Nestled away in the hippest place in LA – Silverlake – is a little concert hall called The Echo, where on March 14th, 3 days before the start of SXSW, much of the Aussie contingency came together for the LA Aussie BBQ – 9 Hours. 1 Stage. 13 Bands. 10 Minute Changeovers.
Now in its second year, the Aussie BBQ in Los Angeles is essentially an extension of the SXSW event (which has been running for 8), and saw some of our finest talent play to a group of expats and LA industry types… as well as a few people there for the fine food they were serving, and the fine bands they were displaying.
I arrived a few hours after festivities had begun, and unfortunately missed Henry (Wagons), Songs, Sherlock’s Daughter and Cassette Kids. Not a bad way to start off a day of music in LA, eh? As I arrived, the illustrious Washington (below) had just hit the stage, and launched straight into the incredibly catchy “How To Tame a Lion”, which was the iTunes single of the week a few months ago. I’m a huge fan of Washington, and do believe they’re going to go places. Suffice it to say, they put on a killer show today – which was oddly enough the first time I’d seen the Brisbane talent and her three-piece backing band.
Aside from the single, I wasn’t familiar with the rest of the tracks, but they felt instantly recognisable, and were infectious in all regards. Lead singer Megan Washington is a true talent, and owned the stage, with the rest of the band playing their part with rehearsed precision. They were the unexpected stand-out performance of the day for me.
So how do you top that? Well if anyone can, it’s Dappled Cities (above) – and as usual they put on a show to get the crowd dancing, and a few fans singing along to every word. I feel I’ve said all I’ve needed to say about this Sydney powerhouse in the past, but I’ll reinforce one thing in this review: Dappled Cities continue to improve their live show, their on stage presence and energy, and talents, every time I see them. And for a band that already started out pretty high on that list, it’s a fine accomplishment.
Melbourne’s Oh Mercy (above), who have been making quite a few waves at home of late followed, playing the Sydney Opera House and the like, continued to impress on the LA stage. The set remained unchanged from my past experiences with the band, and I still feel that they could command the stage with a bit more of the presence that some of the other bands on the bill put out. Nonetheless, they make good music. Period. But when it comes to these sort of things, that’s often not enough to impress.
An act which continues to surprise the unconverted is Paul Dempsey (pictured in header), of Something for Kat
e fame. Almost everyone I spoke to in the venue echoed my own feelings about Mr. Dempsey – while the Something for Kate albums are rather dry and uninteresting on a personal level, his solo album has a raw energy to it that makes for an amazing live show. Even when it’s just him and the guitar. I’m a true Paul Dempsey convert, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. “Ramona Was A Waitress” is without a doubt one of the greatest Austrailan songs ever written, too. I continue to be entertained by his on stage demeanour, too. A dry wit goes a long way, let me tell you. And with Paul, this comes in droves.
While most of the crowd spent the majority of sets standing outside in the beautiful LA sun, there was one band to bring them back inside in droves: Children Collide. The Melbourne three-piece, led by their maestro, Johnny McKay, were full of more energy than I think I’ve ever seen before. Johnny could be seen screaming into his guitar as the reverb shattered the windows around it. It had been a while since I’d seen the guys, and for me this performance really took them to the next level. I hope they absolutely kill it in Austin – because they certainly won the crowd over tonight. Not that they needed much help with that…
Goons of Doom played a set almost identical to what we saw at the Aussie BBQ in Sydney just over a week ago. They’ve definitely got their show tight as a tiger, and do Australia proud with their unique take on rock and roll. For more of my thoughts on the band, please click HERE to see the previous Aussie BBQ review.
If Children Collide and Goons of Doom brought along the Rock and Roll to the Echo stage, Crayon Fields (above) were here for the detox. Their brand of lo-fi indie tunes have become legendary in Australia – and while a couple of tunes were impressive, I didn’t feel like the band grabbed me enough to keep me focused. With the crowd packing out for Children Collide, and slowly dispersing throughout the set of Crayon Fields, I daresay the rest agreed. Although, to be fair, after 7 hours of live music, eating and drinking (and a Black Rebel Motorcycle Club gig about to go on downstairs in the Echoplex), I think most people were looking for any excuse to disperse.
I felt much the same about City Riots (above) as I did with their Sydney gig – they were tight, they have a few very catchy numbers and overall the set was enjoyable, although the flight into LA definitely brought the energy down a notch. Had I been without earlier comparison, however, I wouldn’t have noticed a thing!
Finally, legendary Perth outfit The Chevelles (above) ended the night, celebrating their 20th anniversary with a tour around the world. But unfortunately there popularity wasn’t enough to keep people around until the end, and only a few people remained to watch their set. Nonetheless they gave it their all and impressed those who were there. Unfortunately, I was only able to hang around for a couple of songs before I head off, but I’ll try to catch them in SXSW…
… what a perfect segue way to introduce our Austin coverage… stay tuned!
