The third day of CMJ proceedings was primarily occupied by a slew of interviews I had to undertake (you’ll be seeing them online soon) and the CMJ College Day and College Radio Awards, which saw college radio personalities and stations recognised for their talents and hard work. Sounds Australia were behind the day itself, putting together a variety of showcases that took place in between panels. I managed to catch the brief performances by Bleeding Knees Club and Boy & Bear – both of whom impressed the crowd with ease, and were just a taste of what the whole day had to offer.
At the awards themselves I was personally quite thrilled to witness an industry showing such comradery and support for one and other. A room of people in it for the right reasons, they would gleefully cheer for one and other as the nominees and winners were announced. If the people in that room are the future of the industry then there’s plenty of hope for it yet.
My epic evening of live music kicked off with an acoustic set from the Dum Dum Girls (pictured below), or at least one half of them. Dee Dee and Jules brought out the acoustic guitar and played a beautifully stripped back set featuring tracks from their latest full length Only In Dreams including “Hold Your Hand”, and “Bhang Bhang, I’m a Burnout” off their debut record I Will Be. Though they’ll be in full band mode down in Australia, should tonights performance have been any indication, we’re in for a real treat. Here’s hoping they don the acoustic guitars on that tour too… It all worked so well stripped back.
I ran to nearby venue Pianos to catch an early evening performance by Melbourne’s Little Red (pictured below). I caught the last three songs, which seemed a bit hit and miss – the first “All Mine” filled the latter category, though “Chelsworth” and a new track definitely made up for it. It was strange seeing them out of the context I’m used to: that is, young girls singing along to every track. Here, a sold out room gave the group all their attention and for the most part you could have heard a pin drop. Though this gave the band little to work with, it provided a unique and enjoyable atmosphere to Listen to Little Red, additional appropriate given they seemed rather tired. See what I did there!!
Tonight was all about Portugal. The Man for me. I rushed over to Terminal 5, where I’d caught Odd Future the night before, to attempt to secure entry to the gig which also featured buzz band Givers and personal favourites Alberta Cross (who I could hear from afar as I lined to enter). Unfortunately, by the time I got to the front of the queue they were making press buy tickets to enter. On a tight budget I painfully had to turn down this option and I instead made tracks to catch Gold Coast band Bleeding Knees Club (pictured below), way over the other side of Manhattan at The Delancey (which would house the Aussie BBQ over the weekend). In a room that felt like someone’s basement or garage, the boys felt right at home as they finished up their set with “Hate Me” and a song about “California Eyes”. Their music couldn’t be more fun, feels right at home in New York, and tonight they gave it their all.
Keeping up with my ongoing trend of the night – running around Manhattan like a madman – I hit up Living Room next to enjoy my first full set of the night, and from the comfort of a chair no less! Perth’s Grace Woodroofe (pictured below) has been busy touring around the US with Ben Harper and it became pretty obvious why early on in the set – this young talent is already a voice to be reckoned with. The sort of deep soulful voice reminiscent of Sarah Blasko, but with slightly more depth and feeling, and a touch of sensuality and lyrics beyond her years.
She performs with a three piece behind her and together they jumped (with skill) between softer, more emotive tracks, and some good old rock and roll. Indeed, Grace could be pretty rockin’ when she needed to: her long hair covering her face like Cousin It, while her body thrashed around like a stage veteran. Her set opened with the impressive “Transformer”, while “I’ve Handled Myself Wrong” was just Grace and her acoustic guitar that proved she was an amazing guitarist too. Some people have all the talent! A spot on (yet inspired) cover of Iggy’s “I Wanna Be Your Dog” ended what was easily one of the best sets of CMJ.
Next I made it over to the Irish party, to catch The Minutes (pictured above and below), one of the surprises of the festival. They reminded me a bit of early day Wolfmother, in that they’re wearing their influences on their sleeves, attempting a modern version of the much loved 70s rock and roll sound, and doing a pretty damn good job of it. Let’s just say that if rock and roll is dead, no one told The Minutes. And they certainly knew how to go about providing that sort of rock and roll experience, proclaiming: “this is a rock show, you’re going to leave deaf”. Indeed many did, but thankfully I came prepared with earplugs. Not very rock and roll of me, sure, but I had a lot more music still to come.
“Monster” was one of my favourite tracks of the set, which saw the bands energetic lead singer come into the crowd, while their closing track was surprisingly reminiscent of UK band The Music (RIP).
After a good bit of self debate as to where to finish up my night, I ended up at Le Poisson Rouge out near NYU (the metro network seriously got a pounding tonight) to catch up with Sydney’s Art Vs Science. New York’s Penguin Prison (pictured below) were ripping the dancefloor up when I arrived, playing to a packed out room as part of this Windish Agency showcase. They jammed out the sort of electro pop rock that Scissor Sisters have become known for – solid beats, high pitched male vocals, plenty of sexy melodies and the sort of music I believe it’s a crime not to dance to.
Though the room thinned out a bit as Art Vs Science (pictured below) prepared themselves to close up the night, Penguin Prison proved an apt choice to get the crowd in a good mood for one of Australia’s hottest current acts, who worked hard to win over the foreign crowd, and did so in style. Surrounded by disco ball lights, they launched with “Friend in the Field” before “Higher”, “A.I.M! Fire”, “Magic Fountain” and “With Thoughts”. By the time “Parlez Vous, Francais?” hit, the crowd were losing their minds – great to see. And it was here they got up to their usual shenanigans – well, Dan Mac got up to his usual guitar solo, beer sculling shenanigans. Also great to see. “Flippers” (featuring a girl from the crowd on Cowbell, who gave Dan Mac a bit of a kiss) and “Hollywood” ended the show.
It was the usual energetic set from the three piece with the no doubt inebriated crowd giving them plenty to work with. Now you might be saying “did you seriously go all the way to New York to see bands who live (literally) around the corner?” and to be honest it was very much part of the reason. It’s a thrill to see bands you’ve seen evolve locally make their mark on the international stage. And for bands like Art Vs Science, Little Red and The Grates it’s also an opportunity to see them return to their roots: small venues with new crowds to win over. It’s a trip down memory lane and a reminder of how far they’ve come. Where they go from here is anyone’s guess.
Dum Dum Girls & The Minutes photos by Andrea Heart, otherwise by Larry Heath.
