Pop 101 (A Music Roundup), vol. 1

It has been a while since I have properly written anything about concerts or music in general. I tried my hand at a Music Monthly segment last year, but lost interest. I had made regular playlists in Spotify then ported them to 8tracks, but I could no longer bother keeping it up. Apart from that, I also haven’t listened to a great deal of new music. There also haven’t been many interesting gigs and concerts this year, and last year it died down as well – I went to a total of 41, whereas in previous years I would have easily gone to at least double that.

So I’ve decided to at least sum up my gigs, music I’ve discovered, stuff I am listening to, and other similar things. I have named this segment Pop 101 after the Marianas Trench song. 8D

I will still write in-depth about any gigs or concerts or music when I like, so the purpose of this is to write a quick summary. I’m thinking of doing this every quarter/three months, but to allow it to be more flexible in case I change my mind, I’m just going to number them with volumes rather than writing “Q1”, “Q2” and so on. As this volume recaps the last three months, it’s a tad long… but let’s roll!

Mixtape

Just some stuff I’m listening to at the moment, no particular order and no certain amount! :D

  1. Jeremy Neale – Do Do Do
  2. Thin Lizzy – Dancing in the Moonlight
  3. Stevie Wright – Evie (I’m Losing You)
  4. Hockey Dad – Can’t Have Them
  5. Texas – Say What You Want
  6. This Providence – My Beautiful Rescue
  7. Walk The Moon – Shut Up And Dance
  8. Maroon 5 – Sugar
  9. Lime Cordiale – Feel Alright

Gigs & concerts

Babaganouj, 11th April 2015

I saw Babaganouj on my own, because Nick had to be home, and I had to photograph the gig. It was at Brighton Up Bar, my favourite tiny little bar with the worst floor plan – who decided to have a staircase right in the middle of the room?

I enjoyed the gig, although I left early. I missed the supports but that was okay because I enjoyed Babaganouj – they are a pop rock band from Brisbane and their music ranges from rock to pop rock to pop ballads. Their latest single Can’t Stop is definitely one of my favourites. Here are my photos from the show. I don’t think I did very well. :( But there is always room to improve.

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Packwood, 18th April 2015

Packwood is the musical project of Bayden Packwood Hine, a wonderful person who has a deep love for nature and a serious talent for orchestral music. Nick and I found the venue quite an adventure. It was in a strange, worn-down building, and after following a series of staircases in a graffiti-plastered apartment complex in Surry Hills, we found ourselves in a cosy room lined with old couches and various coloured cushions. Sit on the stools, couches or on the floor – your choice.

Packwood, as well as all the support bands, played on a giant rug at the side of the room. This is one of those gigs I would call a spectacular gem, because although the rain poured outside and the windows were open, we could hear and enjoy the blissful music.

Hey Geronimo, 29th May 2015

Nothing beats seeing your favourite band on your birthday. Damn.

Jeremy Neale, 29th May 2015

Nick and I walked a short distance up the road from where Hey Geronimo played, to the tiny bar Jeremy was playing in. It was loud and extremely crowded but we stuck it out. Jeremy was not on stage until midnight, but we were there anyway. It was the latest I had ever been present at a gig, but every Jeremy gig is worth it!

We were exhausted going home. I bought a t-shirt. Woo.

Jebediah, 5th June 2015

Jebediah was a band I discovered from a lot of older Australian television shows. A true Australian alternative rock classic. Jebediah are from Perth, and consist of Kevin Mitchell (you may have heard me write a lot about his solo work under the name Bob Evans), his brother Brett, along with Chris Daymond and Vanessa Thornton. They were celebrating twenty years of being together, and played their debut album Slightly Odway in full.

You may remember a few years ago when I stuck around to meet Chris and Ness. I was obsessed with the band back then and I still absolutely love their entire discography. Another time, I found out about one of their gigs on the day – and I absolutely had to see them, so I stayed out very late that night getting home.

This time, I was so thrilled that the band played First Time, because that is a real gem of a song, and one that I had never heard them play live. I wish I had brought my CD for Kevin and Brett to sign (since Chris and Ness already signed it), but I didn’t think of it.

Hockey Dad, 7th June 2015

I have seen Hockey Dad, a band from Wollongong (a couple hours away from me), a handful of times. I always saw them as a support band, so it was nice seeing them play their own show. It was a lot of fun. For a band with just a guitarist and a drummer, they write some really catchy tunes.

Music I reviewed

I’ll keep this section quick and I won’t write anything since you can just visit the links and read my opinion. I have been trying to do a lot more writing for CBB as of late, so here are the pieces I’ve reviewed over the past three months. Most are singles, but there are a couple of videos, and one album. :)

(Also, make sure you get your hands on the CBB publication – some of my photos are in it!)

Note: some of the links below have been removed as some of the more dated reviews have been culled from CBB.