Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Friday Music: All Being Well

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  • chris,

    All being well I will have crawled out of bed and hit “publish” on this post after a late one at the VNZMAs

    It looked like one hell of a party, I’ve never seen any NZ awards on that scale. Huge.

    Mawkland • Since Jan 2010 • 1302 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to chris,

    It looked like one hell of a party, I’ve never seen any NZ awards on that scale. Huge.

    There were a few awkward bits, but the production was amazing. I thought it worked really well for Broods – made me see them in a new light.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • chris, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Yeah it was cool to hear their reactions, they came across superbly.

    Awkward yeah, made for some entertaining live TV, the Wigmore/ Moa bird off, Dominic Bowden talking over the haka, Michael “Harry” Harallambi’s “cocksucker”, all quite memorable.

    Mawkland • Since Jan 2010 • 1302 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    You keep me hanging on...

    Matthew Barnes spent too long on hold with IRD and snapped.

    and Vodafone too if ya add Neil Finn...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • andrew r,

    I'm always a sucker for these post clean kid bands --- I love this --- surfie stuff rock
    http://cheeseontoast.co.nz/2015/11/19/cheese-on-toast-premiere-watch-new-music-video-from-surf-friends/

    auckland • Since May 2007 • 100 posts Report Reply

  • Don Reid,

    The Enemy sound very much like the Stooges here. Also Craig Robertson has a great theory about Dunedin 'Enemy-to-The Clean' era and that venerated local craft store Maud's Fabric Barn - but I'd have to let him tell it.

    Hobart, Tasmania • Since Jul 2014 • 16 posts Report Reply

  • Mark Easterbrook,

    My Friday five cents...I love "All I Gotta Do". I reckon it was Darcy Clay's best. All kinds of depth and emotional complexity bubbling away under the surface of deceptively simple stonking rock song. One of my all time favourites.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 265 posts Report Reply

  • Jason Kemp,

    Its 30 something years since Shoes This High - good to hear Brent has got a song with a payday after all that time. I couldn't listen to the whole thing but I'm happy for Aly & Brent.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 368 posts Report Reply

  • Aly Cook,

    Thanks so much for sharing the video :) Still 4 more singles to come and this is the 2nd single to reach top 10 on Aussie Country Chart :) Never had a chart record breaking bullet thought .. Thanks Fats and Alan for writing such a terrific song :) and Ken Khan for the delicious video :)

    Nelson • Since Nov 2006 • 3 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Mark Easterbrook,

    My Friday five cents...I love "All I Gotta Do". I reckon it was Darcy Clay's best. All kinds of depth and emotional complexity bubbling away under the surface of deceptively simple stonking rock song. One of my all time favourites.

    I've been thinking this myself. 'Jesus I Was Evil' will always be the classic, but 'All I Gotta Do' is my favourite too.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Street Chant playing recently at the bFM Breakfast Club at Real Groovy.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Stuff has a weird, pissy review of the VNZMA coverage. Some of it is warranted, but it’s always going to be difficult broadcasting a stage show live to air. (I’ve been at awards that have been staged according to the needs of TV and they’re tedious.)

    Some of it is just stupid:

    But aside from the pre-determined award winning

    Awards show in “judged in advance rather than made up on the night” shock.

    and he head-scratching Six60 snub, perhaps the most uncomfortable viewing was done by those who bothered tuning into TV3 at home.

    Six60 might be the people’s choice, but they didn’t impress the 200-strong voting academy enough to win any judged award. Shit happens.

    What followed was a hot mess of poor-taste Jonah Lomu references, a running commentary throughout the haka and a sleuth of god-awful acceptance speeches.

    Yeah, the word you’re looking for is “slew”. And the speeches were fine. Get a fucking grip.

    Viewers were treated to a tasty delight of poor sound quality (think The X-Factor NZ calibre), an awkward mish-mash of awards, Waititi jokes, Jay-Jay and Dom Harvey and more Waititi jokes. Just as you began to suspect things were starting to subside, Gin Wigmore swaggered on stage slurring profanities at Anika Moa. The gag went on for just a second too long and everybody cringed on forward.

    The whole room cringed at Dom Harvey’s “joke”. This is what happens when MediaWorks uses the awards broadcast as promo for its media assets.

    But Gin Wigmore? That was funny as hell. She wasn’t slurring, she only said “fuck” once and she went on to give a really nice little speech about being a woman in music.

    The signs were all there. The awards began jarringly with Savage’s Freaks scooping up Highest Selling Single and setting the tone for the night that was. Freaky and awful, from start to stumbling finish.

    I think that should read “the night began with a bang with Savage’s international chart hit ‘Freaks’.” What the hell was jarring about it?

    For reasons unbeknown to those at home, Bowden then did the unthinkable, providing live commentary while audience members performed a tribute haka to Jonah Lomu. The only sincere reference to the late, great rugby icon.

    This was a problem caused by TV3’s pre-determined and poor decision to not show the Best Maori Album award – six awards weren’t shown, but that’s a reality of live-broadcasting a live stage show. They need to go to ad breaks.

    And the haka wasn’t performed by audience members, but by Ranea, the winners of the award.

    For those viewing at home, Vector’s canapes and open bar were out of reach, making the show too long-winded and too awkward to be remotely enjoyable.

    Fucksake. You’ve got a fridge and a pantry at home, haven’t you?

    As for how many Kiwi’s tuned in and stayed tuned on Thursday night, TV3’s viewing numbers are yet to be released. And while we can’t forget Waititi Gate 2015, we can at least seek solace in the fact that we cringed from the cushy comfort of our favourite armchair, remote at the ready, and not from the sweaty pits of General Admission.

    “Waititi Gate”? Really? Taika had too many dick jokes and he didn’t get away with winging it at times, but at least he wasn’t a stiff.

    The review also whines thus:

    Viewers were treated to a tasty delight of poor sound quality (think The X-Factor NZ calibre), an awkward mish-mash of awards,

    The production was amazing at the venue – especially the staging and video – and while Marlon Williams’ performance got a bit lost in the inevitable hubbub (it gets hard to keep up with the talk by the end of the evening too), the loud stuff sounded great. I watched the coverage yesterday and it sounded fine.

    And by "awkward mish-mash of awards", I presume the writer meant "the same awards given out every year". This just seems like a badly-written attempt to tip bile over everything.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Eediot,

    Bugger... looks like I should have stayed with Spotify after all.

    http://help.rdio.com/customer/portal/articles/2228283-important-information-about-your-rdio-account

    Auckland • Since Mar 2011 • 51 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to Eediot,

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • George Darroch,

    Bowie.

    WLG • Since Nov 2006 • 2264 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Attachment Attachment Attachment

    From today’s Darcy Clay tribute/95bFM party at Real Groovy. Buzz from Voom (‘Joelene’), Mikey Havoc (‘Jesus I was Evil’) and Emily Littler (an amazing version of ‘All I Gotta Do’ that made me so happy).

    This was really fun and lovely.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Attachment

    And Sophia, a young fan.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • andin,

    you can see why they terrified all the local punkers when they hit Auckland:

    did they? Not how I remember it. Sure, mebbe, some of the new romancers who were punk pretending at the time. They were fierce live, sure but great musicians and Chris knew how to put on a show. A performance at a Snakestudio bash was one highlight I remember.
    But other than that genuine people.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report Reply

  • Joe Wylie, in reply to andin,

    A performance at a Snakestudio bash was one highlight I remember.

    1980. That was Toy Love, The Enemy were history by the time of that event. Chris even cut himself, which I guess was a bonus, though Alec had to take a little break when he mistook a stray drop of blood for his own

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    A little snippet of Emily doing 'All I Gotta Do':

    Buzz does 'Jolene':

    And Mikey Havoc roars through 'Jesus I was Evil':

    All videos captured by Peter McLennan.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg, in reply to andin,

    did they? Not how I remember it.

    To be fair, that’s pretty much as I recall it. They drew a line in the sand that most of the covers bands at Zwines (and they all were at that stage) hadn’t even figured out existed before.

    That first Enemy gig in the Queen City was a fairly pivotal moment which went from “we’re gonna send these hippies back to where they belong” to a stunned “oh fuck!” in one slash of Chris’ broken bottle during ‘Iggy’.

    And of course from that moment on to be a contender you had to write songs.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • JacksonP, in reply to Russell Brown,

    This just seems like a badly-written attempt to tip bile over everything.

    Maybe someone didn't get the VIP press pass to the live event they expected. :-)

    Auckland • Since Mar 2011 • 2450 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to JacksonP,

    Maybe someone didn’t get the VIP press pass to the live event they expected. :-)

    I was right at the back with my people: the middle-aged media white guys. (Christie, Reid, Greive, Phin and James from George FM)

    Back in the day I used to get a table halfway up the room with the commercial radio people. As Duncan put it on The Spinoff:

    We kinda knew that we were hanging onto our VIP status by a thread.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Back in the day I used to get a table halfway up the room with the commercial radio people. As Duncan put it on The Spinoff:

    I was demoted from the front table last year next to Lorde's to one 3/4 of the way back. Clearly one needs to open a Vodafone dealership in Matamata to keep one's status.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

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