Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow were amongst many huge artists from music and comedy that came together to mark London’s appreciation of its servicemen and women… nice, huh!?
We could do with replicating something like that in Australia…
Here’s Rob’s brilliant performance of crowd favourite Let Me Entertain You.
…and Gary and Robbie performing their latest collaboration Shame. Reunited on stage after 15 years!
Way back in 1998, during some Something For Kate downtime, Paul Dempsey pulled together a few friends and fellow musicians to work on a ’side solo project’ which became known as Scared Of Horses.
The subsequent album release, titled An Empty Flight, featured music written and played entirely by Dempsey, and was set to the lyrics and vocals of some pretty innovative musicians (including Heinz Reigler of Not From There; Jamie Hutchings of Bluebottle Kiss; Glenn Richards of Augie March; Stephanie Ashworth of Sandpit at that time, but who later joined Something For Kate).
The album sold out it’s initial pressing pretty darn quickly, and it’s been almost impossible to get hold of ever since. Now, 12 years later, it’s available on iTunes… making my copy of the initial pressing much less valuable than it was last month…
Little known fact: Josh Pyke named one of his early bands after the album An Empty Flight.
Recently, EMI Australasia Chairman Mark Poston (AKA “Boss Poston” to those of us in the building – see below) was invited to the MUSEXPO Asia Pacific 2010 Music Industry Conference in Perth as a guest speaker.
Whilst in Perth, he did a short interview with One Movement – originally posted here.
Working at a record store in the western suburbs of Melbourne.
What’s been the highlight of your career so far?
Contributing to music – and to the music industry – and to artist’s careers. Meeting and collaborating with talented people and artists. Having music as my career (wow).
What’s the hardest part of your job?
Part of being a good leader and running a successful and creative music company- requires you to put yourself out there. You find yourself in situations that you’re not entirely comfortable with at times – and it comes with a risk that people make the wrong judgements about you. (But don’t get me wrong I’m not complaining!).
What are your predictions of artists you think will break through later this year?
I love a New Zealand band called The Naked and Famous [music video for Young Blood embedded below].
I’d put money on Oh Mercy moving into Arcade Fire-esque acclaim with their new opus. I think Papa Vs Pretty are the most interesting new band in the country – they will go far!
The most exciting artist that will really breakthrough is a big way and quickly is a Melbourne hip-hop talent called 360. He’s all that and will take Australia by storm. There is an extraordinary Melbourne band called King Cannons – my A&R team lost their shit over these guys recently!
However when it comes to real breakthroughs… Birds Of Tokyo will sell north of 200,000 copies of their new self-titled LP. This album is the most important Australian album since The Presets Apocalypso or The Sleepy Jackson’sLovers. It’s really that good!
Finally, what’s your favourite song by an Australian artist?
The Way Of The World by Max Q. I think its really great lyric and I love the questioning/blurring-the-edges spirit of this collaboration between INXS’s Michael Hutchence and Melbourne Underground musician Olly Olsen.
Miami Horror are currently one of the most talked about bands on the net since the release of their #10 debut album Illumination on August 20. Everyone from NME to Pitchfork are talking about them and loving it! Now we get, from the man himself, a look inside the album and Miami Horror’s story plus an in-depth track by track of what went on behind the writing and recording of each of the songs on the album.
Perfectly titled, the debut LP from Melbourne’s mastermind electro-producer Benjamin Plant, is really a shining beacon of talented production and creativity, illuminating the path for Australian house/electro to make its way to the forefront of the music industry. The transition from a one man creation to a full-band, sees Miami Horror drift away from the endless loop that is the solo electro artist to a more enlightened (the last pun on the title I swear!) musical endeavour. The end result is a left wing pop record, that flourishes with absorbing synth and retro-disco of 70’s and 80’s pop.
After the numbingly transient opener Infinite Canyons the listener is greeted by the disco/funk grooves of I Look to You with the tender vocals of Melbourne singer Kimbra; really sets the albums fuller, more sonorous effect. It becomes apparent that the four years of work that went into this record were not wasted. The following tracks Sometimes and Moon Theory, which were the first dribbles of the album that the general public were able to grasp, further display the band’s subversion of the electro/house genre with lush arrangements and the flawless inter-mingling of electronic and acoustic instruments, rivalled only by the smooth electric guitar lines in the ornate album book-end Summersun.
EMI is not just a company, it is a modern family environment for its amazing staff members and all the talented artists signed to the label – and like Pippa & Tom Fletcher in the beginnings of Home & Away, everybody who enters the house is a family member for life.
Recently Good Charlotte came over to the EMI family and their welcome party was played out for all to see this week. It started in Melbourne when Joel & Benji Madden arrived into the country with a full schedule of interviews that included appearances on the 7pm Project, every press and radio station in town and a chance to have some fun doing laps in V8 Supercars for a day. Joel & Benji then graced Sydney town with more radio, press and television interviews and a performance on Sunrise where the brothers did a very special acoustic version of their new hit single Like It’s Her Birthday off their upcoming album Cardiology (released on October 29).
Their ‘family’ visit ended last night with a worldwide exclusive Cardiology album premier party held at the gorgeous Cargo Lounge in Darling Harbour. It was a chance to bring their new album to Aussie audiences first, and the fans were more than excited to be hearing the first taste. With a red carpet to boot and packed into the gorgeous venue, media, VIPs and prize winners alike went into a frenzy when the boys arrived to flashbulbs and screams – and the craziness didn’t stop there. The crowd packed in and around the stage when Nova’s James Kereley introduced the boys to the excited audience who were enjoying the flowing champagne and a chance to see the Madden brothers in person.
With the boys meeting their biggest fans on one end of the room, the other end of the room was filled with plenty of punters and VIPs including Idol winner Stan Walker and Lindsay Rodriguez enjoying the album pumping full blast on the speakers. The resounding repetition from the lucky few who were able to meet the boys was a chorus of “They’re such nice guys!”, and everyone else in the room was left wondering – despite the tattoos and rock star get up, are the Madden boys the nicest boys in rock? We vote YES and we cannot wait for everyone to hear their new album soon and have them back.
As Steve Jobs, who is still channeling Jerry Seinfeld, reveals the Ping and iPod updates to the world, his very own special guest Chris Martin added a musical surprise to the event.
Chris, witty as ever, introduces a new song that they are working on called Coldplay’s 2.6. With the apple geeks in laughter he launched into a track oficially called Wedding Bells. Some fans of Coldplay would have seen this track pop up last year on YouTube however today’s version gives us a glimpse into a new Coldplay hit in the making.
Bring on the 5th studio album that will no doubt surpass the magic of 2008’s Viva La Vida!
Powderfinger has joined up with the world renowned live recording team Abbey Road – Live Here Now, to record their upcoming ‘Sunsets’farewell tour, kicking off 1st September, 2010.
The Abbey Road Live team has had the pleasure of working with Slash and Pixies on their Australian 2010 tours and are now excited to be doing live recordings of Powderfinger’s highly anticipated national farewell tour.
The live recording of each show will be made available in a limited edition, superior double-disc CD set after each performance, as well as digital download for a limited time only. If you are going to the show, you can choose to pick up your copy within ten minutes of the show finishing, or you may have it shipped home to you.
Either way, you can go to www.powderfinger.com RIGHT NOW to pre-order and reserve your double CD set or digital download.
Ever wanted to watch LCD Soundsystem from side of stage?
Well now you can! Well, vicariously through my Flip camera….
After a massive week in Sydney with the THAT’S COOL BUT CAN YOU MAKE IT MORE SH*T? exhibition, we dragged our asses up to Woodfordia for what was to be a very busy but very fun Splendour In The Grass. Mostly we ran around like idiots backstage coordinating interviews but we also got to see some friends and some amazing bands (and a 2m brown snake which was TOTALLY NOT COOL!). In between promo backstage I managed to steal away to watch LCD Soundsystem’s set on the Mix Up Stage. One of the best things about Splendour is their very considerate viewing platforms on the side of stage, which allow other artists and people working to get a glimpse of their festival faves without having to battle the sea of fans out the front.
So I thought I would share my experience with you all. Hopefully it’s a different perspective and a new way to hear the latest LCD hit I Can Change.
If you want to hear the full LCD set from Splendour, tune in to triple j this Monday night 6 Sept at 8pm and you can relive the set in all it’s glory! And if you STILL can’t get enough, hang out till Sunday 12 Sept @ 5pm for an encore broadcast.
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