The Null Device

Tonight I went to the Empress Hotel to see some bands. First of all was the Adana Trio; a group with a double-bass (is that what it's called when it's bowed?), a cello and a violin. They played a number of pieces, including several by John Zorn, and at one stage were joined by additional musicians playing clarinet, recorder and harp. Interesting music; quite emotive, and using some Middle Eastern-sounding intervals and unusual time signatures (one piece was in 5/4). I get the feeling that Peter would have enjoyed it.

Next up were Sforzando, who are quite well known around Melbourne for their energetic pirate-themed music. Tonight they started off with some slower balladish numbers (selected as they were supporting Wendy Rule); in my opinion ballads aren't their strong point. Fortunately, they broke into some toe-tapping fast numbers towards the end of the set, finishing up with a rousing cover of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, which sounded suspiciously like their version of What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor. Enough to convince you that the pirates of yore were the original punks.

Finally, Wendy Rule and the Parallel Dream played, putting on a typically energetic performance; they played mostly songs from their most recent album, World Between Worlds, as well as one new one.

All in all, it was a good night out.

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