Live Review: ‘An Evening With My Morning Jacket’ @ The Metro Theatre, Sydney (22/01/08)

On one of Sydney's hottest nights on record, The Metro had descended into a seething, sweaty mess of tired but happy people by the end of a monumental double set lasting a full 2 hours 45 minutes, from Kentucky's finest rock band, My Morning Jacket.

The setlist says it all, really – the gig was a long, but consistently brilliant blast through the best bits of the band's brilliant back catalogue, which, despite the length, never felt like an endurance event, even during the extended guitar solos (of which there were many).

Highlights? The 15-odd minute version of 'Dondante', The magnificent 'Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Part 2'...Plenty others. If I go to another gig as good as this one in 2009, it'll have been a very good year for live music.

-

Setlist:
At Dawn
It Beats 4 U
Evil Urges
Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt. 1
Off the Record
I'm Amazed
Way He Sings
Lowdown
Sec Walkin'
Golden
Thank You Too
Heartbreakin' Man
Mahgeetah
Laylow
Gideon
Librarian
Dondante
Smokin' from Shootin'
Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt.2
Cobra
Run Thru
------
Wordless Chorus
Highly Suspicious
Phone Went West
I Think I'm Going to Hell
Anytime
One Big Holiday

We Could Be Heroes

Bawley hearted artists such as Beck, Elbow, Hot Chip, Peaches, Franz Ferdinand, TV On The Radio and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have recorded covers for an album raising money for charity.

War Child:Heroes is a compilation put together by the organisation War Child, which works to protect children in the world’s most dangerous war zones.

The War Child organisation has long used music to raise money and awareness for the cause. For their latest project War Child:Heroes they asked music legends like Blondie, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, The Ramones and The Clash to pick new artists to cover one of their songs.

The 15 track CD will be out in most countries on the 16th of February sadly Australians will have to wait until February 21st.

Here's the full track listing:

1. Beck - Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat (Bob Dylan)
2. Scissor Sisters - Do The Strand (Roxy Music)
3. Lily Allen - Straight To Hell (The Clash)
4. Duffy - Live And Let Die (Paul McCartney)
5. Elbow - Running To Stand Still (U2)
6. TV On The Radio - Heroes (David Bowie)
7. Hot Chip - Transmission (Joy Division)
8. The Kooks - Victoria (The Kinks)
9. Estelle - Superstition (Stevie Wonder)
10.Rufus Wainwright - Wonderful/ Song For Children (Brian Wilson)
11. Peaches - Search And Destroy (Iggy Pop)
12. The Hold Steady - Atlantic City (Bruce Springsteen)
13. The Like - You Belong To Me (Elvis Costello)
14. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Sheena Is A Punk Rocker (The Ramones)
15. Franz Ferdinand - Call Me (Blondie)

Anti-news round-up

US Record label Anti have been busy this week. First came the news that they would donate $5 to the Best Friends Animal Society For every blog that links to the free download of Neko Case's new single, 'People Got A Lotta Nerve'. It's well known that Bawley (Hearts) hairy animals so we're only too happy to help out. The single's well worth a listen, too. Her album, 'Middle Cyclone' arrives March 3.

.

If that wasn't enough Anti-news, It's also just been announced that hotly tipped ex Grandaddy singer Jason Lytle has signed to Anti- and his debut solo album, 'Yours Truly, the Commuter' comes out on May 19. These are the names of the songs on it:

01 Yours Truly, the Commuter

02 Brand New Sun

03 Ghost of My
Old Dog

04 I Am Lost (And the Moment Cannot Last)

05 Birds Encouraged Him

06 It's the Weekend

07 Fürget It

08 This Song Is the Mute Button

09 Rollin' Home Alone

10 You're Too Gone

11 Flying Thru Canyons

12 Here for Good

Bye Bye Astoria..

From a stupid new building that might get built to a nice old one that's going to get knocked down...

London's legendary Astoria has closed its doors for the last time, soon to be demolished to make way for a shiny new station as part of the massive Crossrail project.

While I'm not overly sentimental, and I'm all for major public transport improvements (take note, Sydney..) and while the Astoria was basically falling apart anyway, it does seem a shame that another of London's historical small-to-medium sized venues has gone to the wall, following the recent closures of The Highbury Garage, The Hammersmith Palais (as in the Clash song), and The Spitz, among others.

Bloggers all over the place are sharing stories about why The Astoria was so great and the amazing gigs they saw there. I only went twice, but both times (for My Morning Jacket and The Polyphonic Spree) rank up there with my all time favourite shows. It was a good size, with good sound, lots of charm and it was easy to get home afterwards. We can only hope that the planned replacement can retain some of the old Astoria's magic.

Justice is in the House

In 1959 the call went out for designs to rebuilt West Berlin’s Kaiser-Wilhelm Church, the winning design was a hideous master piece of concrete steel and glass.

In 2009 Planda (a bunch of cashed up european designers) have the drawn up plans for a crucifix bearing building that might just beat the Kaiser-Wilhelm for ugliness.

The Palais de Justice is based on the cross graphic on the cover of French disco-rock band Justice’s debut album † and will feature a bar, movie theatre, studio, salon, pool and of course a cave.

Here is the plan:


GENESIS † HOUSE from PLANDA on Vimeo.


One can only imagine what might have happened had Justice (and Planda) been around 40 years ago.

Who's Gonna Save My Democracy?

Around this time last year the Bawley crew were left scratching their heads and somewhat disappointed by the results of the world’s largest public music poll, now it is time to make amends.

Voting in the triple j hottest 100 is open now, do us proud. Vote here.

(PS: Act quickly as voting closes on the 18th Jan)

(PPS: Be sure to write down who you voted for, you will need to know this to take part in the famous Bawley How mainstream am I? Quiz – last years results)

New Phoenix album has a title and release season

French band Phoenix have been working on the follow up to their 2006 release It’s Never Been Like That with Philippe Zdar of Cassius fame behind the desk on production/mixing duties.

The album will be released in the northern spring and will have the title Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.

If the sweet sounds streaming on the bands website are anything to go by it should be one of the years more delicious albums.