KLP @ Black Bear Lodge

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of interviewing KLP (Kristy Lee Peters from triple j House party) just hours before she was set to play in Brisbane. After the interview I headed along to her gig at Black Bear Lodge and it was one of the strangest night's of my life.

Major support for KLP was Tigerilla who is a producer specialising in what he calls nostalia electronica. I would call it…weird karaoke? He was set up with a synth and a laptop but stood in front of said set-up with a microphone and sung over his pre-recorded tracks. He certainly had a lot of energy and looked like he was very much enjoying himself. He was a good looking guy in a tall-tee and baggy pants with a squadron of look-a-like dudes standing in the front dancing just as hard as he; he obviously knows the right people. Tigerilla played a checkered set with a few pretty good tracks that piqued my interest and few that were just derivative and boring. His set left my dumbfounded, asking myself, 'what did I just watch?'.

Following him was KLP who took the stage with a back-up singer and electronic drummer. She played what she calls a live set where she took the role of lead vocalist and front-woman as opposed to her more popularly known DJ set. KLP played a flawless set and showed off her strong and impressive voice. She was also able to dance and keep the crowd engaged. The three of them on stage had a nice vibe and relationship and provided plenty of opportunity to dance.

Watch a quick video on my Instagram here.

Although I enjoyed her set and was impressed by how well written and produced a number of the tracks were, it wasn't my usual kind of show. KLP was dressed in black and her two band members were dressed in white. There were times when they would coordinate dance moves and it all came across as a little bit too corny and over-produced. They definitely embraced their pop music label but it wasn't something that appealed to me personally and was particularly strange to see at Black Bear Lodge better known for their beards and craft beers.

I left confused and bemused but had a good night with good company in one of my favourite bars, a couple of cocktails and some good old fashioned pop music.

AC/DC Live @ QSAC November 11 2015

Saved this one as a draft and never ended up publishing it. Perhaps it's worth a read...

It was the night my family and I had looked forward to for months; the AC/DC concert. My aunt, uncle and cousin arrived at my parents home shortly before I did and we all got dressed up for the occasion; my cousin sporting an Angus Young inspired school boys outfit, the rest of us in various band merchandise. We piled into the mini-bus making a few stops along the way to pick up a few good friends.

We made this trip a few years ago the last time AC/DC came to Brisbane and it was such a memorable night that we were so looking forward to reliving it all again. Just as we were on our way we were set back by a flat tyre. Just our luck. Pulled over on the side of the motorway, in the rain, we soon discovered the spare was flat too. After a long anxious wait we had a friend meet us to take the spare to get pumped before we changed it and were finally on our way.

Despite the delay we were even more excited to arrive fearing we mightn't make the show. We did, however, but unfortunately missed the support acts. The Hives and Kingswood were opening. Both bands I have seen at festivals in the past but I was eager to see them again. I caught the last couple of songs from Kingswood but not enough to form much of an opinion. Our late arrival did mean we had just enough time to get in, get food and get settled without too much waiting around before it was time for AC/DC to take the stage.

They were pretty phenomenal. For dudes their age they sure know how to move and get around. They relied heavily on pyrotechnics, lights, smoke and all that jazz but it was incredibly exciting. We were sitting so far away you couldn't really see much else anyway. It was all about the energy and it sure was contagious. Their new songs definitely weren't received as well as the old favourites everyone knows and loves. There were a few moments where it sounded like they were out of time, from where I was sitting so far back anyway, but the annoying but also amazing things was that they didn't seem to notice or care and just kept shredding away until they fell back in time and got it together. I guess that's what a lifetime of performing hard and fast does for you.

Was it a technically good and inspiring show? No. Was it enjoyable? Yes. Memories with family were once again created with AC/DC that I will never forget and will make for interesting and entertaining stories in years time. Would I go again? Yes, purely to have a fun night out with family.