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It's hard to mention Tilly and the Wall without mentioning Tap Dancing, they have no drummer, the tapping of toes and heels on a specially constructed 'Tap Boardî produces the only percussive rhythm, and generally only one pair of lithe and active ankles is doing all the work. The lack of solid beats reduces the potential drive and danceability of their songs, there are a lot of bad jokes about extraneous drummers, but as the adage goes, 'You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.î However...

I think my main problem with this release is it's press release, it's almost as if it's describing the wrong band, I find it very hard to hear a lot of the supposed comparisons and descriptions. I know it's the job of a PR to ensure a band sounds good, but this one makes them sound like the best band on the planet. It's a fine album and Voxtrot are a perfectly competent Indie-Rock band, but fairly generic jangly American Indie, the clean type, very sharp, clear and precise, full of carefully con...

Take a look at my latest [Indieoma.com Post](https://www.indieoma.com/public_journal.php?d=6da9003b743b65f4c0ccd295cc484e57). Been another busy week, sorting this and that out, I've spent two days learning about all the new video technologies there are on the web whilst trying to get the first wave of Macaca Mulatta videos online. It took me a while to get up to date with new Codecs, sites and methods, one site that really helped was [Tube Mogul](https://www.tubemogul.com), it uploads video files for you to multiple sites. One other piece of advice is really experiment with compression before uploading,...

I shall be on 3CR radio tomorrow afternoon to talk about my Antescene nights, it's the 'Activate' show and is on from 5.30 - 6pm... Have a listen, drop the studio a line etc... [www.3cr.org.au](https://www.3cr.org.au) 855am (Melbourne)

God knows when I last posted a personal post here, no reason why, just been stupidly busy, haven't been enough hours in the day... So, here's a few things I've been up to, might be repeating myself... Ages ago for Cate and I's birthday we went on the Melbourne chocolate tour, lots of scrummy chocolate all over the city, [here's some fuzzy photos...](https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrischinchilla/sets/72157600333918177) Then we had a party, which was pretty cool, it was combined with two friends](https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrischinchilla/sets/72157600333918176)...

2005 was a great year for British music, with several young and energetic acts releasing critically and commercially successful albums, since then some fell by the wayside and some became huge, whilst others remained at a constant level of success and musical ability. The latter applies for Maximo Park; they never quite enjoyed the massive success of bands such as The Kaiser Chiefs or Bloc Party, but have also so far escaped the constant criticisms and monitoring of their material or the trappin...

Art Brut's frantic angular art-rock-pop, with it's lyrical tales to warm the hearts of all shy Indie Kids has been a surprising worldwide success, this is the bands second album, and their first without me. This was always going to be a hard review to write without being personal as the band were such a defining part of my life, I know the people involved, I know what they're like and, most crucially, I can hazard a fairly good guess at what and who most of the songs are about.<br>Some of the re...

Catching the last few songs of Mammal's impressive and powerful set, it's easy to see, hear and feel the appeal of Metal even if the music isn't quite to your taste. The brutal, almost primeval beats stir something inside, the raw guitars, screaming vocals and awesome stage presence forcing attention to the stage and the vision of (frequently hairy) men flinging themselves around a stage and motivating the audience with consistent and unlevelled passion, aggression and dedication. Metal audience...

The Wesley Anne is a warm, snugly kind of place this evening, reminiscent of old European style pubs and bars with a roaring fire, long sofa benches full of the chattering classes sipping red wine, cosy and familiar smells wafting throughout the venue lulling everyone into a sedate sense of security on this bitter winter's evening. So how does a relatively inventive and upbeat artist such as Early Gray chip into such a crowd when they all seem happy and reluctant to experience any intrusions? Hi...

Melbourne is in the grips of a worrying and growing trend of Latte sipping trendies moving into exciting and vibrant areas, settling down nearby to long established music venues with a fine pedigree and a rich history, and then complaining about the noise. Why move into an area and then completely destroy what makes it just because you fancy a load of nice bars and cafes to ponce around in whilst you read trashy magazines secreted inside copies of Vogue? If you don't want to be disturbed by grou...

Second interview with local zine dignitaries... <a href="https://www.indieoma.com/public_journal.php?d=cfecdb276f634854f3ef915e2e980c31" target="_blank">here it is</a>

The recently expanded and invigorated Peabody have an unhealthy obsession with their guitars. Swapping backwards and forwards after pretty much every song, the band have a guitar tech beside the stage who does nothing but tune their guitars for them, but the band still insist on double checking tuning before commencing each song, putting the dampeners on any inter song banter aside for the pleasantries. Initially it's amusing and charming, as the set continues the habit becomes somewhat annoying...

Bit by Bats are a great band, in 'it' for all the right reasons, whilst a vast majority of bands in Melbourne posses some of the most fantastic and expensive equipment but don't do anything with it, Bit by Bats take their average guitars and amps and make some marvellous melodious music with it. No pretension, no fashionable prancing or posturing, just talent, tunes and exuberance. The music ticks all the right boxes to, solid rumbling bass lines and drumming countered with fuzzy guitar lines an...

Kicking off Little Red's second Tote Residency night is 'Definite Article' with their first gig under a new name that is not much better than their old, 'Squeaks & Squeals'. Vocalist Mark wears a silly hat and the band have a drum machine so songs never quite get going, but contain enough pleasant harmonies and melodies to maintain interest. As the room fills 'Magnum Gumbo Detonator' take to the stage, vocalist Bernie's slightly inane grin seemingly happy with the crowd. They're a funk band with...

Operator Please tick all the right boxes, they're young, attractive and every member falls into one of several 'kooky kid' categories, something to appeal to everyone, they also appear to write very catchy songs. All of which begs the question if the band are manufactured, or at least some sort of stage school band. Their 'shtick' is very cutesy, toying with that confusing late teens state of mind where you still want sweets and concession fare on the bus, but you also want alcohol, parties and...

My latest Indieoma post is the second installment of my series of articles on Politics in Music, this time it's the turn of Classical music, read it <a href="https://www.indieoma.com/public_journal.php?d=2a79ea27c279e471f4d180b08d62b00a" target="_blank">here</a>.

Tuesday was World Environment Day, I took part in a protest on excess logging, see some photos here <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrischinchilla/sets/72157600322402682" target="_blank">www.flickr.com/photos/chrischinchilla/sets/72157600322402682</a> It was in an area about two hours from Melbourne, my Geography is a little poor, but here's a few name places I overheard that might give it some relevance... The Yarra Ranges, The Upper Taggerty, Whitehorse River and the Central Highlands...

I Went to my first Footie game... Quite exciting! Witness it <a href=<https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrischinchilla/>" target="_blank">here</a>!"

Had a great weekend, went to some gigs on Friday night, though one of those nights when you try to do too much and end up doing next to nothing and staying in one place, Cate got very merry, she was a happy drunk... :-) Saturday we got invited to an ever so fancy party for the Birthday party of a club owner, apparently he'd won Temptation Island or something. it was a white themed party (highlight costumes : Jesus, Polar Bear and Naval Captain) and was full of pretentious people constantly worr...

Shooting at Unarmed Men (SAUM) strike me as band that have good nights and bad nights that drastically effect their performance, the last gig of theirs I attended was lacklustre and neither the band nor the audience seemed to enjoy it. Tonight however is a completely different story, the band are as tight as a gnat's arse, delivering biting, sardonic lyrics with venom and gusto, rumbling bass lines locked into a booming kick drum, jagged guitar and discordant counter riffs, the chemistry shinnin...

A Guitarist / Vocalist, two drummers, a Tambourine / Trumpet player and a Tambourine player, initially 'Bang Bang Aids' line up seems extraneous, the drummers are just playing in unison and one of the Tambourine players doesn't actually seem to do anything. As the band progress through their set the songs start to take on a looser feel, the drummers counteracting each other, even the tambourine player's incessant chip eating and the band's banter adds an element of charm to the jagged and (I sus...

There's something odd in the air tonight, or to be more precise, probably something odd up the nasal passage or in a pill, the atmosphere at Bootleg is intense and disconcerting, we seem to be the only lucid members of the audience and the only people who don't quite seem to understand what's going on. Style over content is my first impression of Teenager, none of the band seem to know what's going on throughout the set as singer 'Nick Littlemore' rides a lengthy ego trip that might make him loo...

Any band who start their set with a ten minute under water puppet show earn Brownie points in my book. Also possessing a drummer who acts like a coiled spring the entire gig, sat staring intently on his drum stool watching everything on stage, exploding into fits of frantic drumming also earns points and I haven't even mentioned that NinetyNine write damn fine songs to. The set is schizophrenic with soft mellow soundscapes, loud raucous pop and even a track in Arabic. The songs are short, sparse...

Western Australia has produced some of Australia's most talented and popular artists in recent times and it's not all Indie or Rock Riffage as tonight's WA showcase proved. Opening the night were the bonkers 'Mink Mussel Creek' with their modern reinvention of prog-rock. Flutes, bagpipes, lengthy free-form rock outs, psychedelic influenced lyrics and attitude add to the bizarre spectacle and experience, oh, and a pixie-like singer who bounds around the stage with arms flailing and a T-shirt ten...

When I hear the phrase 'country music' I can't help but imagine either American cowboys scowling through tales of the dustbowl deep south, old English men supping real ale and singing in impenetrable accents or the new breed of wiry alt-country stars who never have a good word for anyone or anything, however it seems that Australian Country artists fall into their own unique sub-genre. The Kill Devil Hills have achieved a remarkable amount in the brief four years of their existence, speedily ch...

After a surreal party on Saturday night... It had a Gangster theme, Gangster rap... All police tape, chalked murder scene markings, fake money and loud tracksuits. Then on Sunday after a very long walk and a visit to the national gallery I toddled along to a bar to watch Eurovision. I didn't think Australians had such an interest and knowledge of European politics, which is basically what Eurovision has become. Where dozens of diplomats fail in bridging international boundaries and healing old...

When I was younger I did a lot of acting at school and at some youth drama groups, but that was nigh on 7 or 8 years ago... I just got a part in a short film today! It's called Union Jack, and I'm playing a violinist in a quartet in a bar... Hey, it's a start!

Lots of news and reviews to post here soon, but in the meantime here's my latest Indieoma.com post with all sorts of stuff in it... <a href=<https://www.indieoma.com/public_journal.php?d=d1f491a404d6854880943e5c3cd9ca25>" target="_blank">Diversity from Downunder</a> Enjoy :-)"

I suffered a uniquely Melbourne (and several other Cities) injury yesterday, I was cycling and my bike wheel got stuck in a tram line as I turned a corner, flipping me over the handle bars and into a (fortunately) grass verge, in rather comical stylings. A few scrapes and the bike needs a little sort out, but I've jarred my right arm somewhat and it's very sore... It's amazing how much you use your right arm for (if you're right handed) that you never realise until it hurts every time you try a...

I haven't made any personal posts for a while, not due to lack of anything to say or to talk about, just haven't got round to it, I've been quite busy, beavering away trying to sort a load of things with varying degrees of success. I wont bother getting everything up to date, just a few highlights from the past few weeks and I'll try to be more regular from now on. The Australian Line up of <a href="https://www.macacamulatta.com" target="_blank">Macaca Mulatta</a> is now complete, we have Xavie...