Reviews

Reviews
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
Club Acoustica @ The Basement 25/11/03
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
Rattle and Strum
Saturday, September 6, 2003
The Acoustic Music Renaissance in Sydney
Thursday, May 1, 2003
Music Hits A Sweet Note for Youth
Sunday, December 1, 2002
The Quiet Revolution
Tuesday, November 26, 2002
Club Acoustica Presents Singer/Songwriters
Friday, October 18, 2002
Classic Covers Will Never Gather Moss
Wednesday, October 16, 2002
CD Review 'Club Acoustica: The Basement Showcases Vol 1'
Wednesday, October 2, 2002
Tim Carter at Iguana Bar, Wednesday 25 September
Wednesday, September 4, 2002
Club Acoustica at The Basement, Featuring Next of Kin & Angus James
Monday, September 2, 2002
Club Acoustica at La Bar, Thursday 29 August
Monday, August 19, 2002
Club Acoustica at La Bar, Thursday 15 August
Monday, August 12, 2002
Club Acoustica at La Bar, Thursday 8 August
Monday, July 29, 2002
Club Acoustica at La Bar, Thursday 25 July
Wednesday, July 24, 2002
Yes, There is an Alternative to Triple J
Tuesday, July 16, 2002
Club Acoustica at La Bar, Thursday 11 July
Saturday, June 22, 2002
Club Acoustica: The Basement Showcases Volume I
Saturday, June 1, 2002
Club Acoustica: The Basement Showcases Vol 1 (Underfoot Records)
Wednesday, May 22, 2002
CD Review 'Club Acoustica: The Basement Showcases Vol 1'
Sunday, April 28, 2002
Club Acoustica: The Basement Showcases Volume I
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Club Acoustica at The Basement, Wednesday 17 April
Friday, April 19, 2002
Club Acoustica: The Basement Showcases Volume I
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Club Acoustica CD Launch March 20, 2002
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Acoustic is No Antonym to Energetic
Tuesday, April 9, 2002
Drum Media CD Of The Week
Wednesday, March 20, 2002
Doors Are Opening For Music's Quiet Achievers
Tuesday, March 19, 2002
Join the Club
Monday, March 18, 2002
Electricity be Damned - The Mellow Beauty of Club Acoustica Finally Moves From the Stage to the Stereo
Tuesday, March 5, 2002
Club Acoustica CD Launch at The Basement
Monday, February 4, 2002
Club Acoustica Presented in Association with the Sydney Fringe Festival, La Bar, Thursday 24th January
Friday, August 10, 2001
Live at the Wire-less
Wednesday, August 1, 2001
Club Acoustica at The Basement
Tuesday, June 12, 2001
Drum Media Live Review
Tuesday, June 12, 2001
Drum Media Article
Monday, June 11, 2001
The Noiseless Club
Monday, May 7, 2001
Club Acoustica at The Basement, Sunday August 22nd
Monday, April 9, 2001
Last Night a Violin Saved My Life
Monday, July 17, 2000
Bob Dylan Tribute Night at The Basement - 12th July 2000
Monday, May 29, 2000
Club Acoustica at The Basement, Sunday May 7th 2000
Monday, May 1, 2000
Not Quiet... Amped! Club Acoustica Flies High in the Face of All That is Loud and Distorted...
Tuesday, March 7, 2000
Club Acoustica at The Basement, Sunday March 27th 2000
Tuesday, February 1, 2000
Three's Into Acoustica Does Go
 
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
Club Acoustica @ The Basement 25/11/03
By Dave Hayes
Club Acoustica @ The Basement featuring Hope, Jeremy Harrison, Abi Tucker, Michael Longhurst, Griffin

16-12-2003 The Drum Media

Club Acoustica is a lesson in what live musicians strive for; direct communication between the music and the audience, as if telling a fascinating yarn to a group of mates. Gone is the fancy lighting, cheesy choreography and extravagant sets. Sure it’s a little short on musical diversity, with the bulk of the night’s music loosely based around the acoustic guitar, but there is everything from the raw, stripped back energy of just guitar and vocals, to complete band outfits with percussion, acoustic bass and backup vocals. The short, thirty-minute sets are almost a ‘safety net’ for a dud performer, so you won’t have to endure it all that long.

In this, their 37th Basement showcase gig, Club Acoustica first presented Hope, a dashing brunette with a luscious husky voice, accompanied by a gent on the acoustic guitar. At times her lyrics bordered on the obvious (“in July, you lied…”, comes to mind), but she did achieve that goal of audience communication through gently tapering her voice and restraining its volume. The rapid tempo driven by forceful guitar strumming was certainly a key in generating music with more than just a ‘lounge’ appeal.

Next, self-described ‘acoustic-soul musician’, Jeremy Harrison with a solo set encompassing material from his debut EP ‘The Bridge is Busy’ and some more recent songwriting ventures. Wearing his trademark tweed cap, he appeared a little nervous at first before settling into his music, combining a harmonica and lap-steel stringed guitar with the regular six-stringed acoustic type.

Perhaps it was just the loud amplification but Abi Tucker’s voice really grated with me every time she held a note at the end of a lyric. It just projected a little too much and was intrusive, obnoxious… annoying. That aside, in the moments when her voice was carefully restrained and coupled with the furious, passionate strumming of guitarist ‘Sid’, the performance was enjoyable and Tucker could be forgiven.

Michael Longhurst, whose claim to fame is being a part of the youngest band ever to play the Big Day Out, performed a set riddled with cheesy harmonies, but some tasty vocal solos. Accompanied by an acoustic bassist and percussionist, Longhurst jammed out a set which was unquestionably Mayer-ish in its cute guitar melodies and bouncy vocals.

Closing the night were the endearing Canberra five-piece Griffin. When compared to the ‘bare essentials’ nature of the earlier acts of the evening, Griffin had a distinctly richer and fuller sound. Whilst the rest of the band were certainly a necessary component, much of their music rode off the back of Jason Maynard, a guitarist and vocalist who has achieved some reasonable success as a solo artist outside the band.

…And so another night from the legendary Club Acoustica team; perhaps a little light on musical diversity, but the environment of these nights is a welcome relief from the formality of the heavyweights of the live music scene.


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