Dance-rock can be either very danceable, very carefree and can leave you with a blissful hour of moving to sounds, lights and colours (important things in life) or it can be emotionless, flat electronic crap about nothing. Now it can be argued that Cut Copy’s music is not about anything important but don’t tell that to the people of Byron.
Clearly at home in the Great Northern, Cut Copy sounded fantastic, their music was crisp and the vocals floated well above the chaos of bodies in the Backroom. The important thing to remember is that dance rock rarely claims to be something its not, and when Lights and Music started playing you could literally taste the freedom as everyone’s problems seemed so far away. At least for a few minutes.
Finally the song everyone held out for, Hearts on Fire drew a big response and the mosh became moshier as Dan Whitford pondered, “theres something in the air tonight”, with that line he had everyone at the gig on one page. Byron loved it and when Whitford sang “I reach out to you tonight”, he was definitely pointing to me.
Simon Stonehouse
Cut Copy image taken without permission from their Myspace page.
Oh no. I've just disgraced myself at the bar. Danielle has poured me and herself a shottie of vodka, which sits in a short glass of red bull. La la land's co-owners are stood behind shots of tequila. All three of them knock their shots back with ease. I try, but fail. I now have a credibility rating of zero. Raf, one of the owners, points to a guy in a white cap and tells me that's the guy I should be photographing. See how cool I am? I don't even know who Ajax is, let alone what he looks like. According to his myspace, Ajax has earned a shitload of recognition for his skills (Technics In The Mix No.1 Australian Dj 2007 and 2006, Allen & Heath DMA Best Australian DJ and Best Mixed CD 2006, 3d World Dj of the Year 2002, 2004, 2005. Busy Ps Best Dj of 2007 (XLR8R), Digitalism's best dj of 2007 (BIGSHOT) and Justice's One to Watch in 2008 (DJ MAGAZINE).) I know he must be big, because La La are asking a cover charge from their VIP's.
Right now, Ajax is at the bar. An excited young fan has got him signing her t-shirt, while a beautiful woman I assume is Ajax's girlfriend looks mildly bored and orders drinks.
It's midnight when he begins his set. That's my bedtime. But anyway. Ajax's mixing style seamlessly blends a lot of short samples from disco house tunes to old school hip hop. You know those Euro club megamixes, that go for half an hour, and play the chorus line of number one hits, and keep the same beat throughout? They're painful, and it seems to me that Ajax uses a similar concept. Except he makes it sound good. Really good. The crowd of early twenty-somethings cram on to the dancefloor and go wild. Earlier I had spoken with a doorman at another venue, who had told me all evening he'd seen people make a beeline for either La la or the Parkway Drive gig at Byron High. If moshpits aren't your thing, La la is definitely the place to be tonight.
Topology frontman and double bassist Robert Davidson comfortably chats between songs, involving the small audience in the performance. The tunes are met with applause growing louder with each song, as though the audience is gradually realising how good the performance is. Standout tunes are the punchy cover of Franz Ferdinand’s Take Me Out, which makes jazz accessible for people like me who know little about it, and You May Laugh, a playful piece which begins with a Ladysmith Black Mamboza + Paul Simon feel to it. Several of the songs are inspired by landscape, and I can see vistas and geographical features in my mind’s eye as they play.
If I have one negative thing to say about this Topology gig, it’d be where the bloody hell are all the Byron jazz fans? The turnout is small, but vocal. I heard that Topology performed in Lismore the night before to a packed audience. Yes Byron, Lismore did better than us. Anyhoo… Following is the set list for the night, with links to mp3's of what you missed out on:
John Babbage: Tourbillon
John Babbage: Anguish Ain’t in it (7/8 version of A Night in Tunisia)
Robert Davidson: Landscape
Robert Davidson: Round Roads
Michael Nyman: And Do They Do
John Adams: Pat’s Aria from Nixon in China
The Shepherd - (Balkan wedding music, courtesy of guest viola player, Mike Patterson from the excellent Doch Gypsy Orchestra)
Franz Ferdinand: Take Me Out
John Babbage: You May Laugh
Visit Topologymusic.com for more information.
Topology image by Chris Osbourne, taken without permission from the Topology Myspace page.
Byron's newest nightclub, Liquid, opened its doors last Friday night to a mainly local crowd. Liquid provides a great alternative to the other late-night options in Byron Bay, and will be welcomed by many - especially those who love to dance. White walls and colourful light panels illuminate what used to be a dark n' dingy space. Is this a good thing?! Fear not clubbers, the lights aren't too bright and the fresh paint definitely lifts the vibe.
The music was already off to a promising start, with a local line up that got the dancefloor pumping. Packed to capacity both Friday and Saturday night, it seems Byron has been ready and waiting for some dancefloor action, and Liquid certainly delivers.
Expect great music from local, national and international DJ's. Perfect for a late night dance after a few drinks.
Suzie Morley
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