I have moved…
I have decided to expand my blog.. and have moved to www.mydunedin.wordpress.com .. come visit :)
Mortal Kombat
Does anyone remember playing Mortal Kombat as a child? Man, I used to LOVE that video game. I remember the arcade version of it used to be at the cinema in Invercargill, so whenever us rats were well behaved enough to be treated to the movies we would play Mortal Kombat for hours.
Now, my arcade gaming style is what I like to call “the thrasher” - I thrash all of the buttons at once, thrust the joy stick, bounce about, block and hope for the best. Most ”actual gamers” despise the “thrasher because apparently it takes no skill to be a thrasher and is just plain annoying. (I prefer the term thrasher because it doesn’t have the bad connotations that the term “button-masher” or “masher” has.) Remember Raiden, Kano, Subzero and Scorpian? Boy those were the days. I was a Raiden or Subzero girl myself.. right, left, down, right Y BOOM! Fatality. I am also a big big fan of Sindell.
Anyways the point of all of this Mortal Kombat talk is: Last Saturday I went to Tonice and saw Baraka and The Finnish Hims (get it? nice ay! perhaps hymns?)- for those who are Old School Mortal Kombat Fans and don’t know who Baraka is- that’s him with the blades in the above picture.
The gig was perhaps as Close to a Biff Merchants reincarnate as you could hope for, with noise coming (in various places) from four former members of The Biffs, including a wonderful cover of Tear Drop from Andy Strait, as well as some Alizarin Lizard covers (a band also composed of former members of The Biffs). Check out some Baraka and The Finnish Hims songs here http://www.box.net/qualmspsalmsandfinishhims.
Baraka and The Finnish Hims will be playing at The Cook tonight along side Tono and The Finance Company (click here for an article on Tono and co) and Sex With Bowie. $10 at the door, doors at 8:30pm.
On a last note- its so nice to see bars in Dunedin broadening their horizons, with live gigs being played throughout the city nowadays- not just at the usual ”underground” haunts. I’ll be honest- I am nervous about going to upstairs cook for a gig- my memories of upstairs cook involve first year inter (and intra) hall grind fests. Apparently back in the day the Cook was massive for live gigs, and has hosted some of Dunedins most well-respected names- so the revitalising of those glory days will be a welcome change from said “grind-fests”.
Also, tonight there is a free circus at Sammy’s from 7-9:30. All ages. Should be excellent
Off The Cuff- B side Preview
And here is the Off The Cuff B side Preview featuring Thundercub :)
Off the Cuff- A side Preview
Wow wee waa!! The first cut of Off The Cuff recording sessions featuring The Biff Merchants is here, and its awesome!
Props to the creators of Off The Cuff, and Bring back the Biffs I say!
I have been needing something to get excited about.
There have been so many great gigs and events on over the past few weeks, and I have been locked into a study-for-exams depression for what feels like forever. but HURRAH the light at the end of the Tunnell is in sight! On Friday the 13th (the day of my last exam!!!) The Veils will be playing at Sammy’s Entertainment Venue, and they will be playing with special guests An Emerald City! I am very very excited about this- the eclectic Indie Music scene in Dunedin seems to be pretty quiet (or maybe I am not looking in the right places), but either way this ‘kind’ of gig in Dunedin will be fairly new for me, and a great way to celebrate the end of exams!
The Veils are a London based, Kiwi Indie/Alt Rock band, and the show on Friday is a part of their “home-coming” tour (according to their website, not all of the members of the band have Kiwi pass-ports so seems peculiar to call it a home-coming tour..although it is one)! Tickets can be found here for $22.50, and a great review of The Veils if you are yet to hear them can be found here.
As for An Emerald City- they toured earlier in the year and deserve a post in their own right, so perhaps next study break yeah?
The "Other" Dunedin
I am sure you can imagine my excitment when I discovered the above group on Facebook! It seems that I am not the only person who is interested in exploring another side of Dunedin. A Facebook group could perhaps allow more interaction than a blog which I think is great, so I will watch this space with interest….
Dunedin Flat Names
Check out the above link for some of the flats that have become Dunedin Institutions over the years
Here is a pic of local blues band King Leo and The Growling Dogs. King Leo (plus band, but not The Growling Dogs) played at a function that I was apart of last Saturday night- and they were totally wicked! I’m not that well-educated in blues, but I was really blown away by Leo’s voice and the harmonica -an instrument that I don’t see or hear enough of. King Leo plus band were a pleasure to work with and the crowd absolutely loved them. They were very flexible- allowing people to sing and play guitars between their sets, and they even added some backing grunt to some of the crowds songs :).
I often feel sorry for bands who play at functions, because I feel like their creativity is rarely appreciated and I cringe to watch amazing bands have to play cheesy “Summer of 69” covers (sorry Brian..), but Leo plus band managed to create an atmosphere and experience that captured the crowd, but also allowed people to share in a general love for music. I had a dorky grin on my face the whole time they were playing, because their music made me feel happy and want to groove. They are certainly one of Dunedins wee treasures. Keep an eye out at the farmers market because Leo is often seen floating around there on a Saturday morning making some wonderful noises. Rumour has it he also teaches Harmonica.
So Long, Farewell….
Last Friday afternoon at 4pm I handed in my last ever university assignment. The assignment was yet another one of those ”start-the-day-before, junked-up-on-caffeine, all nighter” jobs which is typical of my uni career but none-the-less I managed to get it done and was reasonably happy with the result. When I think about it, the essay was more than just a piece of work, it was actually the culmination of five years worth of thinking, listening and learning and given that I am nearing the end of something that has been my entire world for the past five years, it is hard not to get nostalgic.
I’ve decided that five years is quite a nice block of time to reflect on. In many ways I am very different to the “bright-eyed, bushy-tailed” fresher that walked into Arana Hall for the first time five years ago, but also, in many ways I am still that same person. I suppose that struggle between the “me-then” and the “me-now” is reflected by the fact that I decided to start this blog this year- I had come to a point in my life where I wanted more out of Dunedin than just the “classic nights on the piss”, but I also want to acknowledge those ”classic nights” as a part of my Dunedin experience. I am stoked to have been along to as many gigs as I have this year, as my Dunedin experience is so much richer because of it. As for next year and beyond- I am not too sure what I will do. I know that for now, there is so much more about this place and so many more stones left unturned that I want to bring attention to, and write about, listen to, watch and visit.
I used to really dislike Dunedin. I found Dunedin a really tired place and had a “same stuff, different day” type attitude to my time here, but I am glad that I opened my eyes for long enough to see that Dunedin is far from tiring and boring, it is beautiful, unique and amazing. And as for uni: I am glad that I have been privileged enough to be able to spend five years of my life thinking.
As for this week; on Wednesday night Tono and The Finance Company are playing at Pint Night and on Saturday Mosgiel Band Incarnate are playing their last ever gig- so come along and give them the send off they deserve.
Made In China
So local heavy rock boys Made In China are currently on their second National Tour for the year! Was stoked to catch them at Pint Night a couple of weeks ago before they once again went on the road. They smashed out some new tracks (presumably material which will be used for their full-length album which has been in the pipe line for the past few months), some old tracks (some from their Heavy Low E.P.) and finished with a Kyuss Cover that was definately a crowd pleaser. It was choice because Pint Night had a nice wee buzz to it, with heaps of people there and it was cool to catch the China Boys back in the band room once again. I was also stoked to see heaps of people getting their groove on to some great Made In China sounds- I am always gutted when awesome Dunedin bands don’t get the crowds they deserve.
Made In China is a very tight knit act that epitomise entertainment. Be prepared for lots of on stage antics, and for head banging with an amazing live act to boot. You know, it’s really cool to go and see a band and to see that they actually look like they are enjoying themselves and their music.
You can download their “Letters to the Dead” Sampler from http://madeinchina.bandcamp.com/ which has been released to co-incide with their current tour. Once you sign up for the download, you will also become a part of their mailing list which is great. (I must stress that this sampler should only act as something to listen to while you wait to see them live, because honestly, the intensity and explosiveness of their live show is out of this world, and almost unrivalled.) But it gets better- this coming Thurs (22nd) Made In China and Left or Right will be coming together once again (reviving the old Backstage days!) to play at The Penguin Club in Oamaru. This will be amazing! These are two of my favourite Dunedin bands, and this will be an amazing live show and full-on experience at an amazing venue.
