Ah, life can be tough sometimes. For those that haven't had the dubious honour of meeting me in the flesh, please be aware that there is a certain degree of sarcasm in those opening words. Just a touch.
Because for all the 'necessary' work that a photographer has to complete, sometimes we get to indulge ourselves and do something we are passionate about. If we're lucky. And this weekend, I was doubly blessed - two NZ bands, both favourites of mine, were playing on consecutive nights.
Which is great - because the toughest part of this was persuading MSO that I should be allowed to go out and photograph both bands. Fortunately enough she was distracted by a new addition to the apartment - more on that topic later... So I was allowed to roam free (more or less) with camera in hand...
So - how did the weekend turn out? Pretty. Damn. Good.
Saturday night, after a frantic day (heard of Bargo? Neither had I... For a good reason it seems... Not offence to any Bargonian readers of course...) I managed to make my way to the Coogee Bay Hotel - and remember, this was on Saturday, not Sundae - to check out the soundcheck for Salmonella Dub. While running round a gig can get warm I was more than glad that I had taken a jacket to the soundcheck. And hat. And scarf (you get the idea...) as Selina's (the venue) was bitter. Even with the air conditioning going full noise (leading to a curious phenomena of water, falling from the air con units, onto the wide variety of electronic gear on stage), it didn't feel like it was going to get any warmer than Arctic, and that only human bodies would be capable of lifting the mercury above 7 degrees. Fortunately, the Dub have a strong following in Sydney, and the room soon quickly filled, much to the dismay of the penguins chilling out in the back...
With a changing lineup now including MC Mana on the microphone and Ant Smith on keys/sax, the band scattered some tracks from their latest album Freak Controller throughout a gathering of a few of their oldies and goodies. I found the show a bit disjointed at times - as some of the tunes were a bit darker and grungier, then suddenly changing direction to cruise along at the laid back Kaikoura inspired reggae/dub style. Upon saying that - my musical ability extends to being able to press play on my MP3 player. Or finding the 'Go' button on a Technic 1200. So after having a yarn with a few of the band members over a beer afterwards, I was told that the play list is constantly evolving and due to the absence of vocalist the Mighty Asterix due to a family bereavement, they'd had to quickly make some play list decisions. Which considering the extent of my aforementioned musical ability (or lack thereof...) I'll leave it in their capable hands. And I'm glad I did.
There's nothing wrong with being challenged by an artist - in whatever genre. If you've got an open enough mind in which you might be able to embrace someone else's thoughts, inspiration, concepts and ideas, then you might, just might, walk away a better person for it. Cool, don't agree with it, don't even like if you don't want to, but try something different. And that's what these guys did. OK, I might be reading a bit much into it - you could just argue that they're simply performers (not sure that musically - especially from my point of view - there is such a thing) but if you wanted something that sounds like a collection of their MP3s, then visit Amplifier. Then buy some beers, sit down in a room by yourself, and press play. Live music collaboration between two people is amazing - as you add more, the opportunity for error increases exponentially. So to witness five musicians and a vocalist taking the crowd on a journey through their discography was a distinct pleasure. Salmonella Dub have been around for 18 years, and I look forward to them being around for 18 more.
And then there was Sunday night...
Yep, one of my favourite acts - NZ or otherwise - were back in town promoting their new album The System is a Vampire. And like Saturday, it was a bit of a journey through their discography - 'Something old, something new'... ...as vocallist P Digsss so memorably stated during their recent live album.
It's been a while since I last saw them - and in that time, not only have they created a new album that stays true to their darker roots, but also polished their live show to provide an impeccable display of live drum and bass.
Once again supported by mind bending visual effects from Warp TV, and mastered by ex-Salmonella Dub frontman and one of NZ leading musical influences, Tiki Taane, the Shapeshifter crew threw down some deep and dirty rolling basslines, complemented by P Digsss' strident vocals and Devin 'Reno' Abrams' sultry sax lines at the Metro.Outside I bumped into Sydneysider Thomas who was dragged along by a friend who bought him a ticket.
Did he enjoy it?
"Ma-a-a-a-a-a-ate - it was fully #$%&ing seeeck."
And it was sick. Fully sick. Cheers to Niche Productions for bringing the lads back to Sydney.
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