Now I know Its been a fair while since any new gigging content has been posted. This is mainly due to the fact that I’ve been saving cash on my global travels. So what a better way to catch some live music than to head too a free festival.
The St. Kilda Festival is a yearly free festival put on in the small seaside suburb of Melbourne of (guess where?) St. Kilda. This years started with a week of free music gigs around town in various cafes and bars. So like a true gig hunter, I headed out into the 46 degree heat searching for good music and up and coming acts. I quickly gave up on that idea as I was physically melting in the scorching sun! I did venture out later in the evening once the sun had set towards the Village Belle Hotel to watch my first “free” show.
Sam Pollard, is a local Melbourner who with his band play a great combo of indie pop rock. His voice is very similar to the great Ted Leo with the same falsetto and smooth vocal delivery. He was swapping between very hook heavy original tracks with some very catchy chorus’s and some unexpected covers. Each cover was done pretty well and has the very small crowd beaming with delight (well me and the other 5). Covers included Robbie’s Let Me Entertain You including trumpet solo, The Animals Daydream Believer, Muse’s Our Time Is Running Out and as if they knew I was coming The Darkness’s I Believe In a Thing Called Love (I give top marks for muse and the darkness, even though he admitted not knowing who they were…misguided fool).
The highlight of their set was their original track entitled Blah, Blah, Blah. A fun track loaded with comical lines and a good time vibe. I really enjoyed this show, they had great original tracks, a shed load of musical talent plus a gift for cool lyrics. I hope these guys will ascend to the popular audience but being so far down the ladder, sadly it’s hard to imagine they will ever leave the Australian shores.
I stuck around for the next group up the Andy Grant Duo. I rather with I hadn’t time would have been wiser in bed. Their singer / guitar combo was pleasant enough but their American sound was tried, tested and proven to death by bands much better than they. The one cover of Creedence Clearwater Revivals I heard it through the grapevine was ok, but non inspiring. So I headed for n early night ready for the big festival Sunday.
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