Kickin' Down Friday: How We're Determining the Fate of a Teen Gone Viral

“Fun. Fun. Think about fun. You know what it i-is”. – Rebecca Black, “Friday”. 

Fun? What? Fun? Wait. Fun? Why?! Um. ”Fun? Fun? Think about…fun?” 

Sure, I know what that is. It’s…? "I need to find my Dictionary.."

Ok, so dictionary.com defines 'fun' as “something that provides mirth or amusement”.

Um? That circular definition is not my idea of fun. As if. I really do not have time to find me any mirth right now, nor do I have any extra space left in my mind to “think about fun”. Stuff that stupid, stupid song and that horrid little girl! Why is it in my head? I don’t even know. Why? OmG!!!

*internalised anguish to the tune of “Friday” ensues* 

Well, that was fun! See? That was a very (hypothetical) appropriate (and sour) adult reaction to the 'thought provoking' lyrical content of stupid (sweet?) little 13-year-old teeny-bopper Rebecca Black’s debut single “Friday”—that number that we all know and just love to hate. 

You’re probably “rushin'” around; all busy ‘being busy’ and stuff. And, you might not feel like you’ve got the mental capacity to be having any 'fun' at present. But, take a second to think about it: 'fun'. It’s a pretty nice thought—and you do know what it is! 

You can find fun. You can buy fun. You can sell fun. You can try fun. You can take fun. You can make fun. You can even be fun. The access list is endless, yet ever debatable. Do you really know what ‘fun’ is? 

Pursuits of 'fun' can be social or solitary, healthy or unhealthy, cheap or expensive, short, long, nice or nasty—you know that. Unfortunately, in our busy, busy world, ‘making fun’ of others often appears to be the most efficient way to achieve our own sense of 'fun' with little cost to our own sense of worth—especially if we’re a part of a large and harmonious group of ‘fun makers’ with access to an easy target who isn’t likely to strike back when put into a compromising position. 

Of course, in our efforts to be the mature adults that we should be, we usually don’t make overt fun of anyone around us without good reason—such behaviour is considered to be immature and frowned upon as unacceptable in our society [and we have reputations to uphold so that our resumes don’t require updating!].

So, what do we do? We personalise entertainment! By that I mean we actively choose (unless we’re led by others) to persecute certain characters in the media, usually on the basis of their shoddy work, what they look like or the things that they say. It’s fast, easy, preferably communal and totally anonymous—zero hesitation or subsequent guilt involved! [People with heaps of fame and fortune don’t need social acceptance to feel happy or have their own 'fun' anyway, right?]. 

Now, take a second to think about who or what we usually target so collectively. And, where is the 'fun' in 'making fun'? There isn’t much 'fun' left to work with once you’ve stripped teen-pop down and exposed its subjects—they're children (biologically at least). 

The persecution of 'teen-pop' personalities, like Rebecca Black, not-so-beautifully illustrates how music can unite people and create a not-so-well-reasoned sense of community. Her mundane lyrics, heavily auto-tuned singing, rather ridiculous and evidently lip-synched music-video, all combined to make her song “Friday” so bad that it was, in a sense, good—going viral on Youtube and social media websites on March 11, 2011, just a month after it was released. Still, the backlash that flavoured the hysteria led me to believe that the real issue exists in the fact that “Friday” was so good that it was destined to be considered bad. Indeed, most music critics and viewers dubbed it “the worst song ever” and she received death-threats, even though its content was pleasantly innocuous and followed appropriate ‘teen-pop’ conventions perfectly. 

Why should anyone want to hate or mock Rebecca Black? Could those people actually be mocking themselves? 

We, We, We So(Un)Authentic: 

Being an instance of ‘teen-pop’, “Friday” should have sold like teen spirit. Specifically designed for teen consumption in the usual top-down manner, the production was aptly generic, synthetic and ultra-catchy, thus loyal to the conventions of its genre. It was expected to become commercially successful because lots of people would like it (partially due to necessary over-promotion). Meanwhile, poor [yes, poor!] little Rebecca Black ticked almost all of the boxes required to become a successful teen-pop-star commodity—a bright voice, lovely-looks and unrelenting enthusiasm, only sex-appeal was lacking. Obviously performing from a script, she couldn’t have known that her disposal (a seemingly necessary part of the 'teen-pop-star' journey) would occur so early on in her 'career'. 

Unfortunately, her every attempt at individuality and attitude failed—instead of sounding trendy, self-reference in the form of “we-we-we” just made her sound like an inarticulate (and possibly incontinent) retard and she looked like a girl who had been ripped straight off the set of High School Musical. It all seemed so fake and mechanical, apart from her pimple, though that is only one point of view. 

In a failed attempt at universality, the production had Black presenting a whole bunch of things that we'd obviously seen and heard of before with (an unnecessary amount of) rather theatrical enthusiasm. It's not as if anything she said was that implausible (watching her get into a car driven by another 13-year-old is another matter). Seriously, her grip on common logic appeared to excel well above that of Jenna Rose in “ My Jeans” (she sang about adoring jeans, yet wore basically everything apart from jeans throughout most of the clip!) but her perpetually beaming face, repetition of phrase endings, use of girly inflections and repeated stating of the obvious, e.g. “To-day-it-is-Fri-day”...in a song called “Fri-day”, made it all seem quite silly. Despite her confidence and excitement, a lot of people just couldn't take her seriously (seriously).

The teeny-bopper storyline and presentation were likely to be deemed bland, formulaic and offensively typical by some at least, with redundant phrases like “Crusin' so fast, I want time to fly” accompanying a clearly simulated car ride. I'm sure that more than a few people might have felt that they could get much more creative at home with GarageBand themselves, and we had probably heard enough songs about that blessed weekday already, e.g. “Friday I’m In Love”, “Friday on My Mind”, etc. Yet, Katy Perry would soon release “Last Friday Night – T.G.I.F”, featuring Black in the video, and we wouldn't judge her half as badly...

We-We-We So (In)Appropriate:  

Rebecca Black was getting excited about what? The weekend? Really? Just the weekend with her girlfriends? Nothing else? Yes. Rebecca Black was only singing about how much she was looking forward to some harmless weekend fun with her friends. That's very different to Katy Perry's pop-tart take on a 'Friday', in which she thanks 'God' for nights of heavy-drinking, law-breaking, menage a trois' and Barbie-doll abuse. Perry's 'Friday fable' seems equally (if not more) ridiculous, but we seem to grant her permission and some amount of respect, despite her vulgarity because she is, presumably, a more level-headed adult.

I won't judge you for wondering which seat to take on this very weighty issue but it seems as if Rebecca Black appeared to be so 'good’ and naively forthright about her routine sources of excitement that she must have been stupid too. In contrast to mainstream pop-star Katy and sexier 'teen-stars' like Miley Cyrus (who likes to tell us about shaking her drastically underage hips at parties...in the USA), there really was nothing extreme, scandalous or even remotely interesting about outlining the days of the week or telling us how she woke up in the morning to eat cereal out of a bowl before she went to school (unless you're someone who is very sensitive to homophones or seriously fussy about breakfast food). 

You can't really say that singing about breakfast, friends, school and fun isn't appropriate for a 13-year-old to be doing—it’s obviously more appropriate than listening to Miley sing about how she “Can’t Be Tamed” while dressed like an half-clothed Hippogriff in a cage [not that Hippogriffs really wear their feathers…]—but the inoffensive content didn't turn out to be appreciated at face-value by the wider audience on the internet, especially not in combination with the unconvincing video clip. Although young Miley’s unsuitably mature presentations are commonly criticised, the wider public seemed to find Rebecca Black’s mundane presentation much more unacceptable—maybe it left too much to the imagination?

We-We-We-So (Mis)Appropriate:

  The “Friday” video-clip was almost immediately upstaged by parodies, dubs and remixes that derided, sexualised, spiritualised, masculinised and even politicised the content and Rebecca Black as a person (though some effortful cover versions did appear online and on TV too). Effectively, she accidentally became the most popular scapegoat for anyone’s, and almost everyone’s, ‘Friday-it-is’. Why?

Well, ok, yes. This seriously ‘older’ man (who looked something like Usher) did make a cameo in the clip. But, that commonly happens in videos these days! Everyone wants to get a cool-looking guy to do a bit of rapping in their clip! So, Rebecca Black had a rappist—wait—rapper in her video. You saw it. He rapped about a school bus. Nothing suss—it was quite studious! He was never depicted in same take anyway; he just knew her name and pursued her (supposed) bus [though I think she was riding in a car that her 13-year-old friend was driving, but I’m not sure…]. Totally normal. Well, pretty Normal. Maybe normal? O.M.G. She is only 13—could that be abnormal???

Some of the lyrics were also a little ambiguous, despite Black’s very purposeful articulation. Sure, we all understood that she 'got up' on a Friday to consume her cereal and everything but what on earth did she mean by “Getting down on Friday”? That became a point of serious philosophical debate throughout the cyber and physical worlds (and remains so to this very day). I suppose she meant to say that she likes to ‘get down and boogie’ (a.k.a. dance) with her friends on a Friday, but what if she actually meant that she was prone to falling ill on Fridays? [You know that “getting down with the sickness” type of thing?] Or, was she trying to tell us that Friday is the day that she uses to recover from Thursday [which, according to her, precedes Friday]? Maybe she actually has to get down from her tree-house to retrieve supplies from the kitchen on a Friday, because that is the last day of the week [though I thought that Saturday was technically the last day of the week]? Or, did she really mean to say that she actually gets up to shadier things on Fridays [Some people pick up on subliminal messages as soon as they hear them!]???

That there, is some serious scandal! But hey, you know what all this it is, because she said “[we] know what-it-is”. .. [Honestly though, I don’t think I do know what-it-is...No, I’m not afraid to say it! I do not know what her version of 'fun' is or what would compel a man to rap about a young girl on a school-bus. I do not know why I should "think-about-fun" and I do not know how to or why to or where to “get down on Friday”, though I do like the dancing idea!].

As you can see, the wider public found their own reasons to question, criticise and alienate ‘squeaky-clean’ little Rebecca Black—literally too: she’s been accused of having the voice of a Robot/Martian many times. Rebecca Black didn’t really get to ‘own’ her song—it kind of ‘owned’ her instead. And, we all just got “so excited (so excited)” by our mockery! Yes, I’ll admit that I had a lot of “fun” devising the last few paragraphs that I’ve written and some of the parodies out there are absolute gold!, e.g. the very appropriate “Gang Fight” version (a comical case of bad lip-reading),“Friday In HELL” (where everything, including Rebecca Black is mutated and on fire), “Good Friday” (by Jesus!), “Saturday” (by a man!), a backwards version that makes it sound like she is actually singing about 'Henna' and a lovely death-metal version that removes the ‘twang’ that characterises her original voice (they must have removed the auto-tuning or given the original backing vocalists the front-job).

But, I actually think that the way that people, now including myself, deride ambitious young people like Rebecca Black is pretty disgusting and unnecessary. Parodies that place her in hell or say things like “I get slutty on Friday” are pretty pointless and just plain mean, however unsurprising. Why should a single video-clip, that is obviously fictitious, give us any reason to question the mental aptitude of another human being, especially one that is so young? Why do we make other threats and personal criticisms based on the lyrics and actions that someone didn’t even write on their own? Why should we dismiss Rebecca Black so fast and stunt her enthusiasm? Maybe we shouldn’t underestimate her. Maybe we should give her a chance, give her some room to grow? Maybe we are unauthentic, inappropriate and being plain stupid ourselves.

We-We-We So Corrupting:

The case of Rebecca Black highlights a problem that is inherent in 'teen-pop' and, increasingly, our society in general. We have come to expect and even encourage failure in others, especially teens in entertainment, almost always —it’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy for them and us. (Teen-pop personalities are east targets because the genre is designed to give maximum focus to the performer who appeals directly to the audience for personal interest, during their adolescence—a very sensitive developmental period). Black’s imminent ‘fall from grace’ began routinely with standard complaints, e.g. her voice is auto-tuned, she lip-synchs, those words are not her own. However, the personal criticisms that followed were more unusual for our times. They indicated that, although her performance was age-appropriate, it was incongruous with the expectations of the audience (our society). We seem to expect maturity and heat (for lack of a better word) from entertainers, though that is also something that we’re quick to criticise—can we ever be satisfied?

The harsher comments and parodies out there demonstrate that “Friday” hit the wrong audience and more than a few people decided that Rebecca Black was a weak, mindless, frigid, plain and immature little girl. She was said to exhibit a kind of “anti-charisma”, probably because her public persona was just too optimistic, too perfect and too safe—we couldn’t believe it.

Why couldn’t we take her seriously? What was so wrong about her and what she said? It’s obviously our problem, not hers—but she is suffering the consequences.

To me, Rebecca Black actually looks like a potentially good role-model for younger girls to identify with and try to emulate, while “Friday” seems like a perfect product for members of that target-audience. The diverse audience that makes up the internet is the problem—anyone apart from young girls can become an active (and selectively anonymous) part of it, whether they like what they’re viewing or not.

As I’ve implied before, hate brings people together, just as music does. Collective dislike can bring 'fun', just as dancing does, and music criticism, on the web especially, can become particularly anti-social. Sites like Youtube give audience members extra power, comfort and a weird sense of intimacy with the personalities that they are viewing. We often view the content in our own homes; in the company of people we can be open and honest which rather slyly allows our opinions to travel further and faster than we care or are able to fathom at the time we’re stating them—we can zoom in on the faults and often share swift judgements with the click of a button.

As social beings, most people like to be agreeable. So, when a ‘hating’ trend starts, it quickly becomes infectious. I know that my initial reaction to “Friday” was at least half-positive. I thought it was really cute and was glad to be viewing something so pleasantly innocent and 'fun'! Rebecca Black’s voice wasn’t half-bad (even if it was auto-tuned!) and she seemed like a breath of fresh air in teen-pop—I definitely would have idolised her about a decade ago (especially because she had dark hair and olive skin!). In fact, I didn’t pay attention to any flaws at all until I started paying attention to other people who were pointing them out! Only then did the catchiness begin to play on my mind—“Friday” became an ‘ear-worm’ that haunted me for the rest of the weekend and I jokingly lamented that it would probably lead to a brain haemorrhage. Only then did I playfully take offence to my mother claiming that Rebecca Black was “cooler than me!” —I spawned a sarcastic Facebook status update in my defence: “Mum thinks Rebecca Black is cooler than me *fun, fun, fun*”, which grabbed the attention of my friends, so that I felt satisfactorily involved and entertaining. Only then did I care to take part in discussing what it really meant to “get down on Friday”. I laughed with my friends, at myself and, most unintentionally, at Rebecca Black.

Rebecca Black and her dignity would have fared a lot better if “Friday” hadn’t initially been released on the Web. The web audience is just too powerful, diverse and critical for a necessarily inexperienced performer to withstand without being fiercely derided, by some at least—anonymity and over-information spawn very 'Negative Nancies'! Unlike earlier 'teen-pop-stars', poor Rebecca Black was subject to very definite criticism (in the form of written and refreshable text, not just word of mouth) from the word go—this explains why commenting has been disabled on the official “Friday” video webpage. How would you feel knowing that much of the active world was laughing at you for being the face of a project that someone else constructed for you to get you closer to your dream? Would you feel sick? Sad? Discouraged? Misunderstood? Would you be seeking out a rock to hide behind or looking for a getaway car? (That last thought should be difficult for a 13-year-old to uphold…)

Rebecca Black’s story certainly shows us that life just isn’t fair. It's full of struggles and people trying to kick you down when all you want to do is fly — especially if you come off as a little desperate to get your wings going. Apart from what I’ve said above, the '”Friday” saga' highlights the very serious issues of authority and insecurity in performer-audience relations. Now a scapegoat, Rebecca Black is obviously powerless and vulnerable. But, why did she become a scapegoat in the first place? We’ve already established that criticising her is pretty typical and mostly unnecessary [I bet many critics will eventually love this song, if they don’t already, and chant along like 13-year-old girls all over again, even if they’re not girls...] but why has she been derided so much more than anyone else (even Jenna Rose who can’t match her clothes!)? Well, I think she actually may have offended the audience. Yes, I know that sounds bizarre and alien and extreme, but think about it. She crossed a line. She questioned our pride, knowledge and authority as adults! This song might be a nice English language teaching tool but who was she to come out of nowhere and try to delineate the days of the week for all of us?! How insulting! And, forcing us to consider the banal concept of 'fun'? How shallow!

See? People got scared. Rebecca Black took the initiative (well, was given the task) to reacquaint everyone with the idea of harmless 'fun'. But, some people just couldn’t take that because they feel like they don't have time for 'fun'. This girl seems to have made a lot of people feel plain stupid. So, they've retaliated and called her stupid. Have they simply been projecting their own feelings of insecurity and inadequacy?  We’ve all been taught to know that 'fun' is a useless, childish waste of time that only leads to guilt-ravaged Monday mornings, and life can get so busy that we can easily forget the insightful words of Mary Poppins at the most inappropriate times: “when you find the fun *snap*, [any] job’s a game”! But isn't there more to it? 

Well, that’s enough thought about 'fun' for now. With any luck, you’ll be feeling totally rattled and all indecisive about which seat to take on the '”Friday” roller-coaster'—it is still running [I hope that the many ‘brackets’ contained in this article will help you to decide upon your point of view!]. I hope I’ve highlighted the fact that we, and our opinions, play a vital part in determining the fate of 'teen-pop-stars' like Rebecca Black and that, sometimes, it can be useful to reflect upon what you find 'fun' and why. I sincerely hope that her next single does not echo the paranoia contained in Lindsay Lohan’s “Rumors”, though I honestly won’t be surprised if it does.

I recommend that you take a break [“gotta have your bowl, gotta have cereal”] now to “think about fun”, and try to find it again. Seriously. Throwing away your adult cares for just a moment might allow you to discover that all that Rebecca Black meant by “getting down on Friday” was that she likes to have 'fun'. I hope you look forward to trying it, and to giving Rebecca a second chance too — she deserves one more moment.

Katy Perry: California Dreams Tour (14/05/2011)

Katy Perry. She's the one who told the world that she kissed a girl, and liked it. She's the one who taught us how to take on the 'feelings' of a lost and sad plastic bag, because plastic bags have feelings too? She's the one who still feels like she's living a 'Teenage Dream', even though she's 26 years old. 

I turned up to her show with knowledge of her hits and outrageous dress-sense, but not much else. I got a bit wide-eyed during the interval prior to her set, seeing little tween girls walking alongside their mothers with home-made posters in hand, proudly sporting t-shirt merchandise depicting a clothes-less Katy sprawled across a fairy-floss cloud. I had also heard about the 'fairy-floss-smell-effect-machine' prior to my arrival and felt ready to compare her stage-show to the likes of Pink and Lady Gaga (not that I've seen either of them live). I knew it was going to be visually entertaining, but I wasn't too sure about how her voice would stand up live...

So, what made up the trail of Katy Perry's Californian Dream? Everything a Californian Gurl could ever want: Creamy Cupcakes. Rainbow Colours. Pretty Outfits. Sparkle Confetti. Clumsy Slip-Ups. Pussy Cats. Clouds of Fairy Floss. A cute Boy and...a Gospel Piano? I (and a few thousand other fans) paid to follow, look, listen, sing-along...and smell the fairy floss.

How did she lay out her dream? Well, it was, quite literally, “cheeky” – a comical fairytale parody full of not-so-subtle innuendo (that verged upon grotesque at some points, depending on your taste), some drug references (think Master Chef gone wrong), some blatant stereotyping (so that everyone felt included!), lots of kisses (for the 'lucky' few?) and ditzy stunts (because she is an absolute goofball!) – all in the name of fun! 

Katy opened with 'Teenage Dream', which was surprising. I had expected her to leave that one for the end. Video-clippings depicted the 'fairytale' story of Katy and her Kitty travelling along the trail of a Californian Dream. The narrative and aesthetics caused me to recollect memories of Frankenstein and my favourite Tim Burton films, like The Nightmare Before Christmas and–most notably–Sweeny Todd, since Katy was initially introduced as working for a nasty butcher in a drab place where colour was a myth (all before she visits a cupcake shop, inhabited by a rather good-looking cupcake man, has a dream and eventually wakes up realising it was just that – a Californian 'dream').  

Well, that spoilt the basic 'dream' storyline for you but there was a lot more to the show than that! Katy changed her costume every couple of songs. Her costumes were so vibrant, colourful and unusual but all perfectly appropriate! Many of them, and all the dream-segment video-clippings, reflected the imagery of all sorts of fairy-tale stories, apart from Tim Burton's, like The Wizard of Oz. She, herself, reminded me very much of Betty Boop, with a dash of Mary Poppins on top.

Certain video-clipped scenes corresponded to particular costumes and songs. In one segment, some 'mimes' appeared onstage after we saw her meet them in a video-clipping. They gave her a 'druggie' brownie and she consequently sung 'Peacock' and 'I kissed and girl', then got carried off stage complaining that she felt sick. Logical, though "not so subtle…Masterchef". :P 

She had so much energy and quirkiness about her and spent a lot of time chatting to us between songs in a constantly cute and entertaining manner. She had people up on stage, was giving out kisses to crowd-members 'for free', talked about overdoing Vegemite, her favourite Aussie tv-shows like Kath & Kim, Summer Heights High, Angry Boys, and how much she just loved Sydney and felt so lucky to have us as fans (you could compare her to a gushing Marilyn Monroe, but it all sounded pretty sincere!).  

I went feeling pretty sure that I'd be feeling bored for half the concert (aka. during the songs I didn't know). But, in contrast to my assumptions, her voice was the element that impressed me the most and I actually loved most of the songs I'd never heard before. Her voice sounded just as good as it should have (according to her recordings), if not much better! I had previously thought that 'You're so Gay' was a fairly superficial tune but it really showed off the power of her voice and her gospel background, especially because it included a lot of scatting. My favourite song was 'Not Like The Movies', though I'd never heard it before – it reminded me of something from a musical, like Wicked. I also came to love 'Last Friday Night - TGIF'. But, the best part was 'Name that Tune', where she did her own versions of four popular songs: 'Only Girl in The World', some rap shit, 'Friday' and 'Whip My Hair' – I was so impressed!!!

Her hits were fantastic, especially those to which she made live changes, like 'Kissed a Girl' which started out real slow and jazzy. I do feel like she could have made a little more of E.T visually, but the fun and colour of the show overall made up for that! She did a cover of 'Dance with Somebody' and got the audience up on stage so often that I mostly forgot about the E.T. staging letdown. She ended the show with her own favourite song, 'Firework' (complete with real Fireworks) but came back for an encore with 'California Gurls', with pink confetti flying everywhere. At this point, the fairy floss smell had been masked by the smell of blown out birthday candles and I hadn't touched my seat for at least 30 minutes...

Katy's Californian Dream was vibrant, energetic and crazy-fun! A self-professed kook, she explained that “with me, you can never tell what you're going to get – when it's good, it's good but usually...it's bad and I just totally embarrass myself! That's ok though – I'm hot. Hot girls can get away with anything!”. Well, that certainly assured me that there is a space and place for kooky people in this world – on a stage, at the least! :P I'm not too sure about the idea of considering yourself to be “hot” but the rest of her words, alongside the show, served as a useful reminder that everyone is entitled to be whoever they want to be, with confidence. I think she managed to send out a great message, especially to the younger crowd-members – accept yourself (and your possibly crazy behaviour) and just be who you want to be!

I went home feeling so excited by all the costumes, the colour and the quality of her voice that I just wanted to jump up and down and never sleep again! Katy's concert was a Dream! :)

Dubstep: What puts a [dub] in your [step]?

What puts a [dub] in your [step]?

Dubstep: profiling the path of a genre.

“Dubstep” – it's a craze. People say it's going to take over Indie. Next year, something like Skrillex should be at the top of Triple J's Hottest 100 Chart, alienating Angus & Julia Stone. Next year, all the cool kids will give up writing love notes, embracing the wilderness, growing out their hair and sipping on organic tea. Next year, they'll be converging on city hubs, crowding around sub-woofers, blowing out their eardrums and totally freaking out at (real or simulated) raves, and/or composing their own stuff using the “Dubbox” Iphone application, or experiencing it all in the comfort of their own bedrooms via the internet ― if they aren't doing these things already.

The fundamental elements of Dubstep (an underground bass movement) have recently infiltrated Emo, Hardcore, House, Heavy Metal and Pop (Britney Spears is famed to be the first 'Pop Star' to 'go there' voluntarily, using “wobble bass' in her 2007 song 'Freakshow'). Now, it seems that anything and everything [Yes, I mean nearly every recorded and remotely audible (or visual) “anything” uploaded onto the net!] has been infected or is being assimilated into the genre itself. Everything is being reframed by the process of remixing ― with or without permission or expertise. Heavy Metal, Rock, Classical and Jazz music, Disney soundtracks and an awesome array of popular non-musical material, including news headlines, film and TV excerpts and celebrity interviews (most notably an interview with Charlie Sheen) have been, or soon will be, remixed to suit the ears of the 'bass-heavy' inclined ― even Angus & Julia Stone haven't remained immune.

So, what exactly is “Dubstep”? [I must confess that the title allowed me to convince myself that it was some revived sub-genre of Jazz, closely associated with “Be-bop” or “Ragtime”, that I was once familiar with but had filed away in some unconscious part of my mind at present, explaining why it seemed so 'fresh']. Is it some funky-sounding audio virus? Is it just a growing music genre or a new form of information processing? What is promoting its growth and how on earth has it extended so far outside of the scope of conventional music? Is it a good or a bad phenomenon? Lets see if we can work it out, [dub]step by [dub]step.

[Step] 1: What the [dub] is it?

'Dubstep' is many things: a title, a music genre, a product, a trend, a craft, an outlet, a movement and a community. In essence, it is a hybrid and essentially experimental form of contemporary (distinctively British) garage electronica music that has come to obscure and dissolve virtually all boundaries in music and sound, assimilating anything into its scope. It started out underground, originating in the suburb of Croydon in South London, but has become increasingly global and more mainstream in the last decade or so. It is typically dark, brooding and instrumental combining key elements from a range of musical styles, including 70's reggae, 'dub', jungle, grime, 'two-step' and electronica, among others. It has a heavy, raw and synthesized type of sound, utilizing intricate beats, syncopated rhythms, minor keys and dissonant (often tritone) harmonies. Infiltrating the mainstream has caused it to lighten up and become a bit more uptempo in parts. In a way, it has become an obscuring sort of pile-up: genre upon genre, text upon text, version upon version. Really anything upon anything, but essentially, upon bass.

Dubstep is all about bass. Thats what makes it so hypnotic, almost “deafening” and ultimately physical if experienced via a substantial speaker system. The stuff typically runs at about 140bpm and is characterised by rewinds or reloads of clipped samples, but a heavy bass and drum basis is the vital component and most distinguishing element. Dubstep boasts its own form of jargon or slang as a result: “sub-bass” is the only consistent thing that “throbs” throughout, “wobble-bass” defines extended bass notes that are rhythmically manipulated and a “bass-drop” is a pause in percussion that resumes soon after with more intensity.

[Step] 2: What the [dub] is it doing?

Dubstep is spreading (quite like a plague) and revolutionising music (and conversations) worldwide. Well, that claim might be a bit ambitious but, its elements are infecting more and more commercial and popular music genres. Britney Spears, Rihanna and Kesha are just a few popular artists that have actively incorporated its elements into their chart-topping music. But, the way in which people are unofficially assimilating any sound or spectacle into the Dubstep genre itself is much more interesting. Online websites like youtube.com, blogs, forums, and, to a lesser extent, radio, dedicated club nights and tv-shows (e.g. Skins) have promoted the growth of the scene. Finding unofficial Dubstep versions of usual candidates, like “Wonderwall”, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Where is my Mind” on Youtube doesn't make for much surprise but appropriations of Angus & Julia Stone's “Big Jet Plane”, Adele's “Someone Like You” and transformed news headlines, interviews with celebrities, like Charlie Sheen, and a parody of the Royal Wedding give much more cause for wonder. How far is this thing going to go and, more importantly, is this stuff actually legit?

[Step] 3: The [dub]atable Drop.

Do the basic elements of Dubstep give anyone with the right equipment a chance to take a bad song and make it better? Well, that is just one idea. You could argue that its the newest way to take a nice song or event and turn it into crap, and that it is ruining music and its meaning, worldwide. Furthermore, is an emphasis upon bass and very manufactured accompaniments really enough to classify something as 'Dubstep'? That distinction seems pretty vague. You could argue that sticking 'dirty bass-shit' behind something doesn't take much dexterity, that it all sounds the same and it's useless, not to mention lame. It's really a matter of opinion that depends on what you're into. Even if it is 'pseudo-sonic' (by that I mean illegitimate), popularised Dubstep certainly is encouraging more people to experiment with song structure, mood and what constitutes music but really, though its come to incorporate a rather extreme array of material which should enable it to resonate with many people, it still turns out to have a very characteristic sound that only appeals to certain people, namely young adults who want to hear something different.

Dubstep is an outlet. Like any music, listening to it is a form of escapism but, it could also be thought of as a creative means of self-expression and an increasingly popular way to make a (usually anti-establishment) point of anything, in composition. Looking at the array of popular sound clippings that are used, and the way in which they often become the subject of heavy repetition and have their original mood and connotations warped demonstrates that Dubstep is about much more than simply pointing out and emphasising 'the bass' in music. More than a mode of listening, its increasingly wide-ranging subject-matter is, in a way, enabling it to become a new means of communication and understanding. It's really a rather daring interpretive movement that is subversive, political and, in some ways, rather sordid in its intent. Yet again, that is just one perspective.

Dubstep is definitively dark and brooding, encouraging contemplation, but does it put ideas into peoples heads? Maybe, especially if you consider the fact that most people find it rather hypnotic, even sensual, alongside comments like “Dubstep is my drug and Youtube is my dealer” and “It's only good if you're off your nut”. Sure, Dubstep's heavy and disembodied sound makes for an interesting aural, visual, psychological and possibly physical experience, but the nature of that experience depends on who you are, where you're coming from, what you want out of it and, [I suppose] in some cases, what you're on.

Does the growth of Dubstep imply that sense was just a phase? You could argue that its elements confuse or eliminate meaning, since the words and narrative progression contained in any material are subsumed by bass activity and definite structure is secondary to repetition and remixing. Sure, it often takes the important (though often seemingly unimportant) fragments of a song, conversation or event and transforms them into nonsense, but it does so to make a point, in fact, its come to be a popular form of musical parody. As with anything, some products seem more plausible or appropriate than others. But, if anything, unleashing (or creating) darker undertones and reinterpreting the structures of popular texts, like Disney films and Pop songs, might encourage people to think (and experience) things differently and give them a second thought. That seems like a good thing.

[Step] 4: Get your [dub] on.

In a positive light, Dubstep is all-embracing, reflecting diversity, creativity, individuality and, (sometimes harsh) realities that stem from the underground culture which spawned it. So, its only polite for you to give it a go – if you haven't done so already!

Type www.youtube.com into your browser. Type the name of any popular song, artist, film, celebrity, news headline or event into the search bar, followed by the word “dub-” (youtube is likely to assist you at this point, suggesting that you add the word “step” to your search, so that you're searching for “dubstep” - take this suggestion)...Now, listen up!

*[I recommend Terabyte Frenzy - Harry Potter (Dubstep Remix). It is propulsive and almost hypnotic. The Harry Potter theme lends itself to Dubstep, since it is originally dark and this version is quite addictive. You can't help but bob your head and tap your feet to the beat. Close your eyes mid-way through and you'll feel like you're spinning upside down on a roller-coaster! Well, thats an innocuous take].

[Step] 5: Fade Out.

Dubstep reckons with expectations and formulas, opening up conceptual and emotional spaces to be explored. I can't guarantee that you'll like the sound or its connotations but, its interesting and certainly something that you should experience at least once! :D 

An interview with Maeve @ Mona on what makes Music "Awesome!"

"Life creates my music and music also creates the good parts of my life.” 

22 year old Maeve Cunningham is a unique and enthusiastic singer/songwriter who is just beginning to liven-up the Northern Beaches acoustic scene. I had the pleasure of interviewing her at the semi-final of the Ultimate Songwriters Competition at Mona Vale Hotel about what has shaped her sound and love of music to date.

What are your favourite artists to listen to and do you think they influence your own sound? Powderfinger are definitely my favourite band. I've listened to them since I stopped listening to “Kiddie Music” (laughs). I find their music really calming but exciting too. They are very connected to their sound and develop lots of different emotions in their songs. I think they've really shaped how I want to imagine myself as a performer but I'm not sure if that influence really comes through in my stuff. I think it probably used to when I was starting out and mimicking the sounds of performers that I felt inspired by but I think I'm finding my own sound now. I know one of my earliest songs sounded a lot like Evanescence because even my brother agreed with me! 

You're a solo singer/songwriter. Do you find any other solo artists inspiring? Oh Yeah. Solo and Australian female vocalists. Definitely. Like Missy Higgins (I do a cover of one of her songs actually), The Howling Bells (well, they're a band really!), Sarah Blasko, Claire Bowdich and, especially, Kate Miller-Heidke, because she has had classical training like me. Oh, and Washington is also awesome.

Why are you a solo performer? I'm solo out of circumstance really, but I like it. I get to do exactly what I want to do, which is good while I'm starting out, trying to find my own place. It is good to have total control over my own performance and not have to worry about coordinating too much apart from myself.

What genre of music do you think your own stuff fits into? Pop-Folk, Folk-Pop (I think), Pop-Awesome?! (laughs) And, acoustic – I like how that sounds with my voice and the “singer/songwriter” style at the moment, though I don't want to box myself in! I'm keen to try to collaborate with others in any style really in the future.

What are some of your first musical memories? The Spice Girls! (laughs) and prancing around while my Dad played guitar when I was really little. That was the guitar that I learned to play on. I grew up in a very musical house and often used to get up and perform with my brother at family gatherings. Mum is a singer too. 

When did you decide that you were going to pursue your love of music? While listening to Good Charlotte when I was about 15 (laughs). That is amusing to look back on but yeah, I like how they came from nothing and very much became “something”. I just knew I really wanted to pursue singing, so that was when I really started to get into learning the guitar. It has taken me about 5 or 6 years to teach myself and I've been writing songs since then too.

Why do you play guitar? Good Charlotte! (laughs) Well, I did learn piano but I've always had my Dad's guitar and guitar is so much “cooler” and easier to carry around! But, yeah, probably because Dad plays guitar. 

Why do you take part in Songwriting Competitions? Have you pursued performance in any other ways? Well, I could have pursued performance in many different ways. I could have gone straight into recording but I don't have access to any good recording equipment and I could have studied at AIM but I've only just finished my Arts Degree (in Ancient History and Biology). I think its best to start off with live performing though because there is so much more to it. Every performance is unique and I think it is more viable than recording – it is visible and you have an audience! Recording is frustrating because it isn't interactive. Live performance is fun. You get a reaction that has a real buzz.

Where have you performed so far and where would you like to perform in the future? Just bars, so far. I've performed at Mona Hotel and Manning Bar. Ideally, I'd like to play in a quieter place like a cafe.

What is your favourite song to perform? “Fly” because it is so uplifting and I feel confident with it because I've been playing it for a while. I feel like it has a clear message and I know that it makes me and the audience happy.

How do you decide what you're going to perform? Do you always play the same songs? I work out my setlist the day before (but I do really think it through!). The first and last song are very important to a set, as well as making sure that there is a mix of sad and happy songs. You want a journey feeling in a longer set. I like to try to get a journey message across because music does take you places. 

How else do you prepare before a performance? I try not to eat too much before and drink lots of water. I practice in the morning and try not to go out the night before! I just try to be happy and relaxed. (smiles) 

What do you think makes a good performance? A good performance is one that you can get lost in. You engage with yourself, while others engage with you, all at once. You're in a separate space – just you and your music. 

You said that you like performing “Fly” because it has a clear message. What is your music about and what do you try to convey to your audience through it and while on stage? I have my own songs and I choose to present a certain part of myself on stage. I'm very self-aware and try to dress in a way that suits the mood of the music – natural, folky and floral, since a lot of my music refers to nature! I guess I try to make a look that is warm and mellow. My songs are inspired by old memories, nature (since I'm a bit of a biologist!), love and loss and all that lovely sort of stuff! I want to convey the human experience and show that everyone has things in common, which I find so interesting. I really feel like music can bring people together and you can cross so many different boundaries with it. It is a special sort of communication in which everyone can relate. Some thoughts and feelings can only be expressed through music – I want to convey them.

How do you go about writing your songs? Do you have a particular method? There are many different ways to write a song. All of mine have come about differently. 'Frozen' was originally a poem that I posted on an online art forum. Someone recommended that I turn it into a song so I changed some of the words and put them to a melody. So, now its a song - and its awesome! I had the chords and melody for 'Tell Me' for ages before I found the words. It was really frustrating! Friends suggested that I record it and replay it to myself but I just ended up singing it to myself over and over and eventually the words came.

Ok. What is the best way to write a song? I think the best way is to sit strumming on a guitar – that is how my favourite song 'Fly' came about. You really have to be in the right mind space. You can't push yourself, you just have to capture the moment. Sometimes mucking around on guitar can get you into it, sometimes not. 

What are your biggest challenges so far? Probably learning to play the guitar. I remember picking up dads guitar then throwing it down frustratedly after trying to play “Yellow Submarine”. I picked it up six months later and eventually made something out of it – with a lot of practice! The transition from school performances to those in public arenas was also challenging. I found my first pub performance so scary that I wanted to throw up! (Maeve is one of the most confident girls I know, so I'm shocked at this revelation) It was just so different to a school performance where you have unconditional support. Instead, you have people to impress. You need a certain attitude and strength in your performance!

Do you think that your sound has evolved much since leaving school? I don't really think that my sound has evolved much, since I'm only starting out. It has changed though.

You market your performances with a bit of wit: 'Maeve at Mona', 'Maeve at Manning'. Does that relate to the reaction that you want to get out of your audience? I use alliteration because its catchy and memorable. I guess it reflects that I want people to have fun listening while also engaging with the songs. I want to make them feel things, send out a good message. 

Awesome. Any final thoughts? Life creates my music and music also creates the good parts of my life. It is awesome. I love it. :D 


*Check out some of Maeve's stuff on myspace now: http://www.myspace.com/maevecunningham

Album Review: Kate Miller-Heidke - Curiouser (2008)

Kate Miller-Heidke is a unique artist, with music that proves to be a real puzzle to describe. Mix a quivering classical voice like Sarah Brightman's with the quirky perks of Cyndi Lauper, Kate Bush or Sia, and the queer lyrical 'poetry' of Katy Perry, Aqua or Hi-5, and you still haven't got her defined! Curiouser is Kate's second studio album, (and first to be certified platinum, reaching #2 on the ARIA chart), released in October 2008, following her debut album Little Eve, in 2007.

 Curiouser is a little different. Many of the tracks (especially 'Politics in Space') could leave you feeling more than slightly puzzled, due to Kate's rather operatic vocal style that is uncommon in popular music. As with the problem of latitude versus longitude, you're likely to be left wondering whether you can soundly distinguish between mastery and novice-hood, sanity and madness, grown-ups and children, convention and absurdity – mostly due to the very wide and interesting range of her vocalisations!

 Kate has some decent stories and morals to tell via her yodels and related forms of vocal gymnastics. The curious thing about her songs is that their subjects are simple and all quite close to home – dealing with narratives, personalities and common absurdities contained in everyday (typically teenage) life, e.g. finishing school, peer-pressure, friends and enemies, feelings of love and embarrassment. But, they still leave you feeling a little curious and contemplative because of her quirky voice layering and witty, rhyming lyrics. She is, quite obviously, a very professional and noticeably classically-trained performer – that mix of skilled crafting and youthful content makes the songs sound peculiar, though unusually charming, at the same time.

 Occasionally the simple lyrics, playful melodies and repetitive accompaniments will take you back to 'Play School' and other sources of childhood entertainment. But, the simplicity really comes down to accomplished songwriting, without inhibitions. She is entirely aware of the popular conventions that she's bending and you can tell that each and every word has been carefully chosen to invoke a particular thought or feeling in the listener. Some phrases are blunt and sarcastic, others are heartfelt and timid but they're all really easy to relate to and understand.

  Curiouser boasted three popular singles. “Can't Shake It”, a cheeky and realistic opposition to Beyonce's booty-preachings, about a booty that just won't shake. “Caught In the Crowd”, (which won the 'International Songwriting Competition') a remorseful recount told with insight in retrospect, about abandoning a potential friend who was indeed in need of a friend. And, “Last Day on Earth”, a sweet and fragile ballad that sold platinum four weeks after its release.

 A few of the other tracks on the album distinctly echo the sentiments of those three singles. “Our Song” is another gentle, though less poignant ballad, “The End of School” is another (less tragic) reflective recount from school and “Motorscooter” is also very tongue-in-cheek. Most of the other songs are much more obscure and crafty - some just plain weird! So, though I can't guarantee that your ears will embrace this album in its entirety, it should leave you feeling curious...or curiouser - at least about how well you can “shake it”.

The Dead Electric @ Manly Fisho's 15/04/2011

The Deathly Prelude

Friday Night, 5:55pm: I've been studying for most of the day and I've actually managed to talk myself into trying to hibernate for the rest of the weekend. Nothing is going to stop me from getting my assignments done, not even my friends.

Slight problem #1: I'm actually pretty tired and I think I miss humanity. Sitting in one spot is getting boring and the prospect of hibernation is dismally anti-social. Facebook is not enough. I wonder what is happening outside and how everybody is. What if I miss out on something interesting. I think I need more coffee to perk me up.

Friday Night, 6:00pm: My mind has been wandering for the last five minutes. I just need to wake up and focus, though I know the coffee in the cupboard isn't strong enough. I mustn’t log onto Facebook. I mustn't check my email. I mustn't check my phone. I will continue studying – because I have to!

Slight Problem #2: I can see my phone ringing. It's on silent but it's flashing. I'm trying to resist. Resist. Resist. Resist. But – humanity is on the other side of the line. I don't think I can resist that. I want to pick it up. I need to pick it up. I do pick it up. My friend Nick tells me that he can't study anymore. I tell him that I'm determined to continue studying myself – because I have to – though I do kind of want to go to a gig at The Fisho's because I know a band and it's closing down and I need to write a performance review...

Friday Night, 8:30pm: At the Fisho's with my notepad. I will study tomorrow (...I have to).

The Dead Electric

I felt like I was in a dingy class-room and we were all getting ready to play 'Murder in the Dark'. Unmatched tables and chairs were scattered all around. The white walls were grubby. The blue-grey carpet was worn and stained. But, a make-shift-looking stage stood against the far wall and a bar (of the alcoholic sort) was getting busy in the corner, right of stage. I reminded myself that this was actually a pub filled with adults, not little kids preparing for a party game.

The Dead Electric haven't got that much info up online. Triple-J Unearthed told me they were Punk-Rock but that's a pretty general classification. They're said to sound like Queens of the Stone Age, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Everytime I Die, but the only thing I knew for sure was that they're a five piece: Paddy Boylan on vocals, Alex Eldridge and Lachy West on electric-guitars, Floom Mulray on bass and Michael O'Sullivan on drums. Plausible band, but I really had no idea how they were going to sound.

They were supporting 28 Days (who do rap-metal stuff). It was the second-last band night at Manly Fisho's ever. I was feeling like I could really do with a Red-Bull to wake me up but the music took off before I had time to carry that thought into action.

Seconds in and I was definitely awake. The energy coming off the stage was crazy-intense. They were so alive. Typical rock sounds came from the guys on instruments while primal screams consistently launched from Paddy's throat. His howls made me want to call them “Screamo” more than anything else, but I'll classify them as Hard-Rock. I have no idea what he was yelling about but people were literally going ballistic. Head-banging, hair-thrashing, crowd-surfing, drink-spilling and by-stander trampling ensued in the crowd and on-stage. These guys ran amok and did a great job of communicating and interacting with the audience. The stage and floor pretty much morphed into one by the end - it was like communal insanity. It was totally awesome (and ear-blasting).

Their set consisted of 7 songs, but I only worked that out because the chaos died down distinctly five times throughout. I wish I could tell you exactly what each one was about but I couldn't really distinguish between them because I couldn't understand the words – the Fisho's is renowned for its dead acoustics. I can only say that the vocalisations involved lots of dirty words and angsty revelations regarding, what I figure to be, some pretty personal shizz that nobody really needed to understand in order to comprehend the more important feelings involved. They did a great job of translating emotion, instead of focusing upon any generic story-lines, though Paddy did introduce a few of the stories. One was about “every f-ed up relationship you've ever had that was probably your fault”, while another was about “the most f-ed up bitch you've ever met”. I figure they were aiming to resonate with the blokes in the crowd...

Many in the crowd were probably only warming up for 28 Days but The Dead Electric really hit them with a thrill. They came prepared to “rock y(our) f-ing socks off” and do that they did! (I can't say I was wearing socks myself but my feet were subject to a bit of bystander trampling!). They're only starting out but the ingredients for future success are all there: style awareness, audience involvement, passion, confidence, ability and a heap of energy - enough to not only get a crowd started, but to keep them going too.

So, how could they could improve? Well, they could certainly do with playing at a place with better acoustics. Apart from that, they could do with a little more focus on interacting with each other while they perform. Although they did a great job of interacting with the audience, there were often five rather distinct performances happening on stage. It would be good to see a bit more communication between the vocal and instrumental parts especially - some more combining of the ideas deriving from the sounds of the different instruments (vocals inclusive).They could do with some longer guitar and drum solos and a bit more consistency and repetition of ideas to build a bit more flow, though not so much that they lose their sense of chaos, which is probably their biggest selling-point.

The Dead Electric were raw, rugged, crazy, loud and so much more alive than dead. My ears continued to ring for about 12 hours after they left the stage and they certainly woke me up – much more effective than any form of caffeine!

Cutwing @ The Lansdowne, 01/04/2011

You really shouldn't bet on what you think you know before hearing and/or sighting good evidence. And, you shouldn't ever bet on perfect timing - especially not on April Fools Night. Accordingly, Cutwing's final show of their 2011 Inicia tour jogged my genre expectations and started exactly 55 minutes later than I (or any in-house timekeeper) had anticipated - without any band members on stage. What a clever way to fool the crowd into the zone...

Jittering metallic tones were all that sounded from the unmanned stage. Jittering metallic tones growing more intense and intrepid by the second - initiating the scene of front-line warfare. Front-line warfare in numbers, making a proper scene for the crowd, the red shade of the velvet curtains and the warm breeze (from the open doors) that danced upon our backs in the darkness. Everyone preparing for a dramatic battle involving lots of DEATH and METAL!

Oops. Fooled myself. Cutwing shouldn't be described as “Death” Metal, as such. In fact, they can't be described as “Death” Metal, at all. They're absolutely full of life and their sound is much more accurately described as melodic hard rock, infused with progressive metal and electronica (though there are echoes of battle themes, e.g. in the song 'Stalemate'). A snippet of their stuff on 'You Tube' also countered my metal genre stereotype, but I had still arrived with some pretty fallible expectations, e.g. this really should involve violently raging machine-heads who wear black leather, have seedily long hair, possibly breathe fire and definitely bellow unmentionable remarks pertaining to the glory of Satan and animal cruelty. Yeah. If not overtly so, then maybe subliminally in the lyrics?! Nope, totally nope...

So, I've clearly demonstrated that I'm not really enough (if at all!) of a well-seasoned metal-head (or chemist) to be able to confidently distinguish between the variety of “metals” that make up “Metal” as a genre... Really, I'm just a mildly inquisitive young adult with a slightly devilish imagination and a strong propensity to subject myself to unfamiliar situations and interesting soundscapes, especially if friends and atmosphere are involved!

But, cut to the wing – I have to tell you that the boys did come on stage! Things got loud after Simon Skipper (the longish-haired bassist with his back to the audience) picked a single string on his guitar. He turned to face the audience after that, but Rocky Dean-Shoji (on electric guitar) was already showing off his own crazy eyes. Julian Cartwright (the lead vocalist) started out sounding more like a bird than a ghoul, but David Schadow (on drums) was already instigating a strong beat fit to head-bang to throughout the show. I scribbled down “thinking this is cool” in my notebook about a minute into the 9 track set. The scribbles that followed it would only reinforce that first thought - and yes, I did get some suspicious looks and inquiries regarding my pen, my notebook and my cause.

Cutwing, a band of Triple-J Unearthed punters, formed in 2009 and have put in a lot of hard work to get to where they are today – finishing their first tour. In two years, they've earned a reputation for delivering impressive and engaging live shows, sharing stages with other upcoming acts like The Art, Bellusira, Breaking Orbit, These Four Walls and The Paris Crash. They're clearly influenced by Linkin Park, with a sweet voice (Julian even screams with melody) as the centre-point against an intense backdrop of metallic sound. The use of distorted guitar – coming off murky, almost water-logged – specifically reminds me of more familiar bands like Soundgarden, Audioslave and Nirvana. Cutwing are said to sound something like Karnivool, The Butterfly Effect and The Lost Prophets, but really, I think they's got a pretty original sound of their own.

Cutwing put on a strong, steady and sincere show. It was both professional and uplifting. These guys are serious and gracious performers, not fakes or try-hards like the band that preceded them – they just wanted to “fuck up the world” and send us all “around the corner to the ear clinic”...

I was most impressed by Cutwing's cooperative stage presence – it was a real team effort. A true but unusual sense of shared strength and determination beamed from the group as a whole, unlike an arrogance or shallow enthusiasm that might come off an individual who manages to steal a show without good reason. They developed momentum really well as a team too: Rocky and Simon (the guitarists) took turns with Schadow (on drums) to build intensity, while Julian sang at a pretty consistent volume throughout.

Cutwing's effective teamwork obviously contributed to a well-crafted and rehearsed performance as well. I doubt they made a mistake and the instrumental parts were layered so neatly and methodically that you could separate them quite easily in your mind, while you listened, without losing the plot of their combination as a whole. They also did a good job of developing a bit of a 'characteristic' tendency to cut to an 'instrumental' section (or 'break it down' bit, according to my urban vocabulary) that I felt was on the way to becoming 'classic' by the end of the set.

The boys also did a good job of engaging the crowd. Each demonstrated that they had their unique character, e.g. Rocky's mad eyes, Simon's “hair-spins” and Julian's interacting with the audience off-stage. They just deserved a bigger venue with more space and a larger audience for a better chance of getting bigger responses!

So, what could Cutwing improve on for their next tour? I'd say song-craft. Most of the tracks lacked 'hooks'. I couldn't really find anything to chant along to and I didn't leave with any particular lyric or riff in my head. I would have liked to keep something in my mind to discuss later, but the 9 songs they played all just morphed into a wave of their general soundscape. The lyrical themes were also a little hard to relate to because, although the concept of 'Stalemate' was clever, I couldn't really find any other narratives or phrases that I could relate to seriously enough to remember. They could also do with a reinvented cover or two, to get ears flapping since the band is fairly new.

Cutwing certainly jogged my expectations relating to Metal as a genre. They're masculine but not angry, energetic but not frightening. And, their stuff is positive, not soiled by heavy content or any sort of agenda. That's going to allow them to appeal to a pretty wide market, certainly including myself! So, after seeing and hearing good evidence – I bet they're going to fly! 

P.s. A glimmer of hope on the 'hook' front: the chorus of “Into the Light” did fly through my mind later in the evening. It also woke me up the next morning. There's hope for hooks! :)

P.p.s. exaggerated those Metal genre expectations ever so slighty! :p