Florence + the Machine at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.

Ethereal and flawless are the words to describe Florence's performances.

Blood by The Middle East

Long overdue video of Blood by The Middle East at the Factory Theatre.

I suppose you can hear my hushing and 'oh my gosh'-ing in the vid.

The reason for this was that it was hard to keep quiet and sane whilst they were playing such an amazing song.

The arrival of Holidays

These few days have been quite fun. It's the end of semester and the beginning of a month long holiday which is always the best. I finished my exams on Thursday at the ungodly hour of 6:00pm. I had two that day, one from 9:00 - 11:00am and the other 4:30pm to 6:00pm. Some friends of mine finished earlier since they were allocated times that were way earlier for the practical spot test. After exams, we went out as a uni group to Newtown to have Thai food. It was pleasant and my friend Cecilia tagged along. And after that, Cecilia and I went to see The Middle East at the Factory Theatre.

The Middle East were absolutely amazing live. The set was at its absolute minimum with barely any light or theatrics for the show but simply a few differently coloured lights and the band themselves. It was incredibly understated and there was nothing to focus on but the music itself. It was an intimate show, since it was at The Factory Theatre and the band sounded incredible live. They have such glorious vocal harmonies and are so talented at what they do. I've never actually been to an acoustically oriented concert and I thoroughly enjoyed the lack of moshing - pleasant. You know the band is exceptional when at the quietest and softest does no-one ever enunciate a word. That was with all the songs, nobody said a word. For a band to come out of Australia and in particular Townsville, The Middle East has a sound that is nothing short of worldly, ambitious and melodic. I have nothing but praise for such a young band and I sincerely hope they sell out shows at bigger venues like the Hordern in the very near future. And hearing the song 'Blood' live was one of the more memorable experiences. Will never forget that.

I went to my friend's 18th last night. I've never been to a house party in the garden so this was an interesting experience. I wasn't planning on drinking but the partying atmosphere was hard to resist and so I succumbed to having a few drinks. Ah, also had my first Smirnoff shot and that was quite horrible...Though I also had a shot of Malibu and another that was blue and very delicious. I topped that up with two beers. Being an inexperienced drinker, having so much alcohol for the very first time was rather confronting but luckily, I knew my limits and did not have another shot despite being coerced by friends who love shots... Haha, I was on the edge of tipsy/drunk-ish and to me, that was the most fun of all. I now understand why my dear friend Vivien has a long lasting love affair with alcohol... everything seems way funnier and you lose all your inhibitions and do whatever the fuck you want. And I'll be 18 soon anyway and I had achieved a rather shame aim of mine in my 'things to do in life' list....and that was to get tipsy/drunk when underage. One to cross out on the list. I'm really sober now though.

Gypsy and the Cat

Running Romeo - Gypsy and the Cat at Apple Store Bondi

Time to Wander - Gypsy and the Cat

I saw Gypsy and the Cat yesterday at the Apple Store...I was initially reluctant in going since it is before exams. But heck, I realised that it would be quite an intimate gig and probably be the last chance seeing them before they jet off to the rest of the world. I wasn't wrong with it being a really intimate gig...there was probably no more than 100 people in the store...perhaps even less - it felt that way anyway. I was really close to the lead singer, Xavier Bacash and right next to the speakers. Despite having the music thump into my ears repetitively for around an hour or so, it was so worth it. I could feel the amazing bass pulsate through my veins (or arteries)

Gypsy and the Cat is a really good live band, they sound even better live actually. The gig was by far the most harmonious ones I've ever been to, perhaps due to there being only 100 people or less. No pushing, no hot hot sweat nor were there any assholes around me. It was a short set though...around 45 minutes long, but what more can you ask for when it's a free gig? Uhuh. I'm very pleased that I went. So worth missing an evening's worth of study time for! What's more was that I even got to say hi to the band and get their signatures. Aw yeah.

Hearts on Fire

So...it's been a while since I've last blogged and yeah, I've become rather lazy. Been pretty caught up since uni started again...well, two weeks ago and the content just never stops does it? Far out.

In the meantime however, I went to Cut Copy's concert at the Enmore Theatre last Thursday. Cut Copy were great, as always and this marks the second time I've seen them live so I knew what they were like. The Enmore was not divided into two floors [which was ideal] so I was lucky enough to get close to the stage. However, my main complaint must be the incredibly DEAD mosh pit. I wasn't even far behind and NOBODY danced, NOBODY moshed, everyone was just probably a bit too stoic for my liking. Come on guys! This is Cut Copy. It's only right if you dance at Cut Copy since their music is perfect to dance to. I went all prepared as well, dressing for a sweaty moshpit on a cold night...and to my surprise, I only became remotely 'hot' towards the end of the concert when Cut Copy belted out their hits e.g. Lights + Music & Hearts on Fire. There was plenty of space around me, so many more people could have fit there. It was just so darn odd to be amongst people who were reluctant to mosh and definitely a huge difference from the crazy concerts I've attended in the past ala Muse, Phoenix and MGMT.

Nevertheless, Cut Copy had amazing lighting at their show. I took many photos using my trusty iPhone and the pictures turned out to be pretty nice. And from not bringing my camera to Cut Copy in 2008 since I just wanted to mosh, I used my iPhone to film my favourite songs from the show. Yay! But....why did they not play 'Blink and You'll Miss a Revolution'?!?! That was quite disappointing. That's what I anticipated!!

Anyway, my highlights of the night were:

• Take Me Over
• Sun God
• Hearts on Fire
• So Haunted
• Lights and Music

And the concert was pretty short: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/cut-copy/2011/enmore-theatre-sydney-australia-73d3eae5.html :(

Only Saturdays from Bright Like Neon Love? What is this?!?! Where was Time Stands Still?!?!

Holy fuck, Melbourne got Feel the Love. I don't feel the Sydney love.

Everything is Everything

It always stuns me with how fast time really flies. It's been a year since I saw Phoenix and right now, if it were 2010, I'd be in Legal Studies in computer room 1 and trying in vain to finish my research. I'd probably be procrastinating as well and talking to Kelly, also procrastinating. The memory I have of that day is so vivid, particularly because it was so fun. Then I'd be training home, texting Vivien cause I freaked out whilst I waited for Cecilia to get to my house so we could train it to Milson's Point. Whilst waiting on the platform, I grabbed my chemistry notes out to study whilst she started talking about History & Memory and English. The train ride was filled with excitement and I can fondly recall that that day was pleasant (weather wise) and the sunset was most beautiful. Noone had arrived once we got to Luna Park so we ventured near the harbour and talked...and I sat there looking up at the sky, wondering what uni would be like and what would eventuate by the end of the year. The others arrived as well - somewhat met with some awkward silences since I only knew 2 of them and the others were new friends but really amazing people now that I think of it.

I remember going into the venue and feeling very nervous - but the nervousness was eased as the support band starting playing; music has this tendency to relax I reckon. The support band, Papa vs Pretty were actually pretty darn awful and once they announced they were playing, 'Wrecking Ball', I immediately made a connection to Interpol's song and thought they were covering the song; alas, they weren't and I can fondly recall our cheering once they announced they were onto their last song.

The wait for Phoenix was long and grueling and terribly exciting. We stood there whilst the sets were changed and as the clocks were ticking onto 9:00pm, I don't think the crowd could really hold in their excitement any longer. I was yearning for them to pop out and at the most unexpected moment, the lights dimmed whilst the opening for 'Lisztomania' churned out from the speakers; the concert was on. From the force of the crowd pushing and shoving, it was hard to stay with friends and I deviated away from a few in my concert clan and tried in vain to keep my head up in that immensely exciting moment. Phoenix were amazingly tight and sound exactly the same as they do on record. I spent the night in the Big Top, looking at the strobe lights, listening to the glorious music and felt on a high - one that was induced by the melodies of Phoenix's songs.

At the end of the night, I suppose we were all stuck in a euphoric high. The rest of the concert clan went off to buy merchandise leaving myself and another friend standing around and chatting. He was very nice, offering to buy the tshirt for me on eBay or something since I didn't have any money but I really didn't want to bother him. Though now, after a year and browsing around Phoenix's webstore, I really want to buy a shirt. Then off we got out of the venue and to the convenience store...Haha, I still remember one of them buying Orange juice cause they are obsessed with that stuff...And I was deliberating whether to buy some soda or a bottle of water and opted for the latter instead, to rehydrate my very wet and tired self.

Looking at Sydney Harbour at night from the position of the Luna Park is magical. Even when you're on a shitty CityRail platform i.e. Milson's Point, you can't help but wonder why is this all so beautiful and feel that world is truly amazing and big. Everything is Everything. (ha!)

And so the journey home via CityRail...we read past MXes and laughed all the way home. We were tired, worn and still euphoric.

I never wrote up a long extensive post of that night here; only complementing the post of the event with a few images and videos of the night. I wonder why I was so nervous going to the concert in the first place - though I can recall feeling reckless since I was going to a concert right before school assessments. And the chemistry and english I was studying on the train? It's true when they say that once you're out of HSC, you realise that it was all a breeze and a gentle one too. The memory of that night is still crystal clear in my mind, I just never really wrote it down online. And here it is, scribed on my blog with permanent internet ink. May that memory never fade.

hold you in my arms, i just wanted to hold you in my arms.

These are just a few of my vids that I took on the night. Oh my goodness...so in love. ♥

NO ONE'S GONNA TAKE ME ALIVE, TIME HAS COME TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT.

I am still stuck in a euphoric high after going to Muse's first Sydney Show. Absolutely dazzled, amazed, entranced and simply obsessed with this amazing band. Let me see another Muse show, please! I couldn't actually sleep last night from being so blown away by their concert and also because my legs felt werid all night....the only comfortable position for my foot was when it was on tippy-toes....(that shows how long I was in that position for i.e. the whole night) Their epicness has taken away my ability to form coherent sentences with correct grammar. Take for example a tweet I made last night as I came home from the show:

Daym: 'I SWERA I FELT THE WHOLE FLOOR SHOOK WHEN MUSE PLAYED STOCKHOLM SYNDROME.'

Shook Katie, shook? Are you kidding me? LAWL

But yes, the floor actually shook when they played 'Stockholm Syndrome'...it was those vibrations that I felt which basically tore Acer Arena apart. Muse opened with 'Uprising' which to me, was the perfect song to open their epic live show in Sydney. I love how the crowd sang in unison when it got to the choruses of 'THEY WILL NOT CONTROL US, WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS'. 'Starlight' was incredibly beautiful, with all these gorgeous visuals adorning the Acer Arena, remotely resembling a galaxy of sparkling stars on the rooftop. '...our hopes and expectations, black holes and revelations...' Though perhaps the highlight of the show was seriously, 'Plug in Baby', 'Hysteria' and 'Time is Running Out'. It was during PIB when my friends and I started making our way through the first quarter of the moshpit to the front, near all the hardcore Musers who moshed so hard that I didn't even need to move my own body to be jumping up and down. Live and intimate, as they say. Anyhow, I was very surprised at how dead the mosh appeared to be where we were initially standing (and we weren't even that far away at first). It was freaking Muse!! I also had a glance around the arena when the lights were on....most of the crowd were sitting down and not engaged, even when their most amazing songs were played. What is this people?!?!! Absolutely baffled. So no, I am glad I came out alive but I seriously expected more of the dead crowd after seeing concert footage of Muse in Wembley tearing down the stadium and crowds. Oh and the highlight of the night was when Matt Bellamy dedicated, 'Citizen Erased' to Julian Assange. I always knew that Muse were supporters of Wikileaks given that their music is centred around conspiracies and all the like so it was comforting to hear that they were aware of the whole issue surrounding Wikileaks. Oh yes, twas a little disappointed when they didn't play: 'Bliss', 'Butterflies and Hurricanes' and 'Feeling Good'. But it was nevertheless a great setlist.

Anyway, I went with Cecilia and Tiffany to the concert, unknowingly meeting up with a few friends who had tickets to side view seating. I felt really bad for them initially but then found out that their views of the band were not completely obscured so I guess that was fine. But nevertheless, we picked up some confetti from the ground and gave it to them as a gift or possibly as some consolation. Oh...and I was probably really annoying as well, always asking them to pose for my camera! Muahhahaha. Sorry peeps.

All in all, Muse has got to be my favourite concert ever; seriously trumps every other live act I've seen so far in my life and that has surely got to be something. I mean, I've seen Phoenix, Bloc Party + Interpol; all of which are known to be tight on stage. But no, it is surely Muse who own the stage. They were impeccable. And I shall end with some words; It is so true what they say about the Muse live experience; there are no words to express their sheer epicness and you must attend one of their shows to fully appreciate their offering to music.

Love is our resistance.

I'm seeing Muse tomorrow! I've bought my tickets for about 6 months already and now am finally seeing them at the Acer. As always, there's the obligatory complaining about Acer Arena and how far away and inaccessible it is. But seeing them will be so worth it tomorrow and I am so fucking excited. Oh Matt Bellamy, I get to finally witness your degree of epicness live.

And...I sincerely hope I do not get killed in the mosh pit by Muse fans tomorrow night. It's the first concert in Sydney as well....so all the hardcore Musers are going to be there; wish me luck please!

RESISTANCE!

Powderfinger - The Farewell

I saw Powderfinger at the Acer Arena on Saturday night for their farewell Sunsets tour. Acer was rather hard to get to initially, requiring a bus trip to Strathfield station then to Lidcombe and eventually Sydney Olympic Park. That was quite frustrating. Bertie Blackman and Jet were the two supports - both were quite good though I couldn't really get into the latter.

Most of the crowd were Aussie and it was quite hard to find another Asian other than myself and my friend, Cecilia. However, the main focus was the band themselves and they were amazing live. Honestly speaking, I never would've even thought to see them if they were not splitting but once I heard they were parting ways, I knew I had to seize the chance to hear them play their iconic songs once in my lifetime. Yeah...I really didn't even know half the songs they played but that was okay, the concert was great overall. Listening to My Happiness live with 15,000 other fans in the arena will be a moment I will never forget. It's spine tingling to hear everyone belt the same lyrics in unison, farewelling a truly iconic Australian band. Powderfinger ended the night with 'These Days' - a fitting end to farewell their incredibly successful music career.... It was a bittersweet moment and that was it, the ultimate goodbye.

I'll be uploading a few vids on youtube soon. I want you all to feel the intense energy of the fans singing along to My Happiness and These Days. So surreal, so amazing.

Studying for my HSC, obviously.

Look what came in the mail today!!!

All I need is now

a) to be in Australia when the concert is on and

b) Have someone to come with me.

Your Love by The Aston Shuffle. Wow.

Don't ever care 'bout what Napoleon says

Must remain composed throughout this post. Anyhow, INTERPOL ARE COMING. Now's the perfect time to reminisce - trackback to the 21st of February 2008...the day when I first saw Interpol/the day of my first ever moshpit concert.
Rahhh, I am so excited for them to come back..Although Carlos won't be there T_T
Man, I stood in front of him...and with the lack of Carlos? Odd indeed.

MONSTERBALL.

Lady Gaga was born to PERFORM. Her concert was so amazing and its no wonder that she's broke.
The theatrics were amazing and everything was just so well produced. GO GAGA!

Gorgeous

Photos from HERE
Aren't these photos just so amazingly captured?
I secretly wish that it was ME who took such photos. Daym!

nice font

copied from the phoenix tour diary...

this is an example of a nice font/nice writing..

ps, DEAR YOU, YES YOU. (though u prob don't read this)

but holy fucking shit, why are you so...I DUNNO BUT AMAZING? HOLY SHIT

sorry, i don't think you know i feel like this

but goddamn, you are crazy in the way that you are fucking amazing. AHHHHH

AND SO FREAKING NICE. WTFFFF MAN. T_T

MELTING X INFINITY.

When the lights are cutting out and I come down in your room...

Armistice by Phoenix

I went to Phoenix the other night and my god, they delivered an extraordinary performance. I loved every bit of the concert and they played all my favourite songs...including: Armistice, Napoleon Says, Too Young, Girlfriend, Love like a Sunset and 1901. It was an excellent show and the strobe lights worked so well with the amazing music. I had a great time and surely, the next time they come back, I'll be the first to run and buy tickets. Oh! And may I add, I touched Thomas Mars' arm, leg and shoe. His arm was rather squishy..though his leg was sticky. Nevertheless, I touched him! Bahaha, I sound like a pervert...and I apologise. Eeh!

Oh so wrong my loving goes

Listening to: Y Control by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs

I cannot believe it has already been a week since the Yeah Yeah Yeahs concert.. Time flies by so quick and I have now finished a whole tiring week at Matrix. By preoccupying yourself with the many things that rattle your mind, time surely does tick away very quickly.

Anyhow, YYYs' performance at the Hordern was electrifying, intense and so energetic. Every song was just juiced up with the quintessential Yeah Yeah Yeahs live touch that made the event so memorable and set the dance floor sizzling. Karen O's stage presence is captivating; there is not one moment when you can actually bear to take your eyes off her. Her every move is hypnotising, as if she's radiating some strong magnetic field attracting you to glue your eyes to the swaying of her poncho and the shiny headress that she wore. Anyhow, enough of my praising of the show...now for some downfalls. I don't have anything to complain about the Yeah Yeah Yeahs...instead, I shall complain about the usual. Those bogans/pricks/assholes that think it is intensely fun and oh-so-funny to push everything around to try and get up front from behind. Talk about concert etiquette! Non-existent, clearly. I was shoved around by such people and ended up in a spot that obscured my clear view of Karen O. Nevertheless, there are the tippy toes that I could use....and thus, be able to witness Karen O's lovely dancing on stage. Oh! They did not play Hysteric! I was thoroughly upset about that......though Soft Shock was just as good...so I guess I'm not that sad. I'm guessing I'll have to wait for another time to hear them play my favourite song of theirs live.

Oh, and ever since, I haven't been able to stop listening to them. Too addictive.