The Rubens at The Corner

Last Tuesday, regional bluesy rockers "The Rubens" graced a packed The Corner to put on their biggest live show yet. I was there to capture as much as of the action as possible. It was a passionate, fun gig - these guys are going places.

All images shot on a Pentax K7 with a 50mm/f1.4 lens.

Emma Louise at Northcote Social Club

It's been so long I'm not even going to acknowledge it!

"Hmmm, did I just walk into a private game of pass the parcel?" I thought to myself as I stepped into Northcote Social Club's band room. I was wayyyy too early and those that were even earlier than I had lined the perimeter, silently daring anyone to be enthusiastic (and by that I mean a. stand, and b. move ever so slightly into the centre of the room). Silly hipsters. Then again, I was wearing maroon pants, a jumper adorned with sheep and was toting a 50mm lens. 

Luckily, as support act 'Argentina' took the stage, security ushered everyone to their feet, and I no longer felt like it was "mat time" in kindergarten. From the beginning of this Brisbane band's set, it was clear they were not from Melbourne's dreary climate. They were delivering songs that could only be described as effervescent pop rock, songs that put you on a beach and make you dig your toes into the sand. They played the kind of music you'd put on on the home stretch of a road trip - Argentina takes you to a place that's both familiar and heart warming. As more psychedelic orchestral sounds found their way into the set, I imagined their music behind a crackling 8mm film montage, your heart soaring and weeping in one brilliant beat. Do you see where I'm going with this? Argentina make you feel as if you have everything and nothing, as if nothing could better this day, except the hope of tomorrow.

But onto the main event! The beautiful  Emma Louise. 

Having not seen much visual media of her, except for what I now know to be a deceiving video clip, I was at first blown away by her size. She was tiny! Especially as she was being dwarfed by her band, who all seemed to have some kind of giant DNA lurking in their blood.

None of this mattered once she opened the show. Her voice, pitch perfect, transported us to a place where she held our hands through the delicacies of her life. Truly, she was like a fluffy pair of ear muffs in a blustery wind, or the first sip of hot tea on a frosty morning. Her warmth was clear to the entire audience, and her banter between songs was awkward but endearing.

Her latest single "Boy" was well received by the, in her own words "quiet but attentive" crowd and most would have had no idea it was the first time she had played the song live (she gave away quite a bit between songs). "Jungle" was great as well, although I feel slower paced songs are where her strengths really lie.

Emma Louise closed with the song, "1000 Sundowns" (a personal favourite), a tribute to her uncle who passed away from cancer. It was incredibly heartfelt and her performance left not a dry eye in the house.

Emma Louise's music is the type of phenomenon that swells your heart and begs you to fall in love. The kind of love where everything is perfect and you're swimming through perfumed days, coated in each other's smiles.

So get out there, fall in love!

The People's Market.

Docklands has always gotten a bit of a bad rap from Melbournians. "There's nothing there", they'd moan. "It's a ghost town", bitched the others. And I must admit for a while I was somewhat on their side, despite the fact that I thought conceptually Docklands was awesome.

That's all changing though ladies and gents, with an injection of some much needed Melbourne personality into the area. The People's Market has set up shop and although still in its infancy, provides some much needed edge to the waterfront suburb.

Driving down Docklands Drive, it was fairy easy to find (and central, which is a definite leg up over say, Camberwell Market) but a little bit scary. My Hyundai Getz rattled along the gravel road, feeling dwarfed as we traversed underneath the Bolte Bridge. Yes, directly underneath, with great big stones, abandoned warehouses and grasslands to keep us company. It was interestingly sparse and, well, very in line with what one has come to expect from Docklands, but all the same I appreciated the ample and cheap parking on site. That, in itself, runs rings around the Victoria Market. So, tick for convenience.

Jumping out of my car, I suddenly became hyper aware of my camera, 50mm f/1.4 lens attached. Markets, especially ones teetering on the 'shabby chic' end of the scale, attract hipsters like sharks to blood. And here I was, playing right into their palm. I ignored the urge to seek out the nearest chai soy latte. But I was pleasantly surprised at the crowd. Plenty of young families, plenty of twenty somethings and a healthy sprinkling of middle aged market veterans.

Being able to see Melbourne's docks from the site, it seemed fitting that the entrance of the market is decorated (adorned?) with great big shipping containers, a theme that continues throughout the space. The market is set up into two sections; a courtyard boasting some of Melbourne's best street food in restyled shipping containers (it's like what would happen if Section 8 and The Taco Truck had babies) and then aisles of second hand/flea goodness.

Going by Tessa time, it was early in the morning (12pm) and I was desperately seeking a coffee.  The League of Honest Coffee had me covered. Although, on second thought, having the word "honest" in a business name is like a greasy haired second hand car saleman telling me to trust him. 

My naive, trustful nature was rewarded however, with a perfectly extracted and textured latte, sweetened by cafe staff that were unpretentious and helpful. Kudos.

There was a great selection of food on offer, including $5 Grill'd burgers, paella, tacos/burritos, hot dogs, those twisty potato things and noodles, with a focus on fresh, relatively healthy foods. The market is licensed, letting the creators of St Jerome's Laneway festival, prop up a portable Thousand Pound Bend bar. Bring on the sangria and beers!

On to the (arguably) more important stuff, SHOPPING!

Plenty of vintage garb for those who watch too much Mad Men, but also plenty for those who love to play the voyeur, trawling through people's unwanted goods. Feel no shame, fellow dumpster divers, for at the People's Market, there were many treasures to be found. I loved that - a flea market that was true to its name.

Above, the creepiest toy I have ever seen. It just rode around in circles on its little bike. Again. And again. And again. Until it decided you were pissing it off at which point it got off its quaint little tricycle and stabbed you in the calf. 

I should also mention that the organisers put together some fantastic live music which gave the former carpark space a softer, cushiony feel. Adam Eaton literally put a tear in my eye, unusual for twangy acoustic rock but his voice just...ahhh. I think it reminded me too much of Firefly. And if you haven't heard of Firefly the TV show well, until you find out what it is, we can't be friends... 

 Check him out at adameatonmusic.com.

The fresh produce section of the market, although small, held some nice surprises. Flowers beautiful enough to brighten anyone's day, cheap veggies and from what I could see, a wine stand that was very liberal with their samples. 

So get down there people.

The People's Market at Docklands is on Docklands Drive literally under the Bolte Bridge.

They are open Saturdays from 10am, and the best bit is, the courtyard with the food and drinks stays open late!

Stay peachy!

www.peoplesmarket.com.au

Von Follies and more

It's coming boys and girls, the first night of coverage of L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion festival, with segments such as 'Bemused or Aroused Male Audience Members - You Choose' and 'Who Do I Have to Kill to Get my Hands On That Outfit?'.

Yes, it was a night where I couldn't decide if I wanted to take myself and the entire carnival (circus?) seriously. And that internal vonflict (...oops, conflict) has left me longing for sleep itself. Tomorrow, my pretties, tomorrow!

Big fat air kisses to you all.

MWAH

Tribes by Nina Raine

Hey blogettes,

On my continuing journey down the rabbit hole that is the Melbourne theatre scene I found myself seated next to a man that smelt decidedly like mothballs in MTC's gorgeous Sumner Theatre.

Shaking off the urge to douse the man in my glass of red wine (vinegar vs mothballs, I think vinegar wins...just. Although I did have to deal with the smell of souring wine on my 14 hour plane ride to Abu Dhabi last September, but that is a story for another time!) I settled in for the production of "Tribes".

As the lights came up we were confronted with an open plan set, a kitchen table, a couch, a fridge. There were also building materials scattered upstage, witches hats and temporary fencing, giving off the idea that perhaps this family was not as complete as the characters would have us believe.

The tribe is an intellectual, bourgeois family, showing their love through argument, rationality and writing. Their arguments revolve around language and its inadequacies, fitting considering they have a deaf son, Billy. Billy has been raised to be "hearing", that is, not taught sign language, but to lip read and speak, out of the fear that his identity would revolve around his deafness.

The first act was strong, and the writing so witty, one line has been deemed my quote of the night. The patriarch of the family, played by Brian Lipson, declares that listening to a Northern speak is like, "Being fucked in the face by a crab!". For it to be funny, you need to imagine a 60 year old Russell Brandt delivering the line. Gold.

Although conflict defines this family, almost to the point of melodrama, the turning point in the play comes when Billy meets Sylvia. She, unlike Billy, was born into a deaf family, and is now, courtesy of a hereditary condition, going deaf herself. Sylvia guides Billy into the deaf community and it is here he finds his voice.

The metaphors are stretched very thin in Nina Raine's second production. Billy's sister, whose name escapes me, is a fledgling opera singer and their older brother, Dan, is slipping into psychosis, the type where auditory hallucinations are involved. Billy's empathetic mother is in the midst of developing a detective novel. Cool, we get it, everyone has a voice, but of course we want them to shut up when it's being broadcast at 8006043 decibels.

The second act unravelled so quickly, so many life changing events happen to our characters and we're going from one situation to the next without being able to process the outcomes or consequences. And neither can our characters, and at this point the performance began to lose authenticity. The heart felt scenes between Sylvia and Billy, where they combine sign and vocals to communicate were beautiful, and the usage of onstage screens to act as "translators" added humour. The climactic scene in which Billy confronts his family was also beautiful. Alison Bell, as Sylvia, delivers a performance so nuanced, so heart breaking and so genuine that she saved the second act for me. 

Tribes was more relevant to me than Summer of the Seventeeth Doll and I did enjoy the cracking dialogue. I feel that if the script was refined a little more, with elements being removed (the unnecessary moving stage that added nothing...), this play could be a real ripper.

***1/2

Sylvia and Billy

The three siblings

MTC Promotional Image

All images are owned wholly by MTC

Rock the Bay.

Hello dear bloggettes!

Tess here.

On Saturday I went to a music festival called Rock the Bay, held at the infamous Espy in St Kilda. 

Hooolllllllyyyyyyyy Shite. It was incredible. Australian bands, playing to packed local crowd infused with a glowing sunset - it was a dream come true. The crowd really was fantastic, co-operative, friendly. I think it was because everybody was truly there for the music - unlike bigger festivals where whichever one you attend labels you as 'indie' or 'metal' or 'australian flag toting bogan'. 

It was so much fun covering this event. I hope you like!

Don't forget that tomorrow is SLAM day so get out there and see some LIVE MUSIC!

Peace.