Garbage - Paradiso, 20 November 2012

I’m only happy when it’s the nineties…..unless we are talking about homework and then I am not happy at all.

So when I signed up to go and see Garbage I had my reservations. Not as many as I might have expected mid you, but there were still some. A good friend of mine had seen them about 4 months earlier and when given the opportunity jumped at the chance to get tickets to this show as well, so I knew they must have produced the goods last time.

Beach House – Paradiso, 19 November 2012

The Beach House lights were on, but I wished I was at home.

Having previously missed two shows from Beach House (and probably more that I wasn’t even aware of) I made it a point to catch them the third time around. After all don’t they say once, twice, third time’s a charm?

Jeff Lang – Paradiso, 15 November 2012.

I was really surprised when I saw that Jeff Lang had been announced to play at Paradiso, less surprised to see that it would be in the small room and for only 8 Euro.

Grizzly Bear - Paradiso, 5 November 2012

Would this show be as powerful as the almighty Grizzly, attacking an unsuspecting punter, or would I just have to grin and Bear it?

All puns aside, it was actually more like a Night at the Opera.

Tame Impala - Paradiso, 29 October 2012 (Sell Out)

The evening with Tame Impala was a tad bid lame and Wolfmother was probably what I really wanted to see.

When I think of home and Australia, in my mind I start singing the song “Land down under” (Men at Work style) or “I still call Australia home”(Peter Allen’s version or the Qantas commercial, take your pick), neither, of which are at all what the band Tame Impala are like at all. And that is not a bad thing.

Hot Chip - Melkweg, Amsterdam, 28 October 2012

When the chips are down, then it’s time to turn that Synthesizer up!

There seems to be a bit of interest in Hot Chip over the last few years, and it got me thinking when did that come about again? Well they are Grammy and Mercury award nominated, and truth be told was probably after that happened that I stood up and started getting more interested in them. Several of my friends have been listening to these guys for years, and so, on a beautifully cool evening in Amsterdam I found myself wishing one of them had been in town to enjoy the show. But alas they were not, so I ventured to The Melkweg, on my own, spare ticket in hand and it was then noticed the sign saying Sold Out, with minimal people around I gave it to the bouncer and told him to make someone’s night, and headed on in.

Radiohead - a musical journey, Amsterdam 2012

For a generation of music fans, Radiohead were the band that took us into the new Millennium.

I am not talking about a soundtrack to a certain time in our lives, although that may also be true. I am talking about the band who took us on a musical journey from one era of music into another. The age and location of the listeners can vary, as can the other bands that make up the story. But the underlying path is always the same and the fork in that road is always OK Computer.