Last Friday Mum & I went to go see James Morrison at the Enmore Theatre, now not to sound like I'm bragging but if I was at a gig you'd normally find me in the standing dance floor (Just a bit to the side so I get a good view of the stage...Holla to all my short people!) I love being in the standing dance floor as an excuse to have a good boogie & be surrounded by eager excited fans. There's just something about a sea of people & that huddled feeling of togetherness with music.
To my delight this time round feeling like I've opened up new horizons, I got the opportunity to sit in the upstairs balcony of the Enmore Theatre. The seats were a great view & we were at least 9 rows from the front balcony, we hadn't even sat down yet & Mum was already brimming with excitement.
I'm sure there are pros & cons to sitting at a concert, first of all you'd always have a seat so if you want to stop dancing then you can, the artist you might be seeing could be pretty chill so having a sit, tapping away on your knee might be the best way to listen & when it comes to having a drink or loo break at the gig you will always still have the same spot you were in. Cons; it might get to your favourite song & your body could urge you to jump up & start dancing which is fun for you but not fun for the person sitting behind you! & once someone in front of you stands your seat view becomes blocked & then you have that same sadness inflicted back. Nobody wins standing in a paid seat!
Pros of the standing dance floor; you can move around to angle yourself towards the stage as you like, you can get yourself real close, close enough it feels like you can reach out & touch the artists & you can spread out a bit to dance (dependant on the crowd & music playing) . Cons; someone tall might stand in front of you & block your view, someone might accidently step on your foot whilst dancing, any trip to the bar or loo without someone attempting to hold your spot you lose it &/or if everyone's moshing too hard someone might accidently spill their drink on/around you. But usually at the end of the gig & why its my favourite is you're sweaty after having the time of your life & dancing your butt off!
Though my latest discovery even if you are up in the seated balcony or on the dance floor high chances are someone will still take their phone out & film above their head to get that ultimate blurry gig photo/clip! Regardless of where you sit or stand, you're still a true fan, still part of the action & everyone's there to enjoy one thing; the music!
Now I'm going to be honest from the get go & say it's been a long time since I've been to a gig filled with such enthusiasm. Seeing James Morrison last Friday it literally sounded as though the whole room was singing at the top of their lungs! & there were literally moments across the gig that I even felt like I was part of a choir! Even James said that the Sydney crowd had won the crown for the loudest audience. Yeah Sydney!
It's been 7 long years since James Morrison was back in Australia & you could feel it in the air. James went between old songs all the way back to his early career & a few songs dotted from his latest album. I'll admit I squealed a little bit when my favourite song "Feels Like the First Time" was chucked in the mix. Especially since there's only a small handful of songs that I know of James Morrison.
Now this wouldn't be a proper gig review if I didn't ask one of my good mates Jasmine who was also at the gig last Friday & has passionately followed the musical path of James Morrison SINCE THE BEGINNING...like 2008.
Here's what she said about the gig;
"My first love gave me all the songs from his first album "Undiscovered" & something about James Morrison's voice made me put the album on repeat.
"Wonderful World" is my absolute favourite song of all time. I listen to it irrespective of the mood I'm in. Happy, Sad, Angry. You name it. It has had something like 987 plays or something on my IPod that's 13 years old now.
The love for him grew from there.
"Wonderful World" and his old classics were of course the great hits for me at the concert. and "You Make It Real".
Since were on wedding planning mode, we have contemplated using this as our first dance song but unfortunately a childhood friend of mine from Melbourne used it at her wedding so its a no lol.
The other songs that were a real stand out for me on the night was "Power" & "I Won't Let You Go"
& I could't agree more as there was definately a number of stand out songs through the night. You could tell as the volume of the audience grew louder & louder, it was just the most electric feeling pulsing through the room. Thank you Jasmine for taking the time to tell me your thoughts about it <3
One more gig down & another one is slowly creeping up already, this brings us into this week's song!
Quick & simple this is The Chats, & these guys are born & bred from the Sunshine Coast (Sunny Coast, Australia). Formed in 2016, the band gets its name from the phrase "That's Chat" which makes me love them even more. The band consists of guitarist Josh Price, drummer Matt Boggis, & bassist/vocalist Eamon Sandwith.
Starting out from High School, their debut self-titled EP in 2017 was the beginning of good things to come. Punk is truly alive in the Sunshine Coast! With all sorts of themes to their songs such as the Aussie (but more English beer) Fosters, mullets, socks & sandals, ciggies, dole money, Smokos, Centrelink, Pokies & chicken schnitzels. They're grotty & rough like a new age Australiana punk. (Funnily enough like I said about Client Liaison a couple of weeks ago, Australians just love to make fun of themselves in an honest/raw humour)
The Chats caught my eye when I heard their song "Smoko" late last year on the radio & almost instantly was intrigued to find their music video online. (Which you can watch the music video for it here) Classic Australiana!
The music video is what quickly became a viral hit as it took the piss out of most Australians, whether you work an outside job or an inside job, high chances are you know someone or are that person that smokes. You need your 5 minute fix outside to stress less in the fresh air, & there's nothing better than a quick durry (ciggie) which as some Australians refer to as taking a "Smoko". Generally its a chance to get away from the work your doing & because smoking takes about the same time as going to the loo no one at work can really say no to that right.
Just when I wasn't sure which direction the band would take, the next song I heard was so much better & is this week's song on Play it Forward >> as it's my favourite from the band. It was released on the 21st March this year called "Pub Feed".
If you couldn't grasp it from the title, its an anthem ode to the humble pub & the wide variety of selections you can get. Personally my favourite is the Chicken Schnitz with peppercorn gravy & mustard/tomato sauce for the chips. Wash it down with a cold one & that's a good afternoon. Their most recent track & main runner of the latest National Tour is latest single "Identity Theft" which is about someone who attempts to buy drugs online, but uses a dodgy VPN.
The Chats are performing this Friday night at the Factory Theatre in Marrickville, but unfortunately for you Sydney folk. This show is SOLD OUT. As soon as I saw they were touring I got my ticket as I can't wait to hear what new stuff is on the horizon for these guys. I should have a cracking review for this gig next week.
Hope you all have a great week & fill it with music!
Cheers
Amy