Otouto + Seja @ Tempo Hotel 06-08-10

Otouto

Tonight is a repeat of Seja’s album launch show at The Troubadour back in April with the playing order reversed and with Seja playing a solo show to Otouto‘s headlining position.

It’s the first time I’ve ever been to see a show at the Tempo Hotel in any of the venue’s incarnations and possibly the last from a photographic point of view as it’s easily the worst lit venue in Brisbane: imagine The Troubadour without the two spot lights and you’re just about there.  Even at ISO 6400 and 1/20 it’s still underexposing as well as looking fairly awful from digital noise, hence some of the worst photos I’ve taken in ages.  In the end the best way is to piggy back on another photographer using flash and who had a really bright pre-flash, focus illumination assist to get a few fairly terrible photos from the night.

I really like both the main acts (I only caught the end of the opening band, the un-advertised Epithets) and Otouto’s Pip is one of my favourite albums this year, but tonight is a real struggle thanks in no part to one of the worst crowds I’ve ever been in.  The Guardian’s Indie Professor recently addressed the question of “What’s the most effective way of getting people to be quiet at gigs, especially as people who don’t like music that much tend to be going to gigs more often these days?” but really needs to revise her answer – “Talking in the back is tolerated. Talking in the front is not” – based on tonight’s showing.  I can’t think of anything worse than performing on stage and looking out to see groups of people gathered in circles at the very front, half with their backs to you, yelling at each other, completely oblivious to the fact that THEY’RE HAVING TO YELL AT EACH OTHER BECAUSE THEY’RE STOOD LESS THAN TWO METRES FROM THE P.A. SYSTEM.  Or maybe they just are that ignorant: a guy who uses a between song pause during Otouto’s set to walk amongst the crowd making loud “SHH”-ing noises makes no impact.  Why they seem unable to realise that they could and probably should move to the back of the venue if they have no interest in any of the bands playing and just want to talk to their friends is a complete mystery.  Maybe their $15 cover charge would have been better spent behind the bar of RGs?

Good luck to Otouto who are off to tour the US in September as support for Casiotone For The Painfully Alone and hopefully they’ll be back in Brisbane before too long, preferably in a venue where you can hear them over all the disrespectful crowd chatter.

Otouto
Otouto

Otouto

Seja
Seja

4 Responses to “Otouto + Seja @ Tempo Hotel 06-08-10”

  1. Darragh says:

    I’ve always thought Tempo (or Dooleys, as it once was) is a terrible place for live music. The layout of the space seems inadequate for the intimacy required by many bands, particularly Otouto. They should stick to the cover bands or music people can listen to while drinking VB and playing pool

    A shame they were booked here – the Troub would have been better.

    Hard choice for gigs that night. Given that I was at Seja + Otouto earlier in the year, as you point out, I opted for Burst City with No Anchor and Turnpike. It was awesome. Going by your words, looks like I dodged a bullet.

    ps. Pip is one of my favourite records of the year as well.

  2. Justin says:

    It was the downstairs room so weren’t any pool tables (at least that I noticed). Is a promising space if a bit sparse/souless in an after-works-bar-in-the-city way. It wasn’t dodging a bullet, probably more my increasing old person intolerance when trying to watch/enjoy a band. The level of chat, to me, was at teeth grinding levels of annoyance though.

    There was an abundance of riches that night, same with this Saturday (4ZZZ thing at the Zoo v Hymies etc at The Troubadour v Opals & Pooles etc at The Hangar). (probably going to The Zoo first and maybe the Troub for drinks afterwards).

  3. Daz says:

    Ahh, I assumed it would have been upstairs in the main bar. I’ve never actually been downstairs.

    Yes, seems to be a lot of great / interesting gigs around at the moment. Must be winter.

  4. Jodi says:

    Oh dude. This is a horrible trend in Brisbane live music and it fills me with rage. The last couple of gigs I’ve gone to of this style (with the bare exception of Darren Hanlon – though they still talked over the support act) have just been infuriating. It feels like people are coming along just so everyone knows they were there. The music is irrelevant.

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