so, exactly one year later, my favorite australian music event is back and this year, it kicked harder. again, i am proud to be the first 10 to collect my wrist band.
such a great way to discover new music and this year there is a good mix from pop to grunge, electronic to pure noise ! yes i did say pop ! its so refreshing to once again seeing new indie artist making great pop music. the music industry is once again saved !
this is essential '09 ... with a twist of pop.
Below is the list of who i watched plus my personal review. please note that my ratings are purely personal and by no means reflect how good or how bad they are as musicians.
01artist: UNDER LIGHTS
venue: spectrum
time: 15:15 - 15:45
http://www.myspace.com/underlightsband
"the first band to kick off essential 2009. they were lot better than the last time i saw them. unfortunately, the mix is really bad, they've got some decent melody but none of the lyrics can be heard. just really loud noise. is that to cover up for shitty lyrics ? if so why write any lyrics at all and just go la la la ... "
HIGHLIGHT02
artist: DECEMBER SEVEN
venue: 34b
time: 15:30 - 16:00
www.myspace.com/decemberseven
"this group from perth blew me away. unfortunately, they were the 1st to kick off the essential at 34r, so there were just the 3 of us watching initially. i think the noise from under lights drove most people up here and it was quite packed when they finished. good mix, great performance with a few good hooks."
03artist: TRAPS
venue: spectrum
time: 16:15 - 17:00
http://www.myspace.com/killthetraps
"pretty good band. if only they would bring down the noise alittle coz they have quite good melody. want to hear more vocals. the extreme noise drove me up to watch the next band ... "
HIGHLIGHT04
artist: THE INHERITORS
venue: 34r
time: 16:30 - 17:00
http://www.myspace.com/inheritors
"i guess everything happens for a reason and it's always for a better reason. the traps drove me up to discover this spectacular band. as i said earlier, it's so refreshing to see a pop band in the indie scene. the lead singer has good vocals. the mix was perfect. he could still do a solo and do it really well, whilst his bassist and drummer left to change a string on a bass. great interaction with the crown and the crowd loved them."
05artist: TENNIS
venue: oxford art factory
time: 17:00 - 17:30
http://www.myspace.com/tennisband
"musically abit blend. didn't do anything for my. the mix was good though. vocals and instruments were well integrated."
HIGHLIGHT06
artist: THE JEZABELS
venue: spectrum
time: 17:30 - 18:15
http://www.myspace.com/jezabelsband
"definitely the highlight of essential. the lead singer has such a beautiful voice that captivated the audience. so much energy, so much fun. great tunes, great clothes and great musicians. the crowd loved them.
they should interact more with the crowd tho."
07artist: CLOUD CONTROL
venue: oxford art factory
time: 17:30 - 18:00
http://www.myspace.com/cloudcontrol
"they are always fun to watch, great musicians and performers, unfortunately, i was high on the jezabels to be concentrating on the show. hah
btw they are really nice people. i've gotten a pic taken with them plus a signed copy of their album :)"
HIGHLIGHT08
artist: JACKSON MCLAREN
venue: spectrum
time: 18:45 - 19:15
http://www.myspace.com/jacksonmclaren
"personally, this has to be the best show at this year's essential. i've been following his music since i saw him opened for jay brannan. exactly, like he sings 'i'm painfully shy ...' a 18 yo kid standing infront of an audience all by himself, singing great tunes about life which he self penned, interacting nervously with the audience... definitely worth applauding."
09artist: flying foxes
venue: 34r
time: 20:30 - 21:00
http://www.myspace.com/flyingfoxes
"very average. nothing captivating, nothing un-captivating."
10artist: THE RED SUN BAND
venue: oxford art factory
time: 21:00 - 21:30
http://www.myspace.com/theredsunband
"perhaps this is one of the most frustrating act to watch. they looked great, they felt great, and the music's got good melody but they fucked up the mix. usually its almost impossible to be noisy at OAF because the sound don't travel very far but somehow all you can hear is loud music and very little vocals. pity though."
11artist: DAPPLED CITIES
venue: oxford art factory
time: 22:00 - 23:00
http://www.myspace.com/dappledcities
"personally, i don't get this band. having already watched them at least 5 times, they don't do anything for me. the melody is abit blend... but the crowd loved them and they got by far the biggest crowd. i guess they are a success !"
there you go. pity it ended. now i can't wait for essential 2010.
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dmented.tapes mix
noise: the mix. if the instruments are too loud, overshadowing vocals
melody: catch-i-ness and hook
lyrics/mix: good lyrics or if they can be heard
looks/clothes: ok lets face it. we all want our artist to look good. sex sells
fun on stage: if they are having fun or if someone is pointing a gun at them when they perform
interaction: interaction with the crowd
crowd: crowd's reaction
overall: well, if they could be a pop stars and sell millions
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