Ripe Salmon
For two band members said no. And so it was that Paddy arrived fresh from watching a Melbourne Victory Loss (like what I did there ;-)) at the Tote just after 11pm to join UT and Tedium the Elder for a fine evening of rock and roll. Too much had been imbibed all round and Paddy was already looking lairy.The Fishman kicked off and was accompanied by a drummer only. I had heard sneery talk of White Stripes etc...but I feel he yearns for Kuepperesque cred and his recent outing with only Jeffery Wagoner had caught Salmo's imagination. Whislt shredding some decent licks Salmo stuck mainly to Scientist material (and b-sides!!!) and it got tired with no bass.
Then came Ripe. 10 Years has found their powers GREATLY diminished. They stuck almost entirely to their new EP and their early EPs with only ONE SONG from their only album, The Plastic Hassle, which I would argue is the 2nd best album released by an Australian band (it even has the obligatory one bad track to ensure it is a truly great album). And that one song ripped and rocked like a Squid Ink song. However the rest were slow and dribbly. Paddy left half way through saying something like "blah blah blah this shit blah blah". I believe the only point of note for the boy was some momentary bass wizardry by Katie Dixon as she gave a masterclass in plectrum rhythmn...perhaps I am overstating it somewhat....Anyway, in short Salmo came away undiminshed but a touch self-indulgent and Ripe are washed up junkies. Ho Hum....it clears the decks for Squid Ink I suppose.
posted by Unrelenting Tedium at 10:28 am
4 Comments:
I do admit I was struggling a bit as the Ripe set wore on. I did struggle with the whole ‘I have long hair and it falls over my face’ thing. I struggled with the set-list wholly failing to engage me, it being the first time I'd heard any of it — perhaps my appreciation may have been different had I already been familiar with the material. I struggled with the utter disinterest the band had in pretending anybody was there to see them. But most of all I struggled with the beer I'd been drinking steadily since about four that afternoon.
The Kim Salmon performance was much more enjoyable. For a chap with only a drummer to help him he was filling out the sound pretty well with his heady riffage. He played a song about some frantic romantic or something that seemed catchy and I'm sure might do well for him or a band he's in if he tried releasing it.
I neglected to add Ripe had changed drummer and guitarist since last I saw them. The drummer did fine job but guitar boy was rubbish.
I feel you are ribbing Mr Salmon...as Frantic Romantic has been on about four different albums (each a new recording) since the Scientists...the most recent being for the padding out of the mediocre, by his standards, self-titled Kim Salmon and the Surrealists.
Seeing as though nobody has done so, I shall ask: “Their only album, The Plastic Hassle, which I would argue is the 2nd best album released by an Australian band.” What would you argue is the best album released by an Australian band?
It took three days five hours and thirty-nine minutes and I am glad you put me out of my misery! That would be The Low Road by The Beasts of Bourbon.
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