Film Society 2010

As I get ready to begin Film Society 2011, I thought I would do some brief reviews on last years program. I did not attend all of the films.

The Great Dictator - I was on hols, so missed seeing this Chaplin classic on the big screen, very upset about this, however I have seen it many times - Chaplin at his best!
There will be blood - I had already seen this, it is a long movie with some very fine acting from Daniel Day Lewis, but one viewing was enough for me, so no repeat performances.
Heartland Reggae - Cult film about rastafarians and based around some live performances in Jamaica in the late 70s starring Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. It was fabulous, the music energetic, and seeing Bob at his peak was something to behold. The documentary itself was very raw and would have been edited far more slickly today, but it was the late 70s and that made it all the more an experience...also a LOT of large spliffs :)
The Combination - a Lebanese/Australian film, set in Western Sydney, about a young lebanese boy who falls in love with a white girl. Shocking in it's violence, yet touching in it's heart.
Gomorrah - I am still yet to see this Italian film which won the Grand Prix prize at Cannes.
Adventureland- laconic American indie set in an amusement park, starring Jesse Eisenberg.
Black Ice - I had already seen this the previous year at the travelling Film festival - an excellent thriller from Finland - set against the snow and ice (so very white) and amongst some amazing architecture, the male lead is an architect. The older female realises her husband is having an affair with a younger women and go to great lengths for revenge!
Quiet Chaos - missed this Italian film also.
The Class - also this French one.
$9.99 - this was an amazing animated Australian film that dealt with the meaning of life and why we are here. Dave, who lives with his dad, purchases a booklet proclaiming to answer those very questions for $9.99, spiritualism and humour ensue.
Air Guitar Nation - I have my own copy of this and still have not seen it, I imagine hilarious!
Noodle - missed this Israeli one
The September Issue - Stunning behind the scenes look at creating the September issue of Vogue. Anna Wintour is sharp and icy - everything shown by the Devil wears Prada and more! My favourite scenes were with Grace Coddington, a former model, the fashion editor and probably the only person who stands up to Anna. Formidable!
Katyn - missed this Polish film.
Tank Girl - saw this sci fi years ago, was ok, did not feel like a repeat viewing
The Leopard - OMG, this was overblown, long, and melodramatic, a 'classic' film based on a classic book, set in the 1860s and 3 hours long. It was set to the backdrop of a Sicilian War, I fell asleep in the middle ...oops!
I missed a huge chunk of films during August and much of September due to holidays and other commitments.
Moon - this was just stunning, the debut film from Duncan Jones - son of David Bowie. Sam (Sam Rockwell) is on the moon accompanied by a robot (voiced by Kevin Spacey), but after an incident begins to see differing versions of himself - what is happening? Simply, but beautifully shot, some great sci-fi twists. I love this film!!!
My year without sex - outstanding Australian film starring Sasha Horler (always brilliant) and Matt Day as her long suffering husband, highly recommend.
Wake in Fright - I had never seen this and was really disturbed by this. It is billed as a horror film, but not really in the true sense of horror. It really is hard to describe and if you have seen it you will know what I mean. A city man, who had been teaching in a small outback town, gets stranded in a larger - yet still small - outback town on his way back home to Sydney for his holidays. Gambling, drinking, gross behaviour including rape and kangaroo shooting amongst much more happen during his time stuck there. I felt physically sick during a lot of this film.
The Passenger - Stunning film from Antonioni starring Jack Nicholson in a mistaken identity, slow thriller. Slow in that the shots take their time and the pace is slowish despite Nicholson being on the run. Also starring Steven Berkoff and Maria Schneider (Last tango in Paris) as Nicholson's love interest. It does drag a little in parts, but is really worth it - Jack in the mid 70s was on a roll - amazing!
The book of revelation- missed this Australian thriller.
Calamity Jane- what a thrill to end the year, cheesy - sure, dated - you betcha, a little bit gay - yeah, but there's nothing wrong with that. Doris Day at her very best, cheerful, ballsy and boy, she just does not stop. Howard Keel - pretty damn good looking and a great voice of course - years before wooing Miss Ellie on Dallas! I just had a smile on my face the entire time and kind of bounced out the theatre afterwards, as I looked around everyone was much the same. They sure don't make 'em like that anymore.

And so, I look forward to my first film tomorrow evening in what looks like to be an outstanding program. And yes, the first film is by my second favourite director - Woody Allen - an absolute classic - Zelig!!!!!!!!

Rabbit

Rabbit was our first Inspirations event for 2011, on Saturday 12 March at The Playhouse. I loved Rabbit, it featured a group of 5 twenty somethings at a club celebrating one of their birthdays. The lead female, whose birthday it was, had her quiet doctor girlfriend, and her loud brassy girlfriend, and 2 ex-boyfriends, and their conversation over many wines dealt with the battle of the sexes, careers, love, life and death. In a set of fantastic asides, the lead female also talks with her father who is ill in hospital.

It was very funny, very modern, and very confronting in its subject matter. I thought the male actors, particularly Barry Shepherd as the Dad, were excellent and the lead female also great. Another great production from Stooged Theatre, it had us talking about all sorts of things afterwards, always a mark of a wonderful story.

Annie Leibovitz

I had the great pleasure of viewing Annie Leibovitz: a photographer's life 1990-2005 at the MCA in Sydney on Thursday 17 February.

I have previously seen an exhibit of her earlier, Rolling Stone, work at Newcastle Gallery many years ago and being a long time Vanity Fair reader, was very familiar with her Hollywood photos. There is something very immediate, yet long lasting about photography and her eye draws you in. She experiments with quirky and unusual - Whoopi in a milk bath, Demi pregnant, Lemmon and Curtis in drag.

A lot of the Vanity Fair shots were exhibited, side by side with her other work. These were more personal, mostly black and white shots. They were infinitely more interesting also. They were smaller sized than the larger than life Hollywood shots, it drew you in closer to these intimate images. The following is a joyous shot of her parents.

There were also very confronting subject matter - Sarajevo and the death of Susan Sontag, her partner. These were quite beautiful, haunting and very sad. There were some images I just could not bear to look at for too long, they made me very teary, in particular the photograph of Sontag in her coffin...it was too much. Accompanying this was some words from Leibovitz, which added to the impact. I much preferred the stunning shot of Sontag at Petra - now that is an eye for detail.

I also was surprised to see a huge section of very large (wall sized) landscapes of areas in America, like the Grand Canyon, and Venice - these were minimalist and at times so grainy, you had to step right back to adjust to what you were seeing. These were a surprise, as I had no knowledge of this part of her work - it was nice to see something new.

Finally, here are some other images I loved - the contrast of what she can do, the glaring black, white and red of The White Stripes to the country black and white of the Cash family. There is no doubt Leibovitz is a star. I think the exhibit has been extended until April - so if you get a chance so and see. It is a huge exhibit with many, many shots, I highly recommend.

OSCARS 2011

Well it is that time of the year again, less than 24 hours to the Oscars. I have been busy leading up to this fabulous time of the year and whilst keeping an eye on the commentary that surrounds my favourite event of the year, I have not really had a chance to think about who I think will win. So, I have spent some time gathering some information this afternoon and have most of the categories locked in.

Leading Actor
This was easy - Colin Firth all the way - easily the best film of the year and easily the best performance. Watching the complete and utter fear in his eyes as "Bertie" was about to make his first 'speech' clinched it for me. An outstanding actor, with a back catalogue of varied and beloved performances, in an incredibly dramatic and personal film - if only all the other categories were this easy,
Supporting Actor
I have only seen snippets of The Fighter, but have read many, many reviews - the Oscar belongs to Christan Bale.
Leading Actress
Again, after seeing The Black Swan yesterday it confirmed for me what I had thought - Natalie Portman gets a golden boy. Her performance was stunning - physically and mentally she was the tortured ballerina - you could see it in every muscle, every protruding bone, every pained expression on her face - she embodied this role - this is what film is about.
Supporting Actress
By all I have read this should be a matching win to Melissa Leo - also The Fighter. However the supporting roles more often than not have an upset. Would I like to see Amy Adams or Jacki Weaver win - you betcha! Both are versatile actresses and deserving, and I will be proud as punch to be wrong in this category, but my money will remain with Leo.
Animated Feature
Seriously!?! No competition - Toy Story 3!!!
Art Direction
I am a bit stuck with this one and as I type undecided! I am stuck between Inception and The King's Speech. I will choose the later!
Cinematography
True Grit, Deakins is overdue and the sweeping 'western' landscape screams best cinematography.
Costume Design
Alice in Wonderland stands out for me here - in fact the costumes made the film!
Directing
This is the one I have truly no idea - you would think it would go with my Best Picture choice, but I have a feeling it will be split this year. This rarely happens, but can. You would think the direction would have to go with the film and I would normally agree. I happen to think the best directed film is Inception, but Christopher Nolan was not even nominated! My choice would actually be Darren Aronofsy for The Black Swan as it was very clever, but I do not think he will win. I have a sneaking suspicion David Fincher will win for The Social Network, I can see why (sort of), he made a fairly well known and paint the numbers story look edgy and interesting, although for Fincher this film could hardly be called edgy. Also working with one actor playing two parts is pretty clever and it looked seemless, however that is hardly a first. I want it to be Hooper or Aronofsky but for betting sake, I am going with Fincher....YIKES!!!!!!
Documentary Feature
It would appear Exit through the gift shop is the front winner, but I am going with Inside Job
Documentary Short
The shorts are always difficult, I read a couple of industry articles and selected Poster Girl.
Film Editing
This almost always goes with Best Picture, so The King's Speech.
Foreign Language Film
All my sources give all sorts of suggestions, no freaking idea. Will go with the film I know and Javier is nominated for Best Actor, so that would mean a lot of Academy voters have seen the film !?! So Biutiful it is!
Make Up
I am thinking Wolfman.
Original Score
I have no idea, going with Trent Rezner, be cool to see him accept, so The Social Network it is.
Original Song
Shit, I will go with Gwennie - bloody hell!!! Coming Home from Country Strong. Although Randy Newman is always a favourite.......
Animated Short Film
Day and Night
Live Action Short Film
Na Wewe
Sound editing/Sound Mixing
These almost always go hand in hand and I am going with Inception.
Visual Effects
Again, Inception, this movie was visually stunning, and were it not for The King's Speech, my vote for best Picture!.
Adapted Screenplay
Going with Arkin and The Social Network.
Original Screenplay
This almost always goes with Best Picture and whilst you cannot get more original than Inception (my original choice) I feel it will go to The King's Speech. And this is mainly because of the story I heard today, the writer had hung onto this story for many years as he promised the Queen Mum he would not tell it until after she passed - it was still haunting and upsetting to her after all those years. That alone, makes the film itself all the more poignant and deserving to win. In this day and age of beating people to things, the honour of keeping such a lovely story to himself and then presenting it correctly makes him all the more deserving AND it is a great story!
Best Picture
An absolute no brainer, The King's Speech, a great story, amazing acting from each and every actor. Fabulous casting - Derek Jacobi (famous for playing the stutterer Claudius) pushing Bertie out to a field he was uncomfortable in, knowing he was a stutterer - great film irony... AND Jennifer Ehle, as Rush's wife, being shy and embarrassed to meet Bertie - Ehle, of course, played Elizabeth Bennett to Firth's Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice all those years ago. Perfect attention to period detail, humanity and humour, the kind of film that will stand the test of time and is an instant classic and by god, my favourite film of the year!!!!

So, I will wait until lunch tomorrow and see if I am right - I look forward to seeing how well Anne Hathaway and James Franco roll. I also hope in their rush to attract young audiences the Academy do not forget their history and give the true viewers like myself something old and marvellous to look at, I wait with baited breathe as usual!

BON JOVI

I saw Bon Jovi last night at Sydney Football Stadium. I am as surprised as you all undoubtably are. No, not my usual choice of music and certainly not a huge fan, but I have enjoyed their music over the years. I do love my Rock n Roll and well, let's face it, Jon Bon Jovi is very easy on the eye! So when my sisters and brother-in-law invited me along, the sisterly thing to do was to join them!

I am really glad I did, it was an excellent concert. We had great seats, thanks to Karen! The stage had three giant screens that made viewing even better - although we did have a pretty good view of the stage anyway! There were two usual sized screens either side, but a gigantic one behind the stage - amazing as you can see from this photo. This photo also shows how well you could see the actual stage, and yeah, how hot Jon still is!

They really performed a huge range of songs, and whilst I did not know all them off by heart, there were only one or two I did not know. What surprised me, was how very good they were. Now, I did expect them to be great, but this surpassed all expectations. I have seen a LOT of concerts, especially huge RnR acts like U2, The Police, Prince, Paul McCartney - and this was up there with them - that was what surprised me!

The crowd were a mixed group - not as many bogans as I thought, LOL!! Not too many mullets to be seen, although plenty of women in high heels - which amused me as the rain started to pour. Ever the rock snob - I feel if you do not dress appropriately for gigs you should not be let in! The night was amazing, and before the storm clouds rolled in, the full moon added to the amazing lighting by the band, and made for some interesting photos as you can see below. But then the rain hit, and it disappeared. I have been to many outdoor gigs that had rain, but I have to say Sydney certainly put it on last night, it was the heaviest and the longest amount of rain I have endured in a concert, but it did not matter as we were having a ball, as Jon said, like singing in the shower with 40, 000 people, hmmm I'll take singing in the shower just with you!

Sambora and Bon Jovi carried the band for sure, although the remaining members certainly did their best to keep up. Sambora's guitar roared through (see first photo below) and Bon Jovi's singing astonished me, especially a rousing rendition of Cohen's Hallelujah (in the pouring rain no less- see seond photo below). They also performed a 'jukebox' hit in the middle of audience pleaser Bad Medicine - Roadhouse Blues (The Doors) - this was awesome!!! The band really seemed to be loving every minute of our attention which is always great to see. (see final photo below) Mal and I also noticed the religious undertones to most of their songs, something that I had not considered up until then. Very subtle, but there nonetheless. We went to the chapel of Bon Jovi, got down on our knees and prayed, and it was divine!!

2010: THE YEAR THAT WAS

2010 brought the usual array of music, theatre, film and dance. I have been rather slack in updating the blog of my attendance. Here is a quick look at the year that was.

The Man in Black : The Tex Perkins/Johnny Cash Show
This was an amazing start to the entertainment year (early in Feb at the Civic). Perkins embodied Cash as only he can. He really was born to play The Man in Black. He owned the stage and had the audience in the palm of his hand. The "Tennessee Four", his backing band and Rachel Tidd as June Carter-Cash were fabulous and a great support, but really the night belonged to Sexy Tex, raw, honest and authentic - just like the real deal!

The show incorporated a story with dialogue, that was sometimes a little clunky, however it really added to the atmosphere and the history of the evening. But, really it was about the songs. They played everything ranging from Big River, Get Rhythm, Five feet high and rising, Jackson (a personal favourite), Boy named Sue, Ring of Fire and a fabulous rendition of the Nine Inch Nail's cover, Hurt (Cash's last big 'hit'). The show ended with a rousing encore, a medley of the best songs they had played. No one wanted it to end - if it is still touring and you get a chance, 'do yourself a favour' - and check it out!

Hoodoo Gurus - West Leagues Club (May 14)
I love the Gurus, seen them probably more times than any other band, but not for a long time.
However, this was not the best of venues - not really set up correctly for a decent band to play and full of awful people - who either went to the club all the time so were like there or like the Footy anthem version of the Gurus! Yikes, made for an interesting night.

They were very good, but not great - we'll blame the venue I think!!! They played just about everything you would want them to - many tracks from Stoneage Romeos, which pleased me greatly. Was a great trip down memory lane.

Christa and Dick Hughes - Lizotte's (July 16)
This was an amazing gig - smokey, bluesy, jazzy. Dick Hughes is a reknown jazz pianist and in his 80s, his daughter Christa grew up singing with her Dad, but moved to Rock and sung with Machine Gun Fellatio and also MC'd Circus Oz for many years. This was a far more restrained (sort of) performance than these past acts. She has a sassy Bessie Smith sort of voice, which suited the jazz and blues played by her dad. They made a funny and endearing combo, his amazing playing, her wit and bravado.

Always a great night at Lizotte's, the food and company were fabulous. I was sitting back enjoying the show, sampling my yummy dessert of ice cream and sipping my wine, thinking well, life just don't get much better than this!

Inspirations 2010
Inspirations did not have the greatest of choice this year. However what we did see was of a high quality. The year began with Witches of Eastwick. This local musical was quite well presented. The actor who played the Jack Nicholson character was charismatic as you would expect. The songs and dancing were upbeat and catchy. Some of the supporting players were fabulous, but some were not, overall, it was a good, fun night.

The Age I'm in (early April) was an interesting dance/dramedy piece. A group of actors/dancers spoke about age. There was also film content shown on portable screens by the actors and they also mimed (sometimes with great humour) comments by regular people of all ages who had been interviewed on age and aging. This was amazing, different and well worth seeing.

May was Michael Gow's Toy Symphony. A play about a writer overcoming his demons, by going back through his life as a point of discovery. The main character is suffering writer's block, but much more than that as we begin to look back at his life beginning at school, where he acted out fantasies in his head to get by - these are played out beautifully, shockingly and suprisingly on the stage- adding to the pathos and overall humour. A very small cast played the myriad of characters in this play, popping up out of trap doors and unexpected places, adding to the misplacement of the main character and indeed the audience. It was quick moving, and entertaining, but could go as quickly from hilarity and slapstick to maudlin and rawness. I thoroughly enjoyed Toy Symphony.

July brought We Unfold from the Sydney Dance Company. This was a minimalistic modern dance, beautifully staged and choreographed it did feel a little bit too repetitive towards the end. The stunning music accompanying it was well worth the admission and enhanced what would have been a let down I think. It was a symphony, Oceans, by Italian composer, Ezio Bosso. The music was composed to describe the emotions and fluidity of the water and the dance choreographed to represent that. Definitely not the best I have seen from SDC, however a pleasant evening.

Metropolitan Players presented The Boy from Oz in August and whilst an amateur presentation I felt it was very good. The actor playing Peter Allen was brilliant and engaging. As was the young actor playing young Peter Allen. As always, the supporting case was so so, some great, some not so. The actress playing Peter Allen's mother a stand out. The singing and dancing were very good, but I wondered how good the professional production would have been. Highlights were Don't cry out loud, Rio, and I Still Call Australia Home - complete with a children's choir singing backing vocals - not a dry eye in the house!

A day in the life of Joe Egg (August) was an amazing play about a couple struggling to save their marriage, whilst bringing up a daughter with cerebral palsy. Funny, sad and very dramatic, this was excellent. The acting, especially that of the main male actor was superb. Certainly very intense at times, and a little drawn out in the second half, but was quite amazing.

Carl Caulfield's Shakespeare's Fools (Playhouse, September) is probably my favourite of the year. A great introduction to Shakespeare for the uninitiated and a lot of fun for the 'fans'! This was the 'story' of the comedic muses Shakespeare drew from in his comedies. Shakespeare himself, played wonderfully by Caulfield, was a character but took a backseat to his fantastic fools! There were jokes, music, and jigs - the jigs were particularly amusing and fun. Lots of toilet humour - well toilet humour from that period in time! All the acting was great and everyone had a grand time.

I thought The Wharf Review was disappointing this year, much shorter and a little short on the all rounded jokes. I thought given the year in Australian politics the team would have had a field day, but not so. However, "Julia Gillard" as Little Red Riding Hood was hilarious and it was still a great evening, just did not live up to expectations.

The final Inspiration for the year was the play 2039, another Carl Caulfield. Set in a dystopian future with levels topped by celebrity it made you think just how the next 30 years or so could pan out. It was not pretty! Told with humour and passion and with a young, talented cast, 2039 was enjoyable. The second half dragged a little, but it gave us all a lot to think about!

Melbourne 2010
I had two trips to Melbourne this year.
The first was to watch my Brother-in-law race his boat in Frankston and then my sister and I drove to St Kilda for an extended stay. During this time we attended a great F1 - even saw Simple Minds play (in the rain!). They were great as were our gorgeous boys in the fast cars! We pretty much ate our way down Fitzroy Street, Acland and the beach front. And shopped out Chapel Street. I also checked out the amazing Ron Mueck exhibit at the NGV. It was a fun, relaxing trip!

The other was in September, shorter but busier. I spent a short week looking at the city's architecture and gardens, taking lots of great photos. I also visited the ACMI for the Tim Burton exhibit, which showed memorabilia and film and drawings from his long and crazy career. Entering to the Edward Scissorhands costume and a large topiary was quite magical and I was impressed to see so much of his work on display. I really did not want to leave the exhibition, it was interactive and had lots to look at. I also visited the NGV to look at a selection of European masters that were touring, amazing but too many people shlepping through made it a bit of an icky experience. However, always great to see amazing paintings in the flesh!

I also saw the Titanic exhibition while I was there, not a huge Titanic fan, I was impressed with what they had and how it was set out, a lot to look at (mind you a lot of twised steel and broken glass and cutlery) and very interesting items. The experience was made all the more real by being given a boarding pass as you entered with the name of someone who had been on the ship - you could see what they would have experienced. I was a young lady travelling with her father on a jewellery buying expedition, first class of course. At the end of the exhibit, you could find out whether you had survived, quite a haunting thought - I did, but 'my father' did not...sad!

Steve Kilbey

I had the extreme pleasure of attending a unique event on Thursday 4 November. The event was part of Maitland Library's "Look who's talking" series, and was at Maitland Art Gallery.

This evening was unique for many reasons. It was early (6pm) on a Thursday night - whilst others were shopping, and attending to mundane and routine things, we were in an art gallery sipping champagne and waiting for none other than Steve Kilbey, writer, poet, musician and frontman for The Church...amongst other things as we were soon to find out.

Around 6.30 the crowd filed up the stunning, marble staircase to a contrasting modern room. It had a handful of large examples of expressionist paintings on the wall - dark reds and maroons splashed over the canvas lending an austere vibe to the gathering anticipation. The most impressive one being the backdrop for the makeshift stage in this lovely old building.

Librarian and the 'vision' behind these events, Keryl Collard rose to make her introductions and Steve Kilbey strode to the stage. He was immediately warm and amusing - saying amongst all the talents Keryl had mentioned, she had failed to mention he had taken up ballet - all in jest, but a warm round of appreciation tittered from the crowd.

He spoke briefly about Maitland and how The Church had driven through here in their touring days; and of their love of the second hand clothing store and how in the early 80s, paisley - their chosen form of shirt - was passe and very easy to find. These stores were the place to find old gems that no one was interested in...well not yet anyway! As a lover (always and still) of paisley I was delighted to hear such a story - it is my favourite type of print. He laughed about the huge pile of paisley shirts in his room, and how when the Hoodoo Gurus started they paid much much more for their paisley than he ever did!

He then picked up a 12 string and went through a small acoustic set talking, singing and entertaining us - he is true showman. For anyone that saw his (unrehearsed!?!) speech at the Aria Hall of Fame and wondered was it put on, or was he drunk - the answer is absolutely no. What you saw there, is what we got at the art gallery...and then some.

He was funny, self-deprecating, honest and sincere...yet still cool with that whiff of rock and roll edge. He spoke about his childhood, his parents, his love of Marc Bolan and T-Rex (he even did a T-Rex cover), how seeing a poster of Marc Bolan in his local record store changed his life. How he desperately wanted a bass guitar, after seeing a band playing in their garage in his local neighbourhood - he (with some mates) climbed a fence and snuck a look for a moment - his first taste at 'live' music, and he loved how the bass player stood and played. His father took him to buy one and the shop owner said he didn't seel bass guitars, rhythm guitars are all the rage - which, as he said, is hilarious as there is no such thing. So he managed to find a Paul McCartney replica, and begin his career as a bass player...classy! I have always been fascinated by bass playing lead singers, as that really is two different threads being played together - it must take a whole lot of talent to pull that off well.

After the short set, he put his guitar down and pulled out his reading glasses and his biography - this was on sale for the evening. He told the story of the young man who wrote the book - how he got his masters by doing so, he read parts of the book out with parts astonishment, parts interest, and mostly parts...taking the piss!!! The young author was American and a fan of Steve's, like Steve has been of Bolan. They had met (apparantly, Steve could not really remember) during Steve's 'tired and emotional' stage - his words. And then some time later when he approched Steve to write the book.

Steve spoke honestly about the three stages of his life - 'rockstar', the 'tired and emotional' drug taking years and the 'elder statesman' period he is in now. He read passages with humour and self deprecation, we heard about his younger years, early stages of the band, and a fabulous over wrought introduction by the author about his first experience of The Church live - all with added quips and asides by Steve - not only did he have us all in the palm of his hand, he had us in hysterics. I am unsure what the author (no idea of his name, it was only mentioned once I think) would think of this very Australian pisstake - but it made for great entertainment and Steve knew it.

When talking about his drug addiction he said he was lucky, he could have ended up a cliche, hanging dead on the back of a hotel room door in Hong Kong...as soon as the words came out of his mouth he went a little grey, recalling the news of the suicide of James Freud that day. The Models were contemporaries and also inducted at the Aria Hall of Fame when The Church were, he mentioned how much he admired them in that infamous speech. He went on to talk about his fish that were named Colin and Sean for Sean Kelly and Colin McGlinchey - which was James Freuds' real name. I think wanting to escape that subject he went on to say he was good with peoples real names - anyone could ask him and he would know. He was like a little kid regaling in a new trick as people called out names - mostly lame names that everyone knows, like Bob Dylan etc, but it was a fun moment.

A little while later, he picked up his guitar again , strummed a couple of chords and began one of my two favourite stories of the evening. He said he was staying with his then Swedish girlfriend at his mothers' holiday home in Forster, and it was a balmy night and he was playing around with A minor chords on a keyboard on her back verandah looking up at the night sky. We all knew immediately what song he was referring to...the moment was delicious!! He was worried, was the song any good - his girlfriend replied yes, and did it sound too much like While my guitar gently weeps, well sort of but not too much was her other reply! He taped the song and threw it at the back of his songs, demos etc. Some time later (I suspect possibly a few years, he did not say) he brought it out for the group, it needed a middle hook, but they recorded it and thought it was ok, but not great or anything. It remained on a tape with a pile of other demos for the record company to sift through.

He then moved on to some salacious stories about record company executives that were sad, funny and scary. The stupidity of them and his distaste for them were raw. They found this demo and loved it immediately, the darker hook and middle section were added - he said as a joke, yet they remained. The song was recorded and was an immediate hit, the biggest of his and the bands career. Everyone said they always knew it would be a hit, but the only people who really did were the record company.

He began to play Under the milky way and it sent chills down your spine - it felt so intimate to hear such a stunning song after such a personal antecdote, like you were gazing into the realm of greatness and rawness and beauty. He got to the line "Lower the curtain down in Memphis" he paused and asked should he add Maitland, after a brief conversation with us, he resumed and added Maitland, he also paused in a few other spots to add observations and short antecdotes about the music, lyrics etc...too be honest I cannot remember it all, I was transfixed. Part of me was like just play the song, part of me knew this was very special, a performance never to be repeated, only for that night...again, delicious!!!

After such a moving performance, he put his guitar down and picked up a book of his poetry - he is fascinated by Ancient times, Greece in particular, the gods and their mythology - you can hear this in some of his lyrics and most certainly in his poetry. I read his blog from time to time, it is mostly his poetry and prose and he is prolific, but reading something is ok, hearing the person that wrote it read it as it was meant to be heard, is something else altogether, especially the prose - on paper prose is simply words, out of the authors mouth a rhythm and reason forms that makes much more sense.

He played a few more songs and then asked for any questions. This is always a bit dodgy, and as always there were dicks that formed 6 sentences into 2 awkward ones, sounding like pretentious twats (Steve probably called them geezers later - he used that word a lot, it amused me!!!). And then someone from the back yelled out "how did you get off Smack!?!" He was lovely and indulged all this rubbish. However there was one simple question he seemed to really like and it formed my second favourite moment of the evening. What comes first lyrics or music? He proceeded to tell us all about how he writes. It was brilliant. He says he is not a great musician, it never came easily to him, he used to try and put music to lyrics and it never worked. He said the music always came first and it could be laboured. Either just him and the guitar, or laying down parts on his 4 track early on. Once he or the band got the sound they wanted he would go off with the music and words would come to him, easily by the sounds of it. He said chords, keys, melodies etc would make him feel a certain way and then the words would follow.

After the final question, Keryl got up to wind the evening up, but he was keen to play a final song. I think he could have chatted and played and read all night, and we, the audience would have been perfectly fine with that, but I suspect the gallery had a time they wanted us all out by.

So the final song, my personal favourite, Unguarded Moment, was what he played. I wanted more for sure, but this was a perfect way to end a perfect evening. I even liked that he changed the line 'cameras for eyes' to 'iphones for eyes' - always cutting edge, always contemporary.

Oh and I must mention, he looks really good!!!

My photos are not great, but enjoy....

"So hard finding inspiration"...this evening inspired and lifted me, and was a complete sensory overload in the best possible way!!!

Elvis Week 2001

I've been thinking about Elvis this week - this week that is in Memphis - Elvis Week. I was lucky enough to be in Memphis for Elvis week 9 years ago. I would like to say it was organised that way, but to be honest it was a pure and utter fluke. I was touring from New York to New Orleans and we spent the night in Memphis on the 16th of August!!!

We had arrived in Memphis early, checked out the Mississippi delta and Memphis tourist centre. I had Paul Simon's Graceland going in my head all morning, mainly the lyrics..."The Mississippi Delta was shining like a national guitar", hmm not sure when Paul was there, but it looked more like a murky cesspool of dirt and garbage. We then headed to Mulberry Street and visited the Lorraine Motel, a sombre experience to see where hopes and dreams were assassinated. I felt physically sick, looking up at this very basic motel and thinking about King. But we were not there long, there were other kings to think about and we arrived at the Graceland complex late morning, before lunch.

The tour of Graceland was optional, you could do other things, I was tossing up what to do, right until we arrived. It's not that I did not like Elvis, I thought it was a bit cliched to visit, but once you arrive via Elvis Presley Blvd, well, you just HAVE to visit! The fact that this very day was the anniversary of his death did not click with me to much later during the day.

So, I am purchasing my ticket at the counter of the operation, and I was thinking, well this is going to be a laugh. I had to wait almost an hour, there were a lot of people there, but not that many that I thought it warranted an hour wait. There was plenty to do, I grabbed a burger (what else?) at one of the three 50s/60s styled diners around the complex and then hit the shops. I was keen to purchase the tackiest Elvis souvenirs I could lay my hands on - these simply did not exist in the complex. As I was to realise as the day proceded, this was the slickest show I would ever attend. Priscilla and Lisa Marie have done The King proud.

I took in the atmosphere, there were buskers, of all ages and race, doing the Elvis thang, some were good, and some not so, but it added to the building anticipation. Ever the cynic, I was surprised to find myself becoming quietly excited. The shops had some cool stuff to purchase and I made a mental note of what I might purchase after the tour. Soon my time was up and I joined the short queue for my group. I was given headphones which would have an audio guide leading me through the tour, and I was soon taken to the small buses that took us from the complex side to the actual compound. All of this was timed impeccably.

We entered the gates at Graceland, and I had goosebumps, the cynic was gone, I was really impressed and excited at what lay ahead. I had been born again Elvis and I loved every bloody minute of it. The gates were beautiful and the gardens and grounds tastefully done. The buses parked near the house, but under the shade of some trees, you had to step out a bit to see the house.

It was so small! I could not believe it, well large for a house, but much smaller than you would imagine. I guess in its day (especially when you see homes in that area even now) it was a mansion, but by todays standards most definitey not. Nonetheless, it was impressive, I mean it was Graceland. I had seen some amazing pieces of architecture during my trip, but this gave me shivers (ok the Chryslar building made me cry, but I was just off the plane, a very long plane journey, and driving from JFK to Manhattan, and seeing that stunning work of art deco in the night sky did me in!).

We had a short wait and were guided to the stairs, another short wait and in we went. Each group is timed (I forget how much) so as not to have too many people in the house at once and to also give them enough time to sufficiently look at everything. You never felt crowded, they were not trying to get more people through and make more money - trust me, you could have easily doubled the people and it would not have been even remotely squishy. But, doing it this way, enhanced the experience, you felt - at times - like you were the only person there.

Inside the home you were not allowed upstairs - people still live there, and when home family, eg Lisa Marie, stay there and I suppose, no one really needs to see the bathroom. Plus, when Elvis was alive, certain rooms upstairs were off limits even to family and friends. Everything is perfectly preserved, you really expect Elvis to pop out - not because you wished he was not dead, but because you felt transported back in time.

Most of the rooms were not so tacky, a little over the top in their oppulance for sure, but not tacky. The living room had a fair bit of glass, very large white lounge suites, peacocks in stain glass going into the music room where you saw a TV and grand piano, also a lot of gold accessories and deep blue curtains. The dining room was more of the same with a large Chandelier, cabinets of silverware and Noritake china and the large dining table set with silverware and floral arrangements.

The kitchen was very brown, lots of wood, very 70s, brown wood walls, brown wood cabinets, brown carpet, even the tooster had brown wood panelling. It kinda hurt your eyes, I imagine it was very advanced for its time. Then down some stairs (mirrored I think) to what was the basement. It had been turned into a Pool room and TV room. The Pool room had fabric on the walls and gathered on the ceiling and the same on the lounges which had an odd effect. There were cushions, other chairs and nick nacks in other patterns and colours, but because of so much material they blended in. Many a game of pool played by Elvis and friends I imagine. The TV room had three TVs, and a black, navy blue, yellow and white decor. Along with a very eerie white ceramic monkey and a glass ceiling. It also had a jukebox in the wall and a white leather bar.

And then there is the Jungle Room, nothing quiet prepares you for the Jungle Room. Complete with fake stone waterfall wall, green shag carpet (looking like grass) on the floor, walls and ceiling, fake fur chairs and lounges, coffee tables made from tree stumps, and various other wooden carvings. Apparantly Elvis felt comfortable there and it reminded him of Hawaii, it looked very uncomfortable to me! It was also great for jamming and recording, due to the carpeted walls and ceilings which made it absord sound well.

Then, there were a few small rooms with memorabillia, some suits, jewels, hobbys, books (I noticed a copy of Gibran's The Prophet and a whole pile of spiritual readings. We then moved outside to Vernon's office, which looked like people may still be working there, certainly very brown and 70s but files and documents open and so forth. As you leave the house and are in the grounds you see peacocks, horses and a small playground with swings etc in it.

We were taken to a very large garage - the cars are housed elsewhere on the complex side of the road - this has turned into a showroom of music memorabilia. You first go down the hall of gold - this has to be seen to believed, it is a hall of gold and platinum records, with cabinets towards the end holding other awards, including his three Grammy awards. This was truly spectacular, and if the house was not enough, this was surely worth the ticket alone. The hall moves into small rooms divided by subject - movies, 60s, 70s, priscilla, his charity work. I saw costumes, guitars, jewellery, photos, posters, books, sheet music, magazine covers, authentic merchandise, dolls and so forth. There was a wall of cheques he had written for people he knew and some people he did not know who needed help. There was a cabinet of guns and badges and certificates and keys to the city from many places.

And then there was the racquetball building, a 2 storey structure on the grounds. You enter into a lounge area with brown leather lounges, upright piano, stereo and so forth, there is a small gym and then the racquetball court. But, the court has now been turned into a home for his Vegas costumes - oh my!!! My favourite period, his concerts playing live as you arrived, Viva Las Vegas indeed.

You leave via the meditation garden - actually very beautiful, the pool and of course the graves. The graves were crowded, once you hit here the tour stops and the structure breaks down a little, as you are allowed to spend as much time as you like here. People mingle and on a day that was the anniversary of his death, an emotional mingling it was. I felt sad and touched and thrilled and overwhelmed and stunned at the afternoon I had spent. But I when I finally made my way to the grave the sight of two very tough looking dudes, huge with tats, crying like babies over his grave, I got the giggles and had to move on for fear of being tossed out!

I moved out to the front of the house, waited for the shuttle bus and made my way back over to the complex. I felt like something had shifted, I was connected to Elvis in a way you only can be having walked a mile in his shoes...so to speak. From that day on I knew Elvis would hold a special place in my heart and he does. I bought myself a hound dog wearing a cape with blue suede shoes and some other bits and pieces and decided against seeking out the tacky souvenirs you could apparantly purchase back in town.

Before leaving the complex, I toured the plane museum and even walked through the Lisa Marie - again, very 70s, a lot of vinyl and velvet inside and pretty compfy looking for an old small jet.

The evening took me to Beale Street, it was a buzz and we went to an Elvis Impersonator contest before dinner - pretty funny, but also some great singers. Beale street itself was entertainment without going into any club, street musicians, all the stores open, plenty of restaurants and cafes, street vendors selling food and drinks - I had the best frozen strawberry daiquiris there. Found a cool restaurant with jazz playing, had Voodoo Chicken for entree and Cajun Chicken for main - yummo, wandered the street some more, then checked out BB King's Blues Club - it was a happening place, but it was getting late and I had had a big day.

I headed back to the motel with a few others, we were all tired and overwhelmed, Memphis was amazing, you felt the blues beat the entire day, it sung to you in a way that cannot be described, but visiting Graceland was indeed a highlight, one I will never forget. If you are ever in Memphis, do not hesitate, you will love Graceland and be as impressed as I was. I went to sleep that night feeling tired, and a little bit sad that the King had left the building for good, but pleased in the knowledge that his legacy can continue with this mighty attraction.

2000/2004

2000

I can only recall 2 major events in 2000. The First was Culture Club and the Village People and Psuedo Echo. It was Saturday 26 February at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. It was a strange mix of crowd and an interesting concert. Psuedo Echo were indeed the standout of the group - truly!! That did not mean the others were bad, just Pseudo Echo were really good...really!! It was like their music was ahead of its time and time had caught up, cannot explain it anymore than that, but there you have it. The Village People were the dodgy part of the concert, they sounded ok, looked ok and were just a little bit too old and too sad, having said that it was The Village People (well possibly only some of them!) and we did do the YMCA!!!! Culture Club were good, but I was disappointed, they should have been better. George's voice was excellent, but this is a man who really does have a better than excellent voice, so that was a shame and it seemed the band just did not have their stuff together, it was worth seeing, but a shame it could have been better!!!

The second was The Cure, Saturday 14 October, also Sydney Entertainment Centre. This was the second time I had seen The Cure and this was a shockingly bad concert, possibly the worst I have even been to. I really like The Cure and adore Robert Smith, but I suppose I gravitate more to their popier tunes, and as much as I appreciate their more goth/let's slit our wrists and cut our throats tunes, I would prefer the 'healthy' mix of both, which is what I got at their previous concert. This concert, was goth, goth, goth all the way...in fact it was too much goth for the goths. Each song, drearily melded into the next, you really could not tell which one started and which one ended, I was bored out of my freakin' mind! I looked around and noticed a lot of empty seats (that had not been empty earlier) and a hell of a lot of goths ASLEEP!!!! I even went for a walk part way through the concert (something I would NEVER do) and noticed lots of goths in the foyer, chatting and drinking....very bizarre. They did not play a single hit, expect for A Forest. I have no idea what was going on, none of them seemed too happy to even be on stage, I know Smith co-wrote a lot of the songs and some original members were no longer in the band, possibly he was not allowed to sing them, I dunno, after 2 hours and no end in sight, we left, no idea how long it went on afterwards and what we missed out on, all I can say it was a real shame!

2001

2001 was another quietish year. Caught Henry Rollins in April at the Civic, it was one of his spoken word tours and baring the odd bit of misogny (expected anyway) he was pretty good.

Saw the legendary Russell Morris at Wests in June, he was great, very entertaining and sounded good too. Sweet, sweet love still stands in my mind today, love that song!

In August I was in the US, and whilst I had a fabulous and entertaining time, the things I write about in this blog were few and far between. I saw a mini concert of Melissa Etheridge - quite excellent - as part of the Today Shows summer concerts. Had a tour of 30 Rock and saw the Saturday Night Live stage amongst other cool things....to this day I still remember the perky guide that led the tour, I swear to god a female version of Kenneth on the show 30 Rock - that Tina Fey she knows her stuff!!!! I stalked Lauren Bacall and Woody Allen (I knew where they lived) but no sightings...although I did meet a Woody impersonator in a bank, that was funny. I saw Robert Sean Leonard (Dead Poet's Society and House) in The Music Man - come on I am a Librarian touring America, what else would I see???? It was excellent, and I had fabulous seats, front row, middle upstairs. I hung around the stagedoor of The Producers a lot, but to no avail, tickets could not be gotten for love nor money. I attended church in Harlem, if we had cool, swingin' churches like that over here, I might just be able to find god!!!!

I toured Graceland, that was like a religion in fact, incredibly cool - one of the best days of my life (and I was not that much of an Elvis fan before). I sucked in all the talent at The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, watched Shamu NOT kill anyone at Sea World in Florida, had my photo taken with Eyore at Disney World, saw Hitchcock in 3D at Universal Studios and also spent time with astronauts at Cape Canavaral. That only tips the iceberg of the trip, but pretty much sums up the entertainment aspects that I would write about here on my blog!

And I think I saw U2 in November, I have seen them about 3 or 4 times now and each blends into the other, which sounds bad, but is not. They are THE best band to see live, no other comes close - no matter how bad your seats are, you feel like Bono is singing directly to you.

2002

Mary and I enjoyed The Vagina Monologues at the Civic in April, we laughed A LOT and only blushed a little bit!

Diana and I saw Alex Lloyd and a young Eskimo Joe at Newcastle Workers Club (or whatever it was called that year). Alex was amazing (ha!) and Eskimo Joe excellent, you could tell they were going to be stars.

Bell Shakespeare hit town as usual in June, Richard III and I think my favourite production by the company, we had close seats and I am still working out how the blood appeared on an early victim!!! Excellent stuff!!!

Oasis came to Newcastle in October- unbelievable. I loved, loved, loved them, still do, but let's face it they shat on themselves didn't they? It was a great night and I loved every minute of it, truly a night to remember. Favourite songs, She's electric, Champagne Supernova!

2003

Saw a good little play at the Pan Theatre in town early Feb, a David Brown play on Lenny Bruce. Our seats were close so it was ultra intense. It was a long time ago, but I was very impressed, although Brown's plays are usually very good!

Karen and I took Dad (or he took us?) to see The Rolling Stones in Feb also - the Basketball Stadium (unsure of exact name) at Olympic Park. It was a blast, Dad is a huge fan and subsequently we are too. We prefer the earlier bluesy songs and they delivered. It was a range of songs from old to the more 'modern' ones. Keith was soooo Keef and Mick had energy that was boundless, I also thought Charlie was very refined and cool. I truly cannot remember many songs, but I recall hearing some old dude really getting into some album track (from Sticky Fingers, not a hit, cannot remember the title) and thinking boy, he must be enjoying himself, and it was Dad, that was pretty funny. The Stones can sometimes be a cliche but they really were great, and give a great show, to deliver what they did at their age is phenomenal, I know we all had a good time, and I know Dad especially did!

Amanda and I attended the Grand Prix in March - my second, we had a ball in Melbourne and enjoyed the race, cannot remember who won, probably Schmumi!

Saw The Violent Femmes again in April at Newcastle Workers Club, as always they were fantastic, always a good night out!

And on the basis of their performance with Culture Club, we saw Pseudo Echo at Club Phoenix at Mayfield, what crack up, they were really good!!!

On Friday 12 September I finally saw Lou Reed, in Newcastle at the Civic no less!! The first time I lined up for tickets and was first in line - I was impressed with myself that day!!! Lou was incredibly cool and sung everything and anything, it was on the back of his Raven stuff, so a lot of Poe to be had, but that was ok. He had a Tai Chi master on stage with him, which was a little disconcerting at times - we were close, but he sung great. Perfect Day (and Sweet Jane) was my highlight. He also had Antony from Antony and the Johnsons as a back up singer, he had the most sublime voice, as we all now know!

A few weeks later a group of us trotted over to the University and saw a performance of The Breakfast Club, the play - it was excellent, most enjoyable.

Last performance of the year was reserved for the funky cool of Prince. Friday 24 October at the Sydney Entertainment Centre and he rocked the joint, think I was on my feet for much of the night, he played everything and was loving every minute of it. This was the second time I saw him and he was as good, if not better, LOVED his purple guitar.

2004

I finally saw David Bowie on Friday 20 February at Sydney Entertainment Centre. I have been a fan of Bowie's for a long time. My first experience of him was the Ashes to Ashes filmclip on Countdown and it kinda scared me - I don't like clowns, they scare me! The first vinyl I bought with my own money was Let's Dance. Now I went with Nolene (and Vince) who is a first grade fan and seen him a zillion times!, so I was in the minor league, but I still had a marvellous time. He was the consumate performer, gorgeous, entertaining and delivered - what more can you ask!!!!

Karen and I saw Swan Lake early August, it was fabulous, it was the St Petersburg Ballet of course, and I was amazed. Our grandmother took us to a lot of similar things when we were very little, and this was our first time back at the Ballet, it was lovely!!

Late September saw me back at my old stomping ground, The Cambridge. I dragged Amanda and Rachel, who quelle horreur, had never been, I think they were a little concerned about the venue. We scored the hot seats (that back in the day we rarely got), top table at the front upper section - woo-hoo!! There was a local dude first, name escapes me, but he was great. Then the gorgeous Dave McCormack, I loved Custard, but had never seen them, Dave was funny, cute (VERY cute), entertaining and talented, he had the audience in the palm of his hand, singing all his ditties and just being Dave. He also did this pisstake of A-Ha's Take on me, which was very funny, but was one of those you had to be there moments! The main act of the night (although I would say Dave was more enjoyable!) was Tim Freedman, this was a retrospective night, just him, his stories and a grand piano - it was great, but after Dave, a little serious!

Early October brought me a first, Ultra Swing Lounge. I have mentioned them many times previous, but this first time WAS the best. The three leads are magnificent swing singers, and not only did they sing in the style, they had a Ratpack attitude to go with it, jokes, martinis and charisma. There were stories, songs, dancing and a Swinging Big Swing Band. I remember they started singing in front of a red curtain (you had no idea what to expect), and then you heard the big band (not so big sounding at that point) and then the curtains pulled back (went up??) and the band stood up and nearly deafened us, it was exhilarating and fantastic. They were all authentic and great, and somehow each time I have seen them, they have never lived up to that very first moment, the band always good, never quite packed the punch they packed that night! Nevertheless, do not miss out on this experience if you have never seen them, it is still worth it.

Later in the month the family attended Star City and were thoroughly entertained by Ben Elton's We Will Rock You. The singers, the songs, sets etc were fantastic, although I recall Dad being disappointed Ben was not there!!!

Mary and I headed off to Melbourne in November for a shopping/girly weekend, but also to see The Producers - ok it was not Broderick and Lane in NY, but it was pretty stunning nonetheless. The sets were amazing and the songs fabulous. I adore Mel Brooks, he is a true genius and has a damn good sense of humour, baudiness and all! Tom Burlinson and Reg Livermore were the leads with a cameo by Bert Newton who was hilarious. The humour is great, but really it is the songs, Springtime for Hitler is one of those bizarre little ditties you just cannot get out of your head!

I was not back long and Vince, Nolene and I headed off to The State Theatre to see Elvis Costello. A long time fan I was excited to see him, he was great and although we had seats towards the back of the theatre, his charisma reached and touched you all the same. It's great to see musicians you have respected for years and have them deliver.

2005

2005

Mary and I saw Chris Jagger at Honeysuckle on Saturday 5 February. Chris IS the brother of Mick and looks amazingly like him and is a blues musician. We were very impressed with Chris, he was fantastic and along with the most wonderful boogie woogie piano player had us jiving away all night

In March I saw REM for the second time, again at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Mary and Amanda came along for the ride, it was sublime and stunning and that was just Michael Stipe, ha ha! This was their tour without Bill Berry, but you would never have known (poor Bill). They were tight, played every song you can imagine and then some and left us feeling happy and shiny (but no, they did not play that.....thankfully, it is the one song I can live without hearing!). Oh and some f-wit kept spilling beer down my back all night...crowds just are not what they used to be...

May took us back to Ultra Swing at the Civic, and as always a stunning night that just transports you to another time and place...sigh.

Amanda and I headed to see The Finn Brothers at the Civic on Sunday 17 July. We are both huge Crowded House and Split Enz fans and it was a great night. I do like some of Tim's solo work, but Neil is the genius and writes the perfect pop song, sometimes Tim takes over and is just a little too much, but he showed great restraint on the night and I did not get too antsy with him. It was not long after Paul Hester had committed suicide so there was a haunting tribute to him and we all shed a tear for a lost friend.

Saturday 10 September saw us back at the Civic for our annual Bell Shakespeare dose with Measure for Measure. I cannot recall this one, but I think the beginning of some less than ordinary productions.

Saturday 12 November was a historic night for Keryl and I, we saw The Goodies stage show, ok it was just Tim Brook-Taylor and Graeme Garden live. Bill Oddie was off doing his bird watching show in England, but they had a live (read pre-taped) cross to him. It was them, looking old but still feisty and funny, telling stories of making the show, amusing antecdotes and recreating a few skits and songs...yes we did do the Funky Gibbon. It was not a long show, but it was a great trip down memory lane and one I am glad we took. Bill was my favourite though, so a shame not to have seen him.

A week later we hit the Cambridge for a celebration - 20 years of The Porkers! It was a crazy night, and mostly a new crowd of people and not too many familiar faces, but we got in and kicked it up and had a blast - they played all the oldies and some new stuff, and still knew how to rock and ska it out! The Porkers are probably one of the bands I have seen the most live and that is over the 20 years, if you like ska music, they are to be seen, always fun and I have many a memory of seeing them at The Cambridge, Tatts, and The Palais amongst others.