Foreshore 2010 Review

The line-up of Foreshore this year was outstanding, with class international and Australian acts spread across three stages, over twelve hours. Looking at the set list whilst standing in the long queue to enter Commonwealth Place, I was pretty happy with the set times for the day.

Making my way through security, they conducted an amazingly thorough bag search which included the security guards confiscating my sunscreen and paw paw lip balm. This seemed a ridiculous enforcement of their no liquids policy to me, and to other annoyed punters that had prepared for a sunny day, leaving me sour.

Fortunately the first band, Fun Machine, lived up to their name and lifted my spirits with their crazy rainbow wings and fast paced lyrics. The female drummer and backing vocalist was a standout, keeping the beat and providing a nice contrasting sound to the two boys on guitars up front. They played their stand out track, Nintendo in the jungle, getting the crowd into the mood.

Looking around the crowd it seemed like the festival had been invaded by a teenage tangerine army with their uniforms of tiny shorts, bikini tops and crocheted singlets for the girls, and bare chests for the boys. There were some refreshing stylish feminine floral dresses and sharply dressed guys, but it was evident that everyone was here to let their hair down and have a good time, and on the most part, the audience was well behaved all day.

After Fun Machine, I skipped across to the Block Party Stage to watch local hip-hop act Omar Musa, Kodak and Rush perform an energised set. The declaration of, "I want good music, I like it, I love it," summed up the feelings of the audience that had now grown in size to create a small mosh pit at the front of the stage. Their set included an impressive beat-box performance by Kodak from Western Creek, who was able to combine a popular ringtone, bass and beat at the same time. Keep an eye out for these boys, as their pure musical talent will ensure they go far in our national music industry.

Once Tiesto took to the stage in the huge Hi-Top Tent, the spaces between people quickly filled, with thousands of fans squeezing in to catch a glimpse of the world's number one DJ and dance to his slick beats. Appearing alone on stage throughout his two hour set, he didn't have much audience interaction other than a suave smile as he looked out at the mass of people clearly enjoying his tunes. Concentrating on blending the elements of his songs together, he seamlessly created perfect builds, breaks and drops, making it obvious why he’s still number one.

Miami Horror took to the Kicks Stage when dark storm clouds rolled in over Parliament House, thankfully they held up and Foreshore remained a dry affair. Dressed in a floral shirt with a suit jacket over the top, the lead singer Josh Moriarty looked like he had just come from a 1970's work Christmas party, as they played well-known tracks such as Moon Theory and I look to you. Their live rendition of Sometimes was well executed and the audience sang along while their new single, Holidays fitted the day perfectly with the start of summer just a few days away.

Before I knew it, darkness had arrived and the Hi-Top tent looked incredible with rows of light fittings above the crowd flickering different colours to the beat of Afrojack. His set opened really strongly with well-known tracks like It’s Nasty Time, Barbara Streisand, Take Over Control and Day and Night.

Afrojack suffered technical difficulties but managed to keep music going while all his equipment was changed over by festival staff. The middle of his set the crowd waned a little, probably because of Cut Copy starting on the Kicks Stage, but maybe he pulled out all the popular songs too early, making the middle of his set rather bland. He finished with a new remix of Push me, which got the crowd back into the groove for a strong finish.

Australian band The Temper Trap finished the night on Kicks stage showcasing why they won two ARIAs this year. Their live sound was impeccable, utilising multiple drums and percussion to create the best sound on the day. This band had obviously been touring solidly and their set ran like a well-oiled machine. Playing their famous tracks Fader, Sweet Disposition and Love Lost to an adoring crowd, who sang along with every song. Lead singer Dougy Mandagi was the star of the set, with his voice on key and stage presence second to none. At one stage Mandagi picked up a big drum, which he drummed along to the beat with, pouring water onto it so it sprayed everywhere when being hit, creating an amazing visual spectacle.

It was clear that the crowd thoroughly enjoyed Temper Trap and were more than a little disappointed when the band finished 15 minutes early and didn’t come back for an encore, despite the masses chanting for ‘one more song’.

Foreshore certainly lived up to its reputation as Canberra’s premier music festival, and I am eagerly looking forward to see what Kicks have up their sleeves for 2011.

New Depot opens on Beaumont Street

By Grace Keyworth

The team behind The Depot on Darby Street have opened a larger, grander venue on Beaumont Street. Carrying the same name, The Depot on Beaumont encompasses three stories, making it one of the largest restaurant/bars in Newcastle.

Situated in the completely refurbished Masonic Hall, it's evident that a lot of thought has gone into embracing the historic character of the space, while still giving the venue a contemporary feel.

Business partners Chad Taylor and Adam Baker have utilised the space to its full capacity, showcasing multi-level entertainment. The restaurant, located at ground level, seats 190 guests, while the mezzanine level (second floor) hosts a stunning cocktail lounge. The third floor is yet to open, but will be a VIP lounge and bar early next year.

Taylor and Baker say the new venue has capacity to cater for large groups of people, a market they always wanted at Darby Street, but space restrictions didn’t allow for it. They’ve created a special menu for groups of 10 or more people, giving guests the choice of a tapas banquet or platters of their mains to share.

The tapas and dessert menu is similar to Darby Street, but Beaumont promotes a different style of eating for main meals. Designed to be shared amongst friends, the 1 kilo tomahawk slow-cooked steak is the star of the menu. Served with a Romesco sauce and a trio of condiments, it is sure to satisfy the hungriest of couples.

The Depot is currently holding a competition to name the VIP bar. The winner and 9 of their friends will score a stretch hummer transfer to the exclusive opening night party. Submit your name suggestion via their Facebook page by December the 15th for a chance to win.

Stay tuned to OutInNewcastle for events at The Depot.

Stonefest 2010 @ University of Canberra

By Grace Keyworth

Stonefest day dawned hot and steamy with forecast afternoon storms. That didn’t stop six thousand music lovers descending on the ovals at the University of Canberra for the 42nd Stonefest festival.

I arrived at the gates at the advertised opening time of 10.30, only to be told that it would be another half an hour before they opened. Just as the first drumbeats could be heard from the main stage, security started the very thorough bag check process and ushered the eager early arrivals in.

I made my way to the front of the stage to watch the local band and Triple J unearthed competition winners, Los Capitanes. It was an energetic thirty-minute set by the six young musicians, with much jumping around and on stage antics, but not a lot of class. The lead singer stopped halfway through a cover of Missy Higgins’ Scar to pour water on his nipples, a move that got him heckled by the handful of punters watching.

The band took the lack of audience with tongue-in-cheek humour, re-naming one of their songs, ‘Thanks for opening the gates just as we started playing,’ and suggested to photographers they edit some fans in later. Their music had a fast beat and quick lyrics coupled with the paced drama of trombones and trumpets, providing songs that had the small audience eventually tapping their toes.

By the time Operator Please started in the early afternoon, a decent crowd had arrived and people were now standing at the front of the stage. The five young band members were obviously well rehearsed, but I couldn’t help feeling that the girls were the stronger members of the band, making a big effort to connect with the audience.

They played a series of their old songs such as Just a song about Ping Pong, Leave it alone and a fun cover mash up of Push it andMilkshake.

Xavier Rudd sat alone on stage with an array of instruments surrounding him, opening with a beautiful slide guitar on his lap. Barefoot and wearing ripped jeans, his look matched his laid back tunes, which were a firm crowd favourite and the size of the mosh pit quadrupled during his set. Finally Stonefest was feeling like a party as people were hoisted onto their friend’s shoulders and sang along to the well-known songs Time to smile and My own eyes. Xavier displayed his versatility, being able to play the didgeridoo, drums and sing at the same time.

In his final song, Let me be, the looming clouds let loose and the crowd got drenched. Those that had ponchos whipped them on, while the others embraced the rain and began a frenzied dance.

Spiderbait were up next, and the three piece showed a solid performance overall, singing Awesome, Sunshine and finishing with Black Betty. Kram was very impressive by playing such an intense drumbeat while singing the rough and loud lyrics. The whole crowd was upstanding for them, but you couldn’t help feeling it had more to do with the wet grass than their urge to support them.

Does it offend you, yeah? came all the way to Australia from their native England just for Stonefest. Their fast, energised beats certainly got everyone moving, while a new slower take on their hit Dawn of the Dead showed off their softer side. The sound quality was an issue for this set, with the vocals being drowned out by the other instruments. Lead singer James Rushent even stopped between songs and yelled at the sound tent to turn up his microphone. This seemed to be a recurring problem during the day, with multiple artists complaining on stage about the ‘technical difficulties,’ and audience members saying they couldn’t hear the vocals.

Bliss and Eso were the second last act of the night. The Australian Hip Hop group displayed why they are so famous by producing an engaging performance. After the hard dance tracks of Does it offend you, yeah? it seemed a little out of place in the line up and perhaps for the sake of keeping the rhythm, they should have gone before them. They played Down by the riverand Eye of the storm which really got the audience singing along. They also showed off their raw skills with a beat boxing performance and an impressive DJ scratch session demonstrating why they deserve credit as one Australia’s finest bands.

Pendulum finished the night with a killer set. This was the band most punters came to see and pulled immense support from the audience. The stage screen was used to broadcast a multimedia presentation with a montage of images flipping to the beat. They played The Island, Watercolour and Propane Nightmares along with their remix of the ABC News theme song. The enthusiasm of the band members on stage was evident with MC ‘Verse’ doing inspiring jumps around stage. The poncho clad audience joined in with the jumping, expending the last of their energy from a very wet, but very fun filled day.

That 1 Guy @ Transit Bar

By Grace Keyworth

Magic was in the air when I arrived at Transit Bar to see That 1 Guy play his mystical instrument. Hailing from the States and dressed all in black with two felt bowler-hats planted firmly on his head, it would fair to say that he looked a little curious. Although his giant grin showed his gentle personality, he even mingled with the crowd well before his support act Mr. Percival took the stage.

Mr. Percival sat on a stool, armed only with two microphones and a looping machine, and began to build songs using only his voice.  He beatboxed the drums, then hummed the guitars and finally sung the lyrics, making a very impressive live performance. He sang a beautiful cover of High and Dry and a fun rendition of Electric Avenue, which got some of the crowd up and dancing.

The real dancing started when That 1 guy, whose real name is Mike Silverman started playing. On stage with his giant harp-shaped metal pipe, which he built himself out of plumbing supplies, you wondered how it could possibly produce music. If you looked closely you could see some strings running down the length of the pipe, which enabled That 1 Guy to pluck, strum, drum and even draw a violin bow across it to make a myriad of different sounds with the help of a macbook pro hidden behind the speakers.

He created feel-good beats with harder guitar like melodies, which stirred the crowd into shameless bopping and grinding.  His quick rhyming lyrics showed a big Dr. Seuss influence with one of his songs called The moon is disgusting (it’s made out of cheese).

His stage presence was outstanding, keeping high energy and a big smile for the whole 90-minute set. He also entertained the audience with some slick magic tricks during show whilst still singing. He made cards disappear and then reappear from an audience member’s hand, and vomited a stack of cards. He even used a duck sock-puppet to help illustrate a duck quack in one of his songs.

Towards the end of the set a leather cowboy boot appeared which he plugged a cord into and started playing that instead of the pipes. A puzzled look came across the audience with everyone wondering how it worked, but at the same time not caring because it sounded so good.

It was certainly a fun night, packed with surprises and magic, but mostly displayed the musical talent that these two men have to offer. 

Thirsty for more

by Grace Keyworth

The nice guys of Australian music, Thirsty Merc, are back on the road relentlessly promoting their Mousetrap Heart album, already playing 11 shows out of their 24 show, Spring Tour.

Known for their hits like Someday, Someday and In the Summertime they already have a huge fan base, and are currently touring the country visiting their old fans and certainly making new ones.

Mousetrap Heart was recorded in Los Angeles in the beginning of 2010. They teamed up with super-producer Matt Wallace who has worked with bands such as Maroon 5 and Faith No More. Guitarist Matt Smith said it was an amazing experience for the band. “The main thing I noticed over there was the level of production was so high. They make albums so well, and so quickly.”

Matt, who joined the band just over a year ago, didn’t know he was even going to L.A to record Mousetrap Heart until a week before they left. “It was crazy, I got the call about a week before we left, so I was super excited. It was awesome.”

You could imagine that joining a band that has more than eight years of history and over 200 000 record sales behind them would be a daunting task, but Matt said it has been easy. “They’re nice guys so it’s been easier than I thought it was going to be. It seems right now, it doesn’t bother me at all.”

Before joining the band Matt played with a reggae band, The Strides. “I’ve never really played in a pop band, or even in a rock band.” He met the lead singer Rai Thistlethwayte after one of The Strides shows. “He came up after the gig and said hello and we should play together sometime. I think because Rai was writing a lot of the new songs on the piano there was room for a guitar player to come in and play more rhythmic sort of stuff.”

Mousetrap Heart has a more jazz and groove feel than the group’s previous albums, but still retains the heart-felt lyrics and catchy hooks they are famous for. Matt said their aim was to make an album that people could dance to, while still having lyrics the audience can connect with.

Thirsty Merc’s Spring Tour covers a lot of Australia with gigs in smaller towns like Yamba and Dubbo. Guitarist Matt says that a lot of their fans are from regional areas, so the band loves to go and visit them. “As soon as we get out to those parts like Dubbo and Leeton, heaps of people come and it ends up being a massive party. They’re some of the best gigs!”

After each show the band almost always hangs around to greet their fans, sign autographs and pose for photos, giving them their reputation for being one of the nicest bands in the business.

The band is excited for their upcoming Canberra show, stating that the last show they did here in June was one of the best of their tour. “Canberra goes off! I’m really looking forward to playing at the ANU Bar,” Matt said.

Thristy Merc will be playing at the ANU Bar on the 17th of November. Tickets can be purchased from Ticketek for $35.90 + bf.