Great Australian Wave Live Review Berlin September 2010 [+ Show]
www.musik.australische-kultur.de
Can this really work? The idea is brilliant: You t...
Can this really work? The idea is brilliant: You take three bands, bands that probably never met each other before because they make totally different kinds of music, and you let them play together because of the simple reason that they all come from the same county, that is Australia.
Not three rock bands, not three songwriters, not three pop-groups, but one out of every genre.
The courage to do something like this is not easy to find, but Steve Iorio had it. Under the name “Great Australian Wave” he organized a new music-event to take the place of the cancelled event Popkomm.
The same man, Steve Iorio, gave ozmusic.de the chance to follow the entire story, and in that way left the doors open for us, meaning: we were present by the sound check, all through trip and also after the shows, this gave us the opportunity to get a good picture of how the bands played but also how they interacted with each other afterwards.
The last mentioned was especially interesting in our German eyes: Every musician was open for the music of the other. Also when said “this not necessarily the music I have to listen to every day” The people all agreed that there was no question about it, this was really good music, every single one of the three bands.
Mijo Biscan was the one to start this colorful mix off. Mijo does leading vocals for the band Lamplight, at least that´s what I thought when I met him, but in the interview he made it clear to me that Lamplight is a band with a slightly unclear future.
The singer wants to spend at least a part of the year in Berlin; also he is in the process of writing a lot of new songs.
The question that interested me the most was if it really is possible for Mijo alone, to create the same musical feeling he does with his entire band, with only an acoustic guitar. He tells me it's enough to write the songs but that it often results in the songs being worked over pretty much later on with the band.
The week before, Mijo toured Germany as opening act for the, in Australia famous, Clare Bowditch. He got used to performing without a band, and according to himself, learned a lot from Clare.
He surprised with a missing beard and a new haircut. All in all it gave a fresh impression which matched well with the music. You could really see it on him that he enjoyed telling his stories, or rather singing them. It is thoughtful and deep-going music, lifted up by the impressive voice of this young Man from Melbourne (and Berlin).
A couple of songs that stick out are “ship in a bottle” and “A sun that will not rise”, both known from the Lamplight-album. The last mentioned song takes care of the subject casting shows a la “Deutschland sucht den superstar” (Germanys Idol) or “Australian Idol”. Never does the text get mean in any way or bash the subject , no, it's the middle tones that make it interesting, foremost the musical ones. Off course they come to light better with the band backing the song up, but Mijo Biscan succeeds in presenting the song in a impressive way.
That you can await new music from him is something the song ”I don't want to miss you” proofed, a love song that obviously touched many people in the audience.
As opening act it can be hard to get the audience to really listen. But it wasn't a problem for Mijo Biscan because the songs were interesting. Songs where it's really worth to listen to the words being sung.
After a short break to change equipment Worldfly came onto the stage.??Worldfly are often filled with surprises because they can play with a constantly changing band on stage: you'll see them in a trio with acoustic guitar, cello and drums. Then suddenly electric guitar and bass guitar might join, and if the mood is right maybe even some percussion. Every formation creates its own mood and has its own arrangements to make sure that a show with Worldfly never sounds the same as the last one.
In Berlin you could witness Worldfly live with all of the bands six members, including percussion. The applauding when the band entered the stage made it clear that most people were foremost there to see Worldfly live, end they didn't go home disappointed.
Almost the entire Album “it's too late for turning back” was presented, and already with the opening song you knew where this trip was going: It was perfect, emotional pop-music with a meaningful message.
To see the cooperation of the six people on stage was impressive. Even if the drums were a bit too loud sometimes or the guitar could have needed a bit more room, Worldfly managed to pull the audience with them.
You could witness the people either dancing along or just being purely amazed by the wonderful melodies delivered by Worldfly. Unlike many other “our-music-has-an-important-message-bands” Worldfly knows how not to bore the audience. The dynamic of the songs it constantly changing together with the instrumental part, this makes even an entire hour with Worldfly seem as if it passed too fast.
The show is rounded up to the stories behind the songs by Michael. He tells them in a mix of German and English, and is probably positively surprised himself by how many people from the audience who really do pay attention.
Musically, Worldfly were perfect. They showed that pop-music doesn't automatically have to be flat and without any deeper message. Songs like “Someone special”, “A small boat” or “Beautiful place” has real single-potential and could, without a doubt be rotating around 70% of all German radio stations.
It was not to be mistaken: On the stage are people who ”want”. They want to show their music. They want to be played in the radio. They want up on the bigger stages. And everyone in the audience will be sure, that after a show like this, it is exactly what they will succeed with. The show they played will in a short time make people who were there say: “Worldfly? Yeah, I know them since those times they still used to play in small bars”
Then everything became loud.
Tracer entered the stage and the dreamy flower-power feeling was kicked out.?To me Tracer was the biggest surprise of the evening. Don't get me wrong, the other two acts were amazing. But that's also what you could expect from Mijo Biscan after listening through the album from Lamplight once. Also when it comes to Worldfly it's no surprise that they're really good live.
My personal attitude towards Tracer was more like this: “Ok, another three guys in the age of 20-something who want to be loud and noisy, Yeah, thanks been there done that” I was positive that it would take 20-something seconds before Tracer made me want to leave the room.
So much for my prejudices. I stayed because Tracer are unbelievable.
Something is happening between the first and second step in the stairs to the stage, something is being installed, or changed. The three friendly, polite and almost shy young men turn into wild music-animals whose level of adrenalin is almost hitting the roof of the room. There is energy pure from first to last note, they do their thing so good it's practically impossible not to go along with it. Drummer Andre plays his drums as if it's not that important that they are still functional the next day. Bass player Leigh hammers the bass so hard it fills the entire room and you find yourself asking why this young man isn't constantly running around with bandages on his fingers. Michael, the singer is in full control of all kinds of emotional displays, he whispers, sings, shouts and screams and on top of that he just “happens” to be playing the guitar.
And it is not at all the kind of “wall” of eardrum-blowing noise I had been expecting. This is music and Tracer knows what they are doing, the songs are well-structured and pure. Grunge-rock meets rock from the 70's and they even throw in a hint of Blues. The label Stoner-Rock that this colorful mix got, doesn't really give it what it deserves.
Tracer offers us songs from their Album “L.A.?” All of the songs are delivered with much more energy and power than on the Album. They also play some new songs. When you for example hear “Voice in the rain” you realize that these young gentlemen from Adelaide still have a lot of gunpowder to shoot with.
After more than three hours the concert is over that took me on a trip through all kinds of different styles of music. Three acts and every single one of them found their own way to spellbound the audience. This concert showed what a high-quality and variation there is to get from the Australian music-scene. Most of the people will leave and ask themselves why we don´t get to hear more of this kind of music here. We will wish for it, and we will definitely wish for mijo Biscan, Worldfly and Tracer.
Tracer - L.A? [+ Show]
www.thedwarf.com.au
As a long time fan of stoner rock and grunge, I kn...
As a long time fan of stoner rock and grunge, I knew from the opening track End of the Samurai I was going to fucking love this album. Tracer’s debut album L.A.? has found a permanent home in my stereo. I swear I have listened to this from start to finish at least five times and am yet to hear one part that doesn’t make me play air guitar while leaping off my lounge. This is a flawless, perfectly executed half hour pummelling full of complex, melodic riffs and relentless, uncompromising vocals.
Musically, the first six songs are an even blend of the stoner riffs reminiscent of early Queens of the Stone Age and an 80’s metal crunch that almost verges on Black Sabbath. The seventh track, Sleep by the Fire, is nothing short of an electric guitar masterpiece. I can only assume guitarist Michael Brown is the original creator of the instrument, and has in fact been secretly laying down riffs and solos for every band I have loved for the past two decades. Seriously, this reviewer had creamed himself by about the fourth or fifth solo on this album. Epic.
Vocals by brothers Leigh and Michael Brown are nothing short of brutal. Think of a more raspy and masculine Chris Cornell of early Soundgarden, then double it. I have no doubt this album captures the raw intensity of each singer’s vocal style, and am disbelief that the vocals could get any better when performed live.
Normally at this point in a review I would list some stand out tracks and tell you why. Not for Tracer, the entire album stands by itself and needs no single track to hold it together. If you do want to get a feel for their sound, I do recommend playing lead single Wrecking Ball, as it is the only song falling under four minutes and wil probably be the track that will makes it way to the radio.
Lastly, this reviewer feels the need to draw attention to the exceptional album production for this unsigned Adelaide trio. I can honestly say I haven’t heard such a slick, professional sounding recording for a debut album for quite some time. Complete respect to Tracer, and everyone who has supported them on this record. See you at your next gig.
L.A.? review [+ Show]
dB Magazine
Local power trio Tracer formed in 2005 and 'L.A.?' i...
Local power trio Tracer formed in 2005 and 'L.A.?' is their sophomore release following on from the 2007 debut EP 'Into The Night'. Brothers Michael (guitar and vocals) and Leigh (bass and vocals) Brown and drummer Andre Wise have successfully combined elements of classic Seventies rock, the desert rock sounds of Nebula and Fu Manchu and their own distinctive and blues-influenced style to deliver seven pristine tracks of pure, powerful heavy rock.
I must own up to being a sucker for this style of music, particularly when it is played this well and this passionately. Most of the vocals are handled by Michael Brown, whose raw, powerful and soulful voice suits the music perfectly. The band apparently spent a considerable period in pre-production before recording, time well spent as 'L.A.?' has a very clear and crisp sound. There are no dud tracks to be found here; the driving and insistent End Of The Samurai grabs your attention immediately; Don't Forget My Name is a straight-ahead rocker; Wrecking Ball adds a grungy vibe to the classic rock template, while the lumbering Get Free is full of monolithic, bluesy riffs. The epic closer Sleep By The Fire features great guitar solos backed by subtle keyboards and a superb rhythm section.
Tracer head off to Europe for several months later this year. Given the quality of this release and the current popularity of classic and retro influenced rock'n'roll over there (consider The Answer, Black Stone Cherry, Airbourne to name but a few) it would not surprise if greater acclaim awaits them.
James McKenzie - dB Magazine, February 2009
Tracer [+ Show]
Rip It Up Magazine
Local band Tracer are getting...
TRACER
by Rob Lyon
Local band Tracer are getting ready to showcase their new album with a launch that includes Raw Ether and Bolty Bolt Bolt & The Boltons at the Crown & Anchor. Things don’t end there either, with the Adelaide Uni O’Ball and interstate tours locked in plus a European tour for six months. Guitarist and vocalist Michael Brown is excited about the impending tour and the release of LA?.
“It’s wicked,” Michael begins. “LA? was a long time in the making but we all eventually got there. We’re all really stoked with it.”
Is it even more exciting now with Tracer’s burgeoning fanbase not just here in Adelaide?
“I guess so, but I think we still look and see ourselves as just a band. It’s one of those things that we’ve always known it’s in us to do something as good and spend time in the studio to nail out the songs. I think it’s been one of the things that we’ve wanted to do but never have had the time or money to do it. Now that it’s come around we’re stoked that we’ve done it and hope it gets in front of a few more people.”
How much time was spent on developing the visual concept for the album?
“I’m a graphic designer and I did all the artwork for the cover and the website and everything like that. We did get a painter to paint the art on the front cover but in terms of planning this album it started back in May with some pre-production and perfecting the songs. Part of the process included recording the album before going into the studio on our home Pro Tools set up so when we got in the studio we only would have to worry about the performances. In between mixing we started to throw around the visual concepts, which came together when the painter got involved and at that point I had a basic idea of what I wanted.”
Do you feel this album challenged the band?
“Totally. We looked at what other professional musicians do and it did stretch us. I think we did put a lot of time in to listing what our favourite albums do in regards to production and then see how our music fits in with different types of production. Then we focused on methods of recording and what we were doing and it was awesome fun. We had so much vintage gear, new mics and old mics and I got to play on 15 different guitars – it was a blast in the studio. I can’t wait to be able to do it again.”
When you mentioned that the recording sessions were focused on just the performance, were you worried about not firing on all fours or gear stuffing up?
“That sort of thing is bound to happen. I think you can only plan so much but we had rehearsed our stuff so much that if a take wasn’t happening we’d move on to the next song – you just have to work through it.”
Heading to Europe for six months sounds like a major turning point for the band?
“It’s all happening. Also we’ve got the Rock Dog showcase for Fuse and the O’Ball followed by a launch in Melbourne. It is all guns blazing for Europe in August and the plan is to come back home when we’ve run out of money.”
Tracer launch LA? at the Crown & Anchor on Fri Feb 13 with guests Raw Ether and Bolty Bolt Bolt & The Boltons.
Tracer – ein Geheimtipp der Extraklasse (German) [+ Show]
www.unser-luebeck.de
Im Vorprogramm spielte Frau Steiner aus Hamburg. ...
Im Vorprogramm spielte Frau Steiner aus Hamburg. Hardrock auf Deutsch, mit eigener Musik und eigenen Texten. Wechselnde Leadparts an den Gitarren. Vernünftige Musik für unvernünftige Leute. Das Line-up: Markus (Gesang), Lars "Hopper" (Gitarre), Sebastian (Gitarre), Dirk "Harald" (Bass), Tommy (Drums) und alle mit demselben Nachnamen: Steiner!? Musikalischer Spaß ans und mit dem Publikum.
Ein Auftritt voller Überraschungen: Kraftvoller Rock - mit Wurzeln, die in der Erde des Blues Nahrung finden. Die Band Tracer aus Adelaide, Australien, spielte fünf Gigs in Europa (drei in Holland, einen in der Schweiz). Einer fand in Deutschland statt, und den hatte sich Christian Kahl über das Booking von Cora North ins Sounds nach Lübeck geholt.
Dieses junge australische Trio schoss reihenweise spieltechnisches Feuerwerk ins Odeon an der Untertrave. Die zwei Brüder, Michael Brown (Gesang & Gitarre) und Leigh Brown (Gesang & Bass) finden in Andre Wise am Schlagzeug einen Handwerker, der nicht nur vom Äußerlichen an Led Zeps legendären John Bonham erinnert. Tracer bedient das Genre musikalisch gehaltvoll und ist auf der Bühne äußerst aktiv. Leigh Brown setzte tönende Tätigkeit in Bewegung und schickte die Basslines zu seinem Drummer - beide passten den Rhythmus ans Publikum weiter - frenetischer Jubel und vom Publikum ein Steilpass an die Band zurück.
Allen voran Michael Brown, der seine Stimme einerseits weichherzig und gefühlvoll bei den langsameren Stücken einsetzt und andererseits, bei den dynamisch treibenden Rocksongs schwingen die Stimmbänder rau und klingen scharf geschnitten. Hammerharte Licks, die Soli sehr sauber intoniert, beispielsweise im Hendrix-Klassiker Hey Joe. Tracers Interpretation steigert sich langsam, baut auf durchdringende Spannung und endet in einem ganz bemerkenswerten „Presto incredibile“.
Wäre es das gewesen, hätte sich Rockland zufrieden schlafen gelegt. Doch der Song So Afraid Of The Darkness, ein Cover von Walter Trout (seit vielen Jahren im Olymp des Bluesrock zu Hause) war der absolute Gipfel an diesem Abend. Mit reichlich Druck rockte Michael die frischen und harten Riffs, den Song und sich selbst mit wuchtigem Pathos ins Audience. Man hat lange nicht mehr gesehen, dass ein Gitarrist die Gitarre minutenlang hinter dem Kopf spielt, die Töne hart und sauber trifft. Dessen nicht genug - Andre Wise steht vom Schlagzeug auf, dreht dem Publikum den Hintern zu, schlägt die Felle sicher hinterm Rücken und tut es seinem Frontmann gleich. Tobender Club!
Einen Song gab es noch: Mitten im Publikum stehend semmelte Michael Brown den Leuten mächtig die Hooks um die Ohren, fuhr mit 'ner Flasche Becks über den Gitarrenhals und brachte slidend die Saiten zum Röhren - von den Luftgitarren mancher Gäste in bester Rockmanier begleitet. Hungrig nach Musik und Leben, kam diese Performance ohne großartige technische Bühneneffekte aus - die Überraschung kam über die Musik und die Präsenz der Band. So phänomenal kann ein Live-Konzert in einem Club sein.
http://www.unser-luebeck.de/content/view/1839/284/
Interview with Michael Brown (Tracer) [+ Show]
www.musik.australische-kultur.de
Magdeburg, September 16th, 2009
Michael Brown ...
Magdeburg, September 16th, 2009
Michael Brown is Tracer’s singer, guitar player, manager and man with thousand different hair styles. We met on his 24th birthday on September 16 in Magdeburg and got to know why Tracer is in Europe instead of Los Angeles, why sleeping in the back of a van is not a bad thing and why they might even get a new permanent address in Berlin.
Michael, we’re talking on the second day of the Great Australian Wave-tour. How was the start?
The first day was pretty good. The crowd was a bit down, but all the bands were really cool and we got the chance to meet everybody and say G’day. So that was good. But we’ve been here for about a month anyway, touring around.
It’s your 24th birthday today. Happy birthday and all the best for you…
Thank you – Danke!
…and the obvious question: How is like to celebrate your birthday so far away from your loved ones and from most of your family – with the exception of your brother?
It’s OK. I mean – it’d be nice to spend it with my family, but being in the middle of Germany is bloody fantastic. Not everybody has the chance to celebrate his 24th birthday playing in a rock band touring around Germany. So it’s very exciting for me.
Many people have a bit of a problem to describe your style of rock music precisely. There are comparisons even with Silverchair, maybe because you are three young guys as well…
Yeah, Silverchair. They are a cool Australian band, we love them. But we’re more into I guess what you call the “stoner rock”-bands. We’re not into that whole scene really, but we like Soundgarten and the 90s bands, Nirvana, Queens Of The Stone Age – these are the bands we are fans of.
But there’s also a bit of 70s in the music.
Very much – I mean we’re big fans of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath or Deep Purple.
Was it by purpose that you - let’s say – “mixed” those decades musically or was it something you found out while you were playing?
My brother and I were part of band in Australia since we were 13 and 10. We were a blues band and we got really into the blues and found out all about the old blues guys. I guess the 70s opened up a new door to the blues with Jimmy Hendrix and all those sorts of people. I guess we just progressed from that and ended up with everybody that was into that in the 90s and hence Tracer came to be.
Is this the first time you are touring around Europe for a longer time?
Yeah, the first time! We’ve been here for a month and we’ll be here until January. So all up it’s a five months tour and we’re taking in Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, Denmark, The Netherlands, Belgium and the UK.
Do you have a bit of a “homebase” in Europe?
Yeah, our drummers auntie lives in Switzerland and she’s given us a place to stay there, which is very good. She feeds us as well, which is good because we’ve got no money. But my brother and I have some family in the UK, so hopefully we’ll be out there have some dinner with them sometimes.
Some of the other nights you sleep in your van?
Yeah, we’ve got a Renault van we called Nessie, we built a bed in the back. So all three of us get cozy in there and sleep next to each other in the back of the van, which is very comfortable. But that’s only when we can’t find any other place to stay. You know, we do what we have to do. We just want to play music in front of new people. If that means sleeping in the back of a van for five months, so it’ll be it.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean that there are no “new people” in Australia that don’t know Tracer yet?
True. But the reason why we came to Europe is that you can travel short distances and be in a town that is bigger than any town in Australia. It is very expensive to tour in Australia – and the music that we play is more well received over here in Germany and other parts of Europe. So we decided to save our money and come up over here and see what we can do. In Australia we have a good following in our hometown and a little following in the next big town. But the next big town from us is eight hours away – if you drive eight hours here you’ve been through two countries and twenty big cities…
You live in Adelaide, so the next big town should be Melbourne. Wouldn’t it have been better to settle over to Melbourne or maybe Sydney – to a place where there is a more lively music scene than it is in Adelaide?
We were going to that actually. Last year we decided we were going to Melbourne. Then we thought again and said ‘Well, if we are going to Melbourne and spent a lot of money living over there – we might as well spend a little more money and come over to Europe and see what we can do here’. I know a lot of American bands do the same. They say, Europeans like live music and back at home we tend to do what the Americans do, which is go out clubbing, and that doesn’t mix very well with our style of music. So we came over here and see how things are working. If we like it we might even stay here.
In Germany we think about Australia as a “rock nation”. Everybody has a guitar and just “rocks”. You said that your music isn’t received as well in Australia as it is in Europe. Why do think it is like that?
I assume it is because Australians follow popular music from wherever it comes from, we follow trends rather than listen for ourselves. And I think people in Europe know what they like rather than being forced to listen to something. Maybe that’s the case, maybe we tried the wrong places – but I don’t think so. We’ve played in Berlin twice and both times everybody really loved the music. So maybe we found a place that we’re happy with.
Your album is called “L.A.”, with question mark behind. Why?
That’s another reason. We were either going to move to Melbourne, come to Europe or move to LA. We decided against LA, beause a lot of people who have been there that we have known tell us that is more a town for “wanna-be-rock-stars” and “wanna-be-movie-stars”. We thought if that’s the culture there we don’t want to be part of it. And “LA” with the question mark to us means: Is LA really the place people need to go to make a name for themselves.
So you don’t want to part of LA-Scene. What about the Australian scene?
Oh, we’re into it – but it is very difficult to get into it. There is a nice stoner-rock scene in Melbourne, but is very small compared to here. What we’re looking for is a label or manager or booker or something like that, because I think there is place for the music that Tracer plays. It’s just trying to find that place. And in Australia it is very difficult to tour around because the distances are so vast and it costs a lot of money and we don’t have a lot of cash because we don’t have label backing or anything like that.
Which means that the plans for the future should be to find a label and a booking agent…
…and a manager, so that I don’t have to do all the work. This is difficult, but at least brings us to nice places. I mean: The culture here is fantastic, and we never felt more at home playing music than we have over here in Europe.
You do a lot work over social communities like Facebook or Myspace. How important is that part of let’s call it Web-Marketing to you?
A lot! It’s the key. It’s the absolute key. Whenever we have day off all three of us spent ten hours on our laptops trying to find new fans and get them to our shows, trying to find new gigs, trying to find labels. Without the internet this tour wouldn’t have happened. I never called anybody. It was all done by e-mail, Facebook and Myspace. So without the internet we'd be stuffed.
The Great Australian Wave Showcase (German) [+ Show]
www.musik.australische-kultur.de
Kann das eigentlich funktionieren? Die Idee ist re...
Kann das eigentlich funktionieren? Die Idee ist reizvoll: Man nimmt drei Bands, die sich sonst wahrscheinlich nicht begegnet wären, weil sie völlig unterschiedliche Musik machen, und lässt sie mit der Begründung gemeinsam auftreten, dass sie alle aus demselben Land stammen – aus Australien nämlich.
Also keine drei Rock-Bands, keine drei Songwriter, keine drei Pop-Gruppen – sondern einer aus jeder Abteilung. Den Mut dazu hatte Steve Iorio, der unter dem Label „Great Australian Wave“ eine Ersatz-Veranstaltung zur ausgefallenen Popkomm organisiert hat.
Eben dieser Steve Iorio hat ozmusic.de die Gelegenheit gegeben, die Tour zu begleiten und dabei alle Türen im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes offen gelassen, sprich: Wir waren beim Soundcheck, bei der Reise und auch nach den Auftritten dabei und haben so einen guten Eindruck davon bekommen, wie die Künstler gespielt haben, aber auch, wie sie miteinander umgegangen sind.
Letzteres aus deutscher Sicht übrigens besonders interessant: Jeder der Künstler war offen für die Musik des jeweils anderen. Auch unter der Überschrift „das ist jetzt nicht die Musik, die ich mir unbedingt jeden Tag anhören muss“, war man dazu in der Lage anzuerkennen, dass es sich bei den jeweiligen anderen Acts um wirklich gute Musiker handelte.
Mijo Biscan war derjenige, der den Anfang in der bunten Zusammenstellung machte. Eigentlich ist er Sänger der Gruppe Lamplight. Das jedenfalls war die Erwartung, unter der ich ihm begegnete. Im Interview stellte er allerdings klar, dass Lamplight derzeit eine Band ist, bei der es noch nicht klar ist, wie die Zukunft aussieht.
Mijo Biscan möchte künftig zumindest einen Teil des Jahres in Berlin verbringen und ist außerdem kräftig dabei, neue Songs zu schreiben.
Besonders interessant war für mich die Frage, ob es Mijo Biscan alleine schaffen würde, die Klangbilder, die er mit seiner Gruppe erzeugt, auch mit einer akustischer Gitarre zu transportieren. Das gelang weitgehend gut, auch wenn einige der Songs ziemlich umgestrickt worden sind.
In der Vorwoche tourte Mijo als Opener für die in Australien sehr bekannte Clare Bowditch durch Deutschland und hat sich dort bereits an das Auftreten ohne Band gewöhnt und nach eigenen Aussagen eine Menge von Clare gelernt.
Optisch verblüffte er durch den fehlenden Bart und eine neue Frisur, was insgesamt einen frischeren Eindruck machte, der ganz gut zur Musik passte. Man merkte ihm an, dass er Spaß daran hatte, seine Geschichten zu erzählen, bzw. vorzusingen. Nachdenkliche, tiefgehende Musik, getragen von der beeindruckenden Stimme des jungen Herrn aus Melbourne bzw. Berlin.
Herausragend dabei die bereits vom Lamplight-Album bekannten Stücke „Ship in a bottle“ und „A sun that will not rise“. Letzteres ist eine nachdenkliche Abrechnung mit Casting Shows a la „Deutschland sucht den Superstar“ oder „Australian Idol“, die textlich nie böse wird oder einfach nur draufschlägt. Da sind die Zwischentöne interessant, übrigens auch die musikalischen. Die lassen sich natürlich mit Bandbegleitung besser inszenieren, dennoch schaffte es Mijo Biscan auch mit akustischer Gitarre, den Song spannend zu präsentieren.
Dass man sich auf neue Musik von ihm freuen kann, bewies „I don’t want to miss you“ – ein Liebeslied, was eine Menge Menschen im Publikum wirklich bewegte.
Nicht nur stimmlich klopft Jeff Buckley da kräftig an die Türe, und das ist wahrlich kein Nachteil. Als Opener hat man es manchmal schwer, das Publikum zum zuhören zu bewegen. Das gelang Mijo Biscan gut, weil die Songs interessant waren. Stücke, bei denen es sich lohnte, auch auf den Text zu achten.
Nach einer erfrischend kurzen Umbaupause kamen Worldfly auf die Bühne.
Worldfly sind oft ein Überraschungs-Ei, weil sie in unterschiedlichen Besetzungen spielen können: Mal erlebt man sie zu dritt mit akustischer Gitarre, Cello und Drums. Dann wird gerne eine E-Gitarre und ein Bass hinzugefügt, im Bedarfsfall kommt noch Percussion dazu. Jede Formation erzeugt unterschiedliche Stimmungen und hat eigene Arrangements, so dass Worldfly-Auftritte im Grunde genommen nie gleich sind.
In Berlin gab es für den Zuschauer die volle Besetzung, also alle sechs Bandmitglieder, inklusive Percussion. Der Eingangs-Applaus des Publikums ließ bereits vermuten, dass der überwiegende Teil der Menschen wegen Worldfly anwesend war und sie wurden nicht enttäuscht.
Nahezu das komplette Album „It’s too late for turning back“ wurde dort präsentiert und bereits mit dem Opener „The world was a beautiful place“ wusste man, wo die Reise hingeht: Das war perfekt gemachte, sehr gefühlvolle Pop-Musik mit sinnvoller Message.
Beeindruckend das Zusammenspiel der sechs Menschen auf der Bühne. Auch wenn das Schlagzeug manchmal ein wenig zu laut war und die akustische Gitarre das eine oder andere Mal etwas mehr Kraft vertragen hätte, schafften es Worldfly, die Menschen in ihren Bann zu ziehen.
Beim Publikum wechselten entspanntes Mit-Wippen mit Begeisterung über die wunderbaren Melodien ab, die Worldfly präsentierten. Im Gegensatz zu vielen anderen „Unsere-Musik-Hat-Eine-Botschaft-Bands“ verstehen es Worldfly, das Publikum nicht zu langweilen. Die Dynamik der Stücke wechselt häufig, die Instrumentierung ebenfalls – so dass auch eine komplette Stunde mit der Band viel zu schnell vorbei geht.
Abgerundet wird der Auftritt durch die Zwischenmoderationen von Michael. Der erzählt in einer kunterbunten Mischung aus Englisch und Deutsch Geschichten zu den Liedern und wird sicherlich selber überrascht gewesen sein, wie aufmerksam das Publikum auch diesen Erzählungen gefolgt ist.
Worldfly waren musikalisch perfekt, unterhaltsam und haben gezeigt, dass auch Popmusik nicht automatisch flach und anspruchslos sein muss. Stücke wie „Someone special“, „A small boat“ oder „Beautiful place“ haben Single-Potenzial und könnte ohne weiteres bei 70% aller deutschen Radio-Stationen in der Rotation sein.
Keine Sekunde kamen irgendwelche Zweifel auf: Da sind Menschen auf der Bühne, die „wollen“. Sie wollen ihre Musik präsentieren. Sie wollen ins Radio. Sie wollen auf große Bühnen. Und jeder aus dem Publikum wird nach diesem perfekten Auftritt sicher sein, dass sie genau das auch schaffen werden. Die Menschen haben ein Programm gesehen, bei dem sie in einiger Zeit sagen werden: „Worldfly? Ja, die kenn ich schon seit der Zeit, zu der sie noch in kleinen Clubs aufgetreten sind.“
Dann wurde es laut. Tracer kamen auf die Bühne und aus war es mit der verträumten, romantischen Stimmung. Für mich waren Tracer die größte Überraschung des Abends. Nicht, dass wir uns falsch verstehen, die anderen beiden Acts waren großartig. Aber genau das konnte man von Mijo Biscan auch erwarten, wenn man einmal in das Album von Lamplight hineingehört hat. Bei Worldfly ist es mittlerweile zumindest in Insiderkreisen bekannt, wie unglaublich gut sie Live sind – auch das war keine Überraschung.
Meine persönliche Einstellung Tracer gegenüber sah allerdings eher so aus: „Da sind drei Jungs im Alter von zwanzig-plus-irgendwas, die Lärm machen. Ja, danke, das gab es alles schon tausendmal vorher und wird es auch tausendmal nachher geben.“ Ich war mir relativ sicher, dass es exakt zwanzig-plus-ganz-wenige Sekunden dauern würde, bis mich Tracer aus der Halle getrieben haben.
So viel zu den Vorurteilen. Ich bin geblieben, denn Tracer sind unglaublich.
Irgendwas scheint zwischen der ersten und der zweiten Stufe der Treppen zur Bühne zu passieren, irgendein Schalter wird umgelegt. Aus den freundlichen, höflichen und fast schon zurückhaltenden jungen Herren werden plötzlich Musiktiere, deren Adrenalinspiegel knapp unterhalb der Hallendecke liegt. Da geht es mit heftiger Energie vom ersten bis zum letzten Ton so sehr zur Sache, dass es nahezu unmöglich ist, sich davon nicht anstecken zu lassen. Drummer Andre bearbeitet sein Schlagzeug, als müsse es nicht mehr unbedingt bis morgen halten. Bassist Leigh hämmert Bassläufe durch die Halle, dass man sich fragt, wieso der nicht längst schon mit Dauergips um die Finger durch die Gegend läuft. Sänger Michael beherrscht vollständig alle möglichen Gefühlsausdrücke – er haucht, singt, tobt, schreit, faucht und spielt so ganz nebenbei auch noch Gitarre.
Das alles ist im übrigen keine überlaute Wand von ohrenbetäubendem Lärm, wir reden nach wie vor über Musik. Tracer wissen genau, was sie tun, und das machen sie gut. Die Songs sind klar strukturiert und verglichen mit vielem anderen, was aus der musikalischen Ecke kommt, melodiös. Grunge-Rock trifft 70er-Jahre-Rock und nebenbei schaut auch mal eine Portion Blues vorbei. Eine kreative Musik-Mischung, die mit dem Label Stoner-Rock nur unvollständig beschrieben ist.
Zu hören gibt es eine Reihe von Stücken aus ihrem Album „L.A.?“, die allesamt live deutlich energiegeladener und facettenreicher sind als auf dem Album und einige neue Stücke. Wenn man sich zum Beispiel „Voice in the rain“, eines dieser neuen Stücke, anhört, dann weiß man, dass die drei Herren aus Adelaide ihr Pulver längst noch nicht verschossen haben.
Nach über drei Stunden geht ein Konzert zu Ende, das eine kleine Reise durch einige unterschiedliche Abteilungen der Musik geboten hat. Drei Acts, und jeder hat auf seine ganz individuelle Art das Publikum überzeugen können. Selbiges hat einen guten Eindruck davon bekommen, wie vielfältig und qualitativ hochwertig die Musikszene in Australien ist. Und die meisten werden sich auf dem Heimweg gefragt haben, wieso man hierzulande nicht mehr von diesen Künstlern hört. Zu wünschen wäre es Mijo Biscan, Worldfly und Tracer in jedem Fall.
67 Special, Swayback and Tracer live at Jive [+ Show]
dB magazine
Young lads Tracer quite simply blew the audience a...
Young lads Tracer quite simply blew the audience away with their grandiose sound with influences from AC/DC to Queens Of The Stone Age. Their set was as intriguing as their party tricks (guitars played behind heads and drums played backwards), which received much praise along with the frontman's fierce guitar work and the band's perfect amount of likeable arrogance. For three people, they certainly made an impression and a racket.
Db Magazine, September 2007
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