Summer Tones reviews
By Sophie in News | 0 comments
From Mess + Noise:
Mistletone’s Summer Kiss
Melburnians from north and south united under the Mistletone banner on Saturday for one last summertime fling. Photography by BEN BUTCHER.
It’s easy to be parochial when you live in Melbourne, a city divided by a dirty, polluted river. To the north, there’s art and rock’n’roll, good Lebanese food and cheap beer. To the south, it’s dance music, yuppie bars, overpriced tapas and beaches (the lower case kind).
But there was a distinct whiff of the north – both literally and figuratively – at St Kilda’s Esplanade Hotel for Summer Tones, the annual showcase for much-loved label Mistletone, on Saturday. Held on the last day of an oppressive summer, the event saw scores of northsiders pile onto the 96 for a beer-soaked evening by the bay. Indeed, if anyone was capable of bridging Melbourne’s great divide it’s Mistletone, the label started by Sophie Best and Ash Miles in the second bedroom of their North Fitzroy terrace. In little over two years, the pair have released acclaimed discs by Kes Band, Fabulous Diamonds, Beaches, Ross McLennan, Actor/Model, Panel of Judges and Barrage. And save for a couple absentees (McLennan and Actor/Model), the full gamut of Mistletone’s local roster was on show for Summer Tones.
Showing little of the parochialism that defines their hometown, the line-up also featured non-Mistletone bands including The Stabs, Pivot, Witch Hats, Qua, The Diamond Sea and the long-awaited comeback for the Ground Components, who played a well-received warm-up gig as “The Calloways” the night before at The Birmingham. There were also slots for the label’s overseas signings: Lawrence Arabia from NZ, experimental pop duo High Places from Brooklyn and Baltimore one-man party machine Dan Deacon, who swanned around the Espy in a moo moo and later coordinated a human tunnel from the car park through to the men’s dunnies.
Kicking things off were Melbourne’s Treetops, who added a nostalgic bit of circularity to the day’s proceedings. The psych-pop outfit were playing their first gig in their original incarnation in five years. Their first manager: Sophie Best.
Other highlights included jammy Front Bar performances by Kes Band and a mustachioed Ned Collette, an entertaining if not safe set from Beaches (no new songs, just a re-ordered version of their debut) and Rowland S Howard in the Gershwin, who was brilliant and utterly affecting alone with his guitar.
From Inpress:
From Beat:
The appearance of a sterling bill of some of Melbourne’s finest independent bands, and some national, trans-Tasman and overseas blow-ins, all courtesy of the criminally excellent Mistletone label, was enough to vault over the St Kilda threshold. Domestic tasks safely discharged, we attempted to supplement the bike journey south-side with a couple of train rides.
Unfortunately, our planning was undermined by Connex being on time, and we were compelled to undertake the city-St Kilda leg of the journey solely under bicycle power. That only made the first, and succeeding cloudy ales taste even better, and we settled in downstairs to catch female power pop punk duo Super Wild Horses complete their second half of their set. From there it was out the back to the Gershwin Room to jostle for suitable position in the crowd basking in the fem-jamming psychedelic beauty of Beaches.
It was about this time that our posse took the advantage of a marginal lull in proceedings, and headed outside for some cool sea air and extra-curricular sustenance. Heading back inside, there was some choice pop courtesy of The Twerps, and the unheralded, unsolicited and freakishly wonderful lo-fi pop meets Bikini Kill of The Diamond Sea. If the sign of a good gig is being sent sprawling onto the floor with excitement at a previously unknown band, this was the moment that catapulted the night into the annals of gig legend.
In the Front Bar, Dan Deacon had somehow channelled Martin St James and orchestrated a conga line that explored the labyrinthine corridors of the Espy. Trading electronic for low frequency and abrogated fidelity, Panel of Judges did everything in the world that was good, and I thought I was crying with happiness, until I smelt the unmistakeable reek of spilt beer and reality hit home.
With events having started mid-afternoon, by midnight the crowd had thinned considerably, and understandably. That might have been disappointing for the bands, but it meant we were able to stake a prominent position right in front of The Stabs and take infinite pleasure in the incongruous juxtaposition of jarring chords and the band’s fetching feminine outfits (including a flattering Colleen McCulloch style tent dress, and Mark Stabs’ elegant pant suit).
We wore a path back out to the Gershwin Room to see what was left of Witch Hats –all of it good – before resuming the front and centre pole-position for the eagerly awaited return of Ground Components. Another couple of beers, the opportunity to see Joe shrieking and wailing like an indie-rock prince on commercial radio sponsored death row and some ill-considered intro-crowd conversational moments, and it was all over, save for the hour-plus journey back to the safety of the People’s Republic of Darebin. The next day was tough, but it was worth it. Mistletone, you’ve done it again.
PATRICK EMERY
Summer Tones Sydney review from Those Walls Your Ears blog:
My night started with Lawrence Arabia (the pseudonym of James Milne) and he seems to have the formula for the perfect pop track. The infectious “Apple Pie Bed” or “Fine Old Friends” complete with its twee riffs and coy lyrics are a joy to witness. Even during “I’ve Smoked Too Much”, Milne’s soft-rock tunes are filled with nostalgia that it brings you home.
As with the next band, I have loved them since they featured on Mistletone’s Christmas album of 2007, Mistletonia. High Places’ sound is bass-heavy, tropical, soft psych pop that’s richly textured and when superimposed with Mary Pearson’s vocals, it transcends to form the ethereal. “Head Spins”, “Shared Islands” and “Gold Coin” had many dancing about. Whereas “Namer” and “A Field Guide” were mellow but delightful moments. High Places live is definitely a journey into temporality and in this notion I find much solace. It is the same feeling when you see Lucky Dragons and it is absolutely amazing.
The anticipation for Beaches was unexpected but very welcome. The infamous Melbourne quintet played a tight set with their self-titled release forming the backbone. Their confidence was overwhelming and the force they continuously hit with during their set is more than just a slap to the face. “Free Way” and “Sandy” were my stand outs but Beaches as a collective will always be prominent.
As the night started to wind into the early hours of the morning, we all stood compacted around this one man and his table of effects pedals, microphones, keys and lights adorned with cables everywhere. Dan Deacon begins his set with a convivial greeting and a warm-up exercise or two. The once huddled crowd springs up with a press of the next button on Deacon’s ipod shuffle and to my delight it was the Salt ‘n’ Pepa track, “Whatta Man”. The set opens with “Get Older” – a new track from his latest record, Bromst. It sounds darker, like a new concoction of sound samples together with his neurotic vocals, yet this isn’t new territory for Deacon. As this is the last leg of solo tours, I can only imagine how amazing it would be to hear Bromst live when backed with a full orchestra. As we snake our way through Oxford Art Factory during “Padding Ghost”, Dan Deacon reminded me how much fun you always have at his shows. Whatta man!
More photos here.
Summer Tones Sydney review from Doubtful Sounds blog:
Mistletone had a big year in 2008 releasing a raft of indie albums from Beaches, High Places, El Guincho and Beach House. They’ve started off 2009 with a bang and should be commended for putting on the Summer Tones festival in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, which highlighted a nicely varied mix of the acts on their label.
MARK BARRAGE photo|chris familton
Mark Barrage was the unlucky person who had to kick off the proceedings to a virtually empty venue. It didn’t seem to bother him too much as he tweaked and sequenced his way through his vocal and electronic one man show. His is an interesting approach as he established a bed of cold and generally sparse digital sounds before applying his sombre dark vocals over the top. It is a mix of the more electronic end of krautrock mingled with a post punk voice, hinting at Cabaret Voltaire or a more industrial New Order in their earliest post Joy Division days. Barrage ensured the rhythm remained central to each song as he swaggered around his musical setup, giving the clinical music an imperfect human quality which served it well.
LAWRENCE ARABIA – photo | chris familton
New Zealand’s Lawrence Arabia has a new album out and he was happy to introduce nearly every song they played and noted if it was on the newie Chant Darling. Backed by members of NZ band The Sneaks, renamed Broadsword, he injected the most indie pop of the evenings performances. Quirk vocals and immaculate harmonies stood out as highlights of an exceptionally tight and effortless sounding set. Song titles like ‘Auckland CBD pt 2’ were poetic takes on mundane places and like The Ruby Suns who mainman James Milne has been a member of, he knows how to write a simple pop song based on melody and a light musical touch. Many of the growing audience wouldn’t have heard of Lawrence Arabia but many seemed quite impressed.
HIGH PLACES – photo | chris familton
High Places are yet another of those groups that incorporate live vocals over digital music (El Guincho, Ruby Suns, Barrage) but one thing they seemed to struggle with was how to project their songs strongly live. Each one blended into the next with the same similar percussive flavour from Robert Barber. The voice of Mary Pearson is a restrained instrument at the best of times and her sing song school girl incantations were begging to be louder in the mix, instead they bypassed everything and became a background nursery rhyme, not annoying but not contributing any great energy to the songs. Sandwiched between Lawrence Arabia and Beaches didn’t help their cause as there delicate tribal spells unfortunately felt like too much of a lull in the evening.
BEACHES photo | chris familton
Beaches have had a busy summer with festival and solo gigs up and down the East Coast. Those shows have helped their songs to mature quickly in the live context and there is a drive and confidence that wasn’t as obvious in earlier performances. Playing songs from their fantastic debut Beaches album they worked the crowd into a mesmerized, swaying groove. Beaches have an ability to use their vocals to highlight and accentuate the rise and fall of the intensity of their songs. Their voices rarely take centre stage and when they do it is fairly irrelevant what they are saying. It is all in the mood and the way they lock the songs into mantra-like boogies. They’ve earned their support slot for Mogwai and the much deserved nomination for the 2009 Australian Music Prize.
DAN DEACON photo|chris familton
Dan Deacon, musician or entertainer? That is the question I was left with after his headlining slot. Coming on a late (or early the next day) hour some of the crowd had dispersed but there were still a diehard mass there to partake in the Deacon madness. Wearing cutoff jeans and a Flintstones t-shirt he took his customary spot in the middle of the dancefloor and after a frustratingly long setup time he kicked things off with a couple of tracks from his forthcoming Bromst album. They revealed a density and restraint entering his music with less of the wacky Woody Woodpigeon vocals and a more mature electronic composition style. Before long the crowd interaction began and it culminated in a moving caterpillar of arched arms leading across the room, up the stairs and out onto Oxford St; leaving a few photographers and the more intoxicated punters who wondered where everyone had gone. A handful of tracks from Spiderman Of The Rings were played but it is clear why Deacon has said this is his last run of solo shows. The audience participation stunts do wear thin on the 2nd or 3rd time and there doesn’t seem to be anywhere to take the music, so the news that a full live band is his next incarnation is exciting to hear. His music is unique and standing back and just listening to it does deliver rewards but the talking point from the show would have been unfortunately focused more on the antics than the music.
Fasterlouder photo gallery: Summer Tones Sydney
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Summer Tones Sydney review: from Fasterlouder
The fact that Dan Deacon was the headliner for the event inevitably brought together a crowd open to having fun and looking stupid. For those who haven’t seen him live, it’s one of those ‘you had to be there’ scenarios.
Curated by Mistletone Records, Summertones attempts to show Aussies that for every Future Music Festival there can be a cooler alternative. While the event was not a sell-out, the electric atmosphere was enough to rival the feel of any epic mainstream music event. The artists on Mistletone are quirky, emerging and have a die-hard following. Will these artists ever go mainstream? Probably not – but that doesn’t mean they’re not must-sees.
There were a couple of standouts in the diverse line-up and one major disappointment. Brooklyn act High Places brought a degree of quirk and serenity to the OAF. Their experimental, electro, folksy sound reminded me of a more raw and slightly inconsistent variant of ‘it’ group Animal Collective. The duo, consisting of Mary Pearson and Rob Barber, managed to keep the audience engaged with their unpredictable noise (beats?), calming instrumentals and Mary’s impeccable soulful voice.
After High Places, Beaches took the stage. Their music can be described in three words: bass, guitar and drums. The four sassy blondes and one sexy fringed brunette failed to ignite any excitement in this reviewer. The semi-responsive crowd was treated to a lot of instrumentals and feedback. The first lyrics were not heard until the third song – and let’s just say it was not worth the wait. To be honest, I really wanted to like this band and hoped they would maintain the momentum of the other acts. Unfortunately they just did not live up to their hype.
The unequivocal highlight of the evening was Dan Deacon. It is with no exaggeration that I say this one-man show is the most fun you will ever have at a gig. Being at one of his shows results in the inevitable unleashing of the kindergarten child inside us all – you know, that kid who is fun, carefree, excitable and curious.
Dan Deacon – a 27-year-old who looks about 40 – is the type of artist who’s all about the audience. He chooses to perform in the mosh with his deck (which looks adorably homemade), a bright light and a glow-in-the-dark green skull. His show involves constant audience participation. His most impressive feat tonight was getting the entire venue to form a tunnel. Audience members were asked to create a tunnel using interlocking hands – punters would dance through the tunnel and join the human train at the end. The line ended up stretching well outside the venue to Oxford Street.
This music was fun, with lots of heavy electro beats – the type of sounds that you can inexplicably lose your shit too. I defy anyone to stay still to tracks like Wham City. Despite the fun of his show, it didn’t go off without a hitch. His set was delayed by about 30 minutes as he frustratingly tried to set up his equipment. He apologised to the audience, declaring it was his fault. Later, it appeared a speaker blew out during a song as well. Despite this, Dan has an uncanny ability to bring the audience into his whimsical world.
As Dan played his last beat, Summertones ended – as did summer, and the punters were transported back to reality. So long summer, see you next year.
Summer Tones Brisbane review: from Rave magazine
The Zoo – Fri Mar 6
Turns out it’s still hot enough for this event’s name to be suitable. Kicking things off are The Ruby Suns, familiar with The Zoo stage after their Of Montreal support two nights earlier. Again they impress with their dynamic use of loops and live instruments, throwing in a cover of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill.
Keeping with the New Zealander theme are more conventional indie rockers Lawrence Arabia. It’s a lively and enjoyable set but they fail to distinguish themselves from the many bands cut from the pleasant rock ballad cloth.
Next up are noise pop duo High Places, looking rather serious and business-like. Rob Barber plays electronic drums on one side of the desk, Mary Pearson sings and makes sounds both organic and electronic on the other. The Storm comes off beautifully, as does the gorgeous Head Spins.
Fresh off their Mogwai support slot are all-female Melbourne five-piece Beaches. There’s no doubting the quality of their dreamy, summery psych rock and a venue like The Zoo suits their reverb-soaked guitars perfectly.
His presence signified by a green plastic skull erected on a pole, Dan Deacon is set up on the floor in front of the stage. The set is half music, half Deacon giving instructions for some unconventional physical activity. Some early sound difficulties are overcome and the willing punters play the ‘run around in a circle really fast’ game, have an intense dance-off and form the Super Zoo Tunnel Of Awesome which goes down the stairs, out the back of the Zoo and back up and around to the stage. New track Red F features alongside older tracks Snake Mistakes and The Crystal Cat, and live staple Silence Like The Wind Overtakes Me. The set culminates in the hugely awesome Wham City, green skull flashing wildly as everybody gets some much-needed musical catharsis. Muchos kudos to Mistletone for putting on a super evening of music.
MICHAEL PINCOTT
Fasterlouder photo gallery: Summer Tones Melbourne
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