Cancer Bats w/ Leeches. 14/09/2010. Kings Arms Tavern, Auckland, New Zealand.
Leeches - Sing Sing Death House (The Distillers cover)
Cancer Bats - Sabotage (Beastie Boys cover)
Me and Liam Cormier (Cancer Bats)
Signed by Cancer Bats & Leeches
Monday, 25 July 2011
We are the undead
The greatest thing about this night was not the music that was played or when I got to meet Liam Cormier after the show, but it was something that happened at the very beginning of the night. When I first arrived at Kings Arms Tavern it was still relatively empty, no band had taken the stage yet but one brave explorer had found its way onto the stage. This curious adventurer was an everyday, domestic cat that had found its way inside the bar and was sniffing around the drumkit and guitars. It didn't seem too worried about all the people in the tavern and when it came time for the first band to play, noone was sure what to do about the stage cat. Eventually the cat was lured off the stage and the first band could start, but in my opinion, stage cat was the first act to go on that night. It was my first time seeing every band that played that night, Oilbarrons were the first band to go on (after stage cat) and they were an explosion of brutal metal crossed with punk. Their short songs would barely last a minute, but they thrashed their instruments enough during their set for a lifetime. Leeches were next to go on, they are Angelo Munro's (formerly of The Bleeders) new band and they were awesome! I've raved about how could they are in the past (my New Zealand Music Month post) and this was my first time being blown away by them. Great original songs and a badass cover of Sing Sing Death House by The Distillers. Snakes Of Iron were the last NZ band to go on, they were pretty good but fairly unmemorable. Cancer Bats played a huge set, the Canadian rockers put on one hell of a performance. There was too much energy and movement to get any good photos during the night, but I did manage to get some good videos and after meeting Liam and the band after the show, I got a running schedule signed by the Cancer Bats and some of Leeches.
They like the way I be leanin'
I'm not really a U2 fan at all but when they decided to bring their entire 360 degrees tour to New Zealand, it was hard to avoid the hype. The country was buzzing with the news that U2 were actually going to bring their whole stage show all the way down here, but I remained rather neutral about the matter. That is, until it was announced that supporting U2 on their tour would be Jay-Z. I've been a fan of his ever since he released the cross-over album with Linkin Park, and now I was torn between wanting to go to the show and not having enough money to buy an expensive U2 ticket. So when it was announced that there would be extremely cheap tickets sold for the show, approx $40, i was keen as. Surprisingly, the cheap tickets actually gave me a really good view of the show, and the stage was so big that it is hard to miss anything. Jay-Z opened when the sun was still up and most of the older U2 fans sitting around me had no idea who the hell he was, but that was to be expected. Jay-Z played a great set with all his hits, including H To The Izzo, 99 Problems, Big Pimpin' and Dirt Off Your Shoulder. He played a few off of his new album as well, with Empire State Of Mind and On To The Next One sounding even better live than on CD, and Run This Town always sounds amazing. U2 played a massive set and everyone seemed to love it. I only recognized a couple of songs, like Beautiful Day, Vertigo and Sunday Bloody Sunday but despite my ignorance, I still really enjoyed the performance. They put on a good show (but it was maybe a little long) and the alien-like stage was perpetually fascinating.
U2 w/ Jay-Z. 26/11/2010. Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand.
Jay-Z
Jay-Z - 99 Problems
U2 - Bono
Top Ten - My Favourite Ships
I can become fairly obsessed with the fandom aspect of the television shows I watch, so it is no surprise that I become quite invested in my own little realities. This is a list of the fictional romances that I ship for relentlessly. Some of them are no surprise to anyone who spends time on the Internet and some of them may perplex even the most devoted fandom followers. My logic behind this list is based simply on instinct, rather than rational thought and plausibility. They are not all conventional but they are all interesting and compelling combinations of characters. I am aware of the fact that there are actually 11 romances in this Top Ten list, but I couldn't be bothered making a new graphic, so here we go:
Margaret Hooper & Bruno Gianelli (The West Wing)
Based entirely around his playful wit and a necklace - S03E20.
John Carter & Lucy Knight (ER)
A blossoming romance that was tragically cut short.
Barney Stinson & Lily Aldrin (How I Met Your Mother)
I would never want to do this to Marshall, but their relationship is too adorable - S02E05.
Draco Malfoy & Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)
No surprise to fandom lovers but this is a much better reality than what actually happened.
Penny & Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory)
The most unconventional couple but they are so cute together and have the most unique relationship.
Cindy "Mac" MacKenzie & Logan Echolls (Veronica Mars)
This all started with their flirty banter about their history - S03E16
Sophie Stagner & Michael Westen (Burn Notice)
It might take a few years but the way she looks at him explains it all - S01E03
Eric Northman & Lafayette Reynolds (True Blood)
I enjoy the predator/prey aspect of their bond.
Jess Mariano & Paris Geller (Gilmore Girls)
Their similar intellects and mutual dislike of everyone makes a perfect match - S02E16
Jeff Winger & Annie Edison (Community)
My happiness depends on this, there is still time! Who could forget the Debate - S01E09
Ainsley Hayes & Sam Seaborn (The West Wing)
As far as I am concerned, this is reality. I believe they are engaged in season 7 and they will be happily married when Sam runs for President one day.
BONUS LEVEL!!!
Scott Pilgrim & Wallace Wells (Scott Pilgrim)
You just unlocked a secret ship! Romance +2. Awesomeness +8. Gay +1,000,000
She's ripping wings off of butterflies
They had already been to New Zealand once that year and on October 8th 2010, Paramore were back for another huge show. They had played a smaller venue last time they were here, but this time they were playing Vector Arena which is NZ's biggest venue. This concert was announced around the same time as a lot of other shows, like Metallica, so I didn't have the luxury of getting expensive seats. Therefore I was seated pretty far away from the actual stage (which is a place I'm not really familiar with) but it didn't bother me too much. A New Zealand band called The Jury & The Saints opened for Paramore, I didn't really know who they were and they weren't greatly impressive but there was an amazing part of their set where Hayley Williams comes out and plays drums for a bit of one of their songs! That made the whole set much better. Next to play were christian rockers Relient K, whose pop punk sound was really electric and made for a great show (I had a few friends there who were only there to see them). Relient K wrinkled my mind when they played a cover of Africa by Toto (which was a prominent feature in the season 2 premiere of NBC's Community). Finally Paramore took the stage and played a brilliant set. They had a really good show and their stage show was very impressive, even though I was so far away they all looked like insects. The brought out a couch in the middle of the show, which they all sat on to perform The Only Exception and other slower/acoustic songs. Overall it was a really good night and I was glad I got to see them that night, because it will probably be the last show they ever play in NZ.
Paramore - That's What You Get
Paramore w/ Relient K. 08/10/2010. Vector Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.
Where it all began...
Paramore
Hayley Williams
Paramore
Paramore - That's What You Get
You are infatuated with what consumes you
The fact that I live in New Zealand has always been a gigantic problem when it comes to seeing bands that I love. It is rare that anyone cool will actually make the journey over the Tasman Sea from Australia, so when I heard that a new festival was coming to town and that it was devoted entirely to heavy metal, I was fucking stoked. For years, the only festival NZ had was Big Day Out, but now I had something new to look forward to...No Sleep Til Auckland. It is a pretty big deal for a little Kiwi like myself, and the line up was fantastic. The day started with all the brilliant NZ bands like Leeches (see here for more), Outsiders and Antagonist AD. Next, Canadian Vikings 3 Inches Of Blood were more electric than I ever could've imagined and Suicide Silence were fucking heavy. Katatonia, Parkway Drive and Alkaline Trio were the other great bands from the afternoon. Just as the sun was setting, GWAR took the stage and everything got brilliantly fucked up! With their demon costumes and theatre-like performance, they were the most entertaining act of the night. I managed to get covered in fake demon blood that sprayed from the neck of a monster they decappitated on stage. Some of the bigger acts were a little boring, like Droplick Murphys and NOFX, but the main event blew me away. Megadeth were celebrating their 20th anniversary of Rust In Peace and they were just as good as they have ever been. The shredding was phenomenal and the vocals were fantastic, they played through the entire album in order, with the high point being their monster hit, Holy Wars...The Punishment Due. Despite all the amazingness of that festival, the greatest set I saw that day (and the #1 reason I wanted to go to No Sleep) was August Burns Red! ABR are a christian metal band from Pennsylvania, USA but don't be fooled by the christian tag, they are fucking heavy. Promoting their new (and fucking awesome) album, Constellations, they played an intense set of 8 songs that were the best thing about the entire festival. Even though it was just a 50 minute show at 3 o'clock in the afternoon of a big festival, I still rank ABR as one of my favourite shows of all time. I fought my way to the front of the crowd the second they started playing and at the end of the show I was rewarded when Jake Luhrs gave me the setlist from the show. It is pretty ripped up and trampled, but that just shows the essence of the show. (p.s. the date on the setlist is wrong, apparently the boys in ABR are a week behind us all).
August Burns Red. 09/12/2010. No Sleep Til Auckland, ASB Showgrounds, Auckland, New Zealand.
Sunday, 24 July 2011
Girls in stripper heels, Boys rolling in Maserati's
This concert was a part of an unusual couple of days in my musical life. I am now probably one of the few people who can claim that I saw Metallica and Lamb Of God (and fucking loved them) just days before going to an Adam Lambert concert. Yes, I was front row at the runner-ups Down The Rabbit Hole Tour in Auckland, New Zealand, only 3 days after headbanging my way through a nearly perfect Metallica/LoG show at Vector Arena. It is not a position most people find themselves in, but I always seem to find myself in contradicting situations like that. Getting front row was no problem really, the hardest part was dealing with all the screaming and squealing of his obsessive, female fans. There was no good opening act and the venue was a pretty average place, but the atmosphere completely made up for all that. Adam Lambert's show was a true spectacle, filled with glittery make-up, brilliant costumes and crazy hair. He is the essence of pop music, with super-catchy music that makes everyone want to move. He put on a real show, and everyone cheered like crazy when he would kiss bass player, Tommy Joe Ratliff. His setlist was masterfully crafted, it started with a real bang and was filled with bouncy and electric tracks, then he slowed everything down and played the more sombre songs from his album, like Soaked and Broken Open. His voice is so strong that those slower songs were really the highlight of his set, and then he built everything back up into party mode for the rest of the show. At the end of the show, my best friend and I (who were front row wearing Metallica and Lamb of God t shirts) were treated to an amazing surprise when guitarist Monte Pittman announced that in honour of Metallicas recent show, he convinced Adam to cover Enter Sandman! We were probably the only 2 people in the venue who truly appreciated how fucking cool that was. Adam read the lyrics off sheets of paper on the ground while Monte shredded away to the legendary song, giving his guitar pick directly to my friend after the song in honour of her t shirt. Now, Metallica and LoG still fucking rock more than anything, but seeing Adam was an amazing night and made even better thanks to Metallica.
Adam Lambert. 17/10/2010. Trusts Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand
Adam + Tommy
Made me a shadow in the shape of wonder
For the first time after the expansion of the band and their new album, Congratulations, MGMT were playing a show in Auckland. originally they were playing at the Logan Campbell Centre but for some reason, they changed it to The Powerstation which was great for me because that is one of my favourite venues. I was actually feeling a bit of deja-vu because exactly 1 year before, I went through the same thing with the Dead Weather, they announced a show at the Logan Campbell Centre on March 17th and then changed it to The Powerstation at the last minute. It was a little freaky that the exact same thing was happening on the same day but I would never compare the 2 events too closely (The Dead Weather are just too amazing for comparison). 2 of my favourite New Zealand bands were opening for MGMT, they were Popstrangers and The Drab Doo-riffs. It was my first time seeing Popstrangers since their drummer change, I loved their old drummer Elliot but the new guy seemed to do really well too (it will never be the same, but I can move past this). The Drab Doo-riffs were electric as always and really got everybody in the mood. Then MGMT played and it was a pretty fantastic show, they all seemed like they were having a lot of fun, which can be really contagious and the lighting was extremely psychedelic. The set list they played was phenomenal and I managed to get my hands on it afterwards (someone else tried to grab it too and it just ripped, but I got the majority of it while this poor other stranger only got a corner). I'm not the biggest MGMT fan in the world and they will never compare to The Dead Weather, but it was a really great show and a fascinating musical experience.
MGMT w/ The Drab Doo-riffs + Popstrangers. 17/03/2011. The Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand
Popstrangers - Jimmy Mac + Adam Page
Popstrangers - Joel Flyger
The Drab Doo-riffs - Karl Steven + Caiohme Macfehin
The Drab Doo-Riffs - Broke It Up
MGMT - Andrew VanWyngarden
MGMT - Benjamin Goldwasser + Andrew VanWyngarden
MGMT - Of Moons, Birds & Monsters
MGMT - Electric Feel
MGMT setlist 2011
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