sharplittleteeth

I started writing this last night, after we got back from the Amanda Palmer gig. It's long. Very long. And a bit rambling. My apologies. The actual review bit is at the end, if you want to skip over the blow-by-blow descriptions.


SOME BACKGROUND

Friday night we saw Jason Webley's gig at the Evelyn Hotel. Jason Webley is a sort of gypsy/gutterpunk/Tom Waits accordion player. He's supported Amanda Palmer on previous tours, which is where I suspect most of his fan base in Australia comes from.

Supporting him was Evelyn Evelyn, a pair of Edward Gorey-esque conjoined twins who were "discovered" by Webley and Palmer. And yes, by "discovered" I mean they're characters played by Palmer and Webley.

The chance for Evelyn Evelyn to play at a venue called The Evelyn was too good for them to pass up. Even if it confused the hell out of the poor sales assistant at Polyester when I tried to buy our tickets.

So...

( FRIDAY: THE EVELYN )

 

( SATURDAY: THE FORUM )

THE ACTUAL REVIEW

Look, we saw Amanda Palmer play the Forum exactly a year ago. And that was one of the best concerts of my life. Intimate. Shambolic. Joyous. Utter magic. Irrepeatable magic, too, because it came just after the SLAM rally, and she had Paul Kelly and Mick Harvey join her on stage. There was just so much love flowing on the stage, and between the stage and the audience.

Last night was a great performance from a great performer. And if I sound hesitant about it, it's only because you can't catch lightning twice.

It was a great show. She had the entire audience on their feet, all the way to the back rows of the Forum. And part of what makes her shows so great is the rag-tag family of musicians she surrounds herself with. Mikelangelo joked she had so many guests on stage it was like the Johnny Cash Show.

And that rag-tag family extends out into the audience, too. Palmer was booked to play Christchurch the day the earthquake hit. She sent go-go dancers out into the crowd with donation buckets for the New Zealand Red Cross.

You can't catch lightning twice. But Amanda Palmer can throw a party. It might start out a bit maudlin. But it ends in strippers wearing koala suits, and every one cheering like mad.

I'm glad we went. I also glad went to the Evelyn the night before, and caught something more intimate.

andricongirl, usekh  and I will be grabbing dinner at the ACMI Lounge from about 7ish, should people wish to join us.

You can't punk cabaret without your carbohydrates.

Pre-sale tickets to Amanda Palmer are on sale now.

You're supposed to have a Frontier Touring membership, but all you need is the password:

Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Auckland: A55932423
Adelaide: KILLED

I don't know what the story with Sydney is. I think tickets for those shows are already on sale.



andricongirl  and p_cat : I've got ours.

Amanda Palmer's solo album Who Killed Amanda Palmer? is officially released today.

Being a total Amanda fanboy, I pre-ordered mine. In fact, I pre-ordered the US$100 deluxe package, which comes with a t-shirt, a vinyl LP, crime scene photos and an accompanying book with short stories by Neil Gaiman.

Since it's shipping from the US, I expect to see it around Christmas. Fortunately it also comes with a digital download. So I've been listening to over the last few days.


THE REVIEW

This isn't a radical departure from Palmer's work with the Dolls. Producer Ben Folds has added some big orchestral sounds, and the best songs are less Punk and more torch-song Cabaret. But I suspect that distinction between band and solo album is more important to the artist than the listener.

I'm deeply, deeply in love with some of these songs. They tend to be the darker, more introverted ones on the album. The poppier, upbeat songs are good, but they lack the muscular rawness of Dresden Dolls rockers.

Best track: Strength Through Music

Other Tracks That Are Astonishing: Astronaut, Runs In The Family, Ampersand, Have To Drive

Overall: An introverted album. Several breathtaking tracks, others that are taking their time to grow on me.

Should You Buy It: Are you a Dresden Dolls fan?  Yes or no, that's probably your answer.


( Track By Track )