Musical experiences
Music life
After our shows in Goolwa and Adelaide in May we drove back to Melbourne (about 6-8 hours for non Australian sensibilities) and unpacked the van before heading to see Beck play with an orchestra at the very pleasant Palais Theatre in St Kilda. A venue which can be difficult for the sound of a rock band. Though I have enjoyed many experiences here. In April 1992 Bob Dylan did a series of shows here, perhaps four or five in a row. Different opening acts were to be in effect each night. These would have been chosen by the booking agent or promoter which must have been Premier Artists or Frontier which we were working with at the time so we got to play one night. We were developing songs for an album to be recorded when we got the money and/or studio time and we were playing with piano, acoustic guitar, vocals and percussion. No bass. So we did all these projected new songs which eventually ended up on Night Of The Wolverine in December of the year. It was great to play them out into that expansive theatre room.
Bob Dylan was in a strange period, he had just released a couple of albums of old folk songs, one of which I bought at the time and really enjoyed. But otherwise, he was in a dark period, literally, the lighting for his show was minimal. I found it hard to tell which song he was playing but I was and am not what you would call a hard core Dylan-o-phile. Here is a link to his set list. I like him, though. My favourite album would be Blood On The Tracks and perhaps that 1991 folk album, Good As I Been To You.
Some of the publicity for his tour brought up his 1966 tour etc and also stories of a woman called Gypsy Fire who had some kind of alleged relationship with him and was again approached by the media. We had very little to do with the man. He didn’t appear at the soundcheck and the bass player tested his vocal mic. He seemed to have two managers backstage, one of whom had a mustard or tan coloured overcoat over his shoulders and dyed black hair like a member of the cast of the Sopranos.
I had also seen Jeff Beck do a wonderful concert in there some time in the 2000s. No mics on stage and no foldback monitors and a band consisting of keys, drums and Jeff Beck. Started out with Becks Bolero from TRUTH and that was it! Stupendous!
Sparks did a wonderful show there in 2024/5. All songs from their new album. A perfect show in presentation and execution.
Tickets for this Beck show were about $A210 but we had obtained some comp tickets for this. Thank you, comrade you know who you are!
There was a drummer on stage left completely surrounded by clear perspex to isolate the orchestra from the brute drum sounds, a bass player next to him and a keyboards player behind the drums and the orchestra, completely obscured. The rest of the stage was a full orchestra and a platform for the conductor.
They started to play the opening of the song that begins the album Morning Phase and after a few moments of swelling , swooning strings Beck ambled on playing acoustic guitar from the side of the stage and got to the mic and began to sing. A great beginning. Perfect sound from the guitar and orchestra and beautiful delay and reverb effect on the vocal. Beck had a black suit on and looked very thin but was so composed and relaxed throughout. His voice never faltered.
After the first song he explained what sort of a show was going to happen and how he would be naturally playing songs from his albums that featured orchestration. That meant leaning heavily on the albums Morning Phase and Sea Change. Albums that industry had baulked at as he was not supposed to be that slow, heavy or musical but which his audience had embraced. He also played his latest single, Ride Lonesome and talked of how songs need “ a few years to marinate out in the world…”
It was a wonderful show. I loved the way he could stand still and still hold the stage. Sometimes turning to look at and hear the orchestra swelling and bowing and picking at a special part. I love performers who can stand still. Sounds silly but it’s a dramatic thing. When I saw Nick Cave play the Push The Sky Away there were a few moments when he stood still rather than focusing on the audience and jumping and pointing and it was great. Like that album was a bit of a turning point for him, vocal wise. But he now plays in such enormous spaces that he has to play it all bigger.
At one point Beck talked about his friends saying - when they heard he was doing this orchestral tour - “oh! Sad Beck! I love it when you do that!” But whether he was summoning an image of wise, ironic, jaded “friends” for his own narrative or not we will never know. Would he really have “friends” that he would ask permission of or judgement or approval from? I hope not! But I also hope so!
He did a cover version of “Everybodys Got To Learn Sometime” by the Korgis which he had recorded for Shrek 2 or something. He explained that it was one of his most popular songs with a certain demographic. Some of his loose talk gave great insights into the level and complaxities of music business chicanery he navigates his music through.
He then also did two classic Scott Walker Songs, “Montague Terrace In Blue” and “On Your Own Again” which had myself and Clare Moore swooning in our seats. They must have used the original Wally Scott string arrangements. It was all so stunning, hearing these songs and wondering whether Scott Walker himself would have ever performed them with a full orchestra outside of the recording studio!
The bass player was spectacular and his vocal work with Beck was extraordinarily good. Such a great player.
After what was the bulk of the show, the orchestra was dispensed with. This took about ten minutes for them all to pack up. Beck walked around among the empty chairs, noting items that had been left behind and telling the straggling bassoon players that they seemed to be the last to leave everywhere. (Different orchestras in each city, of course). He ragged the tympani player and pointed out that the Sydney orchestras gong was much bigger. The Melbourne one seeming - to him - to be more suited to a Chinese restaurant. He made a valiant attempt to pronounce Melbourne in an Australian accent and then did some of his radio hits like Devils Haircut, Two Turntables and a Microphone , Deborah and Loser. Now he was moving and dancing and cutting loose on his electric guitar.
Beck did two nights at the Palais. To a well deserved,rapturous reception.
This is a rough clip somebody phoned from the back of the room but it illustrates the set up and sound.
The very next night we drove to the Rod Laver Arena - which holds about 12,000 people to see Split Enz play. Again, we had been invited to attend by our friend James Milne aka Lawrence Arabia who was to be playing the bass for the band. It was to be original members Tim and Neil Finn with Noel Crombie and Eddie Rayner with a younger rhythm section. James Milne on bass and Matt Eccles on drums. The lights went down and a strange headless, many legged tube of shiny yellow material appeared side of stage and made its way to the centre like a centipede from a Chinese festival. The material was thrown off and the five members of the band ran to their places.
What proceeded was a couple of hours of solid hits played extraordinarily well, yet also in a very relaxed and poised manner. A total delight. The audience loved it and so did I.
Heres a clip of the opening song.
I had never seen Split Enz before, though Clare Moore had seen them in Adealaide as a teen when they first came to Australia. They were at their weirdest and stepped onto stage in Australian pubs and won people over with their crazed commitment and prog musicality. I loved their first album Mental Notes and the Phil Manzanera produced version of it that followed, Second Thoughts. Phil Judd had been the focus then as much as Tim Finn. I love this 1975 clip for NZTV.
And there is this even earlier clip of them performing on a tv talent show.
I remember when the Birthday Party were in Melbourne recording either Prayers On Fire or Junkyard at AAV in South Melbourne in 1981 and Tracy Pew telling us how Split Enz were also in the adjoining studio and Tim told him to give up on the avant garde stuff. Of course we sneered and of course I kept sneering at them as they crossed over to actual pop success with songs written and sung by Neil Finn who joined when Phil Judd left. But I heard all their hits as they were always in the air and on tv. Yeah, I was a snob.
The last time I had been at Rod Laver Arena was for a public event to honour the passing of Mushroom Records creator Michael Gudinski. The arena was full. Couldn’t have all been close friends but a lot of people that the outsize character had touched in some way. Jimmy Barnes had opened proceedings by playing his new single. “Michael would have wanted it this way!” he said.
Previous to that I had seen Robert Plant play there and Steely Dan with Steve Winwood opening in 2011. The latter was an amazing show. Walter Becker was still alive and the set was packed with hits and album favourites. Steve Winwood hour long opening set had included Spencer Davis and Traffic numbers as well as the 80s and 90s hits. Steve on Hammond and electric guitar, bass, drums and sax. Incredibly good show. I had also seen the Highwaymen there as well as a later show with JUST Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings.
Neil Finn played guitar and sang perfectly. Every member of Split Enz played sounds that were spare and to the point. Neil on guitar, Tim on acoustic guitar and piano and Eddie Rayner on keys. The latter was especially razor sharp with everything he did. Nothing was there that didn’t help the song. The rhythm section excelled. Noel Crombie played percussion and otherwise wandered about like a freewheeling, ambient hype man, playing an electric guitar solo at one point by banging the instrument end on end on the ground and throwing it to the floor while the rest of them watched with folded arms. He also did the obligatory spoons solo. All in all, they were such a complete, actual unit of a band. They had a spirit and a history and a sense of purpose.
Dirty Creatures was the only weak note for me, they never could bring the funk. Nor did I expect them to.
There was an instrumental song while the giant screens showed Noel Crombie’s clothes designs for the band through the years. They played Spellbound in a nod to the absent genius Phil Judd. I loved it when they played My Mistake from Second Thoughts. The weirdness, please!
Bravo Split Enz!
We went backstage and caught up with Noel Crombie and his partner Sally and our friend James. Here he is in a clip from a couple of years ago.
And more recent work in Half Hexagon.
Our LABURNUM OF THE MIND show in Frankston at Young Street Tavern was very enjoyable. A Sunday afternoon. Though I strangely lost my voice by the time I got home. Something to do with acid reflux and my vocal cords. I had to see the doctor in the ensuing week before we headed to NSW. Have to change my diet and watch it with spicy food and caffeine. I had never experienced this sort of thing before and had always ploughed on through all sorts of colds and imponderable health complications.
We drove to Canberra and played on a Thursday night at Smiths. The soundman, Bevan has worked there for a long time and does a brilliant job. We played two sets at a low volume to a seated room of people. It was so enjoyable to play at that softer level. The band was so nuanced in the playing. The following night we played at Marrickville Bowling Club. The room and stage were bigger and so was the PA. The people were noisier too, being a Friday night. So it was louder and brasher and so were we and it was equally enjoyable. Last night we drove from Sydney to Bulli and back and played at a pitch somewhere in between those first two hitouts. Its been great playing consistent, consecutive shows with Stu Thomas on bass and Stuart Perera on guitar. The band is cooking.
LIVE SHOWS
Friday June 12th – the Link and Pin, Woy Woy NSW
https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1557903
Saturday June 13th – Stag and Hunter, Newcastle
https://stagandhunter.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/dd822c28-4407-4804-bd24-4741ef16d9f6
Sunday June 14th – The Flow Bar, Old Bar NSW
https://www.dramatix.com.au/events/2379
Sunday July 12th – Mullum Roots Festival, NSW
https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1413705
Friday July 24th Courthouse Theatre – Geelong
https://www.trybooking.com/DKWQW
Saturday July 25th, Shotkickers, Melbourne
https://tickets.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/36fa64d5-401c-4312-a74d-a6f08efb18b2
Friday July 31st Banshees Ipswich
https://bansheesbar.com.au/event/laburnum
Saturday August 1st - Eudlo Hall, QLD
https://www.trybooking.com/DLYOP
Sunday August 2nd Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane
https://tickets.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/1645f3be-4071-41b0-a364-4848dfcef3c9?preview=76521274-27fc-400f-9b33-0b82c60ef3d3
August 28th – The Duke Of George, Fremantle WA
https://moshtix.com.au/v2/event/dave-graney-and-clare-moores-album-launch/193045
August 29th – Lyrics Lane – Perth, WA
https://lyricsunderground.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/258b00ea-72b9-49dd-95b4-151fb82924f8
Friday Sept 11th Baroque Room, Carrington , Katoomba
https://events.humanitix.com/fbdavegraneyclaremoore26
Saturday Sept 12th – afternoon show - Brass Monkey, Cronulla
https://tickets.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/53457deb-4c2d-4e88-ba25-4aa0fcfc8494
Sunday Sept 13th, Finding Fillmores , Kiama NSW
https://events.humanitix.com/dave-graney-and-the-mistly
Saturday Sept 19th, Railway Club, Darwin