Amid the unrelenting hullabaloo of our modern society there are beacons of light, the occasional oasis of independence in an integrated world. Hidden within the stream of advertising, cross promotion and pop cultural overload are people who carry the spirit of DIY. Read More…
Category Archives: Ben
N. Tesla- Lux Manifsto
By Ben
From Russia, by way of Germany then to your ears by way of Audiocracy.
The album is extremely impressive and holds up to repeated dips. After the initial apprehensive and exciting wade into their waters the urge to revisit them is immediate and strong. Read more…
Interview- The Room Colored Charlatan
By Ben
Indiana technical progressive 5 piece The Room Colored Charlatan have recently unleashed their 2nd album ‘Primitives’ to universal critical acclaim and the guys have been good enough to answer a few questions for us at Audiocracy. Read full interview…
The Room Colored Charlatan- Primitives
By Ben
Make no mistake this is album is heavy, at times crushingly so, but there is abundant doses of texture, depth and a surprising amount of melody to be found amongst the blows of the metaphorical musical hammer. Read more…
Interview- North
By Ben
Arizona lads North are a great example of how work ethic, integrity and quality output can attract and impress the discerning heavy-leaning music lover. Their reputation is continually growing by organic means, the word of their sweet sludgy sounds spreading far and wide, even finding its way into my ears on the other side of the world.
In between shows, traveling, using toilet paper and duct tape as survival tools and dabbling in “casual amateur meteorology” they took time to answer a few questions for us. Read More…
Nine Inch Nails/Queens Of The Stone Age/Brody Dalle @ Perth Arena 11/3/ 2014
By Ben
The co-headlining tour by Queens Of The Stone Age and Nine Inch Nails seems like a very savvy business idea. Take two bands with very different sounds but enough crossover in their large respective fan bases and mix up the order of opener and headliner at random. With festivals in Australia in a very precarious position it is fair to say that this concept would be watched closely by both punters and business types with any interest in touring bands Down Under. Read more…
Interview- Philip Jamieson (Caspian)
By Ben
Since Massachusetts post -rockers Caspian’s beginnings in the early years of this century the band have released three studio albums, and a small cache of live, split or stand alone EPs. They have steadily forged an impressive live reputation on the back of touring extensively, particularly around their native US and across Europe. This year sees the guys head Down Under for the first time and they landed recently after completing a series of shows in Asia and guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Philip Jamieson took time out from his quest to catch up on sleep and put on hold his search for the perfect pizza to answer a few questions for us. Read more…
Bruce Springsteen @ Perth Arena 8/2/14
By Ben
This was a superstar of modern music playing like he still has something to prove; his voice as powerful as his words poetic, holding 15,000 plus people in the palm of his hand. Read more…
Interview- John Scott (The Mark of Cain)
By Ben
The Mark Of Cain hold a unique position among the Australian musical landscape. It is a position that has been hard won, born of an unparalleled work ethic and an uncompromised artistic vision. The band; built around brothers John & Kim Scott, have been pummeling the devoted for the best part of three decades. They have exposed countless people to their characteristic sound – music completely devoid of superfluous bullshit, imbued with integrity and delivered with tangible passion. Read more…
Brutal Ben’s Top Gigs of 2013
Time, place and circumstance…
I cannot deny the influence of these factors on how I rate a live show. My opinions on music are unapologetically subjective because for me music is about emotion. I’m exponentially more punter than producer so I’m not necessarily seeking a note perfect performance. I crave that rare and hard to define ‘something’ that makes the experience resonate more deeply and connect more emotionally.
To me sometimes the back story can be as important as the band, the vibe as influential as the venue. My expectation for a band’s live show is directly proportional my experiences with them. These points became very evident when I sat down to review my year in gigs, this list is completely influenced by bias and factors beyond how well the band played. This assessment criteria is possibly a tad unfair, but that is live music to me. Read more…