Mazzy Star @ Sydney Opera House

A highlight of our recent whirlwind trip to Sydney, this concert was a surprise birthday present from my Mum and a total musical blind date for me. Other than the band name and a vague association with the 90s, I knew literally nothing about Mazzy Star and couldn’t name or hum a single song. Luckily, their live show made for a wonderful night out.

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Feist @ Forum Theatre

I haven’t been to many live gigs at all this year, either because of financial reasons or the lack of interest in tours on offer. I suspect I’m entering an age where it becomes increasingly harder for new artists and bands to really click with me to the degree where I’d pay money to see them play live. At least I’m closing the year in style with this fantastic concert last Friday at the Forum Theatre, where I got to see the Canadian songbird extraordinaire, Leslie Feist a.k.a. simply Feist.

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Hans Zimmer @ Rod Laver Arena

Hans Zimmer’s name might not be instantly recognisable among the general public, but most people would know the popular films he had scored: Gladiator, The Lion King, Inception, Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, The Rock, and many more. An impressive body of work to say the least. I have my sister and her husband to thank for letting me know about this concert: they’re big fans of Zimmer’s work and were blown away when they saw his show in Prague last year. I could only afford cheap tickets at the very top of the arena, which unfortunately blocked about a third of the orchestra from view, but in the end it didn’t matter so much.

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Sleater-Kinney @ The Croxton

sleater-kinneyA mid-week gig in Thornbury that’s unlikely to start before 10 pm would normally be a terrible prospect, especially during a week that’s already been sleep-deprived because of a late Mad Max showing at the Melbourne IMAX theatre. But if there’s any act worth going deaf in one ear and feeling like a zombie at work the next day for, it’s these amazing ladies.

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Gillian Welch @ Palais Theatre

welch_g_1-600x340I had such great time at this concert. Beautiful venue and incredibly enthusiastic audience; I’m used to the Melbourne crowd being reserved, but from the moment Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, her musical partner (and amazing guitarist), walked onstage they got nothing but cheers and rapturous applause throughout the show.

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