On 5 January 2002, the crowd that managed to get in through the doors for the after party of Greg Ryans wedding were treated to a surprise performance by the worlds #1 homey G, MC JP Jeans, who hit the mike like never before and had the crowd screaming for more (that rhymes). Laying down some fat beat box beats for the crowd was definately the highlight of the evening, with several even forgetting they were at a wedding. JP did absolutely nothing to hurt his reputation as one of the worlds top class performers in one of his first public performances for quite some time.

On 5 January 2002, the crowd that managed to get in through the doors for the after party of Greg Ryans wedding were treated to a surprise performance by the worlds #1 homey G, MC JP Jeans, who hit the mike like never before and had the crowd screaming for more (that rhymes). Laying down some fat beat box beats for the crowd was definately the highlight of the evening, with several even forgetting they were at a wedding. JP did absolutely nothing to hurt his reputation as one of the worlds top class performers in one of his first public performances for quite some time.

Section 26 took to the stage at Jacinta's 18th for the debut gig, and bar a few nerves pulled off an entertaining gig for their first real night out. Lead singer Zap, quite coarse after a nights screaming at Unwritten Law, still managed to hold most of his notes, and felt well at home in the first set with fox, corduroy and boys don't cry highlighting the set, with the latter seeing Zap first hit the keyboard. Its my life was a little disappointing, and perhaps the weakest song for the night, with work required on back up vocals. The set was wound up with an original miserable, which was well taken by the crowd.

The second set started with the band seemingly over nerves and straight into an enjoyable blink cover of carousel. The second set showed a great diversity of music with the party girls bopping away to El Scorcho through to the proclaimers 500 miles. Blister in the Sun and Under the Bridge also added to the set along with another cover Melancholic. Jacinta also hit the stage a couple of time to show off her singing ability, pleasing all her friends, and creating a real confindent stage presense with her birthday numbers.

The final set had the boys definitely warmed up and growing in confidence, along with a real show for the final set. Gav was keeping the crowd amused with his guitar rooting antics while Zap really went for broke on the keyboard, almost breaking it off the hinges in his giant blister creating solo. Parellel universe was one of the night's true highlights, especially as Ben pulled off a magnificent solo on lead guitar. The crowd couldn't have asked for more in the set with other favourites like blink's Rock Show (although still needing a little work on vocals), Shimmer, More than you are and their final original Divine. Negro Matt meanwhile smashed away through the night on the drums, with Dave providing great support on bass. The only annoying factor was the dumb ass chick who went on stage, grabbing the guys asses and claiming to be the greatest musician ever.

The crowd was left with an encore of Drive, and a great night of music from Section 26's first night. While work is still required in some areas of the band, for a first night the crowd seemed more than impressed by what was dished out to them. Here's hoping the next show isn't too far off, with promise for a pub gig not far away.

See more photos here

As a rookie at such a music festival as this, I was expecting to see a whole lot of pin heads and freaks. My expectations became reality (although many hot chicks were present with scant clothing on), with many nuggets walking around in numerous pathetic outfits (what the hell are those stupid fluffy leg coverings, you chicks look like total browny hounds!) thinking they were extremely cool for being part of  "the scene", when in reality all they are doing is partaking in a modern disco revolution. As there are numerous dj's and acts on at the same time during the day it was hard to really get to see as much as one would like so the best option was to really stake a place out at your favourite tent (techno, drum n bass etc), wander around all day or hang out in the ampitheatre, which had the broadest range of music. Speaking of the ampitheatre, it is an awesome venue for music and it would be great to see more gigs of any kind there. The day started out bloody hot with little shade and no wind.

Among the acts that I was able to catch were Roni Size, Endorphin, Green Velvet (resonsible for that annoying "pills will kill your brain cells" song) and some other shit that I have no idea about. Repetitive beats were pumping all day and night, which would normally be really annoying but the atmosphere was a good one on the day and even those who are not great fans of such music, such as myself and CC.com writer G Ryan, had an enjoyable day. Once night fall hit the ampitheatre it was  lit up with shit loads of glowing lights, and unfortunately, those really gay glow sticks. It looked very cool though, and the music definately suited the atmosphere. Not only did the night bring on fancy party lights but it also brought in a whole lot of wind, making the place freezing cold and blowing up a sandstorm of Tatooine proportions (I'm still picking black boogies out of my nose).

The highlight of the day though was definately De La Soul, the great hip hoppers who were surprisingly included on this festival tour. Playing in the ampitheatre, a packed out audience came out to watch the boys at the early time of 3pm. From the get go, the whole crowd was captivated by the band as they made every effort to involve everyone there. Playing for almost two hours, the band seemingly did not want to leave the stage and genuinely seemed to be happy performing for Aussie crowds after a ten year period since their last visit to these shores. Heaps of songs were played from their entire catalogue, including "Me, Myself and I" from the classic "Three Feet High and Rising" album and perhaps their most famous song "Hey, How You Doin'", which the crowd ate up. De La Soul showed their funk roots by doing their own rendition of P-Funks "Flashlight", which was a pleasure to hear. De La Soul delivered a fantastic show and surprised many of the dance freaks with fantastic set.

The night ended in the ampitheatre with those Green Velvet freaks (although the fact they used keyboard guitars was very cool), putting on a spirited show that the crowd ate up. Thus the entertainment was over and the long trek back to the car had to unfortunately begin, with many battlers being forced to wear their sunnies to protect their eyes from the severe wind blowing a shit load of sand everywhere. All up, the experience was not too bad and it was great to see a great band such as De La Soul rocking the house. Cheers to the fellas next to us for shouting some delicious fruit and palming off a litre of Gatorade.

Hopefully we will get photos from the day up in a couple of days.

The Unwritten Law concert finally arrived on Friday and thank god. No longer did the staff at CC.com have to listen to staffer Greg Ryan's continual rantings about how good this show was going to be. He was really starting to piss people off. So finally, off to the Globe it was to see UL, and two unknown back up bands. The first band up was an interesting decision as they were obviously heavily influenced by Moterhead (as evidenced by them using two bogan jackets adorned with large sew on patches as their set decoration. Go the 'Head!! Lemmy rocks!!) and other such bands, but none the less put on a half decent set, albeit a rather interesting one, especially with their country song. Next up was some local punk rock band that provided nothing new, same old standard punk band with not much to offer except the standard guitars, vocals etc (the singer was not appreciated by many of teh CC.com stafffers).

On to the Law. A packed house turned out at the Globe for the guys from San Diego (including Anal Crappia) and not a soul left disappointed. Coming out onto the very confined stage, the band got straight into it setting the crowd in the mosh pit into a frenzy. As there was virtually no security at all, the crowd were pretty much allowed to do as they pleased, with crowd surfing and plenty of stage (and speaker) diving going on all night, as well as an abundance of shoe throwing at the band. The band played songs mainly off their two recent albums, which included such great songs as "Teenage Suicide", "California Sky", "Lonesome", "Up All Night" and "Geronimo" and one of their older classics "Superman". They also of course played the song all the chicks came to see, "Cailin'". Speaking of chicks, many young hotties were all over the place looking very fine.

Overall, Unwritten Law know how to please their fans with an extremely rocking show that got the crowd amped up, including those with little knowledge of the band. The show ended with the title track off their new album, "Elva". At the end of the night I walked out with filthy shoes, sweat soaked t-shirt and got to witness two hardcore punks (mohawk's and all) who had just kicked the shit out of some dude, who had blood pouring down his face. The night was enjoyed by all, except for the guy with the bloody face.

The Hoodoo's have been missing from Aussie stages for over four years now and it's a shame they left in the first place. Hoodoo Gurus have long been one of Australia's finest rock bands and even after their four year layoff and not only did they reaffirm that last night in Freo, they showed that they can still rock out like few other bands. The difference between one of their records and their live shows has always been huge, with so much more energy coming off the band at a gig as well as a guarantee of having sore ears for a couple of days (after my first Hoodoo's gig in '92, my ears were ringing for a good four days).

The first band for the evening were actually quite decent (didn't catch the name though), providing a very pop rock sound. Next up was Even, the now veteran Aussie band. People began moving towards the stage in droves when they came on and after a fairly quiet response, the audience were soon enjoying the band. But everyone was here for the Hoodoo Gurus.

In typical fashion, the band simply walked on the stage with no fanfare and the club exploded into an explosion of loud guitars. These guys were back. "I want you back" was the first song they came out with, and after just a few minutes it was obvious that the crowd were not going to see some washed up, out of sync band, but a well oiled machine that hasn't lost a step, for the exception of Dave Faulkner who has lost a lot more hair.

All the classics were played to perfection including such greats as "What's My Scene", "Bittersweet", "Like, Wow Wipeout", "Miss Freelove 69", "1000 Miles Away" through to some of the newer stuff like "Right Time", "Down on me", ":Waking Up Tired" and the great tribute to Gene Hackman, "Gene Hackman". The first set ended with the highlight of the night with their best song ever (BEST SONG EVER!!), "Kamikaze", played with intense vigour. another highlight was a guy wearing a Rose Tattoo t-shirt (go the Tatts!!). As the great band that they are, the Hoodoo's encouraged audience participation and were willing to take on requests. Until someone requested "Mountain" they were doing fine, but after giving it a go, Faulkner just blurted out "Fuck it! You've stumped us".

The encore was just as good as the rest of the show with awesome performances of the bloody great "Tojo" and "Axegrinder". The Hoodoo's have shown that even though they are getting on in age they can still rock out as well as any other band and it will be a shame if they actually stick to their word and definately don't play again.

p.s. Sucked in to the rest of the country who only get one chance to see these guys.

p.p.s. Go Andre, who is doing the threepeat of all their WA shows!

After a BIG night celebrating Blocky's b'day, the boys recovered in the time to trek into town for a lazy sunday arvo watching Jebediah in a rare acoustic performance at 78 Records.

Led by Munno, who was playing Dad for the day holding our tickets and organising the whole thing, the group included the man himself, CC, Age, Melo, Chip, B.rock and the author. We mixed it up with the usual crowd of try-hard punk kids and alterna-freaks.

After waiting for what seemed like hours, the Jebs finally came on stage and kicked off with two new songs, both of which I thought were nothing special. Then a bit of Harpoon, which is probably the best suited Jebediah song for an acoustic show.

The new single Fall Down was next up which is a typically rocking tune but you don't get the bagpipes on the live version. Instead they cleverly mixed it with Joy Division's classic Love Will Tear Us Apart which pleased CC big time.

What also pleased CC was fluffing lots and making all the kiddies smell the wind of his poo. That really was rank CC. In a crowded room as well, you bastard.

The gig finished with Please Leave of the last album Of Someday Shambles which was quite good.

Amazingly, super-groupie Munno didn't hang around for the signing session afterwards.

All in all, Jebediah are better suited to the rocking, jumping up and down electric gigs rather than the intimate acoustic setting but for $5 entry which also scored you a copy of the new single, poster, sticker and postcard you can't really complain.

The night begun with a visit to see my mom in hospital. Get well soon mom. My mom rocks!! Several cc.com staffers were on hand to witness the show, including CC, GR and SC. Beers were being guzzled straight off and the night was off to a good start. Note to the other staffers, you drink too slow you girls.

First up on the bill were local West Aussie product Gyroscope, but seeing as though we got
there towards the end of their set, it is hard to say what they were like on the night. They
looked good enough in the short time they were on though.

One Dollar Short were the next band on and the Aussie punk rockers impressed, delivering
an extremely worthy performance. These guys deliver nothing new, just straight up punk rock, with pounding drums and the usual crunchy guitars, shoved down your throat. The singer from the band is automatically the first thing thta is noticed when seeing these guys on stage. A big fella with almost his entire face pierced, he seems to be trying to emulate that dick Fred Durst with his baseball cap and a shit load of tattoos, but he carries the band well with his energy on stage (he's gotta pull his pants up though, half an ass hanging out looks
kind of stupid). Special mention needs to go to one of the guitarists who looked totally out
of place up on the stage. The lineup is actually quite imposing on stage, with three heavy set
dudes clad in black t-shirts. Then comes the little fella in bright blue. Looking funny at
first next to his band mates, he showed that he could rock on and went completely nuts at
one stage with excessive finger pointing at the crowd. What an animal. One Dollar Short
proved to be a great warm up to the main act and look to join Bodyjar as one Aussie punk
rock band that have a good sound and deliver the goods on stage.

Special mention must go the bouncers, who of course proved once again what fucking tools
they are. They proved this through their usual dick head antics and in particular, after
roughly throwing one young lad outside after he got on the stage, then letting him back in
through the same door no more than 30 seconds later. And once again, they managed to show
that mullet cuts and rats tails are still in fashion in bogan land. Special mention goes
to the ratfaced butthead who managed to almost have an ass length rats tail, what a dick!

Gutter Mouth came on the stage and quickly burst into song after a few brief words to the
crowd with a shitload of energy. One Dollar Short were loud and intense, but Gutter Mouth
were moreso, with faster guitars and louder volume. The energy level was high and after a
few songs, it was too hard to resist the allure of the small, but frenzied, mosh pit. The
band provided the perfect soundtrack to slam dancing and head banging and did not let up
for the entire show. Good on to the guys in the pit who were good natured and just wanting
to have fun. The security just gave up at this stage as well, letting numerous people up on
stage who were then greeted by the lead singer with courtesy, instructing them how to dance
and jump into the crowd. As usual when chicks get on the stage, they want all the attention
and try to stay up as long as possible. At least one had the right idea by throwing her top
into the crowd, which was thrown back for some reason, to show us her nice hot pink bra.
When another girl didn't take her top off when asked by the singer, she was told to "Get
off the fucking stage!!", but not before having her head rubbed into his sweaty arm pits.
Gutter Mouth are obviously are a guys band, as evidenced by the roughly 8:1 ratio of guys
to chicks. They played on, not letting up once and all up gave a great performance. It's
been a while since seeing a good punk rock gig, and even not being too familiar with either
bands, the night was great fun and prrof that a live punk gig is always a shit load of fun.

Some final points. I tried getting a set list, but was rudely pushed away by some faggot,
whom I immediately gave the finger to and gave him some choice words. You are a dick, mate. Also, to all you fake white boy toting afro kooks with pulled up socks, I started both
crazes in the mid 90's (and ditched them years ago) so I am expecting my fucking residual
payments. Many thanks must also go to GR who was spitting water on my shirt that he was
wearing. It was a welcome addition to my already sweat drenched t-shirt, thanks dickhead!!

Date: Tuesday 23rd Octobera
Venue: Bridge Theatre, Northbridge
Artist: Billy Bragg

---- Special Review by Munno ---

We walked into the Bridge theatre not knowing what to expect. The Dave Graney show was already in full swing, with his attire, a panama hat, flares and an old brown suit jacket, totally representing the old style swing music he was playing. Rhett, Lovey and I headed towards the stage, and found our seats, seven rows from the front! You could literally stand up and walk ten metres and shake the hand of the performer. This concert was set up like no other. There was no security, no extravagent props, only a stage, a table, two amps, a microphone and a guitar stand. It was totally minimalist, and when Billy Bragg eventually walked out on stage, dressed in a snappy new shirt (as he referred to it) we knew that we were in for a concert, of the likes we would never experience again.

With his cockney british accent Billy Bragg yelled out "Hey Folks" then got roaring into his first song. The guitar sound was incindiary ( a little almost famous joke there), and his no nonsense vocals were sensational. I don't know if you would all appreciate this, but a man standing on a stage, armed only with a guitar, belting out powerful, emotional and socially responsible ballads, in front of around a thousand people, is a sight to behold. After about three songs he began his banter. Billy Bragg is renowned for his stories, and in between songs he would totally captivate the audience with his tales from the past and present, bringing to light all of his political agendas, which funnily enough, have seemed to dull down in recent years. A particular highlight in the early stages of the set was the rendition of 'the price i pay'. This song was earmarked by rhett before the concert as the one he most wanted to hear, and let me tell you folks, he loved it!

After an hour of constant playing and joking, Bragg left the stage. His stage tech, which he lovingly referred to as Baldrick, had given him too much tea (which he daintily sipped from a cup and saucer in between songs) and he needed a little break. But after two or three minutes of non-stop applause and yelling Bragg emerged and two songs in, he brought out the song Lovey and I had been waiting for - Valentines day is over. The greatest song in the entire Billy Bragg catalogue! In between the old classics, Billy Bragg included some new material, all of which blew our minds. Literally every single song that was played last night was an absolute classic. Every song was brilliant, no exaggeration, there was not a single point in the concert where the entire audience was not totally captivated by the performance.

After playing for another half an hour Bragg left the stage again, and that was followed by another session of raptuous applause, from which he again re-emerged, remarking " You lot make a bloody lot of noise, especially considering this bloody place doesn't even have a bar!". He then proceeded to tell us a story about a song he had written last time he was in Australia, and he had performed late at night in his hotel foyer for the Brisbane Bears (at the time) football team. He remarked that after a ton of beers he was coerced into singing a few tunes, and that he sung this song especially for the footy boys. It was a bloody good song, about watching st.kilda play collingwood, and flying high over australia, and the sunshine which always greets him when he comes here. And halfway through the song he stopped to remark   " At this point boydy (Brad Boyd, who used to play for Brisbane) was in tears!" The whole crowd went nuts and Bragg completed the song to huge applause. Next he played an old woody guthrie song about rootinf ingrid bergman on the side of a volcano, it was bloody funny, especially because he kept stopping and explaing the relavant metaphors which were present in the song, he had the auidience laughing uncontrollably. Finally to end the show, an hour and 45 minutes after it had started, he played what has become his most famous tune, "waiting for the great leap forwards". He had changed all the lyrics, to be relavant to today, by including heaps of funny remarks about the internet and so on (you had to be there). But it was a truly fitting way to end a bloody brilliant concert.

Honestly, I have been to tonnes of concerts, including Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Something For Kate, John Butler, but this one was so, so, so different. There is something truly amazing about a man's ability to stand alone on a stage and belt out sensational songs. The setlist was impeccable, arranged so that there was appropriately quiet moments in between sensationally powerful stages. Everyone that was there was totally enthralled by the shear brilliance of Billy Bragg. He may not be a household name amongst all the kids nowadays, but in the hearts and minds of many true music lovers, Billy Bragg is a bloody legend!

By Munno

If you’re a long time fan of the Eels you’ll be both pleased but not surprised at the quality of this new album “Souljacker”. It like every other Eels album does it’s own thing, once again taking there old audience to new sounds. Wether that be a rocky/grungy feel in the 1^st single “Souljacker part 1” to a jazz sounding, “That’s not really funny”. Also for those of you who love them for their very popular album “Daisies of the galaxy”, there are a few similar sounding songs from that era, such as “Friendly ghost”. You might actually recognise a sample of there own music in the song “Fresh feeling”, (which I also think will be there 2^nd single) taking a sample from the strings section from the song “Selective memory” off the “Daisies of the galaxy”.

This album contains 12 new tracks. All of which stand out in there own way. The title “Souljacker” does exactly what the name says; it leaves you wondering where the next song is taking you without giving you the slightest hint. Personally, being a big fan of these guys I find it hard to see faults in what they do but I would say this. If you are new to these guys with this album I would understand if you had some big question marks over there sound and style, but in there defence they have always come up with the goods in the past and with a few more listens I’m sure you’ll agree with me on this albums overall quality.

Overall the album is something fresh and new from the Eels but still maintains the quality you’d expect from these 3 guys. E’s lyrics and song writing skills still have you wondering what he is going to do next, without putting you off the music and even when you think your not to keen on a song, the music still has a way to keep your toes tapping.

To keep up with all the news on what happening with the band go to http://www.eelstheband.com

Here is the back catalogue of this great band. Sit back, listen and enjoy……

Beautiful Freaks,                            Electro-Shock Blues, 

Daisies of the Galaxy,                     Oh What a Beautiful Morning

Last night I went to see the Cruel Sea at the Paddington Ale House and it was rooly good. As it was the first time I had been to see them live I didn't know what to expect. At the end of the night I was impressed to say the least.

These guys have been doing the pub thang since long before I took my first swig from a goon bag (8 years ago)  and the experience shows on stage. As a group they are as tight as cc's asshole but Big Tex is the main man.

On this night he had the crowd eating out of his hand and well he might too cos he is arguably the most coolest dude around. Some chick that couldn't control her hormones had to jump up on stage thrice (that's 3 times) to molest him. Tex made her feel welcome - not surprising considering she was pretty easy on the eye (she was mighty fine) but she didn't even know the words to "This Is Not The Way Home", a true Cruel Sea classic which includes such great lines as "threw up in the men's piss trough" and "just finished our fifth six-pack/ let's go get another". I likened her to one of those females who goes to the footy just to check out the cute butts in tight shorts and doesn't even know how many points for a goal. No appreciation for the sport or the music. Damn groupies! If Munno had have been there there's a good chance he would've whacked her, I reckon. You know how serious he takes his music. She didn't even take off her top after many polite requests from the pissed blokes in the crowd.

Anyway, getting sidetracked - the band opened with a couple of new songs off their sixth studio album "Where There's Smoke" before pulling out most of the old favourites. A noticeable omission was "The Honeymoon is Over" off the album of the same name. The encore produced two awesome instrumentals and the crescendo - a pulsing version of "Black Stick", you know the one that goes "My heart is a muscle and it pumps blood like a big old black steam train...". Yeah that one.

Even though I was feeling like shit on the night (not because of drinking too much) and the Paddo was packed to the brim (I kept brushing the girl in front of me's butt cheek - the closest I've been to the opposite sex in a long time) the Cruel Sea made everything alright.

I was fortunate enough to catch Alex at his last show at the Lookout in Scarbourgh a month ago. Molly Meldrum and myself were fortunate enough to be able to speak to him after the show. When asked why it took so long for this album to be released, he replied "I was busy working at my Dad’s Datsun caryard in North Sydney raising funds to pay for studio time". Also when asked why he thought that this style of music was successful he replied, "I think this music is a breath of fresh air for Aussie music listeners who are sick of manufactured bands, US crap like Britney and Nsync* and would just like to hear some decent music for a change!"

After hearing all but two of the new tracks on this album and seeing most of this album live also, all I can say is HERE HERE to Alex Lloyd and good luck to the future.

Also on Saturday 6th October, 12 noon, Alex Lloyd will be doing an instore accoustic set @ 78 records. Highly recommended as it is a great chance to hear some excellent Aussie talent as well as a chance to meet the man and get albums and merchandise signed.

I have managed to get an early copy of Unwritten Laws New album ELVA, due for release to all you peasants on november 6 2001.

This is the boys first album since the incredible Self titled 3rd album released over 3 years ago. Whilst the american punk fivesome have graced our shores on a number of occasions fans have been longing for this new album for many a year. This new album promises to expose UL to a greater market and put them in the big time band category (probably replacing Pearl Jam or U2)

The new album follows on the successful traits of past albums Blue Room, Oz Factor and Self Titled- unlike many bands such as U2, Pearl Jam and Bush who went to total s%$t after one good album and who today stink more than the backstreetboys and NSYC combined.

Whilst its still too early to review this album all signs are GOOD and my recommendation after listening to the album twice is GO GET IT!!

Check out all the lastest goss including news, lyrics and tour info on http://www.ulpunk.com