand out in the set to you Brendan?”

Brendan; “As a matter of fact yes there is. After the set is in full swing energy-wise and we’ve been riding the hype up to the rollercoasters peak, what goes up must come down right? Ali’s band take a break and now it’s only Ali and an acoustic guitar for ‘January’. Not only is this strategically well placed in the set to give a change in dynamics, but this song being stripped-back to being just vocals and guitar really highlights the sustained high notes Ali belts out near the songs close.”

“How does Ali bring the energy back up to the hype she commandeered at the start of the night?”

Brendan; “After Cooling-off with the acoustic rendition of ‘January’, not only does Ali raise the energy back up to it’s initial heights but exceeds it. To end the set on a high after more charming anecdotes from Ali, she charges into new single ‘Big Ones’ which is high velocity in itself, but given the huge contrast from the rawness of ‘January’, the energy level seems even more accentuated. After ‘Big Ones’, Ali then finishes up with the way I expected the night to start, with the folkish, raw, delicate ‘Lester’ which flows into the edgy fire-cracker ‘Ur A Piece Of S**t’, which really is the definition of going out with a bang!... figuratively, not literally of course.”

“It does seem like an excellent way to finish the set, but she hasn’t played her biggest hit ‘Girlie Bits’ yet, has she?”

Brendan; “That’s right, no she most certainly has not, and the crowd all know it and won’t let her leave without playing it. So of course there’s an encore which consists of a solo acoustic rendition of ‘It’s Not Real’ and last but definitely not least, ‘Girlie Bits’. The energy in the crowd for ‘Girlie Bits is quite extraordinary! I mean this isn’t the kind of show to push and go wild and act like complete buffoons, instead it’s a show that you simply sing and dance your heart out to, and that’s exactly what everyone’s doing.”

“Any last notes on the show?”

Brendan; “Yes, me personally, I think it may have been more appropriate to either replace ‘It’s Not Real’ or add after ‘It’s Not Real’, ‘Light Them On Fire’. The dynamics in ‘Light Them On Fire’ with the anthemic chorus and fiery yet intimate and relatable lyrics would’ve been a brilliant incline in energy to then be met with ‘Girlie Bits’ to take it even higher. But apart from that, Ali’s come such a long way in her career and all the effort and heart and soul she puts into her music and performance is definitely evident. I strongly recommend people to head along to one of Ali’s performances and support this Aussie talent!”

“One last thing, what inspires you to write your reviews in all these different and thematic ways? I mean you’re practically talking to yourself here”

Brendan; “Come on, if I don’t mix things up I get bored! And I mean hello, I’m doing my best here!”