Triple J House Party National Tour

Too good to miss, Triple J House Party is on tour once again.  With guests such as Flight Facilities on board, after smashing out Splendour 2013, you just know this is a show not to be missed.

My birthday's in September...mmmmm

"Stash your valuables coz House Party is headed your way!"

Your favourite Saturday night radio program is hitting the road this August/September with a massive national club tour, hosted by

Nina Las Vegas + Flight Facilities + Cassian
+ Tyler Touché + Wave Racer

DATES
Saturday 24 August 2013 - The Metro, SYDNEY (under 18s, Afternoon)
Saturday 24 August 2013 - The Metro, SYDNEY (18+, Evening)
Thursday 29 August 2013 - Capitol, PERTH (18+)
Friday 30 August 2013 - Metropolis, FREMANTLE (18+)
Saturday 31 August 2013 - The Hi-Fi, BRISBANE (18+)
Friday 6 September 2013 - HQ Complex, ADELAIDE (18+)
Saturday 7 September 2013 - The Hi-Fi, MELBOURNE (18+)

TICKETS ON SALE NOW. Check the triple j gig guide for ticket info.

Ego, on tour.

Video-Audio mashup extraordinaire, and friend of rantypemusic, Ego, is currently on tour.

"I’ll be bringing in lots of surreal elements as well as getting tropical, bringing some world bass and global sounds to the club on this tour and general just getting trippy. Sampling everything from cinema classics to forgotten footage, old magazines, 70′s home movies, 80′s beauty pageants, 90′s infomercials and today’s YouTube sensations."

- EGO

___

We caught up with EGO last year, fresh after Splendour 2012 - to see that chat, click here.

Tour Dates

AUSTRALIA______________
Sat 20 July Capitol, Perth WA
Thu 01 Aug – The Roundhouse, UNSW Sydney NSW
Sat 03 Aug – Republic Bar, Hobart TAS
Thu 08 Aug – Oh Hello! Brisbane QLD
Fri 09 Aug – Cats @ Rocket Bar, Adelaide SA
Sat 10 Aug – Pier Hotel, Port Lincoln SA
Wed 21 Aug – Karova Lounge, Ballarat VIC
Thu 22 Aug – Eureka Hotel, Geelong VIC
Fri 23 Aug – Can’t Say, Melbourne VIC
Sat 24 Aug – The Woodport Inn, Erina NSW
Wed 28 Aug – VICE Presents @ Goodgod Small Club, Sydney NSW
Thu 29 Aug – Workshop: APPLE Store, George Street, Sydney NSW
Fri 30 Aug – Never Land Bar, Coolangatta QLD
Sat 31 Aug – Beach Hotel, Byron Bay NSW

INTERNATIONAL___________
Wed 04 Sep – Betty’s, Wellington, NZ
Thu 05 Sep – The Back Bar, Hamilton, NZ
Sat 07 Sep – Goldfinch, Auckland, NZ
Fri 13 Sep – Hu’U Bar, Bali, Indonesia
Fri 20 Sep – Johannesburg, South Africa, TBC
Sat 21 Sep – Assembly, Cape Town, South Africa Sun
22 Sep – Cold Turkey, Cape Town, South Africa
Mon 07 Oct – Workshop: Heaps Decent, Redfern Community Centre, Redfern

More information here

Gig Review: Parachute Youth (LONDON)

Parachute Youth
Friday 7th June, 2013
KOKO, London

On Friday the 7th Of June, Australian duo Parachute Youth took the stage at KOKO in Camden, to share with Londoners what Australian Indie-Electronic music is all about. 

Parachute Youth perform at KOKO in Camden, London. 

The atmosphere was electric, full of energy driven by the performance of Matt and Johnny. Performing on  a stage that has seen everyone from Charlie Chaplin, to Madonna and The Rolling Stones, the boys certainly rose to the occasion with smiles plastered on the faces of hundreds of dancing fans, wall to wall, on all four stories.

Parachute Youth sees Matt mixing it up while John rocks the keyboard and lead vocals (in fact, Matt and John are both on Keys and Matt uses a controller to sequence drums/midi) - which allows John to come out to the front of the stage and really interact and get the crowd going. 

Best known for their hit "Can't Get Better Than This," Parachute Youth took the opportunity to showcase more original material as well as covering Daft Punk much to the pleasure of concert-goers. 

"We're only a two piece but we make a lot of noise..." Aussies Mathew Gill and John Courtidis met at boring house party. They left half an hour later and started working on some tunes. Since they first met, Matt (a former airforce avionics technician – hence the group’s name) and John (a producer/muso in the band Def Starr) signed to Aussie label Sweat It Out (home to Ajax and Yolanda Be Cool).

Johnny from Parachute Youth

Throughout the high energy performance there was a sense of appreciation throughout the venue both and off the stage - the boys themselves saying they were "humbled" at the audiences' positive response.  With a lot of love in the room, all of the tracks performed were so well received that when the boys finished their set with a flawlessly performed "Can't Get Better Than This," we were all left wanting more. 

 Parachute Youth still have a number of shows coming up across Europe and if their KOKO gig was anything to go by I strongly recommend getting along to see them.  Whilst "Can't Get Better That This" and "Count to Ten" are their better known tracks, they are but a small representation of this duo's capability and experiencing the on stage chemistry and performance quality will, if not already one, convert you into a Parachute Youth fan.

Parachute Youth perform to a packed out venue (image: facebook)

I honestly cannot give Parachute Youth any higher praise for this concert.  As far as I could tell in the audience, the show ran smoothly, the sound quality was excellent and the energy was non-stop.  Admittedly, I did see them briefly at last year's Splendour in the Grass Festival at Byron Bay, but this show was truly on another level and if this is where Matt and Johnny are at this early on in their career, I have no doubt we can expect so much more from them in the future, both as individuals and together as Parachute Youth. 

 

For all upcoming tour dates check out Parachute Youth's website.  You can also Follow Parachute Youth on Twitter and Like Parachute Youth on Facebook.

Pre-Order/ Download Can't Get Better Than This - EP

Festival Review: St Jerome's Laneway Festival

On February 8th, 2013, Adelaide Laneways were graced with the likes of The Rubens, Flume, The Japandroids, of Monsters and Men, Bat for Lashes, Chet Faker, Alpine, Alt-J  and many many more musicians, both local and international for the St Jerome's Laneway Festival. 

A smorgasbord of indie / folk/ rock acts assured that the event was a sell-out with many punters arriving before 5pm to enter the venue, suss out the situation and plan their attacks on how they would venture from stage to stage to see their favourite acts. (time of course would assure that this was not up to individuals but rather the incompetent security staff and systems put in place by event management.)

The Divine Fits - up close and personal

Nat and Brit - Awesome!
 Follow @natbrunoli on twitter.

But first; the music.  Whilst many were unfortunately unable to access stages to watch musicians play (we thought this is what the $120.00 was for?...) this music blogger, was more fortunately familiar with the venue and "laneways" and was one of the lucky ones.  Alpine were first on the agenda - drawing in a reasonably sized crowd it was clear from the get-go that many festival goers were those who listened to entire albums rather than the singles alone.  Dancing and singing along was madatory and the Alpine singers Phoebe Baker and Lou James were flawless - the bands live rendition of their biggest hit "Gasoline" was pure bliss to listen to. 

Next, we caught Yeasayer, Cloud Nothings, Chet Faker, The Rubens, Of Monsters and Men, Flume, Japandroids (AMAZING), A little bit of Alt-J, a little bit of Bat for Lashes and finished then night with the Divine Fits - Cudos to Miss Natalie (who often writes album reviews for RTM), who managed to sneak backstage to hang out with non-other than front man Britt Daniels.  

image: boudist.com

All artists were incredible, performing to a tee - This was the fourth time I had seen The Rubens (although at about 5'5" I use the word "seen" loosely) and the boys did it again, melting hearts or girls (and likely guys!) everywhere.

Unsure of what Flume would play and how he would perform, it quickly became evident that this young DJ has established his own sound signature as well as cult following.   His mellow beats and remixes are surprisingly refreshing in comparison to the dance music played on commercial stations, and it's for this reason it's a safe call to say that the best of Flume is yet to come.

Japandroids were my personal highlight and I think it was because this was an unplanned band to see - although in the lead up, many people had nothing but good things to say.  I was so impressed by the stage presence that the two (yes only TWO) band members gave off, and the racket of rock and roll noise they produced. 

the not so great wall of weslo.

Overall the music was fantastic and the line up did not disappoint.  The venue, security and management of the event however was poorly executed and even behaviour from SAPOL was misunderstood by the crowd, who by comparison to other music festivals were not that bad.  I witnessed one of the two arrests on the day which "required" 3 police officers and 2 security guards to aggressively pin down a young male who did not appear to be resisting in any way.  It was unclear why this arrest took place, including by fellow policemen who were clearly more flustered and panicky than general crowd members.  Further  embarrassment to the Adelaide festival is highlighted in today's Indaily, which reads:

"The locked gates meant the smaller stage inside Fowlers Live emptied out quickly and Brooklyn punk act The Men played to no more than 15 people on their first trip to Australia."

How the crowd control was conducted remains a questions for the authorities, however this was clearly a foreseeable problem considering the calibre of acts performing, in the highly condensed time table, in incredibly small locations.  An alternative to the City West Campus? Perhaps the Adelaide Show grounds.  Sure the "Laneway" concept is novel, however realistically this is people's safety we're talking about, and providing a product that is promised upon purchase of the ticket.  And the Showgrounds have plenty of "Laneway-esk" nooks and crannys more suitable for a 4000 people event.

Scathing reviews of the festival's management have flooded the internet with many vouching that next year they will be attending the festival in another state. 

The Divine Fits

I always say an event is what you choose to make it.  I enjoyed Laneway.  I had a good time with my friends listening to great music.  Money's worth? Perhaps not.  Unfortunately, I believe the Adelaide leg of this festival failed to deliver in many areas for both audience and artists, but I put this as a challenge to the event organisers and look forward to seeing how they will improve this 'boutique' festival in 2014.

Big Day Out 2013 - Back, Bigger and Better

Last year it was easy to rip into what some may call Australia's "first music festival", the Big Day Out.  From headlining acts pulling out weeks before scheduled concerts and stages being replaced by skate ramps, for many it appeared to be the beginning of the end of this much loved celebration of music. 

Vampire Weekend were one of the first
confirmed acts of 2013's lined up

But prayers were answered, complaining blogs were read and Ken West, one of the key organisers of the BDO promised that in 2013 the original music festival would be back to its former glory.  Early leaked line ups had social media commentators skeptical at first but it wasn't long until acts including major names The Killers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vampire Weekend and The Red Hot Chili Peppers were confirmed as headliners for 2013s tour. 

Whilst Sydney experience it's hottest day ever on record for the Big Day Out at a whopping 46.5 degree peak, this reviewer hit the Adelaide Show Grounds for the first time in a few years, to see if the Adelaide BDO could compare to the big guns along the east coast.

The Friday before the Australia Day long weekend certainly set the tone for the festival with festival goers either partying hard or taking the opportunity to relax and soak up the sun and some tunes.  With the main stages offering well known acts throughout the day, many found a nice patch of grass early and settled in for the afternoon. 

Grinspoon were one of the first acts on the orange stage and with patriotism and nostalgia in full flight, Phil and the guys had the crowds moving in no time to their rock and rolls melodies - as with many bands, showcasing some of their new work - as well as having crowds belt out the classics together, flawlessly playing "chemical heart" and "no reason" amongst many.  As regulars of the Big Day Out it must be handed to Grinspoon - the energy was high and despite being one of the earlier acts in the day, this translated to the crowd.  Once Grinspoon were done festival goers wanted more.

Of course, the fantastic thing about music festivals like the Big Day Out is the number of stages showcasing both local and international talents.  One can simply stroll up to a stage and immediately be educated in indie rock, dubstep or dance, hip hop, reggae or blues.  But whilst the genres vary, the musicianship always remain quality.  Friends of the RTM Full Tote Odds featured on the Red Stage, whilst international Comedian/Up-and-coming Hip Hop act Childish Gambino took his flavour to the Converse Essential Stage, playing with a live band featuring one bad ass violinist.  Not bad at all Childish, not bad at all. 

Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
 took no prisoners

Band of Horses were the smooth cats of the day on the main stages, entertaining the substantially smaller crowd that hung around for their set.  Regardless to this they were not disheartened interacting with the audience and taking the opportunity to showcase their talents across their broad range of bluesy instruments.  The crowds we however present for Vampire Weekend and they certainly got the crowd moving.  It seemed even those who weren't familiar with Vampire Weekend (yes - there were some who had emerged from their rocks) couldn't resist the urge to run around in circles during songs like A-Punk and their breakthrough hit Cousins.

Mainstage antics continued with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs bringing down the house - Karen O's insane voice proving that their is room or real rock chicks in this day and age.  The dirty gritty deep pitch Karen creates works perfectly with the instruments in the band contributing to the overall finesse of the band.  Only days after their new album cover art caused a stir online, the band showed no signs of moving backward and reminded everyone why they were headliners for the 2013 Big Day Out.

Crowds gathered together for The Killers, who were set to perform immediately before The Red Hot Chili Peppers.  While the girls were swooning over Brandon Flowers and his pearly whites, The Killers showcased every song they were known for and did so effortlessly.  With fireworks and confetti guns, festival performances don't get much more spectacular than this.  As someone who remembers when The Killers first emerged, there was something quite satisfying about seeing them perform as band that had truly mastered their craft.  

Finally, the Red Hot Chili Peppers hit the stage and if The Killers had mastered their craft, the RHCP had created a whole new level for their own.  Seeing the Chili Peppers was a personal treat; Chad Smith has been an idol of mine from a very young age, which was emphasized by how old all the members of the band looked.  Looks aside the RHCPs smashed our their set, with riffs, grooves and solos in between to demonstrate what years of playing music can lead, inspire and allow you to create.  The sing alongs were a plenty - anyone who has heard Triple J's live recording of Under the Bridge will know that almost all Australians know (almost) all the lyrics to this and almost all other Chili Pepper songs.

The Big Day Out was exactly that, and I forgive you, event organizers for last years almost disaster.  The festival seemed to have been reminded of its roots and what real musicianship and talent is.  However whether this is a one off or a promise that will be maintained is only something time can tell.  In the meantime we have a whole year of festivals coming our way so stay tuned for all you're festival updates right here on Ran Type Music.

The Backwater Blues and Roots Festival

The Backwater Blues Festival

19th-28th October

Adelaide and Regional South Australia

From the 19-28th of October across Adelaide and Regional South Australia, music lovers from all walks of life were brought together by the Backwater Blues and Roots Festival 2012. Featuring an array of artists sure to get you knee slappin and toe tapping, the remarkable line up on display this year was shared across the state with acts performing in Mount Gambier, Willunga, Lobethal, Whyalla and McLaren Vale.

On Friday the 26th of October the Old Queens Theatre, in Adelaide was brought back to life with performances from Tara Carragher and Genevieve Chadwick, as well as headliner for the night Mia Dyson. The venue was perfect; decor and lighting breathing energy into the somewhat restored old theatre warehouse, which you just know had seen so many performances and great times before then. Makeshift pop up bars and an eclectic collection of furniture with a silent video of The Rolling Stones projected onto the wall brought together the cool crowd, who were all there for one reason; to listen to good music.

The supporting acts of the night were raw and fantastic. Tara's voice was gorgeous and strong and Genevive rocked out on a guitar held together with gaffa tape and a single bass drum, starting a dance floor that would be grooving all night. Mia Dyson did not disappoint; her voice and the acoustics of her band's harmonies were brought out beautifully by this unique venue's layout.

And that is what is so great about the Backwater Blues and Roots Festival. South Australia is a hub for great music and music lovers alike and it is ideas and events like this that give us an opportunity to share, love and enjoy.

To describe the Backwater Blues and Roots Festival in more detail I've lifted this description from the event's facebook page:

"All great ideas come from a couple of beers, but only the crazy folks remember it the next morning. In 2007 we imagined something reminiscent of the makeshift bars of 1930s Mississippi where weary workers would unwind with a whiskey or a cold beer and dance to the rhythms of travelling blues men and women.

The Mojo Webb band were one of the
acts at this years Backwater Bluesfest

In 2008, Adelaide’s Juke Joint was born. The inaugural event attracted a like-minded audience of music lovers frustrated with the lack of blues & roots events in South Australia. Following such an overwhelming response, the event continued and evolved to become a 10-day celebration of blues & roots music throughout the state. Now in its fifth year, we are taking the blues to Mt Gambier, Whyalla, Lobethal, Willunga and McLaren Vale while also creating a pop-up Juke Joint in the centre of Adelaide at the Queens Theatre.

In true Adelaide fashion, the festival has been nurtured and developed for and by the public. The enduring appeal of the blues lies in its healing properties; the grinding rhythms and purging tales of trouble and strife with which anyone can empathise. It’s organic and real and spiritually uplifting for musician and listener alike. It’s the original dance music. And so, in an era of drive-thru lifestyles, social networking and manufactured musical confectionery, we bring you the elixir: the 2012 Backwater Blues & Roots Festival.

Hand-crafted by: Andrew Dundon & Rob Eyers with Meral Nieman, Tanya Schroeder, Emily Rice, Jacob Habner and the SA Blues and Roots community.

2012 Festival Line-up includes:

Interstate Artists

The Backsliders

Mia Dyson

Jeff Lang

Dallas Frasca

Collard Greens and Gravy

Genevieve Chadwick

Pugsley Buzzard

Brendan Gallagher

South Australian Artists

Mick Kidd

Nick Kipridis

Sweet Baby James & Rob Eyers

Dr Piffle & The Burlap Band

Louise & The Tornados

Jordan Ruru

Don Morrison

Cream Tribute Show

The Red Hot Blues Band

Rhumboogie featuring Chris Finnen

Tara Caragher

Bottleneck Slide Show

Harmonica Intensive with Snooks La Vie and Dave Blight

The Bakers Digest

Cal Williams Jnr

AP D'Antonio

Brenton Manser Duo"

"Mia has been on our dream list for the festival since its inception, so when we found out she was returning to Australia to launch her new album The Moment we jumped at the chance to create a soulful night celebrating the women of blues. Mia will be joined by the smoky, vivacious vocals of Genevieve Chadwick and Adelaide’s own rising star of the blues, Tara Carragher."

To learn more about the Backwater Blues Festival and keep in touch for next year, check them our on facebook, twitter or their website www.backwaterbluesfest.com