SHOW REVIEW: Franz Ferdinand, Hammersmith Apollo (9/3/2009)

All Good Things Begin With F
Monday 9th March 2009

Hammersmith Apollo, London

I could go so far as to say I’m a musical snob. If a band changes their stylistic or musical trajectory it must be for the better, for the greater good of music and rock’n’roll itself, or they face a downhill slide on my popularity front. I am ashamed to admit I thought Franz Ferdinand had failed in their recent plight and turned their FF Porsche in the wrong direction. I would like to admit publicly that I was so very, very wrong.

Supported by San Diego outfit The Soft Pack (www.myspace.com/thesoftpack) - an indie pop quartet who with time and a good run on the show circuit are definitely one to watch – Franz Ferdinand eventually took to the stage in a packed and pumped Hammersmith Apollo. I haven’t seen this band for a very long time (I’d say at least 4 years!) and by god how they’ve grown. Their sound is impeccably tight and they play like all four were born joined at the hips. I recall once going to see the red Hot Chili Peppers and being astounded at the amount of songs I knew every single word to (Ie: all of them), and tonight was much the same. The boys have an unbelievable amount of hits (and misses, or so I thought…), all of which I sang at the top of my lungs, and all of which are done nowhere near to justice when listened to on CD.

They cranked out such familiar hits as ‘Dark of the Matinee’ , ‘Do You Wanna’, ‘Take Me Out’, ‘Ulysses’, ‘Michael’, ‘Walk Away’ and countless more, all of which were crowd pleasers – an outstanding set list for sure. Plus their stage presence is electrifying – from their finger mirrored guitar progressions to their heart thumping walking beat drum sequences. I’ll be the first to say I think their drummer is not the best in the world – his simple drum beats seem void of technicality and would be perfect for your first ever drum lesson – but if he ever missed one of those beats the whole outfit would fall apart. Their guitar chords cling to and flow forward with every simple yet astoundingly effective pulse on the skins, and the result is an immaculate and stylish rock’n’roll performance.

As for the rest of the band their chords are always perfectly synchronised and delivered with such strength and execution it makes you want to scream and shout. And every now and then Alex and Nick let go and break into sporadic guitar improv’s and solo’s that leave you for dead and show you that beneath this well-kept disco rock outfit lies and ripped-jean denim-clad guitar wolf waiting to attack. Alongside that, I have always loved their well-timed use of ‘la la la’s’ and ‘do do do’s’. My Stepfather always taught us the use of such measures were a cop out so as to avoid writing proper lyrics, but these four have sullied his wisdom. It’s cute, it’s catchy and I found myself la-la-la-ing and do-do-do-ing their songs all the next day long.

Image-wise I consider them to be the most stylish band in rock’n’roll. Even with four Scottsmen present the closest thing we came to tartan was the immense checkered video screen backdrop displaying scenes of sexy girls, street-scapes, fire and various psychedelic swirls and shapes Pink Floyd would be proud to call their own. And as a lady there’s no denying it – dressed head to toe in jet black bar a striking red belt, coupled with deep Scottish dulcet tones and a commanding presence Alex Kapranos is nothing short of modern rock’s 007 – he looked gooooooooood!

And after all that they left us on the most amazing synth keyboard intro and 5-man strong everybody-solo drums finale I have ever seen! So, in short, Franz Ferdinand rock. They’re classy, they’re cool, they rip their instruments apart and if you dare to challenge them they’ll tear you to bits.

Their fire is outta control, and they burned this city.
Burned this city.
Yeah.

SHOW REVIEW: New Kids On The Block, Hammermsith Apollo (25/1/2009)

THE KIDS AREN'T ALRIGHT

Sunday 25th January 2009

Hammersmith Apollo, London

Over months passed I have been lucky enough to witness the pop party travelling circus that is the New Kids On The Block reformation tour, not once, but twice! Yes, I be one of the privelidged few. The first time was at an in-store for the music chain I worked for on Oxford Street, the second being at their not-so-sold-out show at The Apollo (bearing in mind they did play the O2 Arena the night before).

Let's face it - the kids are old. Every now and then you catch a glimpse of their former glory - Joey's big blue eyes, Jordan's brunette blow wave - but apart from that they're just five mature-aged crooners going through the motions both physically and vocally.

None of this was a suprise to me, as I see boy band comeback's through cynical eyes. Don't get me wrong - I loved NKOTB as a child and even recall having a Jordan night shirt - but I'd like to think my musical tastes have graduated somewhat, and I find it hard not to laugh when they pull out the old 'doing it for the fans not the money' routine. But the thing that suprised me most about this tour was not the still over-priced but somewhat tackier 'bedazzled' merchandise, nor the exhuberant ticket price, the flourescent stage set up or their hideous cover of The Stones' 'Start Me Up'. No, all these things paled in comparison to the aging, screaming mass that was their audience.

At Oxford Street I saw mature working women and mothers alike camp outside the store for over 2 days on the hard pavement in the freezing weather just to catch a glimpse of The Kids - some carrying with them their very own kids! Once inside, said babies were tossed aside and CD browsers were crushed, all in a vain attempt to get to the front and then scream solidly for 3 hours prior to their appearance. The spectacular fashion in which they were greeted once they took to the stage (late) was nothing short of Beatlemania - minus the musical talent of course. The store had to be closed due to overcrowding in the end whilst everyone got their autographs and pictures taken with the fab five.

The scenes at Hammersmith Apollo were similar if not worse. The massive line of one-gig-a-year mothers and wall-to-wall females (I didn't see one male - not a one) stood in the rain - some for over 8 hours - screaming, crying, re-doing their dampened hair and make up and giving the evil eye to the 200+ women who paid over £300 for a ticket that included a meet-and-greet with The Kids before the show. I later discovered, to my horror, these women belonged to a group that were following The Kids to every show around the UK on their very own tour bus, staying in the same hotels, and even running competition's such as 'Guess the NKOTB room number' for prizes and such...?!?!?!

And as The Kids eventually graced the stage house staff and security feared for their lives. Hair was pulled, tears flowed and the balcony shook concerningly as screaming hysterically became the order of the day and The Kids rolled through classics such as 'Step By Step', 'The Right Stuff', 'Hang Tough' and various new tunes I don't know the names of.

Screaming? Crying?? £300 tickets??? I feel I may have missed the boat on this one, as being a 29 year old female and former fan myself I can think of a thousand things I'd rather do with my money and two thousand places I'd rather be. I suppose you could say these women are a testament to that little part of us that never grew up. The part that loves jumping on the bed, watching cartoons, spending £500 in one night and coming home with a bad case of tinitus and a new t-shirt to wear down the local.

In saying all this I must admit to feeling a twinge of excitement, a rush even, as I got to meet The Kids very briefly. As they ran briefly through the rain and up the backstage stairwell from main stage to the balcony (to perform the aforementioned in-the-crowd cover of The Stones' 'Start Me Up') I had the illustrious duty of mopping the stairs dry whilst they sang, as one of them had slipped over backstage earlier and they didn't want a repeat of that on their swift return back to the stage.

They said 'Hi!'. I said 'Hi! Please don't fall or I'll get the sack!'; standing there, mop in hand - not unlike Baby carrying the watermelon in Dirty Dancing - thinking how close I'd just come to the 5 boys I'd drooled over constantly for many of my teenage years, and realising everyone gets old one day.

But not all of us chose to do it with dignity.

VENUE REVIEW: The Hammersmith Apollo, London

HAMMERSMITH APOLLO

45 QUEEN CAROLINE STREET, LONDON

PH: Venue 02085 633 800 / Tickets 08448 444 748

www.hammersmithapollo.net

It may be far from the sunny shores from Australia, but I also work here. Yes, I'm that lucky!

LOCATION & ACCESSABILITY

Situated under the Hammersmith fly-over and right next to Hammersmith tube The Apollo is very easy to get to and can be reached by various tube lines. It also has an 11pm curfew so you're guaranteed a tube ride home - unless you go for post-show bevvy's at The Duke around the corner, in which case it's a hell of a long night bus ride for you.

VENUE LAYOUT & BARS

I can't begin to explain the beauty and history of this venue! Opening in 1932 it is now heritage listed and has had various names in the past, beginning with the Gaumont Palace, then The Odeon and finally The Apollo. Most of the interior remains from the early days (besides the odd lick of paint here and there). Upon entering the stalls area you feel an amazing sense of grandeur as the magnificent layered roof opens above you and the huge organ pipes line the walls. That's right - an organ! The Compton Pipe Organ was installed in 1932, but due to disrepair was removed in 1992. However it was then reassembled, cleaned and re-installed in 2007 by the English Heritage Society. I haven't had the chance to see it (yet...), but hear it rises on a hydrolic platform out of the centre of the stage and sounds amazing.

Moving up a level to the Dress Circle keep an eye out for the golden faces of evil that protrude from the walls next to the toilets. For 6 months working at The Apollo I didn't notice them, then all of a sudden they were there - very strange... And I have no doubt there are lost souls floating aorund the place as there's a photo in our break room of the original staff ready for work on the opening day, and apparently the floors used to be all marble and the theatre was used as a morgue during the WW1.

The original fixtures unfortunately reach all the way down to the plumbing, so the toilets can leave a little to be desired. But these are the sacrifices you make when branding a buildig as listed as any minor repair can cost a fortune, so this will affect the state of things like plumbing and air conditioning. And do take heed, as that is one thing The Apollo doesn't have so it's bone-numbingly freezing in Winter and suffocatingly hot in Summer.

With 2 stalls bars (rock nights only), 4 foyer bars and one large circle bar there are ample places to get a drink, and you can even get a 'Saucy Hot Dog' should be hungry - and adventurous.

TICKETS & SHOWS

All tickets are sold through Ticketmaster at the number listed above or their website (www.ticketmaster.co.uk). As for entertainment, where do I start?! Historical shows include amazing talent such as The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, Eric Clapton in The Yardbirds, Johnny Cash, Queen, Neil Young, Springsteen, David Bowie's last ever performance as Ziggy Stardust and so many more! And it is still extremely versatile in it's wealth of entertainment, hosting everything from High School Musical and Spongebob Squarepants to Primal Scream, Mighty Boosh, Scouting For Girls, Mogwai, plus the annual 'No Sleep To Hammersmith' Motorhead show. And let's not forget the famed 'Live At The Apollo' stand up comedy series started by Jack Dee, now featuring hilarious names such as Lenny Henry, Michael McIntyre, Frankie Boyle, Daria O'Brien, Rusell Howard... Phew!

So whether it be a rock show, comedy gig, kids cartoon or musical, The Apollo is a great night out and an amazing piece of London's history. It's been enertaining this city for over 100 years - here's hoping there's many more to come.

VENUE REVIEW: The Gaelic Club, Sydney, Australia

THE GAELIC CLUB

64 DEVONSHIRE STREET, SURRY HILLS, AUSTRALIA

PH: (00 612) 9211 1687

www.thegaelic.com

Despite the name and well-hidden members bar upstairs the only thing Irish about the Gaelic Club is the Celtic script on the toilet doors. There is that weird sculpture of the face above the stage, but I'm not sure that he has any irish ties...

LOCATION & ACCESSABILITY

The club is situated just behind Central Station and about 5 minutes down the hill from Crown Street so access is easy from all angles. There is a members area atop the club but this is more remeniscent of a workers club or RSL and is seperate to the venue itself, but does serve as a great hiring space for parties as it is big and has a balcony - very nice!

VENUE LAYOUT & BARS

As one of the newer venues in Sydney the Gaelic doesn't do too badly. It's a good size and has an excellent viewing balcony on the upper level that I have seen many an idiot launch themselves off. The sound and sight lines are always good (if you're not short), but try to get a spot close to the stage as it can reach scorching temperatures in there when full, so if you're stood further back underneath the upper level the sound can get lost and the heat... well, lets just say you're going to need fluids. But do look out for the various centrally placed pillars, and also try to avoid standing on the left side of the room as you'll inevitably get caught in the cross flow of people heading toward the toilets.

There is only one main bar runnning along the right hand side of the room so getting a drink is always a challenge. However if you can reach the front there is a little space between the end of the bar and front of the stage that tends to remain hidden and relatively roomy, so drinking and dancing can be had.

TICKETS & SHOWS

When I left home (over a year ago) The Gaelic seemed to be nabbing a lot of the great gig's that would normally have been at the Metro or Annandale so there's always a reason to head to the club. The staff are always friendly and fun, the drinks are reasonably priced and the bands are always on form. A host of Australian acts have played there including Regurgitator and Beasts of Bourbon, as well as internationals such as The Datsuns, NOFX, My Morning Jacket, Ben Kweller, Jamie T and many more. It also has a late license so keep an eye out for the odd dance party mash up. All tickets for the club are sold through www.moshtix.com.au which can be a very convenient way of booking, but for goodness sake don't forget your ticket print-out and/or your Moshtix card or you're screwed.

All in all the venue is worth a squiz due to great line up's and atmosphere. And if you can come out the other end of the gig feeling riled up and ready to go (which you hopefully should), beware the mad Madison and Strawberry Hills Hotel on either side, as I have seen them make mice out of many, many men.

VENUE REVIEW: The Hopetoun Hotel, Sydney, Australia

THE HOPETOUN HOTEL

416 BOURKE STREET, SURRY HILLS, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

PH: (00 612) 9361 5257

www.myspace.com/hopetounhotel

I worked here too! But only a few times a week as a door girl. And it wasn't really work as owner Paul and I used to drink all night and laugh at the punters together (sorry guys).

LOCATION & ACCESSABILITY

The above is the kind of friendly, family feel you can expect from The Hoey. Nestled nicely away on the corner of Bourke Street in Surry Hills, and only a stones throw away from uber-cool Crown Street and out-of-control Oxford Street, The Hoey is a singer songwriter's Sydney haven. It's where you can sit back, relax and escape the fashion victimization and angular hair cuts which make up the sad side of Surry Hills.

VENUE LAYOUT & BARS

With a pool table, pokies, amazing Thai from Tong's Kitchen and the world's smallest basement cocktail bar and beer garden (complete with stone wall feature) The Hoey has the true feel of a friendly local, with the added bonus of presenting very reasonably priced quality entertainment. The room is cosy and small making for supremely intimate shows and a chance to get to know your fellow gig-goer's in ways you never thought possible. Less room space however means less hassle getting to the bar, and a visit to the bar here is always a treat as the staff are unreal! But on your return to your spot do look out for the extremely inconveniently placed pillar in the middle of the room, and be sure not to get stuck behind it or you ain't seein' nothin'.

TICKETS & SHOWS

Tickets are always sold at the door and range between $5-15AUSD depending on the act (internationals can cost more). The rock'n'roll family feel is continued through the fact that a lot of the singers and bands that play here do so on a regular basis and in various different formats and line-up's. You can expect nothing but the best of Australian indie rock'n'roll as well as superb solo sets. The Hoey's stage has seen the likes of Tim Rogers, Tex Perkins and Dave McCormack - all mainstays in the Australian music scene - as well as lots of outstanding local acts, and some international acts whos names escape me and who I cannot find listed on their website... And their commitment to Australian music on a local level is unsurpassed, offering the chance for unsigned bands to play at the prestigious Sydney based festival Homebake, and also hosting the ever-changing always-amazing 'Camels By Candelight' Christmas shows.

In a nutshell, The Hoey presents a local insight into the Australian and Sydney music scenes that no one else can. If you like cruisy evening beers coupled with the sweet sounds of Sydney, head on down to The Hoey.

VENUE REVIEW: The Annandale Hotel, Sydney, Australia

THE ANNANDALE HOTEL

17-19 PARRAMATTA ROAD, ANNANDALE, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

PH: (00 612) 9550 1078

www.annandalehotel.com

And here we have yet another biased review from Meredith! As with most of the venues I review, I also worked at The Annandale Hotel for many years, both as a Venue Entertainment Booker and moonlighting as a door and bar girl. If you really want to get down to the rock'n'roll nitty gritty in the city of Sydney, this be the place. It's dark, it's dirty, your shoes stick to the floor and you'll sweat like a pig - but that's the way it should be. Like most venues in Sydney, The Dale has been to hell and back with neighbourhood complaints, noise restrictions, 'unsavoury' clientele and pokie wars, but it's still standing. The pub has been there since the 1930's but did not always feature live music. In fact, the music was silenced as recently as 1998, but current owners Matt and Dan Rule ensured that was short lived and returned it to its former glory in 2000.

LOCATION & ACCESSABILITY

It's location isn't exactly central but the venue is easy to get to nonetheless as it lies on the factory outlet super highway that is Parramatta Road - directly opposite car hoon central, otherwise known as Stanmore McDonalds. This road runs all the way from Parramatta (funnily enough) right into the heart of the city so as far as public transport goes the bus is it, as lots of them run along that road. Stanmore train station is about 20 minutes walk away but the bus is much easier. And don't ever drive as the neighbours always complain about lack of parking when there's a show on, and who are we kidding, you're going to want a drink anyway.

VENUE LAYOUT & BARS

I'm not going to lie - the pub is small. There is a small bar in the main entrance called Raymond J's (named after the owners' Uncle), which hosts various nights showcasing Sydney's unsigned talen, and sometimes serves as a second stage at larger shows. There's also a room off the side of Raymond J's that holds pokies (yuk) and a fabulous feature wall of photo's by local photographer Colin J Lucas (yay).

Then there's the main room bar which has played host to numerous international and Australian bands, and photo's of gig's gone by adorn the walls reminding you just how much rock'n'roll sweat has gone into this place. As far as sight lines go, if you're short, you're screwed. The room is small and there is NO (and I mean NIL) space between stage and crowd. There is a raised mezzanine at the very back of the room and a small row of bench seats in front of the sound desk on the left hand side, so unless you acquire one of these aforementioned spots it's every man for himself. The main room bar is big but runs down one side of the room so getting there and back with a drink can be interesting. But the air conditioning is non-existant, so to some extent getting a complete stranger's drink spilled down your back can come as somewhat of a sweet relief.

There is also a fantastic beer garden and Thai restaurant called Wok'n'Roll (What a great name! I wonder what wonderful creative person thought that one up??...) which is extremely useful should you arrive to the gig feeling hungry, or are partial to reclining comfortably in the sunshine watching sport, schooner in one hand, chicken satay skewer in the other.

TICKETS & SHOWS

The Dale sells all it's own tickets via the website and phone number listed above. It has very much a community feel to it, hosting wild, weird, whacky and wonderful Cult Sinema movie screenings every Monday night (www.mumeson.org), as well as weekend 'Pub Cha' hangover sessions, and annual Birthday Week (June), Christmas Eve and Boxing Day celebrations which are nothing short of a Sydney music scene institution.

It's stage has been graced by everyone from the The Dandy Warhols to Jet, The Dwarves to The Bronx, Yeah Yeah Yeahs to Clutch, International Noise Conspiracy to 5,6,7,8's, and countless amazing Australian bands that are to numerous to mention here. Let's just say The Dale is the place you sell out spectacularly before moving on to national big venue sell-out tours and superstardom. Because of this most shows are literally an explosion of riffs, lights, screams and air-born plastic schooner cups. I'm not sure what happens but artists seem to become possessed at The Dale - climbing stacks, crowd surfing, swinging from the roof - not to mention the fact that the surface of the main room bar is level with and leads straight onto the stage, meaning band members can strut their stuff catwalk-styles to the back of the room, serenade them up close, do a turn, grab a beer and shimmy their way back onto stage.

So if you're in Sydney and want to witness some true blue, no holds barred Australian rock'n'roll look no further than The Dale. The crowd are cool, the staff are fun, and the owners... well, lest you desire an afterlife in the fiery depths of hell, stay far, far away from them...

VENUE REVIEW: The Metro Theatre, Sydney, Australia

THE METRO THEATRE

624 GEORGE ST. SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
PH: (00 612) 9550 3666
http://www.metrotheatre.com.au/

I spent the best part of my life working for this venue, so admittedly this review will be bias! I worked as Assistant Venue Booker here from 20-24 years of age so I know the place inside out, and remember almost every amazing show I saw there...?

LOCATION & ACCESSIBILITY

Being smack bang in the centre of George Street in the city (opp. the cinemas) makes this venue very easy to get to. Town Hall train station is just up the road, and every bus you can imagine runs to George Street and Town Hall so you're set. I believe it's curfew is now Midnight, so alas, gone are the heady days of Fuzzy dance parties and Frisky extravaganza's, but it's being owned by the Century Venues group (who also run The Enmore Theatre and The Factory venues in Sydney) means it still pulls good shows.

VENUE LAYOUT & BARS

As for the venue itself, it is my favourite to see gig's at by far. The massive flight of stairs upon entry gives you some much needed exercise before you fill yourself with intoxicants (try climbing those buggers with a hangover!), and the chandelier in the lush, red, theatre-themed foyer (as created by designer Brian Thompson) gives it an air of cabaret; burlesque even (FYI: the chandelier is plastic).

The ill-fated 'Lair' (aka Roma Room) has had more facelift's than Michael Jackson, rendering it hard to get a feel for. But it is now a permanent film set for the MTV Live show of the same name, which is probably for the best, as it's addition to the Metro's main room was akin to sticking a one story fibro house onto the side of Buckingham Palace.

The main room (see photo at top), however, is another story altogether. This room is by far the best place to see live music in Sydney - and I'm not saying that because I always got to stand on the backstage stairs above the dance floor. The stage isn't too big and neither is the dance floor, so if you are standing on the flat you're close and can always see. The remainder of the room is large tiered steps meaning you can always see from wherever you are, providing some vertically-blessed being doesn't stand in front of you. There's even a seated balcony to the left of the room should any of you injured, golden oldies or once-gig-a-year novices need to sit down. There's air conditioning, (usually) clean toilets, space to sit, drink, dance - what more could you ask for?

There are only 2 bars - one at the back of the main room, and a larger in the foyer - but as the venue is not massive in size it's usually quite easy to get liquified. The only thing it doesn't have is food, but it is situated on a fast food freeway, so when stumbling down the stairs post-show I dare you to ignore the neon calls of McDonalds, KFC, Hungry Jacks (aka Burger King), or even Ali Baba's.

TICKETING & SHOWS

All Century venues do their own ticketing, as well as sometimes going through Ticketmaster/Ticketek, so check listings for details. You can always buy tickets from The Metro website (www.metrotheatre.com.au) or over the phone on #9550 3666. But as always, be sure to opt for the 'print tickets at home' or postal option, as the ticket collection queues are always long no matter when you arrive.

As mentioned previously the Metro used to have a 24 hour license which meant all night dance-a-thon's were always on the agenda from the likes of Fuzzy, Jam and Frisky. The license has since been cut (thank you Mr Sartor) which means it's curfew is Midnight. But even before this happened The Metro played host to some of the most amazing acts of our time, especially considering it usually picks up most of the Big Day Out festival side shows. I saw more bands and DJ's at this venue than I could ever begin to remember, but some that spring to mind are:

BILLY BRAGG, COLDPLAY, AT THE DRIVE IN, CRYSTAL METHOD, THE WHITE STRIPES, PERRY FARRELL, FOO FIGHTERS, WILCO, XZIBIT, MIDNIGHT OIL, MUDHONEY, QUEENS OF THE STONEAGE, LOU REED, RONI SIZE, LTJ BUKEM, UGLY DUCKLING, JURASSIC 5, JET, CRAZY PENIS, SHANE McGOWAN, BETH ORTON, THE DONNAS, THE STRANGLERS, and so many more you wouldn't believe..

Needless to say The Metro is not only situated in, but IS the heart of music in the city of Sydney. It has had a rough trot in the past, getting caught up in corporate fumblings, administrators, bad management and clueless contractors. But none of these things will ever change the amazing memories and experiences the people of Sydney have had within it's walls. I guarantee most Sydney-siders have seen a show here, and I guarantee they all had a great time.

I can also guarantee that one day this venue will be taken back by those who truley own it and return it to it's former glory...