Music Vice favourites, those mad caddies Root!, play a show which is billed as their last ever…

The Gig: Root! with The Rhetorics and The Loop
Where: Yah Yah’s, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
When: 20 August 2010
In One Word: Terrific

So here we are in the packed and already sweltering Yah Yah’s with The Loop opening up the final proceedings with a garage tinged set of stuff much like Question Mark, early Rolling Stones and a hint of The Troggs with a fantastic organ in the background.

 The quality of the musicianship is apparent and you can tell the boys are in their element warming up the already decent-sized crowd. “Republican Man” is the stand out track of their set but maybe borrowing too much from The Guess Who.

After a much needed feed and some fresh air (albeit smoke tainted) I sauntered back in to hear The Rhetorics whose set of angular-pop-hardcore was confrontational, ugly and melodic at the same time. I got a Buzzcocks meets Dischord feel from it and their vocalist Thomas Whiteside resembled Morrisey (if he sang in PIL, that is).

And here we are, the room fills up and the incessant bleating of people behind me nearly drives me mad until an intro tape of their best intro tapes begins, including the brilliant Celine Dion hit “I will Always Love Root!”.

 Root take to the stage and proceed with an incredible set that easily puts most of Melbourne to shame; It’s incredibly witty, as you’d expect from the former TISM front-man and the musicianship is just terrific.

I am somewhat of a country snob and have a great hatred towards neo-country mainly for my opinion that it’s a load of bollocks and will never match up to the greats but Root’s brand of this style (no matter how loose it became in the end) is just excellent. Anyone who can rap over relatively straight country (“I still call Australia Ho!”) is a legend in my eyes.

The set goes on with “Shazza and Michelle”, “Orange People” and “Famous for Being Famous” and towards the end there’s an angry look on DC’s face asking why people would pay to see their band if they were just going to talk at the back; I’m with ya there.

The rest of the set is taken by with flying stage costumes; I’m face-attacked by a pair of pyjamas and the band are noticeably pleased with their good aim, while DC Root’s constant movement around the venue ending up on tables, the bar and a strangely positioned indoor window in the middle of the venue.

The show ends with a “Christopher Cross” cover with Henri Lee Root on vocals and DC on bongos as they audition him for Root 2.0; what? It’s extremely unclear what’s exactly happening with the band and notably DC; I have a strong feeling they won’t be away for long.

© Danny Crombie, Music Vice

The Gig: Mark Lanegan
Where: The Esplanade, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
When: 9 July 2010
In One Word: Bullshit-free

Mark Lanegan - credit: Myspace.com/marklanegan

First of all, may i extend a tremendous amount of grattitude towards the hairy necked, balding cunt that choose to stand right in front of my at the early stages of the show. With nowhere to move I was forced to either look at your ugly hairy neck, your fucked up girlfriend or just close my eyes and enjoy the music (I did the latter, obviously).

I’ll be honest here in the fact I know none of Mark Lanegan’s back catalogue and on my brief foray into Nirvana some time ago I went straight to their older punk roots rather than contemporaries like The Screaming Trees;  I am most certainly aware of his other associations (QOTSA, Gutter Twins and Isobel Campbell) but I’ve never endeavoured to hear a single note from him…..my girl is a fan and that’s why I’m here.

My first impression was Tom Waits….yes, I said it and you get what I mean….this reviewer is unapologetic for such a cheap comparison. The difference between Waits and Lanegan is the lack of bullshit which is what always ruins Tom Waits’ albums for me…. ya know, with Waits there’s misery and theatrics  but Lanegan is misery and fuck all else, he’s not
engaging or even interesting to watch but simply fantastic to listen to.

My attention wanders throughout by the fact there’s so many arseholes in the audience talking over the main attraction and countless people pushing past me backwards and forwards, the atmosphere in the place is pretty much dreadful…what idiots spends good money on tickets to talk throughout?

Lanegan and guitarist walk off stage and come back on a minute or so later as if they have to do it, I’m certain ML doesn’t enjoy the bullshit and processes around the shows and I don’t blame him. The last few songs are obviously more well known by the rapturous applause that accompanies the opening notes, he says thank you and leaves.

A blunt summary for a blunt artist? I am now a fan, all of my miserable moments will now be accompanied by your music Mr Lanegan. Thank you.

© Danny Crombie, Music Vice

The Gig: The Beards
 with The Workinghorse Irons
 and Deadly Are The Naked
Where: Ding Dong, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
When: 2 July 2010
In One Word: Scruffy

Deadly Are The Naked’s influences are transparent, you can find Rage Against the Machine and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers in there and there’s not all that much originality, sadly. The great thing about this band though is their frontman who ponces about stage with a shit-eating grin constantly on his face and a demeanour somewhat similar to that of Electric Six. A stylistically limited band but certainly entertaining.

The Workinghorse Irons could have been really good. The band were reasonably solid and the songs were well written but this nearly great mix was ruined by the singer who at times came across like a high pitched Danzig taking a shit.

But stage prescence makes up for it!? No, this guy just stood around like a bored motherfucker as the rest of the band moved around like they were actually enjoying playing the show!

The final insult and rusty bent-to-hell nail in the coffin was a hideous cover of Turbonegro’s “Denim Demon” (one of my favourite bands) in which the singer forgot the lyrics and essentially raped anything good out of the song.

After a considerable wait and the sudden appearance of some fantastic facial hair, The Beards took to the stage, a bunch of guys who looked like they’d be more comfortable propping up the bar than taking to the stage. They had a fantastic natural charisma that was infectious and this dour bastard found himself with a massive grin on his face for the whole set.

With songs like “Beard Love”, “If Your Dad Doesn’t Have A Beard You’ve Got Two Mums”, “Beards Around Australia Unite” and “A Wizard Needs a Beard” the band provided an extremely fun atmosphere which knocked the other two bands into a faint memory within five minutes on stage.

The most disturbing point was witnessing several members of the audience playing with the bass players beard.

 An extremely talented band who at times resemble Tenacious D or dare I mention again Electric Six, their subject matter is very limited but extremely enjoyable. Definitely a band I’d recommend. And not a douchebag pencil beard in sight.

© Danny Crombie, Music Vice

//

Pictures by Michael Bowser of The Beards, The Workinghorse Irons
 and Deadly Are The Naked

Title: Ribbons Patterns
Artist: Ribbons Patterns
Label: Poison City Records
Released: Out Now
In one word: Textured

You know what, although it does sound somewhat like Frank Turner or whoever you kids are into those these days I just can’t totally get into this. Sure, it’s very nice and emotional and heaaaaavy but maybe I’ve just been too desensitized by a recent TISM binge to feel anything.

“Harry Baker” is a big tune, it’s something I could imagine in the pivotal point of some bleak 70’s British drama like Educating Rita or Gregory’s Girl if you get what I mean; it has a feeling of hopelessness that makes me wanna slit my wrists (in a good way).”Full of Lead” is also a standout tune in my bleary eyes, a polar opposite of the formerly mentioned track I see it as a bit like a Billy Bragg tune without the communism when he was at his peak.

All in all, it’s not me and that’s not saying it’s a bad record at all; the record is so full of substance and musical/lyrical texture it’ll at very worst be a local classic and I forgot to mention how excellent the packaging is; that’s something worth checking out in itself.

© Danny Crombie, Music Vice

Title: Days Above Ground
Artist: Paper Arms
Label: Poison City Records
Released: April 2010
In one word: Mature

If you’re into emotive punk bands on the poppier side of the spectrum like AFI or Jimmy Eat World then you’ll love this shit. There’s also a bit of a Glassjaw sound on the track “Above Ground”, while in other places it thumps like a motherfucker in “Chances”.

This Adelaide band’s debut album is an incredibly musically mature record that has the ability to become very big if they seek that goal; it’s certainly a cut above a lot of the crap that’s doing the rounds right now. Worth considering, especially for anyone in South Australia looking to support a local band.

© Danny Crombie, Music Vice

Title: Out of Our Minds
Artist: Melissa Auf der Maur
Label: Roadrunner (Australia/New Zealand/Europe)
Released: Out Now Australia/NZ and North America, 3 May 2010 UK and Europe
In one word: Stunning

Melissa Auf Der Maur is an underrated gem of modern music who always seems to written off as one of Courtney Love’s underlings or the woman who joined The Smashing Pumpkins at the wrong time. She’s the ultra-cool bass playing monster who has the famous fans but not quite the record sales and I suppose that’s as much of a virtue as it is a liberty.

Why is it a liberty to not be as famous as you should? Well, I reckon it gives her all this freedom to do exactly what she wants and come out with a record like the sublime Out Of Our Minds which is accompanied by a short film (possible hitting Australian shores soon) and even a comic book.

The record itself is just divine, songs like “Out Of Our Minds” and “This Would Be Paradise” are trance-like gems that have more substance in a couple of bars that Ratt’s entire back catalogue. “The Key” is a hint backwards to MAdM’s past but a good tune nonetheless.

Towards the end of the record on “Fathers Grave” she duets with Danzig and just like he wrote the incredibly beautiful and perfect “Life Fades Away” for Roy Orbison, MAdM has done a stellar job of writing a fitting song for this legend of way too much horror business. “Fathers Grave” is a stunning duet where Danzig helps MAdM’s character let go of her dead father; there’s now way I can emphasise how much I love this song.

All in all, I feel that this album is very much relevant for today and I’ll go as far to say that this is one of my favourite records so far this year; the songs soar through the stratospheres of genre and are indicative of MAdM’s superior musicality.

© Danny Crombie, Music Vice

You know how we all just loooove Henry Rollins at MusicVice.com? No? Well we do and we’re pleased as punch to announce he’s doing a third and final show at the Thornbury Theatre in Melbourne. Tickets go on sale on April 12th so be quick as it’s likely this one will sell out too!

April 17th: Melbourne, Thornbury Theatre – on sale April 12th.

Tickets $51.60 (includes booking fee) from www.thethornburytheatre.com only.

Title: Infestation
Artist: RATT
Label: Roadrunner
Release Date: 20 April 2010
In One Word: Redundant

Did you read my WASP review last year? You may stop reading as I’ll be reiterating some of those points made previously. While it’s nowhere near as bad as Babylon it still has that incredible cheese factor that is hair metal and all the past glory included.

Why it’s made a resurgence I don’t know because it was never cool, it’s not musically interesting nor is it funny (unless you count that Rollins bootleg I smell a Ratt). The only band in recent history who could do something good with hair metal was Turbonegro and then again the last record, Retox wasn’t too hot.

The production is like Guns ‘n Roses’ Chinese Democracy with way too much vocal effects and a grandious use of echo and phasers.

The songs on Infestation are just horrible and redundant without a single stand-out track and will only cater for the small audience who were there at the start or the bullshit kids down at Ding Dong, Melbourne who think it’s the 80′s.

© Danny Crombie, Music Vice

Title: Mutiny Within
Artist: Mutiny Within
Label: Roadrunner Records
Release Date: 26 April 2010
In One Word: Wavering

First of all I should warn you that I just had a tooth pulled out and I’m in quite a lot of pain, while my face has swollen up like the elephant man, so I apologies if my demeanour isn’t as pleasant, nor I as eloquent, as usual.

US band Mutiny Within’s debut album of the same moniker seems like it’ll appeal to fans all throughout the metal spectrum , as has been already so well displayed in tracks “Awake” and “Images”  with a well sculpted ability to make convincing high-pitched metal a la Dragonforce or Aussie favourites Lord. They also manage to hit the lower notes with some severe use of double bass to add to a bit crashing thrash, just slotted around the softer moments where they show off a penchant for poppy melodies which will go down well with younger fans. There’s also something for the guitar wankers out there with some facemelting bullshit throughout most of the album.

As good as this all sounds it does feel a bit metal by numbers and lacking in a single identity; don’t get me wrong as it is a very good debut album and the production is excellent but lacks direction and feels like slightly over ambitious for album one.

© Danny Crombie, Music Vice

The ever wonderful and interesting Melissa Auf der Maur has a new record out on 3 May entitled Out Of Our Minds.

OOOM is a 21st century concept project that includes a solo album, short film, comic book, live performances and gallery presentations.

Roadrunner Records are offering a free MP3 of the title track right when you sign up to their mailing list at:  http://roadrunnerrecords.com.au/aufdermaur/mp3/mp3.html

Related links:
Mellisa Auf Der Maur – Official Website

Head’s up Australia. Roadrunner Records Australia have a mammoth tour underway featuring Machine Head, Hatebreed and Bleeding Through. What better way to spend yer weekend than getting your ears absolutely destroyed by some quality metaaaaaal?!!!!

Wed 24 Mar – Australia, Adelaide – Thebarton Theatre
Fri 25 Mar – Australia, Melbourne – Festival Hall
Sat 27 Mar – Australia, Brisbane – Riverstage
Sun 28 Mar – Australia, Sydney – Big Top

Gig/Concert: Status Quo (yes, for real)
Venue: Palais Theatre, Melbourne, Australia
Date: 13 March 2010
Headliners: Status Quo
In one word: Ponytail

Despite being a bunch of greasy old bastards, Status Quo could’ve shown the kids how it’s done if any had shown up.

Playing a set laden with all the mediocre hits and medleys of rock n’ roll classics they put on a first class live show well worth its money (in my case free) and proved why they’re still rockin’ all over the world.

Quo(te) of the evening: “Wait up ’til a finish me spriiiite”.

© Danny Crombie, Music Vice

Related links:
Status Quo – Official Site

Whilst we’re not all that into gushing about people like Lady Gaga there ain’t no denying her videos, outfits et al are constantly pushing the boundaries of art and her new video for “Telephone” (featuring Beyoncé) does much and such the same, as well as  featuring glaring adverts to shite such as laptops, websites, phone companies and even bread! It also seems to include references to Kill Bill, Hank Von Helvete’s Retox outfit and perhaps even Honey Bee.

Lady Gaga - photo credit: www.ladygaga.com

Telephone was directed by the absolutely legendary Jonas Åkerlund who’s made the more than excellent “Smack My Bitch Up” by The Prodigy, “American Life” by Madonna and more recently the delightfully perverted “Pussy” by Rammestein.

Go see the video here.

Title: Turn Ons
Artist: The HotRats
Label: G&D
Release Date: February 2010
In One Word: Fun

Whilst maybe not the most innovative and musically interesting release, this is a whole heap of fun. Featuring two thirds of the utterly brilliant Supergrass, this is a whole album of covers including Elvis Costello’s “Pump it Up (not Voodoo Child), The Beastie Boys “Fight For Your Right (To Party)” and a surprisingly excellent version of “Lovecats” by The Cure (a song I generally find unlistenable).

This record is a good listen, even just to hear a different side to Gaz Coombes’ inimitable vocal style.

© Danny Crombie, Music Vice

Whilst we’re not all that much in the habit of saying ‘oooh ooooh oooh’ like grinning gorilla bastards, we certainly did do that when we heard about The Dillinger Escape Plan hitting Aussie shores in May, (albeit mostly 18+ shows).

If this tickles yer fancy you’ll also be pleased to hear their new album Option Paralysis is due out  22/23 March and we’ll have a review up soon for you to feast yer eyes on – huzzah!

SUNDAY 16 MAY              PERTH, THE CAPITOL – 18+

TUESDAY 18 MAY            ADELAIDE, FOWLERS LIVE – Lic A/A

WEDNESDAY 19 MAY     MELBOURNE, PALACE THEATRE – 18+

FRIDAY 21 MAY                               SYDNEY, METRO THEATRE – Lic A/A

SUNDAY 23 MAY              BRISBANE, THE HI-FI – 18+

Title: Chasing The Grail
Artist: Fozzy
Label: Riot!
Release Date: Out Now
In One Word: Ozzy!

OK, so first things first, it’s hard to take the notion of a professional wrestler fronting a band seriously but I am assured by the highest of sources (ha!) that Fozzy are the real deal and the fact they’ve been around now for a good few years is reassuring to the more serious of reviewers.

Anyway, I digress and the first thing that hits me is how much this sounds like solo Ozzy records which is a good thing, albeit with a modern edge (think Black Label Society). The lyrical content may be based in mythology but has a more relatable edge to it.

You’d be forgiven to labelling it somewhat similar to Dragonforce but the lyrics are nowhere near as cheesy and there ain’t too much guitar wankery present; even if the threat feels present throughout.

It’s not a bad record and doesn’t hit the cheese factor too often, also the fact Jericho’s celebrity isn’t rubbed in our faces is good because that would’ve gotten annoying quickly.

© Danny Crombie, Music Vice

Gig/Concert: Soundwave Festival Melbourne
Venue: Royal Ascot Showgrounds
Date: 26 February 2010
Headliners: Faith No More, Jane’s Addiction
In one word: Belter

Whereas Big Day Out contained a grand mix of what can only be described as bogans in Australian flags, Soundwave contained a much wider array of people such as emo bogans, metal bogans, ska bogans and punk bogans and of course obese chick bogans; but that’s OK, they’re generally nicer and I saw a lot less trouble throughout the day.

I made it into the venue worried if I was going to miss Gallows and when I got to stage 6 I noticed no ginger singer up front so I assumed I’d missed them until I saw a flash of orange and ink standing on some people at the back of the crowd….oh yes, this is what I’ve been wanting to see!

I’m not much of a mosher but I threw myself into the circle pit and nearly lost my hat 20 seconds in, what a feeling seeing such a great band and being surrounded by guys covered in blood and sweat. The crowd-surfing was insane and the energy went over the top when the band played “In the Belly of a Shark” and human pyramids ensued.

Human pyramids at Soundwave

Up next Sunny Day Real Estate played a good set to a small crowd on the main stage. I’m obviously aware of them from Kerrang’s bleetings over the years and of course Nate Mendel’s membership of a much more famous band.

After over an hour queuing for an ATM and food (I know, I’m an idiot) I caught Eagles of Death Metal from the side of the drinkers area and how I got in there sans wrist band I don’t know. Their crowd was reasonably big but their show was somewhat clichéd and uninspired with the usual bullshit rock n’ roll call and response stuff which got tiring very quickly.

Glassjaw played a tiny show to no more than a few hundred which I joined just in time to hear that famous song, the one that was called….err….oh…hmm never mind. I’ll be honest I never liked them in the first place and found their set weak and plagued by bad sound and an uncharismatic performance by Detective Daryl Columbo or whatever his name was.

Clutch on the other hand were a pleasant surprise to me who only attended to rub it in his girlfriends face, opening up with some bluesgrass rock n’ roll and then moving towards their more traditional droning they played an excellent set which was one of my favourites from stage 4.

After some considerable in-head arguments I went down to see Reel Big Fish and as cheesy as they are, they were one of the best bands of the day. I had a great laugh singing along to old songs I used to love and witnessed the band playing the same song in country, death metal, punk and rock and roll stylies.

If anyone heard Rolo Tomassi’s Hysterics album they’ll know I and the minuscule crowd there were in for an epiphany of the loud variety. Eva Spence moved around like an awkward robot stripper and sang like a sea-lion car alarm (ow! ow! ow!) to the brutal electro art-grind behind her, the energy they omitted was just fantastic and I can’t wait to see them play their own club shows one day.

Placebo played a surprisingly bad set, well when I say bad I don’t mean it was bad but disappointing for the kinda guy like me who wanted to hear old songs/ the festival best of. Despite this I still enjoyed them but poor Brian Molko didn’t look too healthy these days.

For the brief amount of time I saw Meshuggah they played a hellishly good set, brutal as fuck and inside stage 4 the sound was thunderous albeit plagued by muddy echoing.

I witnessed AFI out of curiousity and came out very impressed as they took to the stage in black and gold with young David Havok looking very healthy dressed like Elvis in his gold lame jacket. “Girls Not Grey” got the biggest response of the day and although I wasn’t a great fan at the time I still sang along like a total bellend.

Anthrax played to a thunderous roar and were surprisingly low down on the bill where I would say Trivium should’ve headlined then Scott Ian et all just below. It was the same in the case of the punk stages where Gallows played second in the morning to the biggest crowd I’d witnessed all day. Anyways, Anthrax were as fantastic as you would imagine and truly amazing to see such legends of their genre in action, Soundwave really got it right bringing them over.

Jane’s Addiction were just fantastic also, maybe not a band I’d ever listen to nor claim to be a fan of, I enjoyed their show immensely and attending with an uber fan I caught their whole set. Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro have such a fantastic chemistry on stage it was truly a delight to watch…even if this reporters eyes averted to two tied up Asian burlesque dancers…oocha! The show ended on a nice moment as the sun set with an acoustic version of the classic “Jane Says”.

The Aquabats played an absolute belter of a show full of audience participation, an alien Cyclops in a foam suit, a beach party and MC Bat Commander doing an impossible looking backflip at the end of the show.

Jimmy Eat World played the classics but were no replacement for My Chemical Romance which I imagine would’ve been insane – the insult to MCR’s fans was also rubbed in by still leaving their name on Soundwave merchandise. I don’t think were was one person who couldn’t enjoy “The Middle” here tonight and I had a great time singing along to a teenage classic.

With Big Day Out last year it was Fantomas and their incredibly weird set to a tiny audience and this year we’re at Soundwave with Faith No More with an incredibly big crowd playing all the classics like “Epic”, “Easy”, “Midlife Crisis” and even a cover of Lady Gaga’s “Pokerface”. Personally I’m not a fan of Faith No More’s more traditional songs and enjoyed thoroughly the weird bits albeit being left disappointed by the lack of nudity or Mike Patton eating his shoelace.

The addition of chatroulette on the big screen was another symbol of how groundbreaking and perverse the ever creative Mike Patton is and how important he still is to music today. All in all, I had a great day and kudos to the Soundwave guys for making the show run so smoothly and for the most part lacking any trouble, and the security staff were also extremely respectful of everyone – bring on 2011!

© Danny Crombie, Music Vice

Gig/Concert: John Waters (actor, filmmaker and all-round influential pop cult icon)
Venue: Hamer Hall, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Date: 27 February 2010
Headliners: John Waters
In one word: Dapper

Now I know we’re a music website and all that but you just can’t escape the filthy influence of Baltimore’s own John Waters on popular culture; his work on the musical Hairspray could be a loose starting point (or excuse) but I’ll be honest; his films are just brilliant.

I was lucky enough to see him a few days ago at the Hamer Hall in Melbourne to a capacity audience where he talked candidly about his influences, his ideas and most importantly his art.

As eloquent and dapper as you’d come to imagine the things coming out of his mouth were, it was certainly the opposite where he talked about disabled children, fat gay culture (known as bears), drugs and shop lifting (and suing security guards) with his pal Devine.

It was definitely a treat seeing a legend of cinema in my town and led me to the conclusion that I’ll be going out and buying all the films I’m yet to see and books I’m yet to read. The guy’s a twisted weirdo and didn’t fail to deliver the sickness that was promised.

Massive thanks to Maggie Gerrand for great seats and the opportunity to see an absolute legend.

© Danny Crombie, Music Vice

One Word: Disappointing.

After his abysmal Halloween remake in 2007 and his direction of the equally terrible (bar Tom Waits) tribute to my favourite band, The Ramones I didn’t think I could salvage any love for the one known as Robert Zombie. You gotta give the guy credit though, he immerses himself in any project that comes his way and has a vast and varied repertoire behind him.

The claims surrounding this record is that it’s a return to form but I see it more as Ol’ Rob’s hope to create a record as good as the original one over a decade ago. Sure, it sounds the same and the production is pretty much exact but it lacks the same big, singalong tunes like Dragula, Living Dead Girl et all and just doesn’t carry the same amount of weight.

All in all it’s not a bad record at all, Sick Bubblegum isn’t bad and neither are Werewolf, Baby! and Cease to Exist but you just have to bear in mind this isn’t 1998 and only The Ramones could make 4 records that were just as good as each other.

Gig/Concert: Daniel Johnston with Old Man River and Kid Sam
Venue: Prince Bandroom, St Kilda, Melbourne
Date: 3 February 2010
Headliners: Daniel Johnston
In one word: Religious

Kid Sam started the night off with a fantastically weird and wonderful set that melded together melodic and experimental elements that was a bit reminiscent of My Morning Jacket with an art school attitude.

Kishore Ryan’s drum kit included pots and pans and I don’t think the same beat was played twice tonight. The two cousins complemented each other perfectly and in a song that can be vaguely compared to “The Lengths” by The Black Keys hit a beautiful peak.

Old Man River started off with a bouncy, happy sounding demeanour which evolved into Indian tinged Beatles rock and other hippy stuff. All in all the songs all sounded like someone else and it was easy to say “Oh that song sounds like Belle and Sebastian” or “Oh is Lou Reed in the room?”

The song “Waiting For The Sunshine” (which I think is in a Magners advert or some crap) was the only moment in which I heard a truly original sound. Saying that though, they didn’t put on a bad show and the only real problem I had in this timeslot was trying to avoid the guy with nits in front of me (shoulder length hair, moustache, white t-shirt – you may owe me some head lice shampoo).

Daniel Johnston took an incredibly long time to take to the stage and worries of missing the last tram home were pondered for what felt like a lifetime; when he did come on he did so alone armed with what looked like a Ted Crocker guitar.

Shortly into the first song various people had burst into tears and I felt myself going the same way; his first set was full of songs of pain and was truly touching to hear. Though he’s not the greatest singer or guitarist Daniel Johnston has a true raw talent that’s so deeply affecting and touching it brings out everyone’s softer side.

Daniel Johnston at Prince Bandroom, Melbourne

Watching his hands tremble was truly heartbreaking to watch: like witnessing him trying to control his demons, it was sad to see such a fragile man sing such depressing songs but also brought hope in thinking how Daniel had survived and carved out an iconic career from being the misfit.

After a short break Daniel plus band reappeared and proceeded to kick ass with songs like “Fake Records of Rock n’ Roll” and the just beautiful “Speeding Motorcycle” with the perfect line ‘So many girls have taken you for a ride’.

I think where set 1 was Songs of Pain set 2 was more like Songs of Hope; Daniel appeared in his element with a great rock n’ roll band playing what Daniel has seen in his head for decades. He was truly a great front-man and the atmosphere had just changed dramatically.

Sadly, due to the poor transport system I had to leave early and was left in an even sadder mood when the tram left without me (even after seeing me); it forced me to dip into my rent money for a taxi. Whilst driving through the city in a bitter mood I reflected upon the show I’d just witnessed and concluded that is was like a nearly religious experience in which Daniel as the preacher could bring out the most primal of emotions from his congregation.

Each show he played was like an exorcism of the devil within him and the trembling hands he possessed were scars of each battle. Like Joe the Boxer, Johnston is a fighter and although has had moment of weakness he’s kept on punching and given hope and happiness to thousands across the world.

© Danny Crombie, Music Vice

Related links:
Daniel Johnston – Official Website