| Peter Jackson | Tyler from the Amazing Race |
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Geek Alert!
I've just watched the latest (NZ) episode of Doctor Who. It was an alright episode. David Tennant was lovely as always. [insert Tardis inuendo joke here] But I had to laugh - The No-Face Nana (once she got her face back) is none other than the nice/evil little old lady that plays Nanatoo in the Mighty Boosh! And the Doctor was going to get rid of the big bad face sucking TV monster by recording it onto Betamax and taping over it. If that wasn't a Mighty Boosh shout out, I don't know what is.
Monday, August 07, 2006
The Arctic Monkeys - A Slightly More Eloquent Review
I finally managed to finish this review about a month later! Excuse the lateness, I've been a bit slack.
So after literally months of waiting, Artic Monkeys Friday (tm) finally arrived. We went for drinks at the fake English style pub The Playhouse then rocked on up to the St James to catch the Arctic Monkeys. After a few minutes blind panic when I discovered I had no ID and possibly wouldn't even get in (thanks ASB bank!), I was let into the R18 gig by a sympathetic bouncer who could tell my teenage days were obviously long gone. Once inside I rushed immediately to the bar for another drink to calm my frazzled nerves. (I am a nana after all...)
We wandered in to get a spot downstairs with a good view of the stage. Not always possible for short arses like me. After waiting for a few minutes, the support act for the night, Brisbane band The Grates came on stage to decent applause. (Disclaimer - this is where my review gets a bit negative. Not like me I know!) Normally I'm appreciative of support bands, some of them put on a fab show, but I just wasn't impressed with the Grates. Not to say they didn't try. An unusual trio, made up of the female lead singer, female drummer and a solo male guitarist, who looked like they were just out of high school.....in the 1960s. This was partly due to the way they were dressed but also their blindly uncool enthusiasm which to us screamed Born Again Christian. The lead singer bounced around the stage with endless energy which made us feel tired just watching her. The music itself was alright but didn't manage to grab me anyway. By the end of their set, we were gagging for some real rock'n'roll from the Sheffield lads.
They started off slowly with the understated "Riot Van", and then launched into an absolutely blinding show. Seriously one of the best shows I think I've seen in a while. The raw intensity they demonstrate on the album is perfectly captured live. They played pretty much all the album tracks and a couple of new songs from their "Who The Fuck Are the Arctic Monkeys?" Ep. For such a young band, and with the newly aquired bass player, The Artic Monkeys are an extremely tight live act. Their set was only about 45 minutes long from start to finish, but it was packed with energy and every single song rocked. The crowd at the St James managed to match the energy the boys were putting into their performance. Alex even commented on what a great crowd it was. We were all left breathless and wanting more as they disappeared off the stage.
An amusing side note - in year or so since the the Artic Monkeys rose to fame, lead singer Alex Turner seems to have morphed from spotty Northern teenager to swaggering rock star. He had the feather hair and tight indie rock god top and everything. He even seems to have developed biceps! Heh. We all agreed he's heading into Richard Ashcroft territory. Let's hope that doesn't mean rabid egotism and mediocre music several years down the track. (Ooh burn...)
Anyways as I said it was a great show and my first review probably sums up it more accurately.
Oh and if you're wondering, I managed to get my revenge on that crowd surfer with several good kicks after he fell to the ground a little while later.
So after literally months of waiting, Artic Monkeys Friday (tm) finally arrived. We went for drinks at the fake English style pub The Playhouse then rocked on up to the St James to catch the Arctic Monkeys. After a few minutes blind panic when I discovered I had no ID and possibly wouldn't even get in (thanks ASB bank!), I was let into the R18 gig by a sympathetic bouncer who could tell my teenage days were obviously long gone. Once inside I rushed immediately to the bar for another drink to calm my frazzled nerves. (I am a nana after all...)
We wandered in to get a spot downstairs with a good view of the stage. Not always possible for short arses like me. After waiting for a few minutes, the support act for the night, Brisbane band The Grates came on stage to decent applause. (Disclaimer - this is where my review gets a bit negative. Not like me I know!) Normally I'm appreciative of support bands, some of them put on a fab show, but I just wasn't impressed with the Grates. Not to say they didn't try. An unusual trio, made up of the female lead singer, female drummer and a solo male guitarist, who looked like they were just out of high school.....in the 1960s. This was partly due to the way they were dressed but also their blindly uncool enthusiasm which to us screamed Born Again Christian. The lead singer bounced around the stage with endless energy which made us feel tired just watching her. The music itself was alright but didn't manage to grab me anyway. By the end of their set, we were gagging for some real rock'n'roll from the Sheffield lads.
They started off slowly with the understated "Riot Van", and then launched into an absolutely blinding show. Seriously one of the best shows I think I've seen in a while. The raw intensity they demonstrate on the album is perfectly captured live. They played pretty much all the album tracks and a couple of new songs from their "Who The Fuck Are the Arctic Monkeys?" Ep. For such a young band, and with the newly aquired bass player, The Artic Monkeys are an extremely tight live act. Their set was only about 45 minutes long from start to finish, but it was packed with energy and every single song rocked. The crowd at the St James managed to match the energy the boys were putting into their performance. Alex even commented on what a great crowd it was. We were all left breathless and wanting more as they disappeared off the stage.
An amusing side note - in year or so since the the Artic Monkeys rose to fame, lead singer Alex Turner seems to have morphed from spotty Northern teenager to swaggering rock star. He had the feather hair and tight indie rock god top and everything. He even seems to have developed biceps! Heh. We all agreed he's heading into Richard Ashcroft territory. Let's hope that doesn't mean rabid egotism and mediocre music several years down the track. (Ooh burn...)
Anyways as I said it was a great show and my first review probably sums up it more accurately.
Oh and if you're wondering, I managed to get my revenge on that crowd surfer with several good kicks after he fell to the ground a little while later.
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