On Easter Monday, we loaded up the car and headed down to Seattle to see Radiohead kick off the second leg of their 2012 King Of Limbs tour. Expectations were high. I hadn’t seen the band since August of 2008 – the longest gap between Radiohead shows I’ve quietly endured in my 14 years of seeing them live. Setlists so far this year promised lots of new material and, like the band, I was keen to look forward not back over their career.

While I still love The Bends and OK Computer tremendously, everything I was most excited to hear was from The King Of Limbs, the subsequent “singles,” and the few new songs the band had been playing so far this year. Well, that’s a little bit of a lie. I was also really hoping to hear the old b-sides the band has resurrected for their first ever live performances this year: Meeting In The Aisle and The Amazing Sounds Of Orgy. I’d have to settle for hearing Meeting In The Aisle during soundcheck, with my head pressed up against the Key Arena glass prior to the show.

The band took the stage around 8:45 and kicked off with a stunning performance of Bloom. Featuring three drummers (Jonny on a mini-kit plus new touring man Clive Deamer accompanying Phil), the song is drastically different from its recorded counterpart but no less enthralling. As Thom sang the first line, “Open your mouth wiiiiiiiiiide” the crowd screamed back…mouths wide open. We were lucky to be up very close on the floor so we were instantly overwhelmed by the sheer size of Radiohead’s lights and visuals. The entire back wall, constructed out of old plastic bottles, lit up in greens and blues, evoking the marine imagery of Bloom.

From there the band tore through a couple other album openers in 15 Step and Airbag. The former, perhaps due to the presence of an extra drummer, is even a better live song now than it was back on the In Rainbows tour. Thom, not saddled with a guitar, also used 15 Step to dance all over the stage, engaging the crowd with a mischievous smile and occasional preening.

Little By Little and Morning Mr Magpie, two of TKOL‘s more guitar-y songs, were even more so live. Magpie in particular was all forward momentum until the fantastic breakdown before the final push to its endpoint. The Daily Mail, released digitally late last year, was one of the songs I was most hoping to hear and it followed a beautiful performance of Pyramid Song. What began with just Thom on the piano exploded to life as both Ed and Jonny crush the song with guitars. In many ways, it’s the closest the band have come to a sound close to The Bends or OK Computer in a very long time.

These Are My Twisted Words followed that and was another I was really hoping to hear (wasn’t very optimistic we’d get it though). The long intro required Thom and Jonny to watch each other (and a cheat sheet on stage) to nail all the chord changes. The song isn’t the most dynamic song in Radiohead’s catalogue but it’s one that has really grown on me since it was released in 2009 and it was one of the night’s highlights for me. A beautiful, beautiful version of Nude followed and provided a moment of stillness (even the lights were static for the duration of its performance) before the final push to the show’s climax.

Identikit, one of three new songs the band are playing live so far this year (the others: Cut A Hole and Skirting On The Surface), continues to improve with every performance. The song’s middle section, which features Thom on a synth, is really incredible and I can’t wait to hear how they tackle this one in the studio. It’s also a great spotlight for Ed’s vocals as his counterpoint to Thom’s voice is unlike anything the band has done before. Lotus Flower followed and, predictably, was the new song that the crowd responded to with the most enthusiasm. Jonny really boosts the power of this one on stage.

The main set then ended with a thunderous There There and a manic performance of Feral before closing with Idioteque. I’m not sure if Idioteque has ever sounded better live and the bright lights really made this one stand out in a set full of great performances.

The band returned for the first encore. Up to this point, all shows but one had featured Separator as the first encore’s opening song, but, sadly for me (it’s one of my favourites) the band decided to replace it on Monday with How To Disappear Completely. Don’t get me wrong, I love that song (in fact, it’s the most played song in my iTunes library) but I’ve seen it plenty before. It was, admittedly, a beautiful performance. Three fan favourites then followed: Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, You And Whose Army? (which, thankfully, Thom still uses to vamp for the cameras on stage), and Lucky (just the second and final song from OKC).

Encore 2 began, as it usually does, with just Thom and Jonny performing Give Up The Ghost. As Thom looped his vocal, Jonny provided a gentle guitar accompaniment and it was another quiet, beautiful moment. Reckoner, one of the finest songs the band has ever written followed. Thom dedicated the song to Jonny who was playing through a very hurt hand in Seattle. The show then ended with Everything In Its Right Place, a perfect end to what was a very memorable night. I never tire of hearing that one live for some reason.

While I was hoping for some songs I didn’t get to hear, I have no complaints about the show. The band were in great spirits and played exceptionally all night. Clive Deamer’s addition has been completely seamless, and with Colin anchoring the rhythm section with his bass, every song was propulsive and deep. Jonny, as always, impressed with the guitar (still slaying Airbag, all these years later) while Thom’s vocals were pretty much perfect. Add to that the best lights/visuals the band has ever done and it all adds up to an incredible show.

Setlist
Bloom
15 Step
Airbag
Little By Little
Myxomatosis
The Gloaming
Morning Mr Magpie
Pyramid Song
The Daily Mail
These Are My Twisted Words
Nude
Identikit
Lotus Flower
There There
Feral
Idioteque
———
How To Disappear Completely
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
You And Whose Army?
Lucky
———
Give Up The Ghost
Reckoner
Everything In Its Right Place

• The band soundchecked Supercollider and Meeting In The Aisle earlier in the day (as well as 15 Step, Everything In Its Right Place, Identikit and a couple others). Meeting In The Aisle was actually soundchecked three times in a row so it seems like it will get back into setlists at some point. In fact, the first encore for last night’s gig was intended to go: Arpeggi/Meeting In The Aisle/Lucky/Bodysnatchers but the band changed it up at the last minute.
• Nothing from The Bends
• No live debuts or tour debuts for Seattle

The lateness of this post is no reflection on my lack of excitement about the gig. But writing for At Ease (here’s the Seattle report) has kept me pretty busy this week along with the arrival of my oldest friend’s first child. Let’s see if I can actually get some content up here over the next little while.

Earlier today, Seattle’s Bumbershoot Festival announced the lineup for their annual Labo(u)r Day Weekend extravaganza and, once again, the lineup is pretty impressive. Highlights include Bob Dylan, Atlas Sound, Japandroids, The Raveonettes, and Jamie Lidell. Did I mention Bob Dylan?

You can see a daily schedule here while a complete list of artists playing is below.

The Headliners:

Bob Dylan / Mary J. Blige / Weezer / Hole / Rise Against / Neko Case / The Decemberists / J. Cole and one more very special guest.

The Rest:

LMFAO / Billy Bragg / Ozomatli / Angelique Kidjo / Solomon Burke / The Dandy Warhols / Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros / Jenny and Johnny (featuring Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice) / Jamie Lidell / The Raveonettes / Balkan Beat Box / Motion City Soundtrack / The Thermals / Ra Ra Riot / The English Beat / Justin Townes Earle / Booker T. / Surfer Blood / The Bouncing Souls / Japandroids / Bob Schneider / Anvil / Bomba Estereo / Jay Electronica / Aterciopelados / Baroness / James Cotton “Superharp” Blues Band / David Bazan / Meat Puppets / Crash Kings / This Providence / Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express / The Moondoggies / The Whigs / Greg Laswell / Civil Twilight / Trampled By Turtles / The Clientele / Atlas Sound / Laura Veirs & The Hall of Flames / The Budos Band / Bobby Bare Jr. / Horse Feathers / Vienna Teng Trio / HEALTH / Plants and Animals / Georgia Anne Muldrow & Declaime / Wheedle’s Groove / Hey Marseilles / Kings Go Forth / Sweet Water / Delorean / JEFF the Brotherhood / Chris Pureka / Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra / Garotas Suecas / The Maldives / The Constellations / Coryell, Auger, Sample Trio / Grynch / Visqueen / Victor Shade / Star Anna & The Laughing Dogs / Fresh Espresso / Pete Molinari / Sista Monica’s “Singin in the Spirit” / Lay Low / Unnatural Helpers / Idiot Pilot / The Round / Wild Orchid Children / The Cute Lepers / Feral Children / Fences / Caspar Babypants / The Tripwires / Fatal Lucciauno / Loch Lomond / The Physics / THEESatisfaction / School of Rock All Stars / See Me River / Zoe Muth and The Lost High Rollers / People Eating People / Eldridge Gravy & The Court Supreme / Brent Amaker & The Rodeo / Born Anchors / Slender Means / BOAT / McTuff Trio / Parlour Steps / The Redwood Plan / Helladope / Lisa Dank / Greta Matassa Quartet / The Lonely H / Matt Jorgensen Quintet / Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin’ Daddies! / Great Waves / Brian Vogan / Johnny Bregar with more to come, including comedy, performing arts, film, literary and visual arts!

Ticket info here.

This kind soul has taped and shared his recording of the Fleet Foxes show from Sydney last night. Grab it here.

Thank you!

Wow wow wow. I’d heard Fleet Foxes were tremendous live but I was really impressed by them tonight at the Metro. Walking on stage and launching into Sun Giant and Sun It Rises I realized that this is a band that has arrived on the music scene fully formed. Most bands take years and years to find their own little spot on stages and on records…but Fleet Foxes have nailed it out of the gate.

Those harmonies…well they were simply stunning. But Robin Pecknold’s voice was even better. There seemed to be more passion in the songs live than on the record, which isn’t a criticism of the record, just a testament to what a powerful live performer Pecknold is (reluctant though he may be at times).

It’s hard to pick a highlight in a set that was nearly flawless, but Your Protector definitely needs a mention. It’s actually one of least favourite songs on Fleet Foxes but the band (who are superb in their own right) just breathed so much life into it on stage.

The band played most of Fleet Foxes and the Sun Giant EP but they still had time to throw in a couple extras – both during Pecknold’s solo moments on stage. A cover of Judee Sill’s Crayon Angels was great but it was the traditional Katie Cruel that was probably my favourite moment of the night. Played solo by Pecknold to kick off the encore, the singer unplugged his guitar and moved in front of the mic and played the song straight to the crowd without any form of amplification. It was a truly memorable performance.

The night ended with the Dodos joining Fleet Foxes on stage for Blue Ridge Mountains. With the extra percussion, the song proved to be a fitting, upbeat finale to a great show. As the house lights came up I think nearly everyone in the venue was left wanting more.

I’m pretty certain I will be one of many praising this gig. The enthusiastic crowd hung off every single word and greeted every single song with applause and cheers as if they were old classic tunes we’d been singing since childhood. As my first proper gig of 2009, I could not have asked for a more impressive way to kick off the year.

Setlist
Sun Giant
Sun It Rises
Drops In The River
English House
White Winter Hymnal
Ragged Wood
Your Protector
Crayon Angels (Judee Sill cover)*
Oliver James*
Quiet Houses
He Doesn’t Know Why
Mykonos
———
Katie Cruel (trad.)*
Tiger Mountain Peasant Song*
Blue Ridge Mountains

*Robin Pecknold solo

The Dodos supported and I was initially really impressed with their set. I’m only familiar with one of their songs (Fools, which was damn awesome) but their unique stage setup and powerful percussion were instantly intriguing. As the set wore on I lost a little bit of enthusiasm as too many of the songs felt a bit samey and a number of them needed to find their endings a tad sooner. Having said that, I am definitely going to check out the album.

My photos from the gig are here.

2008 was a pretty memorable year in gigs for me. I saw my favourite band Radiohead a couple times when I was back home in August and tonight I’ll be seeing Underworld for the first time ever. Some Canadians once again made a pretty big splash down here in Australia, while some local Australian and Kiwi acts proved they are among the very best live bands around.

Here are some of my favourite gigs of the 08, in chronological order.

The Drones (acoustic) @ Annandale Hotel
Just as devastating in acoustic mode as they are when they play full-on electric shows.

Sufjan Stevens @ State Theatre
Reminded me why I fell in love with his music in the first place.

Arcade Fire @ Enmore Theatre
Probably the best gig I saw all year. Jaw-droppingly awesome.

Bjork @ Sydney Opera House Forecourt
A magical evening that I have to remind myself actually happened.

Joanna Newsom @ Sydney Opera House
Ms. Newsom with an orchestra playing Ys. Enough said? Thanks for letting us use your seats, National boys.

Broken Social Scene @ Manning Bar
Feist! I still remember how amazing Almost Crimes was.

Feist @ The Metro
We had a little chat.

Broken Social Scene @ Laneway Festival
Stars and Feist and the Broken boys put on a stunning show at Laneway.

Jens Lekman @ Manning Bar
One of the most endearing people making music today.

Baseball @ Spectrum
My first encounter with Baseball is one I won’t soon forget.

Die! Die! Die! @ Oxford Art Factory
Total insanity.

The Polyphonic Spree @ The Metro
Simply joyous.

Radiohead @ Thunderbird Stadium, Vancouver
The rain made the quiet bit of Paranoid Android pretty special.

Radiohead @ White River Amptheater, Seattle
Great setlist, some funny moments, and In Limbo.

Sigur Ros @ Hordern Pavilion
Even without the strings, Sigur Ros were as epic as ever.

Goldfrapp @ Sydney Opera House
That voice.

The Drones @ The Metro
If you haven’t yet, you really need to see The Drones live.

Final Fantasy @ The Vanguard
So so so so great.

Photos from most of the gigs here.

2009 is already shaping up to be another memorable one…

Album #16: Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes
I still think they are the most un-Seattle sounding Seattle band ever but over the course of 2008 I really grew to love Fleet Foxes’ self-titled debut. Obviously the melodies and harmonies get most of the attention (and deservedly so) but I find the atmosphere created by the band to be the most remarkable thing about the album (in that respect it sits alongside Deserter’s Songs very nicely). This is music I could just lay back in some long grass and drift away to. Great album cover too.

Download:
Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal
Fleet Foxes – He Doesn’t Know Why

Song #16: Clowns by Goldfrapp
Speaking of drifting, I could listen Goldfrapp’s Clowns every night as I drift off to sleep. That voice, that voice…

Watch: Goldfrapp – Clowns (live at BBC4 Electric Proms)

—> See the rest of the 25 for 2008 list here.

It’s that time of year again. So just who the hell is coming out to Australia in December/January/February for festival season? Probably some of the following but most likely not all of them.

Big Day Out
Big Day Out often brings out some great acts surrounded by a bunch of shit. It has already been confirmed that Neil Young will be headlining the festival (odd choice) and My Morning Jacket will be playing as well. Other rumoured acts include: TV on the Radio, Arctic Monkeys, The Ting Tings, The Verve, The Raconteurs, The Prodigy, Klaxons, Pearl Jam (doubtful?), Simian Mobile Disco, The Killers, and the required Australian content including PNAU, The Vines, The Presets, You Am I and The Living End.

Keep an eye on this thread for more rumours/confirmations.

Sydney Festival
I’ve found that January is the best time to be in Sydney if you like leaving your house and the Sydney Festival is a huge part of that. The festival runs all month, has tons of outdoor stuff, and in the past couple years the organizers have really been bringing out some amazing musicians. It will be hard to top last year’s performers (The National, Joanna Newsom, Sufjan Stevens, etc) but let’s hope they try.

Leonard Cohen is a name I keep hearing…

All Tomorrow’s Parties
Now the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival isn’t even (publicly) confirmed yet, but that hasn’t stopped the rumours. Apparently it will be happening in a few spots around the country including Sydney and apparently the following (amazing) acts are possibly appearing: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Grinderman, The Dirty Three, Mercury Rev, The Drones, and Public Enemy (playing A Nation of Millions?).

If that lineup is even kind of true this festival is going to be pretty special. Keep your eye on this thread on Polaroids for further rumour-mongering.

Summadayze
U.N.D.E.R.W.O.R.L.D. (The rest of the redundant lineup is here.)

Now since this festival spares Sydney a further influx of designer fluro douchebags doing designer drugs we have to sacrifice some goats/Meg Ryan to ensure Underworld play Sydney. I’m thinking that a gig at Bondi Beach on New Year’s Eve is in the works. I could care less about where or when…I just want to see Underworld.

UPDATE
The 2009 Laneway Festival has been announced for late Jan./early Feb. Things just got crazier.

All these bands are, of course, in addition to the artists we actually know are making their way down here for the festivals in December. Some of these include:

Falls Festival
Franz Ferdinand, The Hives, Santogold, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, The Grates, Gomez, Tegan and Sara, Fleet Foxes, Jamie Lidell, Augie March, Cut Off Your Hands, The Drones, Architecture in Helsinki + many more.

Meredith Music Festival
Holy Fuck, MGMT, Saul Williams, Man Man, Final Fantasy, The Mountain Goats, The Ruby Suns + more.

WHO ELSE CAN YOU ADD TO THE RUMOURS?

After a few hours sleep (damn you Mario Kart Wii!), we trekked down to the White River Amphitheater in Auburn – just south of Seattle – to see Radiohead. Again. (Embarrassingly, my 21st Radiohead show.) Like the previous night in Vancouver the weather wasn’t great but we had pit tickets which meant we would be dry unlike the plebs up on the lawn. Poor, soggy bastards.

Radiohead mixed up the set a lot from the previous day – in fact, they played ten songs they didn’t the night before. And some of these songs (Dollars and Cents, Climbing Up The Walls, The Gloaming) are really dark and bassy which meant that last night’s gig had a distinct foreboding feel. It made for a great vibe all night.

The gig wasn’t all darkness though. Perhaps the most memorable moment of the night came about halfway through the set when Thom and Jonny played Faust Arp. During the song Thom messed up the words, tried to get back on track and then lost it again. So the pair quickly dove into a brief cover of Neil Young’s Tell Me Why…which Thom didn’t know the words to. Phil then popped out from the side of the stage and chucked a bit of money down for the buskers…the crowd loved it. Thom and Jonny eventually got back on track and finished the song. I managed to get it all on video.

Thanks to the inclusion of Lucky and Street Spirit I was able to enjoy some of my favourite little moments at Radiohead gigs: the lights hitting the crowd during Lucky and Jonny multi-tasking during Street Spirit. In fact, every time I see Lucky live I end up thinking that it may in fact be the perfect Radiohead song. I know there are more obvious choices…but I thought it again last night.

Nude was another highlight…Thom’s vocal was absolutely perfect and he held that note so beautifully; more memorable than the performance in Vancouver. Jigsaw was great again…but didn’t have quite the power it did the night before. And Pyramid Song might have been performed better last night than I have ever seen it before. Jonny’s cello bow work on his guitar is getting frighteningly precise.

Again, the first encore provided some absolute highlights. How To Disappear Completely was a bit of a surprise to kicks things off but it was beautiful and Idioteque was trotted out again after being voted off the island by the Vancouver crowd the night before. Thom danced up a storm (which he did during The Gloaming as well).

Then things got a bit special as the band played In Limbo for the first time since 2003 complete with Nigel Godrich on tambourine. It’s not my favourite song (and I probably would have preferred Wolf At the Door which was originally on the setlist) but I’m glad I got to see it. Nigel! Then Street Spirit got an airing which sent the reverent crowd into further joyful reverence.

When the band returned for the second encore Thom, who had been virtually silent all night, dedicated You And Whose Army? to anyone who was in Seattle during the WTO Battle In Seattle in 1999. The show then ended with No Surprises and Everything In Its Right Place. I was too close to notice the night before, but the lights during EIIRP actually spell out the lyrics as the song progresses. Very cool.

Once again I was blown away by the lighting. A number of the songs that I didn’t see in Vancouver had absolutely mental lighting, Dollars and Cents and The Gloaming in particular. I really hope the band have filmed an entire gig for a DVD as it would be a shame if this stage design isn’t recorded for posterity (other than on YouTube).

All in all it was an impressive gig. The crowd were great (quiet!), the venue was well organized, and I stayed dry…take notes Vancouver! Hopefully it won’t be another two years before I see the band again but it very likely could be longer. We’ll see.

Setlist (links take you to my videos from the gig)
15 Step
Reckoner
Optimistic
There There
All I Need
Pyramid Song
Talk Show Host
The National Anthem
The Gloaming
Videotape
Lucky
Faust Arp/Tell Me Why
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Climbing Up The Walls
Dollars and Cents
Nude
Bodysnatchers
———
How to Disappear Completely
Arpeggi/Weird Fishes
Idioteque
In Limbo
Street Spirit
———
You And Whose Army?
No Surprises
Everything In Its Right Place

I uploaded a ton of photos here.

It was a long but very enjoyable two days. I have some friends who I only ever see at Radiohead gigs (it’s what happens when you see so many) and it was great catching up with all of them the past couple days. And I met some great new people as well. But that drive home last night sucked…getting home at 4am blows. I am old.

I neglected to mention Liars in my review of the Vancouver. I’m actually a pretty big Liars fan so I was pretty excited to see them both nights as well (Radiohead have a knack for picking great support acts). They played pretty similar sets both nights playing a relatively equal amount of material from their last three records. Angus was a lot more…silly than he was when I saw them in Sydney a couple years ago. While they may have alienated certain segments of the crowd, I’m sure lots of people left the gigs as Liars converts.

Other notes:

At Ease has some commentary as part of the setlist thanks to Juliette.

The band have also uploaded a little video from the Auburn gig last night.

There are also already two different recordings from the gig. I have yet to download either but the one Dime sounds really, really great: Dime, Etree.

Unofficial (and unplanned) Verve Week continues on A Reminder…

In August 1998 my friend CJ and I drove down to Seattle to see The Verve’s last date on their North American tour. Basically a victory lap after the massive success of Urban Hymns, the tour ended up being a bit of a let down (although at the time I was thrilled with the gig).

First, Massive Attack were slated to open the tour in what would have been an insane double-bill. Sadly, they pulled out of the tour altogether. More troubling was the fact that Nick McCabe had recently left the group (again) so BJ Cole was drafted in to help fill the gaping, guitar-shaped hole on stage. By the time the tour reached North America it was barely The Verve.

I have scattered memories of the gig. I remember the three hours of reggae that played over the PA in lieu of an opening act. I remember Velvet Morning being amazing. I remember Richard Ashcroft’s solo acoustic performances of So Sister and See You In The Next One being pretty special. And I remember an EPIC version of Bitter Sweet Symphony that pushed the 20 minute mark. In fact, drummer Pete Salisbury even left the kit for a while, took a break and then returned to pound on the drums a bit more. It was one hell of a way to end a tour.

The Verve
Mercer Arena, Seattle
August 17, 1998

Space And Time
Sonnet
This Time
On Your Own
Weeping Willow
The Drugs Don’t Work
Lucky Man
History
One Day
Velvet Morning
Come On
See You In The Next One (Have a Good Time)
So Sister
Bitter Sweet Symphony

Fun Facts
* The Verve would only play three more shows (all in the UK) after this one before breaking up for the second time in three years.
* I still own and wear a Verve t-shirt I bought at this gig. Amanda hates it as it looks like what you’d expect a decade-old t-shirt would look like.

More from the A Reminder Archive Project.

Two records over the past couple weeks have gone from meh to awesome really, really quickly. First up, Scotland’s Frightened Rabbit.

I didn’t really pay much attention to this band last year so when their latest album arrived in the mail last month I didn’t chuck it straight into the stereo. Instead it sat in a pile for a while before I eventually gave it a listen which was pleasant enough but hardly worth getting all that excited about. Then last week I listened to The Midnight Organ Fight again for the first time in a few weeks and it was like I was listening to a different record.

Opening track, The Modern Leper, is one of 2008′s finest pop moments and the rest of the record is full of great hooks, little surprises (that drum machine!), and some of the most brutally honest lyrics I’ve heard in a while. Nothing is hidden, nothing is obscured…

Download
Frightened Rabbit – The Modern Leper

The other wildlife that has also managed to take me by surprise after initially seeming a bit underwhelming is the debut record from Seattle’s Fleet Foxes. To be honest, I’m still a bit baffled by all the insanely positive reviews (this isn’t groundbreaking music) but the album has this wonderful atmosphere and evokes big, wide open spaces beautifully. It’s back porch music and it is incredibly transformative when you’re listening on a train in a bustling city on a very grey day. Quite possibly the most un-Seattle sounding band ever.

Download
Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal
Fleet Foxes – He Doesn’t Know Why

These two records remind once again that patience is a virtue.