Neopolitan Dreams

Here is a slightly dramatised/romanticised recount of last night:

She walked onstage as gentle as a falling autumn leaf- unassuming and gorgeous in her finely honed act of vulnerability. Her little red bow shone with the reflected glory of stage lights. It struck him across the room like an icy dart to each eye. Then she sang some songs and stole his heart. The room was silent, save for the flutter of the hummingbirds that carried his heart away.

If she needed a coin for her laundry, he would buy her a washing machine. If she wanted to change the setlist, he would start her a new band. If she wanted to have a morbidly uplifting conversation with a dead person, he would die for her. No one else in the room existed. She was singing to him. Her awkward dance moves were for him. He wanted to just give her a big hug and take her away from the dark mystery of the world away from the stage.

Later that night, she was at the bar. Their eyes met and they talked. His friends and he took a photo and they awkwardly requested her penmanship. His very soul jolted with each curve of the pen. She only came to his shoulder and was so young it shocked him slightly. He bought her a drink and they got talking about her music. She had just finished school and he was nearing the end of university. She was going to England and he just wanted to get out. She nervously scratched her left wrist as he bought a round of Cokes.

“I remember you from the TV. I didn’t know people still existed after that,”
“Yeah I was supposed to die…”

It was his turn to laugh nervously. The hummingbirds could not carry the weight of his heart as the reality of the chasm between fantasy and reality opened before them. Animals of such small wingspan could simply not traverse such a distance. The hummingbirds faltered in their charming flight path and his heart dropped like a suicidal stockbroker. His friends had left him 24 minutes earlier. He had to salvage the moment…

“Thanks for the Coke,”

She stood up from the bar. As she turned her head, he just caught the scent of her hair. It hit him like seaspray- fleeting but refreshing. And the night carried her away like the autumn leaf she would always be in his dreams. What could have, or should have been, simply did not matter to the world.

He would see her at the next concert.

Viva La Coldplay or Coldplay And All Their Friends

Sat 14 Mar – Coldplay, Mercury Rev, Decoder Ring
(originally posted on my last.fm as usual!)

In rough chronological order.

* Leave Wollongong at 9:45am. Beef pho noodles lunch at Flemington. Line up at 12:45pm.

*Read Neil Gaiman's Coraline. Meet fellow Coldplay aficionados. Sit for 6 hours.

*Stand for 15 minutes. Sit for another 45.

*See two support bands who are good, but not Coldplay.

*Breakdancing crewman with a broom. Blue Danube Waltz.

* Sparklers behind a black curtain.

* Life in technicolor. Massive singalong [see title].

* Clocks and lasers. Hyperactive frontman with a more-than-infectious energy.

* Giant screen projection balls.

* Confetti-filled yellow balloons. More singalong.

* John Farnham crowd chorus.

* Unexpected dance remix medley side of stage.

* Swinging on strawberries ("such a perfect day" indeed)

* Beautiful rendition of Hardest Part on piano with Postcards From Far Away coda. Hyperactive frontman stuffs up and apologises.

* Hyperactive frontman hits himself in the head with drumstick and cuts his brow (Lost).

* Snatching paper butterflies from the air (Japan).

* Shane Warne. Green Eyes.

* POLITIK.

* Death closer...more massive singalong.

* Scientist encore. Life In Technicolor 2 massive finish.

* Big big smile.


In short, the Coldplay show made me want to actually better myself as a person. 7 hours of waiting was well more than worth our spot up the front. I forgot how much I really can love this band. Recently I have been too caught up in the hardcore dancing of the scene kids, that I forgot that I can just stand and listen to the music- feel and absorb the pure energy of a crowd hooked on every lyric and note.

For that, I thank you Coldplay! Viva La Vida is taking on a life of its own. And rightly so.

It's really hard to do concert photography with a
compact digital camera ok? More photos on fb to come!

SOUNDWAVE! SOUNDWAVE! SOUNDWAVE! (this was our mantra in the car on the way up from Wollongong)

SEE LAST.FM JOURNAL HERE

I'm sure this is the only blog titled 'Gong Xi Fa Cai' online. Ever.

The beginning of the end. I officially have less than 7 days left in this oh-so-beautiful experience we call the Malaysia trip. It is going to be a busy one too due to a little thing we call Chinese New Year. As Keith aptly pointed out, the Sino calendar predates any Anglo or Roman calendar by several millenia (assumedly), so put that in your pipe and smoke it. 

In the week since we've been back from Thailand, people have been busy with work, school and college, so it has been a bit slow in terms of activity and the such. (All except Lauren and Zoe of course, who are hanging around in limbo with us Loos). Unfortunately, while this week is a holiday for most it is still going to be a pain to organise activity due to family commitments as this is the main  point of CNY. 

Likelihoods of movie night, swimming day, badminton, CC outings, ramly burger? Sadly, slim. I'm sure if we put our minds to it, we can achieve something worth remembering. Super Friday perhaps? 

Tomorrow is CNY eve and so the festivities begin! 

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We had steamboat buffet tonight. Holy crap we ate so much they gave us perfume and an umbrella as free gifts for having such a large bill (20 people at 20RM ++ each.) and probably for setting some sort of consumption record. Had conversation with JLim, Keith, PB and adrian (the green tea circle) and I have concluded that I find malaysian politics/sociocultural study very very interesting. I noticed that Jason also has a knack to explain financial matters in an actually interesting manner! Good work Jason!

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I tried uploading photos, but it didn't work, so screw it. Here's my review of the Mogwai gig! Maybe you can see photos another day. Refer to facebook for any info on photos i guess. (:

Will be in Wollongong by Sunday the 1st Feb as far as I can tell.  

MER-MER-MER-MER-MERCURY

BLOC PARTY- Yet another concert review i wrote for my last.fm

Before I get into this little review I must say that admittedly I’m not a Bloc Party fanatic. While I thoroughly enjoy moving my feet to their unique brand of indie electro, I wouldn’t go totally out of my way to see them. On the other hand I am somewhat guilty of harbouring a Hayley Williams obsession, and if Omar and/or Cedric were to grace me with their presence I would be struck dumb for fear of breaking their mystique. Similarly could be said of Matt Bellamy and co.

After last night though, I was completely won over beyond my expectations.

I anticipated a night of great dancing and lights and yes, of course we got that. But there was so much more on offer from Kele and his ridiculously-young-looking group of musicians.

From interviews and other general knowledge from the music scene, I was expecting Bloc Party to be somewhat aloof and distant in their presentation. Their music is distinctively cold which is part of the allure for me- Silent Alarm in particular. However Kele’s genuine joy last night was infectious for me, and it proved to make the Hordern as intimate as it could be. The bare backdrop was a surprise but this brought the focus on the boys and their musicianship, which was more than proficient.

Similarly in interviews, it was apparent that it took some time for them to actually learn Intimacy live. Luckily for us they didn’t seem to make any major mistakes and the setlist did well to weave in and out of the visceral energy of Intimacy (Mercury and Ares anyone?), and the surprising beauty found in both City and Silent Alarm (Blue Light, Song For Clay, This Modern Love, Little Thoughts).

Discovering this live beauty was the real highlight for me last night. Like mentioned above, Bloc Party make distinctively impersonal music, which I guess could be derived from their electronic tendencies. However last night, their pure onstage honesty combined with Kele’s amiable charisma (“If we could only tour Australia over and over we would”) really opened my heart to their music. Not just my feet.

I started off towards the back amidst the people reluctant to move anything other than their toes and necks. Already separated from my friends due to an early toilet visit I had to fight my way to get a better view, and find more mobile company. I felt sorry for my 15 year-old sister who had trouble seeing anything the whole night…but heck so did my 21 year old friends with her. I eventually found a more excitable group of people and tried to get my dance on. This proved more difficult than anticipated due to the cramped area. And so I moved onwards.

When I found the guy in the Parkway Drive shirt I knew things were picking up. Apologies to anyone who did not enjoy this but a circle pit is a circle pit, albeit somewhat misplaced. For crying out loud I’ve been in a Little Birdy circle pit! I never start them. I just join in. And to be honest, you should too.

So this was all in good fun and by this time I had made quite a staggering progression towards the front. We all enjoyed doing Eating some Glass, a bit of Praying as well as Hunting For Witches. Positive Tension was an early hit (one of my faves) and Helicopter (I couldn’t help but think of all the Guitar Hero nerds around. Represent!) and Banquet were true crowd-pleasers. The inevitable encore was not a letdown with Flux and some other song with two drumkits of which I can’t remember because I am currently listening to excellent Taking Back Sunday B-Side Brooklyn. But I was quite impressed at this simple twist to the band dynamic. Who needs a bassist anyway? Haha. Matt Tong’s unwavering technicality continued to impress me the whole night. The lasers were a very welcome addition to the night too. What wasn't played was ultimately outbalanced by what was.

The second encore had This Modern Love finish the night quite nicely. Suitably sweaty I simply didn’t want the Party to end. Usually after a night like this I am wrecked, ready for my McChicken at Sylvania Macca’s, brush of teeth and bed. Au contraire, this particular night left me quite wired and begging for more. We pumped Bloc Party again in the car and only when we had neared Wollongong an hour later did we finally ‘come down’.

I was seriously considering buying another ticket for tonight’s show but dad wasn’t too impressed hehe. It’s sold out anyway and I guess with Coldplay being $140 it’s better that I not spend unnecessarily.

So thanks Bloc Party for an unforgettably enjoyable night and just being so darn friendly about it…well, thanks to Kele anyway. (:

My only regret is not bringing glow sticks.