The Kaiser Chiefs – Melkweg, 8 May 2013

Every tour we love you less and less

Back in 2011 the Kaiser Chiefs snuck into my Top 5 shows of the year and at the time I commented that I thought I may have missed the boat with this band. The previous tour they had played to a sold out crowd at the Heineken Music Hall, by the time I saw them in 2011 the HMH was looking half empty and come 2013 they had been downgraded to the Melkweg. And on the day of the show, it still hadn’t sold out.

Kurt Vile & the Violators – Paradiso, 27 May 2013

A Night of Lo-Fi Energy and a Dutch Giant.

It is not very often I need to talk Jason Vaughan into seeing a live band.

The conversation usually goes like this: 'Such and such a band are playing, I've heard they're pretty good'

JV: 'Sounds good, I'm in'.

Tonight however, there was some resistance for Kurt Vile & the Violators. The variables for attending any show are of course always Availability, Venue and Price - in that order. And tonight JV's live show matrix worked in my favor. He had nothing else on in a slow week of shows, it was at his favorite venue and the price was low.

Counting Crows - Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam, April 16 2013

Was August and Everything After the greatest album of all time?

This may be deemed a slightly controversial or ridiculous question, and already I hear nearly all of you yelling out a loud "NO", but to someone out there maybe it was? I mean for me, I managed to play this album every day for over a year. So you tell me about an album you have done that with?

The Rosenberg Trio - Theater De Meervaart (Rode Zaal), Amsterdam, 29 March 2013

You show me how to control a wild f#cking gypsy and I'll show you how to control an unhinged, pig-feeding gangster. (Snatch)

Gypsy Jazz, who would have thought that I would really like Gypsy Jazz? If you asked me if I thought that would ever be the case 15 years ago, then I would have politely answered you and then have thought you had lost the plot. Over the course of the last few years I have been exposed to it more and more via people playing it live in bars, or listening to the Midnight in Paris soundtrack. But this occasion would be my first outing to a theater to witness some real Gypsy Jazz players.

Of Monsters and Men - Paradiso, 23 March 2013

Tassels, Top Hats and Trumpets; but alas no Triumph.

Reveling at the chance to see these guys play live again, I had already penciled in BIG win on this gig. This is always a dangerous starting position and the show ended up only being ok, maybe they had just set the bar so high last time that this was actually better than it felt.

Macy Gray - Melkweg, 21 December, 2012

Possibly too much of Amsterdam’s “Grey Area” time for Macy Gray?

When I was told that Macy Gray was touring following the release of her most recent record, a tribute album (or re-release) of Stevie Wonders “Talking Book” album to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its release, I did feel a certain amount of interest in checking the show out.

The Monkey Men live at The Corner Hotel, Melbourne 17 February, 2013.

Minimal monkeying around, the Rolling Stones are serious stuff in Melbourne

I had been back in Australia for less than two days when Sunday the 17 of February, 2013 rolled around. This marked the 40th anniversary of the day that The Rolling Stones played the Kooyong Tennis Centre in Melbourne and the Melbourne music community wanted to make sure this moment in time was given the respect it was deserved.