Acharis's Last.fm Journal

She's apples!

Sun, 5 Dec 2010 11:51:11 +0000

Fri 19 Nov – Junior | Australian Tour

Almost a year ago, Kaki King & co. made their way through here, on a sort of 'pre-album fly through'. This time, being the official tour in support of new album Junior, this was once again, a full band affair, with the lads onstage for the newer material & the familiar solo section midway for Kaki to trot out some older gems.

The Rescue Ships were the support & half the fun of their set was watching the faces around me turn slowly from confusion/uncertainty, to delight as their quirky yet adorable indie folk rock style tunes gradually won the crowd over!

The Rescue Ships by Punky_7, on Flickr

(It takes a LOT for a support act to elicit audience participation in the form of clapping. These guys managed to get us CLICKING!)
Their only fault unfortunately, was the ultimate screw-up any decent opening band can commit: Forgetting to bring your CDs >_<

Showtime & bouncing onstage, Kaki reaches for her modified electronic ukelele to rip straight into Falling Day. There is subtle rocking out on the part of (most of) the audience & the tone for the rest of the gig (& the new direction of Kaki live, perhaps?) is set!

Kaki King by Punky_7, on Flickr

The band are in fine form; Dan Brantigan & his EVI/bong forming the bulk of backing sound, not to mention keys & Jordan Perlson's mad skills took the form of lots of tight improvisational flourishes on classic tunes such as Gouge Both Your Eyes Out (But Eat Only One), Pull Me Out Alive got a new intro as well. It's also great to watch their interactions & keep time, particularly during the smoothly executed Goby.

Dan Brantigan by Punky_7, on Flickr

Doing the Wrong Thing's intense "My Nerves that Committed Suicide" interlude damn near blew the speakers (& heads of the crowd) apart with it's ferocity. Doing the wrong thing has always been a strong live staple, but from the second her foot hit the pedal, this new version saw the band reach new levels of visceral passion at their fastest/loudest.

Of course, being loud as all fuck isn't EVERYTHING Kaki is about these days! She's also cute as hell ^_^
During one of the brief breaks between songs, we were entertained by an awkward little ditty about tuning one's guitar.
"Tuning! Dah na na na na na. G de de de de de de Be be be be, G G, and down to the D, and then we got....an AAAAAAAAAAAA. and then back to the D sharp, or E flat if you like! This is awkward, I don't really care cause I'm havin' fun!"

We also got a little "the more you know" on Australian culture, by way of a Tasmanian phrase for "it's all good": She's Apples!

Anna, Kaki's guitar tech also proved indispensable not only at keeping things running smoothly offstage, but also on, when a nail came off, the quick response & important rule about glue "You can never use too little".

Kaki King by Punky_7, on Flickr

During the time Dan & Jordan had vacated the stage, we were treated to some acoustic tracks. Including a solo version of Communist Friends (complete with minor "So you're gonna die. Says your receding lifeline" serenade ^_^)

'Obligatory' ("I cannot leave the building without doing this song") closer Gay Sons Of Lesbian Mothers recieved an extended treatment when the boys returned to the stage to bring the rock! (with minor technical difficulty by way of Kaki's lap-steel lead unplugging, proving they're not really made to be played standing with intent to rock out).

Sidenote: The Cure's The Lovecats as the first song on the PA as everyone was leaving, caused half the floor to spontaneously break into song/dance, which was really fun to see!

Fri 26 Nov – Kaki King, Leroy Lee

Leroy Lee, supporting once again! With his 'Aussie Alexi Murdoch'-esque playing, Leeroy definitely made a few new fans with a top showcase set. A number of new songs featured, from an as yet un-titled, un-written & un-recorded album (tentatively due next year).

Leeroy Lee by Punky_7, on Flickr

Besides sound & crowd quality, there were few, small variations from Sydney's show setlist wise.
"Can Anyone Who Has Heard This Music Really Be A Bad Person?" is sheer bliss.

By way of banter, we also got some title origin explanation! "All the Landslides Birds Have Seen Since the Beginning of the World" was a hypothetical question posed to Kaki by her father while she was watching a nature program. Fathers are weird/awesome :P

Gaining her first real sunburn after many tours of Aus, Kaki is no stranger to our ways, being able to pull of a believable yet hilarious Aussie accent

Spot on as ever/always, after loosing a stick towards the particularly frenetic end of a song, Jordan still managed to hold it together!
Dan's EVI (& horn, during certain tracks) made for subtle yet perfect additions, taking basslines & synth melodies on, leaving Kaki to work the other end of the spectrum on her guitar

In solidarity with vertically challenged crowd members, Kaki urged short people to move towards the front & encouraged tall people (like myself) to allow them up.

Communist friends was dedicated to Sarah Palin (after considering, then deciding not to directly dedicate it to North Korea).

Kaki King by Punky_7, on Flickr

Displaying a new predilection for rocking out (as opposed to more sedately focusing intently on instrument/effects rig) once she gets a rhythm going, she'll stomp, swing, thrash & bounce. For any who doubt her passion towards her new style of music watch how much she seems to be enjoying herself when she's in the zone.

Gay sons again wrapped things up, only this time, with successful lap-steel dancing!

Kaki King by Punky_7, on Flickr

The first time seeing Kaki outside Sydney, she certainly made the trip worthwhile! I know I usually promote Kaki in some way, whenever I write about her (albums or live) but anyone who knows me, should by now know how much she means to me personally.
There's just nothing quite like her music, it's beautiful yet fierce, dark but sweet. Contrasting the ends of the spectrum of human experience, in the most inspiring way.

Kaki King by Punky_7, on Flickr

PS: Thanks to punky_7 for the company/fangirling/killer photography skills & NINFEM for joining us in Melbourne!

Porcupine Tree live = Epitome of Catharsis

Sun, 7 Feb 2010 21:02:26 +0000

Sat 6 Feb – Porcupine Tree, Sleep Parade

In my mind, one element made this show comparable to Nine Inch Nail's last Sydney gig (@ the Hordern) in the sense of a band is defined as 'professional' not by how flawlessly their set is executed, but how well they handle fuck-ups
(apparently) the PA system had blown during the end of the 2nd last song, which meant a lot of babbling with Enmore staff across the stage about getting it fixed & making curfew, all while the crowd chanted requests for a drum solo from Gavin Harrison.

The gig was split in to two sections. The first being The Incident live, in it's entirety (which was an absolutely incredible experience) & the 2nd being a mixture of older/newer songs from their catalog. While the basic fixture inclusions were Start of Something Beautiful, the mid segment of Anesthetize, Normal & The Sound of Muzak.
For this show, we also got Strip the Soul & Stars Die, which were fantastic!

Steven Wilson is not only a brilliant musician, but a great performer/entertainer. "While I respect the time honored tradition of calling out requests; bands have these little things called "Set.Lists"

The final song, of course, was Trains & we could have been waiting three times as long for it & it still would have been worthwhile. If there is a more euphoric set closer out there, i'd like to hear it!

Sun 7 Feb – Porcupine Tree, Sleep Parade

While I was suitably wowed with Sleep Parade (enough to purchase 'Things Can Always Change' the album they were selling at the show) I thought they sounded much better @ the Enmore. However, their performance at both venues were equally strong & I hope to hear more from them in future.

At both shows, the whole band were in top form, playing superbly, while making effort to 'connect' with the audience. Just little things like moving around/forward on the stage, showing the crowd that they're not just playing for themselves.

Set was the same as Sydney, with a couple of changes to the 2nd half. Lazarus & surprisingly enough, Way Out of Here which elicited a strong response from the crowd (who, at that stage, included a large population of inebriated fuckwits).

Aforementioned bogans not withstanding, it would take a lot to completely ruin a gig & the performance itself was so far beyond stellar, had I been doubting catching them (*snort* as IF) I would consider myself happily converted & more than prepared to make the trip to multiple cities to experience this as many times as possible!

Cockroaches eat guitarists

Fri, 8 Jan 2010 14:08:10 +0000

Rapidly becoming my 2nd most seen live artist (thanks to her constant touring & only to Nine Inch Nails) Kaki King is easily my favorite performer, not only in terms of skill (which she displays almost effortlessly) but in the atmosphere her charming personality creates at a gig.

Sun 3 Jan – Kaki King
The annandale gig was a full band show, which meant a more rigid setlist, but certainly no lack of spontaneity! From a string snapping mid song, to accidentally writing the same song twice on the setlist, these & many more moments allowed Kaki plenty of opportunity to keep the mood light & engage with the crowd (who lapped it up!)

Although featuring a new drummer this time around, mr Dan Brantigan returned to display his skill with the EVI/bong.
(unfortunate sidenote: both boys were wearing the same clothes they had the day before, as their luggage had been left in Melbourne accidentally by the airline!)

Very few solo Kaki moments, as this evening was a particularly band centric performance.

Though did feature regular lap steel set closer Gay Sons Of Lesbian Mothers.

The set itself was a very tight mix of old/new (like REALLY new, as in forthcoming album new!) Due aprox "My spring, your fall", the album is set to be titled Jr.
Songs about spies & communist friends along with love & loss (new track Sunnyside prefaced with a disclaimer that we wern't to laugh at the lyric mentioning a 'wiener dog'....which I guess would be funny to anyone who hadn't been paying any attention to the rest of the lyrics perhaps) & some sumptuous instrumental pieces.

Support act Leroy Lee (who had opened for Kaki last year at Mon 9 Mar – Kaki King) sounded very good & I managed to track down his self titled album, which I would recommend people give a listen!

Tue 5 Jan – Kaki King
Notes on Enmore was a much more intimate/less structured gig.

Tuning her guitar between/while deciding songs, Kaki amused her audience with anecdotes & humorous observations (such as being freaked out by cockroaches & then wondering what they actually ate) & exceptionally witty audience interactions. The following was her speaking to a group of girls sitting beside the stage after asking what they were speaking about while she'd been playing.
"youre talking about carpet burn? you got carpet burn from sitting on this carpet? im really sorry about that. and youve been discussing it this whole time? i really wish it was a euphemism because that would be so much more fun.
*pause... guitar strum*
i mean, were you like, did you fall? did someone drag you by your kn...eecaps across this...? you got carpet burn on your ankle and your hand from... what the hell have you been doing? just on this on the stage? just.. tonight? you got carpet burn. that is a rough carpet. i will say that.
well uh, put some aloe on it and shut the fuck up."

Although just her & an acoustic guitar, Dan did join her onstage to play flugelhorn with her for First Brain. This was preceded by audience participation in the form of discussion of Dan's love life.

The acoustic version of
Can Anyone Who Has Heard This Music Really Be A Bad Person? was an easy highlight of the evening.

Support act Dorothy of the Day's unique style of vocal looped pieces (with occasional improv) probably wern't for everyone, but I found her style quite sweet/enchanting & bought her record (& look forward to future releases from her.)

Photos & amusing anecdote transcripts courtesy of the lovely Punky.

Pessimism: The new black.

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:50:40 +0000

Fri 21 Nov – The Birthday Massacre, Mz Ann Thropik, The Medicated

If there is anything better, than realising a gig you thought might not be all that great, is actually fucking awesome, it's making this realisation during the first song of the night! Launching right into Red Stars, everyone knew we were in for a great night.
Although the crowd was rather 'meh' at times, most of the dedicated few, packed in front of the stage, made the band feel apreciated. & Vice versa. Chibi, O.E., Rainbow, Falcore, O-en & Rhim all played extreemly well, but looked as though they were loving the experience! Crowd interaction at it's best certainly!
Although touring to promote their latest work, they certainly didn't neglect those who loved their older stuff, playing one of the most enjoyably varied setlist, of any band I've seen this year. Fans wasted no time getting their 'rock' on during Video Kid, singing along during Lovers End (My two favorite tracks from the album Violet: Play Dead & Holiday were played back to back!)
Also, with this being the band's only all ages show on the tour, it was refreshing to see most prejudices of under 18 concert goers dispelled by decent behavior on the part of the younger fans (there were a few kids in the crowd with their parents, who had a blast, singing along/rocking out).
Encore Blue was pretty much an essential part of making this a fantastic show, I can't recomend seeing this band live enough!

Band: 9.89/10 (actually looked like they were enjoying themselves, which really worked for the atmosphere in the room)
Support: 7/10 (First group, wern't really my cup o tea, but both they & Mz Ann Thropik [the lead singer was occasionally channeling oldschool Jack off Jill it seemed] played very well)
Sound: 8/10 (Really decent mix, the venue has reasonable acoustics and the technicians were very on the ball by the time the band was on stage)
Crowd: 5/10 (Most people were having a great time, but I did leave thinking "come on, it takes more than the cost of the ticket to show the band you're grateful they're here)

Overall: 7.5/10 (I was a bit aprehensive as I have wanted to see this band since Violet came out, I was not only NOT dissapointed, I was blown the fuck away!)

You Beauty!

Tue, 6 May 2008 23:43:30 +0000

Thu 1 May – Kaki King, Ponyclub Massacre

"Once is enough" Thats what I heard when I found out I could see Kaki King for the 2nd time in Sydney (her last performance at the Opera house, was in November last year) but as soon as she left the stage I realised I could have seen every gig around the country and still want more! Simply, she is one of the most incredible performers I think I'll ever see!

Her skills need no talking up, watch/listen to her in action, thats all it takes to be held in awe! But she is so effortlessly charming!
The recurring technical difficulties (*cough* guitar straps *cough*)!
I don't remember blinking during Playing with Pink Noise & every single person gazing up at the stage during Montreal had a huge smile on their faces.

Of all the artists who do the obligatory "I <3 Sydney" shit during standard banter, Kaki is easily the most sincere. Not only for her knowledge of local services

but she is the only international visitor who knows EXACTLY what a bogan is.
All present became aware of one fellow, whose enjoyment of the gig, seemed directly proportionate to his efforts to piss off everyone around him. Although my few short words with Mr Carlton Draught were probably absorbed eventually, it was Kaki's reactions (subtle eye rolling, mimicking, generally taking the piss) which is probably the best way to deal with a brain dead fuckwit i've ever seen, because while it may not neutralise them, the crowd and performer having a laugh at this arsehole's expense certainly did some good!

Her supporting musicians (which I apologise for having no references for....I'm writing this when I should be working okay!!!) really showed their skills during the Daysleeper piece (I wanna learn to play the bong) & speaking of support, props to Ponyclub Massacre for their innovative and surprisingly engaging act!

Dreaming Of Revenge has been my favorite album this year (if I still had any faith left in Triple J, I'd try and get it some kind of recognition there) & this performance only served to solidify Kaki as one of my top live acts (not just in skill/execution, but ultimately, in enjoyment)

So yeah....I think I'll be back for 3rds.

When I get a hold of some videos, I will share them on the main page (which is kind of like the unofficial Kaki forum really, it's so active!) till then:

Photos, taken by the awesome Jacinta

(blink-and-you-miss-it)Guitar skills:

Lots of interesting stuff happening here:

I love the fact that she cites shoegaze-esque vocals as an influence, not just because it's apt, but I love it personally:

Getting her 'rawk' on: