Andrew West Griffin for alerting me to this gig of Steve Kilbey's.
Without Andrew mentioning this gig I would not have known until it was too late, so cheers to you Andrew for the heads up on the event.
Oh, and by the way, Andrew is a relative of the man who designed the layout of Australia's capital Canberra, where Steve grew up and formed his band The Church.
Walter Burley Griffin (1912) |
Steve Kilbey on stage at Lefty's Music-hall in Brisbane |
Those zebra mats Steve is standing on kept reminding me of the patterns coming out of the TV screen of an opening to the Dr. Who TV show.
Another thing that struck me about Lefty's Music Hall was all the chandeliers all over the roof, which gave it a very Donnie Darko type feel to the evening, remembering that Steve wrote and sung a song which was used in that movie, Under the Milky Way Tonight.
And who can forget the scene where the chandelier is seen rocking back and forth after the engine plunges through Donnie's roof in its bid to kill him?
Lefty's Music Hall with the chandeliers on the roof |
The Apollo Theatre in London |
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
It brought down a lighting rig and a section of balcony,thereby trapping 2 people and injuring around 88, including 7 seriously.
There were 720 people in the audience at the time."
Apollo TheatreIt brought down a lighting rig and a section of balcony,thereby trapping 2 people and injuring around 88, including 7 seriously.
There were 720 people in the audience at the time."
8:15?
Lefty's had a very Twin Peaks feel to it as well, as there were deer heads and stuffed bears on the walls.
In fact, there were four deer heads right behind the stage area.
In fact, there were four deer heads right behind the stage area.
We're not going to talk about Judy Boone: Christopher's mother |
And Lefty's used to be 'The Velvet Cigar' strip club.
Signs from 'The Velvet Cigar' still hang in the Men's room of Lefty's. |
There were also mirrors all over the place at Lefty's.
"I'll Be Your Mirror" is a song by The Velvet Underground.
It appeared on their 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico.
It also surfaced as a single a year earlier with
"All Tomorrow's Parties" in 1966.
Lou Reed wrote the song for Nico, who provides lead vocals.
Inspiration for the song apparently came about after Nico approached Reed after a show in 1965 saying,
The massive mirror running down Lefty's sidewall |
Another view of the big mirror at Lefty's Music Hall |
A banana on The Church's DVD cover? |
A banana on The Velvet Underground's album? |
It appeared on their 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico.
It also surfaced as a single a year earlier with
"All Tomorrow's Parties" in 1966.
Lou Reed wrote the song for Nico, who provides lead vocals.
Inspiration for the song apparently came about after Nico approached Reed after a show in 1965 saying,
"Oh Lou,
I'll be your mirror."
The song is a favorite of Reed's and The Velvet Underground & Nico engineer, Norman Dolph."
I'll Be Your Mirror
On the subject of the Lou syncs, Steve made a remark about playing in an old strip club while Bon Jovi was literally playing to a packed stadium up the road from Lefty's Music Hall.
Oddly enough, the ring tone on the cell phone I took all the pictures above at Lefty's on the night has Bon Jovi singing Living on a Prayer.
I placed it on there as my theme song, as I was working at IKEA at the time and felt everyday working there was like living on a prayer just to get by, pay off my mortgage and make ends meet.
I placed it on there as my theme song, as I was working at IKEA at the time and felt everyday working there was like living on a prayer just to get by, pay off my mortgage and make ends meet.
The pay is peanuts at this place, not bananas;-) |
The Andy Dick Show –10-16-13 |
Doesn't Steve have a poetry book called Fruit Machine? |
Most of these song titles could refer to the IKEA monkey, I think. |
Steve also remarked that his twin daughters were playing in stadiums in Norway and Sweden while he was now playing in small venues like Lefty's.
Their band's name is Say Lou Lou (Lou Reed?).
Their band's name is Say Lou Lou (Lou Reed?).
Say Lou Lou on stage |
Steve's daughter's band Say Lou Lou |
"Say Lou Lou are a twin sister musical duo hailing from both Australia and Sweden.
Considered Dream pop or Dream Wave, they released their first single in 2012 before forming their own record label, à Deux, in 2013."
Say Lou Lou On Debut Album, Scoring a Breakout Hit with a B-Side
"Whether you're in Stockholm or Sydney (or Brisbane;-),
Considered Dream pop or Dream Wave, they released their first single in 2012 before forming their own record label, à Deux, in 2013."
Say Lou Lou On Debut Album, Scoring a Breakout Hit with a B-Side
"Whether you're in Stockholm or Sydney (or Brisbane;-),
"Fool of Me," which features
Australian vocalist Chet Faker, is one of the more quietly devastating
songs released so far this year.
Released earlier this month as a b-side on the vinyl release to
Released earlier this month as a b-side on the vinyl release to
Say Lou Lou's single "Julian," "Fool of Me" has
garnered 123,000 Soundcloud plays in two weeks, and has been
highlighted on Pitchfork, Idolator and MTV Buzzworthy as a potential
breakout song for the duo.
"We're overwhelmed," says Kilbey of the response to the song.
"For us, it was always an amazing track and it felt very intimate, but in our view it was something to complement 'Julian.'
We didn't plan for it, and we didn't even hope for it, to have that kind of reception.""
https://soundcloud.com/sayloulou/fool-of-me-feat-chet-faker
"The Church frontman Steve Kilbey has taken to his
official Facebook page to announce that his band have begun
recording a new album as The Church, and to announce the addition of former Powderfinger guitarist Ian Haug to the band, replacing the unavailable Marty Willson-Piper.
“This has been hard to broach,” opens Kilbey.
“This is the simple truth. Marty was/is unavailable. After having secured the funds to make a new Church record, Marty was not available…
So I asked Ian Haug from Powderfinger if he would like to play on this record and do the subsequent tour.”"
The Church Announce Addition of Powderfinger Guitarist For New Album
"We're overwhelmed," says Kilbey of the response to the song.
"For us, it was always an amazing track and it felt very intimate, but in our view it was something to complement 'Julian.'
We didn't plan for it, and we didn't even hope for it, to have that kind of reception.""
https://soundcloud.com/sayloulou/fool-of-me-feat-chet-faker
"Fool of Me" has
garnered 123,000 Soundcloud plays in two weeks, and has been highlighted on Pitchfork, Idolator and MTV Buzzworthy as a potential breakout song for 'Say Lou Lou'. |
Fool of Me? |
Steve on stage with new Church guitarist Ian Haug |
official Facebook page to announce that his band have begun
recording a new album as The Church, and to announce the addition of former Powderfinger guitarist Ian Haug to the band, replacing the unavailable Marty Willson-Piper.
“This has been hard to broach,” opens Kilbey.
“This is the simple truth. Marty was/is unavailable. After having secured the funds to make a new Church record, Marty was not available…
So I asked Ian Haug from Powderfinger if he would like to play on this record and do the subsequent tour.”"
The Church Announce Addition of Powderfinger Guitarist For New Album
420 pages? 42? |
Steve reading from his book Uncollected. |
"Once upon a time Steve Kilbey lived in Mansfield St, Rozelle (Sydney
Australia) in an old terrace house.
It was 1986, he would sit around in his kitchen banging out poetry.
He wanted a poetry book because that's what pop-stars did that had done everything else, they released a poetry book or two.
Dylan, Bolan, Lennon... if it was good enough for them then it was good enough for him.
Steve Kilbey - Musician, painter, writer, poet, sage, dispenser of arcane wisdom, and much loved national treasure.
A songwriter of many musical tongues, from the sprawling guitar thunderstorms of his band 'The Church', to the opiated dronescapes and psychedelic vision of his solo recordings and paintings.
Kilbey can only be referred to as a polymath; a modern-day renaissance man, a consummate musician and hitmaker.
His fans have been treated to an unrivalled catalogue of material for over 33 years.'
The Time Being' brings you 'Uncollected' by Steve Kilbey.
A deluxe edition of his books - Earthed, The Ephemeron, Nineveh, Fruit Machine and other selected works, all in one neat and tidy volume."
‘Uncollected’ poetry book
Bit of a personal sync for me in the above paragraph with Steve living at Mansfield Street, as my high school was Mansfield State High.
Written and recorded by Steve Kilbey and Martin Kennedy. Additional
instrumentation on ‘More of the Same’ by David Spall. Album artwork by
Steve R Dodd. Many thanks to all our commissioners. Special thanks to
Steve R Dodd and Kay Smith
It was 1986, he would sit around in his kitchen banging out poetry.
He wanted a poetry book because that's what pop-stars did that had done everything else, they released a poetry book or two.
Dylan, Bolan, Lennon... if it was good enough for them then it was good enough for him.
Steve Kilbey - Musician, painter, writer, poet, sage, dispenser of arcane wisdom, and much loved national treasure.
A songwriter of many musical tongues, from the sprawling guitar thunderstorms of his band 'The Church', to the opiated dronescapes and psychedelic vision of his solo recordings and paintings.
Kilbey can only be referred to as a polymath; a modern-day renaissance man, a consummate musician and hitmaker.
His fans have been treated to an unrivalled catalogue of material for over 33 years.'
The Time Being' brings you 'Uncollected' by Steve Kilbey.
A deluxe edition of his books - Earthed, The Ephemeron, Nineveh, Fruit Machine and other selected works, all in one neat and tidy volume."
‘Uncollected’ poetry book
Bit of a personal sync for me in the above paragraph with Steve living at Mansfield Street, as my high school was Mansfield State High.
Songs From The Real World – Kilbey/Kennedy. |
Tracklist
1. For All We Lack
2. Naomi And Maya
3. A Short Song About Eternity
4. Tomoko
5. A Song For Kris
6. Emerald Lake
7. Lucy
8. Holly
9. Transformation
10. Life’s Sweet Decay
11. Anastasia And Jens
12.Michou
13. Elly
14. My One
15. More Of The Same
2. Naomi And Maya
3. A Short Song About Eternity
4. Tomoko
5. A Song For Kris
6. Emerald Lake
7. Lucy
8. Holly
9. Transformation
10. Life’s Sweet Decay
11. Anastasia And Jens
12.Michou
13. Elly
14. My One
15. More Of The Same
Here's another personal sync for me involving "Lack".
When I was working at IKEA (at the old Springwood store)
Bernard Fanning, the lead singer of
Powderfinger came into the store with his then
girlfriend/partner and bought a "Lack" bookcase for his home.
Some of the guys working with me asked him to sign a few IKEA catalogues, so they could give them to their friends and family.
Another sync for me was the song Anastasia And Jens, as my grandmother's brother was a World War II hero and his first name was Jens, but he dropped his first name and went under his second name Frank.
My grandmother had his medals in a draw and sometimes as a kid I would take them out and look at them like the kid in the movie The Wall does.
Frank was still alive at the time I was a kid, but he shunned anything to do with the war when he returned and gave his medals to my grandmother to keep for some reason.
When he died in 1991 grandma returned his medals to his sons to keep.
He was a big hero in Italy, but hardly recognized in his own country Australia.
Although I'm told there is something down in the
When I was working at IKEA (at the old Springwood store)
Bernard Fanning, the lead singer of
Powderfinger came into the store with his then
girlfriend/partner and bought a "Lack" bookcase for his home.
Some of the guys working with me asked him to sign a few IKEA catalogues, so they could give them to their friends and family.
Another sync for me was the song Anastasia And Jens, as my grandmother's brother was a World War II hero and his first name was Jens, but he dropped his first name and went under his second name Frank.
My grandmother had his medals in a draw and sometimes as a kid I would take them out and look at them like the kid in the movie The Wall does.
Frank was still alive at the time I was a kid, but he shunned anything to do with the war when he returned and gave his medals to my grandmother to keep for some reason.
When he died in 1991 grandma returned his medals to his sons to keep.
He was a big hero in Italy, but hardly recognized in his own country Australia.
Although I'm told there is something down in the
Australian War Memorial in Canberra about him.
Well for me "An Evening with Steve Kilbey" was money and time well spent, and oddly enough, my next big day out is to the Woodford Folkfest to see a number of my favourite musos,
http://woodfordia.realviewtechnologies.com/?xml=Woodfordia_Folk_FestivalV3&iid=82660#folio=108
but guess who is headlining the day?
Julian Marley.
I'll be doing a photo blog on that day too, if everything goes to plan.
http://woodfordia.realviewtechnologies.com/?xml=Woodfordia_Folk_FestivalV3&iid=82660#folio=108
but guess who is headlining the day?
Julian Marley.
I'll be doing a photo blog on that day too, if everything goes to plan.
Stay tuned.
UPDATE: 29/12/2013
The Apollo theatre roof in London would collapse not too many moons after Lou passed away and he sung about the Apollo in his big hit.
"Sugar plum fairy came and hit the streets
Lookin' for soul food and a place to eat
Went to the Apollo, you should've seen 'em go go go
They said, 'Hey sugar, take a walk on the wild side'
I said, 'Hey babe, take a walk on the wild side'Alright, huh."
Lookin' for soul food and a place to eat
Went to the Apollo, you should've seen 'em go go go
They said, 'Hey sugar, take a walk on the wild side'
I said, 'Hey babe, take a walk on the wild side'Alright, huh."
Take a walk on the wild side?! |
Apollo Theatre: Ceiling collapsesduring show in London |