Jade Macrae and Sierra Fin at The Vanguard, Sydney

Band: Jade Macrae and Sierra Fin
Venue: The Vanguard, Sydney
Date: 22nd November 2007
Reviewed By: Dane Hodges. Special thanks to our friends at Moon Unit Underground

Along with The Basement and Will & Toby's, The Vanguard remains one of the classiest live venues in Sydney , and consistently provides first-rate entertainment for its patrons. Particularly pleasing is the venue's commitment to uncovering new talent, and Sierra Finn are no exception. A highly skilled musical duo, they provide adult pop with bite, hooky yet sophisticated. Lazy comparisons to Coldplay are
inevitable, however there is something distinctly Australian in their approach that distinguishes them from their peers; acoustic ditties such as 'Blue Day Sun' could have been written for Pete Murray (yes, that's meant as a compliment). Elsewhere, the duo's grand piano ballads such as 'Circumstance and Coincidence' (their Coldplay moment, no question) allowed them to show some flair, with the work of Russ on the piano recalling a young Ben Folds. Vocally, his crisp voice at times recalled Kelly Jones of the Stereophonics. While they are not yet entirely comfortable on stage, and have a limited stage presence, the audience nonetheless warmed to them, and
by the end of their set were very responsive to what may be Australia 's next big thing.
You might not hear them on 2Day FM, but therein lies their strength.

The first thing you notice about Jade Macrae when she appears on-stage is her undeniable stage presence; she is sexier, sassier in the flesh than one would imagine, and is very at home in front of an audience. However, for all her appeal, musically she is not yet in the same league as the American soul divas she seems so intent on
competing with, as was evident in her lacking rendition of Beyonce's 'Work It Out'.
Fresh from a songwriting trip to the States for her new album 'Get Me Home', Jade was in fine form vocally, and was backed by an impressive set of musicians. Ultimately though moments like 'Shine Like A Diamond', which has instant radio potential, were few and far between, separated by generic R&B ballads that, on first listen, didn't
pack the punch they needed to. Curiously missing from the setlist was 'So Hot Right Now', her biggest hit to date; the familiarity of the tune could have renewed some audience interest. No question she is one of Australia 's most promising R&B talents, but she still has a way to go before she can give Alicia Keys and co. a run for their money.

Mammal at Candy's Apartment, Sydney

Band: Mammal
Venue: Candy's Apartment, Sydney
Date: 26th October 07
Reviewed By: Glen

This punter has seen Mammal performing live a dozen or so times over the last year or two and they have never failed to please. Even when I've been too tired/sick/hungry/drunk to care about being at a gig, the moment they walked on stage I felt like I was smacked in the face, shaken up, had my head dunked in icy water and then thrown about to put me in the mood. And I've never left a Mammal gig disappointed. Actually, I've always left a Mammal gig feeling like I've just dropped a few pills!!! Despite this, I've never come to have any expectations from a Mammal gig. They do what they do, and they do it brilliantly, and I'd rate all their gigs at least 11.5/10.

So tonight as Zeke and the boys stormed on stage with Zeke roaring a guttural "HELL YEAH" I knew I was in for another treat. However, soon into the first song it became apparent that Nick's bass guitar was having issues, and Mammal did what I consider to be the biggest no-no a band could do. They unforgivably stopped mid song! They waited till the bass was fixed. Then they restarted song number one from scratch. Most bands would have stormed on regardless of a minor technical hitch and with Zeke's no fucking around attitude, I was most surprised that he insisted on the band stopping.

I do not know if it was this technical hitch that made the band (and therefore the crowd) lose their momentum, or whether it just wasn't Mammal's night, but there was something not quite right tonight. I cant put my finger on what it was - Zeke's vocals were as good as ever, and the band rocked....but the gig just seemed to lack the usual fire that it has.

Whilst I was glad that Zeke didn’t go on his usual ranting and raving about sociopolitical issues, perhaps the fact that he didnt do this was another symptom that things werent as spot on as they should have been.

Dont get me wrong, it was still an awesome gig - but anyone who has seen Mammal will understand me when I say there is an amazing raw energy that Mammal exudes when they play, and this wasn't quite there tonight. Had it been the first time I saw Mammal I'm sure I would have loved the gig... but this one stopped just short of the line. 9/10 I'd say.

Toby in W.A.

Band: Toby
Venue: Wodgina minesite (Sth Port Hedland, WA)
Date: 9th October 2007
Reviewed By: Sally




I have never seen these guys before, let alone heard of them, but I was very pleasantly surprised.

Toby was wonderful with conversing with the audience, and she had the most brilliantly powerful voice that filled the whole of the wet mess (this is basically an open bar).

The band included lead guitar, drums, keyboard and trumpet, with Toby on acoustic guitar. She mainly sung her own songs which were gorgeous, but then halfway through the gig did her own a version of Janis Joplins 'Bobby McGee' that was to die for!!

It was a packed house for this gig and everyone was wrapped with the performance. Well worth seeing if she ever heads East.

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