Rollinson's Return
Tony R is still the best superhero comic reviewer in the non-business:Supes uses the old Kryptonite KY jelly to fist Supergirl. Meanwhile Bats uses the ‘Go on then, Darkseid, I’ll blow the lot of us up. See if I fucking care?’ gambit.
All is rosy, Darkseid defeated. Supergirl get’s a belly top. (Is that what you call those things that fat birds take great delight in wearing? “LOOK AT MY GUT!” they scream at me on the tube. “AND LOOK, WITH THESE JEANS, YOU CAN ALMOST SEE MY PUBES TOO!”) Erghm, anyway, after a double page spread/Nostalgic wink it all goes wrong and Supes is NOT BEST PLEASED. It’s going to kick off next issue, that’s for sure.
Smudge: Gearin's Hotel & the Hoey, 15-16/10/2004
Katoomba ended up being something of a rehearsal, though bless the twelve punters who turned out. Even if half of them just turn up to see whoever plays on a Friday night. ESPECIALLY if, from the pub's perspective!Sekiden played well and had decent sound, but Smudge had endless mixer problems - Tom Morgan's vocals never made it to the front of the mix, Adam Yee didn't bother trying to sing, and had to stop for three or four minutes after every song to wrestle with his amp and request alterations to the feedback/foldback ratio. Tom and Al started doing croony Springsteen and Steppenwolf covers to fill the space though. Guest stars on guitar added to the fun, but also caused more amp issues. Leti played on I Was Born To Change The World, and Nic Dalton got up for a couple - including The Outdoor Type, which he'd learnt the day before just for the occasion (and was visibly concentrating hard, like a kid playing a solo in school assembly).
Said rehearsal paid off for Sydney, though: Smudge were blowing away the previous night's performance by soundcheck. At which Al was singing some lead vocals, which they hadn't had any of the day before. Modern Giant have written some new pop songs following the radio success (Triple J and Radio National) of Keep On Movin'. Sekiden played a blinder, and shifted almost three times as much merch as Smudge - though there they have the advantage of their entire career coming after Smudge's last release. But obviously won over a lot of people on the night, a great achievement for a support slot. They'd put in a big effort in Katoomba, but went over the top tonight - Simon doing guitar leaps across the stage, Mirko going overboard on the standing-up-to-hit-harder and shouting-unmiked antics, general joy.
Smudge belted out an all-the-hits-and-more set, barely pausing between songs in order to squeeze in even more. I don't think I've ever seen them (or Tom, or Tofu Cock) play Don't Wanna Be Grant McLennan live, so hooray for that alone. Scary Cassettes got pulled out of the "remember this?" box. Tom opened the floor to requests at some point. Leti on Born To again, Outdoor Type was without Nic tonight - but he came on for Eighteen In A Week and just stayed onstage. Must have gone well past the five songs he'd actually learnt to play for the tour, gleefully rocking out as a sideman for the first time in years.
The main set closer was a stomp through AC/DC's Whole Lotta Rosie, with Al Galloway on vocals, then they were quickly urged back for a quick Divan, and wrapped it all up with a cover of She Cracked by the Modern Lovers. All requests for further encores were denied, quite possibly because they couldn't remember any more songs. I’ve missed both the 2002 and 2003 Christmas reunion shows, but tonight backs up the opinion of attendees that they’re playing better now than they did when they were an active concern. More!
lilac time blooming
"You're supposed to do in the second half of your life what you didn't do in the first," Stephen Duffy muses, "and I'm failing miserably. I'm back on Top of the Pops."
also, in the carpark on Friday night
got to hear a few mixes of tracks from the in-progress Nic Dalton solo album. He described it as his “Bernie album” – presumably the singer-songwriter making a debut solo record at 39 after several decades as a working musician – but it could turn out to be the first Australian classic break-up album. With the odd twist that many of the songs are co-written by the breaker-upper: of the three I heard, one is also on her unreleased Ladies’ Tearoom album, and another with lyrics by her (Play All Night) is written from the perspective of the aging, lonely singer, admiring girls in the crowd but knowing he’s out of their league. So he’ll just keep playing to stave off loneliness. It’s killer.I think all the songs are new, with the exception of what will be the album opener, a version of There’s Nobody Coming Over (previously recorded for The Kombi Nation 7”). This has a vocal performance that’s leagues better than anything Nic’s ever recorded before, singing with nuance and expressiveness that come off like a different singer using his voice. Every track features the same instrumentation, and no amplified instruments – banjo and mandolin ahoy (although Dalton’s done a lot to claim the mandolin as an electric instrument in this year’s Sneeze gigging), and the Gloomchasers Orchestra laying strings on everything. I picked Billy Gibson BVs, and Nic says John E’s in there as well. 2BL might be the only radio station to give this attention when it comes out, but Nic could settle into a new “mature” career, playing the Vanguard and wineries…
