MAN ABOUT TOWN

It's been a very mixed start to the year, musically. I've seen some fantastic gigs so far - The Meanies , The Drones , Spiderbait , Camera Obscura and The Decemberists - but sadly several of those gigs only came about because Victoria's liquor licensing laws now penalise as 'high risk' any venue trading until 3am, regardless of whether its patrons have a history of violence or not. Thus, last week long-running Melbourne live music venue The Tote was forced to close its doors - going out with one hell of a bang - because running the pub was no longer viable in light of the increased liquor licensing and security costs which came with its farcical 'high risk' status. I've been drinking at The Tote since 1990, and not once in 20 years have I ever seen a fight there. I have, however, seen some truly kick-arse bands; several of whom performed at The Tote last Monday, its closing night . The Meanies played a brilliant, blinding set that made me feel 15 y...

Ah, my first ever (and only the second ever) Golden Plains, the slightly smaller, saner version of the Meredith Music Festival, held on a farm just outside the township of Meredith, north of Geelong. How superb it was, despite the heat. Good friends (thanks for snagging us a campsite in Bush Camp, Ms Sam!), good people (*waves at Cerise and Mel*) and some damn fine bands. Iron and Wine were soothing and uplifting; an inspired early-evening choice. Swedish popster Jens Lekman and band were simply superb : heartfelt, fun (they did an aeroplane dance! All of them! Running around on stage with their arms stretched out like wings! Bless!) and touching without being twee. Beirut struggled to rise above some shitty sound problems, and from my perspective at least, did so triumphantly; with a heart-starting horn section and some wonderfully operatic vocals; and won over some new fans in the process, from what I saw. With working sound, could have been one of those once-in-a-lifetime gigs th...

Despite the fact that I organised tickets for Keating! tonight for my mum, her friend and I (thanks Casey!) I have instead decided to depart for greener pastures and Golden Plains , having come into possession of a couple of free tickets on Thursday (thanks Triple R!). So, the tickets are waiting for Mum at her hotel and I've arranged for a girlfriend to be her escort. I've borrowed a tent, packed my bag, and am very much looking forward to a weekend in the country surrounded by friends, freaks, and bands, bands, bands: Sharon Jones and the Dap King, The Kamikaze Trio, Iron and Wine, Beirut, The Sea and Cake, and more, more more! I definitely need a weekend away, and I think it will do me good to get out of town and recharge my batteries - or run them so low that I have to totally reset my system, which I think is more likely. Either way, it's gonna be fucken' wonderful! See you on the other side, peeps!

Words cannot suffice to say how sublimely, life-affirmingly, head-explodingly good Arcade Fire were last night. If the sound mix had actually been perfect, as opposed to messy for the first six or seven songs, I do believe I may actually have either a) died or b) achieved orgasm via the sheer skill, enthusiasm, artistry and wonderfulness of the 10 talented people on stage. Thanks for the ticket, Ms Sam - I so owe you one!

Sydney music fans must be feeling crap , with word released last night that Bjork had cancelled her Big Day Out appearance scheduled for today. She's the main reason I'm going to the BDO this year (well, her and Canada's Arcade Fire but she's definitely my main attraction) so I hope to all the gods of Iceland that she's well enough to perform on Monday!

Should your life be so lacking in stimulii as to wish to see the author of this blog creep out from behind his keyboard and into the real world, then you'll have your chance this week; both physically and audibly. This coming Thursday, I'll be facilitating two panels at the Melbourne Writers' Festival ; in other words introducing two seperate groups of writers who will in theory be discoursing about the precise topics of the panels in question, but who really are engaged in little more than a marketing exercise designed to promote their latest books. Moi , cynical? Heaven forfend! At 3:45pm in the Bagging Room at the Malthouse Theatre, I'll be chairing a panel called Refined Tastes , featuring authors John Lanchester and David Hewson , and discussing the differences and similarities between author and character when it comes to writing about art, architecture, food and wine, and similar subjects. Then, at 6;30pm , in the Merlyn Theatre, I'll be facilitating a disc...

According to The Age online this afternoon, St Kilda live music venue the Palace has thrown in the towel . The 'entertainment complex' will close next month, having lost the battle with developers for whom its site is a juicy piece of beachfront real estate. I can't say I'm grief-stricken - I'd be far more upset if the POW was to close - but that said I'll be sorry to see the Palace go. I've had some fun times there, from cavorting on stage half-naked and covered in fluro paint with The Ergot Derivative, to memorable gigs from the likes of: and and and even Farewell, Palace. I shan't miss your sweat-box conditions and crowds, but I shall miss the opportunity for new memories.

An uncomfortably crowded HiFi Bar last night, coupled with a really bad mix (someone shoot the sound engineer!) and being v.tired after work and my first session in the gym with a personal trainer (please don't laugh; it's a work-thing contra deal arrangement and it's only once a week, ok?) could not stop me enjoying myself at Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! last night. They was good. Ebullient even. By the time they played 'By The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth' I would have danced, had I not been hemmed in by several very cute boys in the crowd, and the afore-mentioned tiredness and etc. I was also, truth be told, slightly drunk after two absinthes and then a glass of bubbles at the HiFi. I would have preferred to see them later in the week at a better venue though...

Cherry Rock on Sunday, AC/DC Lane. The joys of Digger and the Pussycats, the always-awesome Dynamo! (even though they don't have an exclamation mark as part of their name I always think they should) and many more. Vodka in abundance. Excellent conversation. Felt like a bit of a spare wheel from time to time, tagging along with different people at different times, as none of my closest friends were there, but still had heaps of fun. Forced myself to leave at a civilised hour too, just before 8pm, as I had work tomorrow and knew it would be way too easy to stay out til all hours, especially as I had the offer of my name of the door at Dirty Sanchez , a bunch of maniacs who do strange, gross, painful and hilarious things to and with their bodies. Think Jackass but with Welsh accents. In the Shadows of Opulence : an installation at Seventh Gallery in Gertrude Street by Charlotte Amos, Betra Fraval and Skye Kennewell that the artists describe as " an exploration of excess and desi...

Walking with Dinosaurs – The Live Experience had its Melbourne premiere on Friday night at the Vodafone arena, and proved a massive success. When narrator Bruce Spence introduced the first dinosaur, a collective gasp went up that echoed throughout the arena, and by the interval, the audiences’ hearts and minds were clearly won over. A $12 million budget has helped designer Sonny Tilders wrought marvels, with 15 life-size dinosaurs brought to life through a sophisticated combination of puppetry and animatronics, convincingly re-creating everything from the illusion of rippling muscles beneath rugose hides to lashing tails and gleaming eyes. This epic production is entertainment on a mammoth scale, and while the narrative occasionally bordered on annoying, being clearly written with children in mind, the dinosaurs themselves, coupled with a stunning lighting design, were more than enough to carry the show. Unfortunately I had to leave at interval to go supervise a photoshoot for MCV ...

Wed 14th September (Day 20) Rose early and walked across the river to the central Dublin bus depot, from where my guided coach tour to Newgrange was due to depart at 9.40am. I had a sinking feeling as I started walking there, and decided about halfway through the walk that I should abandon the tour and make my own way to Newgrange. This would involve a 50-minute train trip to Drogheda , perhaps a wander around the town, and then a bus to the Brugh na Boinne . Sadly, once I got to the railway station I realised that I'd forgotten to include Ireland as one of the five countries on my Eurorail pass, so instead of paying extra for the train I resigned myself to the coach tour instead. We left just after 10, with a fairly small contingent of 20 people, the majority of them aged 50+. The coach driver was informed and chatty, but by the end of the trip I just wanted him to shut up for five minutes so that I could soak in some of the landscape undisturbed. Our first stop was Monasterboice...