Party Dozen get back on the horse for the (interrupted) Sydney tour of their second album “Pray for Party Dozen”. Tonight I caught their early show at the Lansdowne with the dreamy sounds of Solo Career.

Check out the full photo gallery, shot for AMNplify, here.

Solo Career

Solo Career is the self-proclaimed late night, bedroom pop project of Annabel Blackman (Body Type), giving us some super dreamy vocals over stylised, atmospheric synth pop, band in a box backing tracks. Tonight we get an added bonus with a live flautist on the stage to add a bit of lilting mystery to the tunes.

The set is made up of what I can only describe as lo-fi ethereal tunes, with sultry vocals transporting the audience into a hazy, fantasy synth pop tunnel; like a winding journey through the clouds riding on the back of a massive luckdragon (look it up). There was even a dreamy cover of Celine Dion’s “My heart will go on and on”, featuring a bit of tin flute work, which, admittedly, was way better than the original version.

Have a listen yourself, here.

Party Dozen

Party Dozen strolled onto the stage ……….. and then things got a little loose.

Party Dozen are saxophonist Kirsty Tickle and percussionist Jonathan Boulet, plus a whole lot of electronica, loops, digital instrumentalia and fuzz filled effects. All this gets put together and delivered in a frenzy of sound and light to spark off even the mildest of epileptics.

One song blended into another, in what seems like a chaotic improvised jam session, intense and deliberate.  Behind the drums, there is wild thrashing of arms, beating them into rhythmic submission, while across the stage, Kirsty prowls and stomps with her sax, blowing the bejesus into one end and screaming intense vocals into the other end.

The set is as infectious as it is intense. There are punk tribal rhythms, dirgy hypnotic rounds and explosive bouts of complete chaos; all getting the seated crowd gyrating on their chairs. The constant strobing lights added to the experience, giving you the feeling that you’ve been drawn into a swirling maelstrom. So satisfying!

Experience the mayhem of their latest single, “The Worker” here.

And for the Brown Note – there were definitely strains in amongst the chaos, but who could tell in the dark.