UV RACE @ Doldrums - 28th November 2009

getting some reprive from the cop with the half-sleeve....

Ventured into the CBD and a swealtering warehouse-type-party/gig. Bands on the night were BEAUTIFUL, Jack from Kiosk and Circle Pit's new band, and they sounded.... well, new, and like they should swap the drum machine for a real drummer.... hell, even a one-armed drummer. BEAUTIFUL's songs were pretty dark shoe-punk or something, no photos though as i was too busy trying to unnattach my testicles from my asshole (100 people in a small room, with bands playing, on a hot Syndey night equals sweat... and stickyness... anyhow....).

After BEAUTIFUL came WHORES, who have been doing the rounds for a while now. They arn't really good or original or anything, but i love em. Trashy rock-n-roll/country with drunk-style singing. They have enough money, or art-school contacts, to have made a video, which will explain there style much better than my ramblings, check 'Head on a Stick' by WHORES below:

Next to brave the heat was punk-band who seem to really, really like The Replacements, BED WETTING BAD BOYS, and this is were the photos start, sorry......

Tonight was the 2nd time i had seen UV RACE, and they did not dissapoint. Easily the best punk band in Australia at the moment.... in my opinion.

...as is usually the case at these gigs, the crowd was full of lames:

Monster Magnet - Metro, Sydney, Australia 6th Sept. 2009

Openers Grand Fatal have the skills to rock, but the vocalist, dear god. Personally i like rock bands to sing about girls, not sing like girls. Call me sexist. Best left for the depressed 14 - 16 year olds:

Regular John, despite having one of the worst names ever, have developed strongly since coming onto the scene all wide-eyed about 3 years ago, like blue-cheese and bong water. The band who came playing grunge fused pop-punk have dropped the pop and grown into a heavy, heavy band. The cheese is fuller, the bong water darker, and you will definitely spill it on your clothes as you mosh... Remind me a bit of mid 90's forgotten Seattle-ites Tad, but with way tighter clothes, and an ability to put on a blistering rock-n-roll show:

Dave Wyndorf, singer of Monster Magnet, has certainly been eating in the 8 or so years since Sydney last saw him. A man who used to care-for skin-tight jeans and leather, has switched to baggy jeans and sweats, reminding me of a high-school PE teacher...albeit one whose preference is for chasing the dragon, not pre-pubescent girls.

Anyhow, What has not changed is the fact that Monster Magnet are still one of the best heavy rock-n-roll bands in the world. There heavy stoner rock sound is timeless, and Mr. Wyndorf packs all the charisma of a seasoned stage vet (the dude is 52 after all), without seeming staged:

"Iv'e ate all the rest And now ive gotta eat you...", indeed.

Thailand Post Elves

...so i go on and on about the Australian postal system to those with the misfortune to know me personally, and after recieving a package from Thailand, i am convinced that Australia Post needs to step their game up.

Let's check out the evidence below:

Let's do a list:

1. Thailand uses post stamps with elephants on them!
2. Thailand incorporates a cool little cartoon man on their packaging
3. the little Thailand cartoon man looks like he is peaking on K.

L.A GEAR - totally rad kicks

below is what set me off into the amazing world of LA GEAR - a nice pair of kicks i found at Rozelle markets about a fortnight ago (i strapped each pair differently, just to show some options):

...what really sets them apart is the poppin' grill on the side of each shoe:

...the white and green colourway for the shoes is pretty weak, but then it has obviously faded, and i think its the women's version...

The most amazing shoe i have found in the LA GEAR range, however, is the late 1980's Michael Jackson x LA GEAR shoe, which led to an eventual US$10 million dollar lawsuit against Jackson by LA GEAR for breach of contract. Below is the shoe (with studs), the other 2 shoes pictured are promos that were never released:

more pictures of the only Michael Jackson x L.A GEAR shoe released:

Michael Jackson x LA GEAR promo videos below:

...below are some random old LA GEAR promo videos:

...still hunting...

Lester Bangs: Psychotic Reaction

So a while ago i presented a family friend with a copy of Lester Bangs collected writings, 'Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung'; he read it and gave this reply via email:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Josh,

I wanted to thank you for your incredible, eye-opening gift. I thought it would be more appropriate to express my gratitude having read and considered it, rather than prematurely as etiquette might have made inclined.

It has indeed taken me a long time to complete. The more I read, the more I felt it necessary to afford each tiny portion the time and probing and background research I required to get the most out of it. Even so, I might have dwelt longer between its pages, but could not - I fly for Japan tomorrow evening and have only bagspace for the novel I promised I'd trawl in transit.

Aside from his unique style (and disregard for literary conventions), I found particularly fascinating Bangs' gradual transition in perspective, which strangely doesn't seem chronological, but rather follows the course of the compiled journal.

Although I don't always agree with him, I acknowledge that the whole exercise would have held rather less value if I did. It is a lot harder to maintain an opinion than it is to criticise it and, in spite of the misleading title, the primary role of any worthwhile critic is to stimulate its readership, not to define good taste and popular thinking.

Another side-benefit of this text has been a context for folk and punk and Bowie and electronica, as extremes, which I just didn't understand. I now feel I know not only the bare history, but grasp a little of the culture and hysteria which accounted for its popularity.

And the Fugs were cool.

I'll write upon my return, but until then, many thanks. Regards,

Angus

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

....so their you go. Track down some oh his writings and become both confused; and enlightened.

Angus and Josh endorsed.

VILLAGE PEOPLE - Renaissance (1981)

I Was flicking through my vinyl stack the other day whilst clearing out my shit to flog on Ebay...

...when i re-discovered one of the classics:

* VILLAGE PEOPLE - Renaissance (1981)

...the key is to only listen to Side 2. Side 1 is pretty standard Village People fare. Side 2, however, is were they go freakin crazy. All hard synths, great choruses; simply put:

its a rock opera, about food, during the height of the AIDS scare, by a disco band gone New-Wave.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Track 1 - 'Action Man': yr all down to be fit and active for the bar/club; and everything is going well...

Track 2 - 'Big Mac': after yr night out on the town, dancing off yr cares, something long, fat and greasy is needed to fill yr hole....

Track 3 - 'Diet': you've gone out 3 months straight, you've had all the grease and poppers that anyone can handle; and those lovely pecs are sagging into Brandon Davis type man boobs.... Its time for something drastic. The question remains however, Atkins or more meth...

Track 4 - 'Food Fight': you still wanna get the thick grease of the BIG MAC, only now yr all jaded. So you throw it into the air at unsuspecting passers by, instead of shoving it down yr orifice.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now despite being a great insight into the moment AIDS hit the Gay scene, the album seriously rocks. Perfect for push-ups, crunches, dancing and alla that.

FOOD FIGHT is also one of the best tracks of all time. Devo meets Black Flag. I think it sums up when the E or popper hits and nothing makes sense; so start searching the op-shops and open closets....

Hell you may even burn off some pounds while looking.

Howdy

Holy shit 'LIMP WRIST' were amazing last night @ Maggotsville (January 5th). There was fights, and dykes. So many dykes, all deciding to unleash their tits to the world... well they took off their tops to reveal their bras, but still, if you looked close enough..... Seems the hetero males and dykes have a similar love for at least one thing.. and its pink and soft. Red was the colour of the singer of LIMP WRIST's assless jock strap, like 'Big Gay Al' only punk... and diminutive. Hell the crowd seemed to enjoy it. Some eager skin sliding a hand between the hairy opening. I took half the set to even realise that the drummer was naked. And shaved, well shaved. It was like a flower in full bloom. Ripe and ready. Albeit rather short..... guess that explains all the anger. "I like boys hadcore" indeed. Moshing like Mexican jumping beans, Ari leaps in with his bag - 1st hard-core show. Comes up to me later, turns out he lost his phone with the swirling masses at the front; i even loose my merch, perchased with a Pokie win. Shit. 3/4 threw the set, and still on the lookout for Ari's phone, i reach down to pick up a glowing mass on the floor, its the phone, missing its cover, and shards of a beer bottle. A dude hurtes over head, i grab him. Well his member, guy was crowd surfing naked. Bruce La Bruce would have been proud.