Cracker by Damian Christie

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Cracker: Gimme Shelter

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  • Rich Lock,

    I did warn you....

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report Reply

  • Morgan Nichol,

    I thought Iggy Pop & Tool were both rather dull. Rammstein, who aren't really on my radar, where completely fucking brilliant. Got out of there quicksmart when Tool didn't catch my fancy, so maybe they picked up after I left for the boiler room.

    I probably wouldn't have gone at all if it wasn't for Die Antwoord appearing, damn that was fun. Also good fun: Andrew W.K., on the way out it was just huge smiles all around. Good times.

    I didn't really have to queue to get in, queued for a little while to get my booze band, but then didn't really encounter any more queues at any point. To get a glass of whatever you liked there were no waits that I ever saw, just rock up and get your cider and go. Quite liked the peaceful back hill, actually. Enjoying a couple of little ciders in the pre-rain steamy atmosphere.

    Enjoyed the way in the gate "do you have any drugs?" she asks, "no", I say. But yes. Legal though, and purchased from one of the sponsors, so who knows. Also: fucking great. Hope the weird herbal stuff that's been available lately stays legal. Had some good times, and paid GST with my purchases, win-win.

    I didn't have any hassle with security, just smiles, and if anything I would have liked the security to have been more strict with one key thing: those arseholes sitting on the stairs. They came through and (very politely) got the stair sitters to shift over, but of course it didn't last, and they proliferated.

    Was nice to see that even the dullards that run our train network managed to sort out the service. With the next train waiting for the current train, sitting just out of the station, seeing this of course meant no one in the crowds had any stress about catching a train, the next one was already there. Much better than they managed for a recent rugby game I was at (and possibly informed by that kind of experience).

    Oh, last bouquet: whoever the guys running the little pizza place near the green stage were. Apparently the boxes were muddled, so instead of a vegetarian pizza I got meat lovers, but the way they handled the cock-up was how these things should always be handled: huge apology, gracious smiles, quick replacement, free garlic bread, and someone being shouted at to sort the fucking pizza boxes out. So bloody good. Would eat again+++.

    Thought it was a pretty good time, all things considered (for instance, that I wasn't super excited about any of the bands, bar perhaps some little excitement for Die Antwoord).

    Auckland CBD • Since Nov 2006 • 314 posts Report Reply

  • Morgan Nichol, in reply to KingKenny,

    Fair call, I thought the Smashing Pumpkins were great at the BDO, but caught them a year or two ago down at Vector. Worst concert I've been to in a long time, so incredibly disappointing.

    Auckland CBD • Since Nov 2006 • 314 posts Report Reply

  • Roger Horrocks,

    This BDO thread is running out of steam, but still I would like to add my 5 cents worth. I come to BDO each year to see something new – bands I haven’t seen live, or bands I don’t even know about. I think the BDO’s choice of bands has become more commercially conservative in recent years. It used to make a bigger effort to get edgy new bands. You could count each year on seeing half a dozen hot new bands that had maybe just released their first CD. Now there seem to be more repeat performances. I was so bored seeing Rammstein again (a fireworks act with no new musical interest, not to mention their boring tongue-in-cheek Fascist aesthetic). For the cost of one Rammstein, BDO could afford half a dozen interesting NEW bands. This year I was pleased to be able to sample Ratatat, and Crystal Castles – and I hadn’t seen MIA before – but there were a lot of other new bands (from places like Brooklyn and LA) that I had hoped they would bring out but they didn’t. I guess that’s the corporate approach these days, don’t take too many chances, and count on most of the punters being happy with familiarity.

    New Zealand • Since Jan 2011 • 4 posts Report Reply

  • recordari, in reply to Roger Horrocks,

    I think a lot of the new bands are playing Laneways. I'm excited about Warpaint, Deerhunter and a few others playing next week. My last concert in Aotea Square was an early Womad, and it was great, so have higher hopes.

    Will try arrive in a New York state of mind, or at least a better one.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • Geoff Lealand,

    @Roger. I really admire how you get to BDO every year. I just couldn't be bothered this year as there wasn't really anything that rang my bell, nor could compare with Arcade Fire. But there is Laneway coming up and Sufjan Stevens and April Grassroots festival has some exciting acts, such as Imogen Heap, Roderigo Y Gabriela and the Felice Brothers.

    Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report Reply

  • Jeremy Eade,

    Damian,

    Funnily enough as far as I understand the whole security industry is under review at the moment in parliament . The unite union want to clean the industry up. I worked security at Eden Park recently. As far as I understand the drunken league fiasco has made the whole security industry toughen up on the possibility of crowds going out of control.

    But you were assaulted, that's very illegal and well beyond the scope of a security guard under current legislation.

    auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 1112 posts Report Reply

  • Mikaere Curtis,

    Fair call, I thought the Smashing Pumpkins were great at the BDO, but caught them a year or two ago down at Vector. Worst concert I've been to in a long time, so incredibly disappointing.

    I'd booked tickets to Christchurch that Easter, and spent serious money extending my whanau's stay by a day so my wife and I could attend the Pumpkins concert at the CHC arena. Seems that Billy had chilled out since the Auckland gig so it was a great concert, so many good songs and a nice vibe to boot.

    I caught them at AKL town hall in October and the set was entirely different apart from about 4 songs. Both gigs were chock full of great tracks, and both were fantastic.

    I cannot think of another band, apart from maybe Pink Floyd and Prince, that has that level of quality music available. Smashing Pumpkins, due to Billy's prodigious writing skills, are in that rarefied space where they possess enough songs to rock out without having to resort to playing their list of known crowd-pleasers.

    In contrast, Tool have four singles, all of which are killer fan-fucking-tastic, but that's not a lot, really. I appreciate their bombastic metal-funk, and it is very technically astute, however none of their filler tracks can match Aenima, Sober, Schism or Stinkfist for pure art-metal musical genius. It says something that they can only play three of those four, yet still turn out a great set. And their light show was something else. I thought the skull on top of the crane was pretty cool during the daytime. Once it was dark, it emitted *laser* from its eyes !!!

    I know Russell doesn't get the whole Tool experience, but I think its a case of diamonds in the (very amicable) rough (but not the Airbourne sense). The four songs I listed above are, IMO, great tracks in their own right - as long, I suppose, as you like metal guitar...

    Tamaki Makaurau • Since Nov 2006 • 528 posts Report Reply

  • George Darroch,

    Die Antwoord, performing the BDO:

    And (NSFW, but mindblowing) as much penis as I've ever seen in a music video - Evil Boy.

    There's a bit of back story (Pitchfork interview with 'Ninja')

    Ninja: Another element in his verse is about how the real Xhosa men with the circumcised penises are unbelievably fucking homophobic. Wanga doesn't give a fuck-- we're not anti-gay, we're just like, "whatever." The rap is actually a taunt, when he says, "Don't touch my penis/ I'm not a gay." That's pretty much the worst insult to Xhosa men-- who are anti-gay yet they take 19-year-old boys' penises into their hands.

    For a conceptual zef rap-rave group, they're holding up pretty well.

    WLG • Since Nov 2006 • 2264 posts Report Reply

  • Heather Gaye,

    Primal Scream were amazing, Grinderman were amazing, but the revelation of the day was someone I already love: Grayson Gilmour played to about 20 people, and his set was incredible. His band consisted merely of drums, bass, him on keyboards and a cellist (FUCKING EH), but there was this swell and ebb of sound – remarkable variety & nuance in texture and volume – and I still can’t work out how they did it. These beautiful songs punctuated by rich, full climaxes that just kind of engulfed me. Literally gave me goosebumps. LITERALLY.

    Seriously, it’s a travesty that this guy isn’t more popular.

    Morningside • Since Nov 2006 • 533 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    and Sufjan Stevens

    I'm going to have to request a ban on any further discussion of him coming to NZ, his gigs, and how fucking great he was.

    My partner and I made the difficult decision, having just been up in Wellington for the family Xmas, that we wouldn't shell out the $600+tickets to go see him in a couple of weeks.

    It might take me a while to get over it is all, so appreciate your support. That is all.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    My last concert in Aotea Square was...

    ... DD Smash and that ended in
    the Queen Street Riot of 1984

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • recordari, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    the Queen Street Riot of 1984

    That was the one before. Ended up at The Venue on Symonds street. Or Crowe's Road, if we're name dropping.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • Geoff Lealand,

    As this is about music…the Feb 2011 issue of the UK mag The Word arrived this morning and they feature The Phoenix Foundation Pot on their Now Hear This sampler (keeping company with The Go! Team and Joan as Policewoman). I am having trouble linking to my subscriber copy, so I will transcribe what they say about it (on page 48);

    Pop quiz: where did this supremely psychedelic New Zealand six piece get their name? Answer at the bottom of this column.
    Centred on singers/songwriters Samul Flynn Scott and Luke Buda plus friends, Wellingtonians The Phoenix Foundation have been together in one form or another since 1997. They’ve released a string of albums in NZ, gravitating towards the lauded Flying Nun label, toured with the Finn Brothers, and in 2007 wrote the soundtrack for the well-liked indie movie Eagle vs Shark. Their fourth album won awards back home and now it gets a UK release via Memphis Industries.
    Pot is the lead single from the album and showcases a mixture of campfire camaraderie, inner/outer space adventure and melodic loveliness. Elsewhere they evoke The Flaming Lips, The Chills, Boards of Canada and Nirvana. Basically, there’s plenty here worth investigating.
    Pop quiz answer: it’s a secret society in terrible old TV show MacGyver

    Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    At least in NZ, security firms don't strongarm their way into getting contracts. Well, I haven't heard of this - it seems standard practice overseas.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Roger Horrocks,

    I agree with Heather Gaye that Grayson Gilmour was a special moment. A very original guy – if anyone doesn’t know So So Modern, check out their great CD. But I must say that GG’s set was almost wilfully defiant of the BDO context. For example, he chose to do a number that was extra long and extra slow. Like Heather, I was impressed, but quite a few of the 20 or so people who were present at the start of the number were no longer in the vicinity by the time he got to the end. I hadn’t seen GG before and I was curious to know if he was always so relaxed about holding (or losing) his audience. Certainly a very interesting and talented musician.

    New Zealand • Since Jan 2011 • 4 posts Report Reply

  • Rich Lock,

    a fireworks act with no new musical interest, not to mention their boring tongue-in-cheek Fascist aesthetic

    Ooooh, burn.

    Rammstein? Burn? Geddit!? Geddit!?

    Seems to me that the BDO is more or less designed around having to have big international acts the headliners. The venue is too large for it to be economical otherwise.

    As Recordari and Geoff have already noted, there are, now, a number of smaller festivals which allow newer, younger bands a bit of breathing room.

    The same thing happened in the UK a few years ago - if you wanted a 'festival experience (tm)', your choice was Glasto or Reading. Then came Phoenix, T in the park, 'V' and a few others catering for the big 'Rawk' acts, and now the scene has expanded and fractured to the extent that there are literally dozens of smaller, boutique-y festivals every year: Secret Garden Party, Bestival, Latitude, Wickerman, Summer sundae.......take your pick.

    I think the same thing is happening here, to an extent (limits of market size and location, and all that). Grassroots, Coromandel Gold, Kaikoura dub 'n' roots, etc.

    Personally, I'm well outside the target market for Laneways, but I'm mildly excited about Grassroots in April.

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report Reply

  • Heather Gaye, in reply to Roger Horrocks,

    For example, he chose to do a number that was extra long and extra slow

    Yeah, must admit I phased out there for a bit.

    Morningside • Since Nov 2006 • 533 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Rich Lock,

    Seems to me that the BDO is more or less designed around having to have big international acts the headliners. The venue is too large for it to be economical otherwise.

    There’s the added factor of the decisions really being made in Australia. The Aussie promoters, Ken West and Vivien Lees, are for real: their first shows in New Zealand were on the justifiably infamous Birthday Party tour in 1983.

    Some years they’ll take a hit for the sake of rock ‘n’ roll – they paid much more than usual for Neil Young, who in turn took a lower fee than he usually would – but I gather the BDO has never lost money here, under either the original or current NZ promoters.

    Where the Aussie inflection tends to really grate is in the Boiler Room – where there are typically a few dreadful Australian trance DJs. (But oddly, not this year.)

    As Recordari and Geoff have already noted, there are, now, a number of smaller festivals which allow newer, younger bands a bit of breathing room.

    Yep. Thank the strong Kiwi dollar.

    The collective lineup being offered this summer is remarkable. It seems Laneway is doing okay (a bit slower in Wellington, where people had better get out there if they want to keep getting shows), but I think it might be harder for Splore City.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • recordari,

    I was also a bit blown away by the line up at Raggamuffin.

    Mary J Blige
    Maxi Priest
    Jimmy Cliff
    Oringinal Wailers
    etc

    That sounds expensive to me too. Hope they do well.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • Danielle, in reply to Rich Lock,

    I'm mildly excited about Grassroots in April

    I haven't seen Elvis since... 2002, so I'm fairly clappity-clappity about Grassroots. Plus: Grace Jones!!

    (I'm also attending Sufjan Stevens, Les Savy Fav, and Roxy Music, but frankly I'm the most thrilled by seeing The Meters on April 15. Funky squee!)

    Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report Reply

  • Rich Lock,

    I’m fairly clappity-clappity about Grassroots

    Due entirely to my own stupidity, I missed out on Rodrigo y Gabriella when they were over here this time last year, so I’m rather pleased fate has seen fit to give me a chance to redeem myself.

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report Reply

  • Anonymous Author,

    Personally, I found Tool was completely inspiring from front and centre – the closest I've been to any stage at any BDO, in fact. A complete immersion in a journey of delirious light and trippy sound. I knew I had to do this from when they last played and the experience didn't translate at the Home of the Warriors like it had at the Brixton Academy. So pleased I put up with the people who took three songs to give up trying to mosh to complex time signature beats and polyrhythms and decide to listen, watch in wonder then groove and soar.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2010 • 64 posts Report Reply

  • Geoff Lealand,

    If you are really perverse, you could always go to the Parachute Festival at Mystery Creek this weekend. Why do Christians have to colonise everything--music is quite properly the property of the devil ;-)

    Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report Reply

  • Jackie Clark, in reply to Geoff Lealand,

    Would there be anything quite as alarming as an entire festival attended by Christian Youth. It makes my blood run cold.

    Mt Eden, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 3136 posts Report Reply

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