Virgin

Leopard Lady is a huge fan of the extreme entity that is Peaches and plans on donning her prized Peaches T, brandishing a puffy pen and acquiring a wearable signature from the woman herself…. Peaches will be in Brisbane again around Big Day Out time next year… the anticipation has already begun to grow. Enjoy her latest vid with superb plot and choreography. Simply genius.

Pop Royalty captured through the video eye of Berlin based, South African born artist, Candice Breitz.

Leopard Lady will carry the experience of King (A Portrait Of Michael Jackson) happily for the rest of her days. It helps in remembering the King of Pop as he should be remembered not, sadly, for most of his post-80s career and personal life moments.

Ms Breitz has assembled the perfect karaoke choir of MJ devotees to sing along to the entire Thriller album… the audience hear only the choir not a sound from the actual all-killer-no-filler masterpiece of Michael Jackson’s. This makes for superb listening and veiwing pleasure. Pure delight as these 16 individuals express their love for each track from the 1982 epic album. Unique and honest performances which struck a cord for Leopard Lady.

From 1982, when Thriller first came out, to 2005, when Candice Breitz compiled her own masterpiece, and on to 2008 when the Queensland Art Gallery purchased and now houses King(A Portrait Of Michael Jackson), this is a work that reflects on popular culture brilliantly.

Check out more from Candice Breitz at her website. You can find the 16 piece choir doing Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ to get the idea.

The site’s in Flash so I can’t send you a direct link, but go to http://www.candicebreitz.net/ then click on ‘work’ then ‘video’ and find ‘King’ in the drop down list.

Still not quite as magical as being in the room with the life-sized screen, full experience.

NB: Also view Like A Prayer from Queen (A Portrait Of Madonna) in her work.

Still from King (A Portrait of Michael Jackson), 2005

Local legends Quan (also of Regurgitator) and I Heart Hiroshima were highlights from Leopard Lady’s experience at Big Day Out 09.

While Leopard Lady is already a fan of Regurgitator, she had heard that Quan had put together an act all of his own and was keen to catch his set at BDO.

Two sneaker-headed, track-suited people entered the stage. One being Quan and the other his gorgeous German drummer, Catharina. Removing the giant sneakers, they proceeded to deliver an innovative hip hop set which was quite intimate and revealing as a lot of the material had the sense of being personal tales. There was a lot of 80’s flavour threaded through it and some exciting spoken word removed from regular rap which was refreshing. Quan is sleek and strong and slammin’. His album The Amateur is out there now. Keep up to date on Quan and see his videos (they rock)on his Facebook page.

I Heart Hiroshima are punky darlings of Brisbane and before we know it they will be heading off to the UK (April and June ‘09) . Leopard Lady is so glad she saw them and was a little regretful she hadn’t seen them earlier. What a powerhouse they have in drummer/vocalist, Susie Patten (she made mention of her surname being the same as legendary Mike Patton- slight spelling error forgiven- who was at BDO with Fantômas and btw, Leopard Lady loved the freak out of). Susie is so tough and cool with a dash of kooky, like when she was playing the tambourine using her head! Her stage presence and skill on the kit reminded Leopard Lady of the incredible Marylise of French band Vialka (see earlier LL blog). That is a massive compliment. The trio Susie on drums and vocals, Matt, guitar and vocals, and Cameron also on guitar achieve a rockin’ big sound with copious ammounts of energy. Watch out United Kingdom!! Check their MySpace for dates and their soon to be released new album.

Only one more installment from Leopard Lady’s Big Day Out to come… worth the wait… Mr Neil Young!

Stay tuned x

While Leopard Lady realised that Bloc Party was a pretty big deal (the sold out show at Brisbane’s Riverstage - 9000 Capacity - was quite telling of that as well) she didn’t really know much of their music or story. Leopard Lady found out what the fuss was all about.

Their sound was pumping. A very tight band with great melodic hooks, unreal beats and strong vocals that morph in and out of spitting words to singing soulfully or with a gritty rock edge.

It was more prevalent to Leopard Lady when she ventured into the thick of the crowd that Bloc Party’s live vibe has a magnetic pull that draws the audience in and jolts them with a fresh electricity.

Lead singer, Kele Okereke, has fantastic wild eyes when he sings. He is an exciting performer who comes over as being down to earth and a lot of fun. “I actually feel like a Rockstar today,” Kele said after a roaring response to ‘Positive Tension’. The crowd surrounding Leopard Lady are often singing along to his lyrics, hooting with joy and exclaiming how cute he is when he cuddled up to his guitar at one point.

There is a constant vibration of the audience which pulses to the grooves of the music with high energy and lots of jumping and punching fists in the air or clapping. A very positive vibe, however.

A highlight was when the Bass/Keyboard player Gordon Moakes got on a second drum kit alongside the stunner drummer Matt Tong for a sonically and visually awesome moment.

Visiting their myspace you can read numerous comments which gush with good stuff about the Brisbane Bloc Party extravaganza. Go there for yourselves and find out where they are playing next as they go hell for leather across the globe. http://www.myspace.com/blocparty

Interesting tid-bit: Apparently these guys got their break in 2003 when Kele Okereke went to a Franz Ferdinand gig and gave a copy of their song, She’s Hearing Voices, to lead singer of FF, Alex Kapranos, and Radio One DJ, Steve Lamacq. The rest is making history.

Yes you heard right, prolific songwriter Ryan Adams is bringing his Cardinals back to Australian shores in January. Last here in 2007, their live show was certainly a talking point, and with their new critically acclaimed album Cardinology in the bag, this trip is sure to get tongues wagging all over again.

Let it be known that The Cardinals are much more than just a backing band for one of this decade’s most phenominal artists. The musicianship within this group is quite frankly mind blowing and must be seen to be believed.

Tickets for the following shows are on sale 9am Friday 28 November… but get in quick, they will not last!

Sunday 25th January - Metropolis, Perth

Tuesday 27th January - The Tivoli, Brisbane

Thursday 29th January - Enmore Theatre, Sydney

Friday 30th January - Forum Theatre, Melbourne

Ticketek are selling for all Australian shows http://premier.ticketek.com.au/

Dot.AY is a Brisbane Electro act who plays Gameboys. Leopard Lady loves Tetris on the Gameboy and is mighty good at it too, but Dot.AY, aka Alex Yabsley, is playing more than just the Nintendo games on his Gameboys. He creates tracks, live, using the music on the Gameboys.

This is a whole movement called Chiptune, that has been going strong and growing worldwide. Not massive in Australia (yet) but there is a 4 Day Festival dedicated to this retro electro music and art genre, called Blip Festival which takes place at The Bell House in New York, December 4 - 7. It is predicted that this artform is about to become a known known on a global scale and Leopard Lady is excited that she brings a little awareness through this here V Blog by sharing her experience of seeing Dot.AY live at The Press Club in Brisbane.

What a RAD set! Complete with super grooving by Dot.AY as he pounded out the familiar yet freshly twisted tunes from his Gameboys (One of which is the exact Gameboy he played as a kid) even adding vocals which was oh so rock’n'roll in the coolest of nerdy senses. He wielded a Guitar Hero (Wii) which just looked fantastic and he wore a pair of Reebok Hightops. Brilliant. Leopard Lady was inspired to capture a segment of his show for posterity via youtube.

If you hadn’t already heard of the Chiptune Community, you can be sure that there is a wave of super-cool geeks bubbling away in a town near you. If you want to get your own Education on chiptune, here’s a link to start you on your way: http://dot-ay.com/

Leopard Lady knew she had to see Goldfrapp even at the expence of the delights of Peaches (some seriously messed up programming there…). Luckily LL had seen Peaches before and is already a fan. Goldfrapp however beckoned and without knowing too much of what to expect, except that Alison Goldfrapp has one of the most divine voices in the Universe and there was likely to be a healthy element of visual art to the show, Leopard Lady had high anticipation for their set.

Visually, the entire stage was gorgeously stimulating with flowing ribbons in maypole fashion, eerie taxidermy, harlequin projections, flowers and flags. The band appeared in white. Ethereal and blank screens for the changing projections. There were many and varied instruments from Harp to Electric Violin, from Keytar to Theremin. Then the Voice of Ms Goldfrapp which lived up to all expectations and tantalised Parklife patrons. Her costume of even more flowing ribbons and her wild, gold curls added to the atmosphere of the mystical folklore of their new material from current album, Seventh Tree.

To the delight of the entranced crowd, they played some tracks from previous albums including a pounding Train, a sensual Ooh La La, a melodic and vibrating No. 1, and the operatic ecstasy of Utopia.

The show was sensational but seemed to be too short… maybe Leopard Lady just wanted more… and Alison Goldfrapp kept to herself as far as speaking to her audience apart from sharing her angelic singing voice… perhaps a ploy to create a mystery that will keep her followers on their toes.

Leopard Lady certainly desires to know more about what makes the Goldfrapp mythical and supernatural strict machine tick. Thank heavens for youtube and the wonderous Google to catch me up on past Goldfrapp moments . There is also their myspace to follow their next artistic curve.

http://www.myspace.com/goldfrapp

Talking to some mates of mine who are in independent bands I get the feeling that it’s not always easy to book gigs in Sydney, let alone around Australia. This is obviously not a problem for Brisbane band the John Steele Singers, as the past couple of months have seen them touring with the likes of the Polyphonic Spree and The Grates. When I called to talk to keyboardist and singer Pete Bernoth, the band had just arrived home from the latter’s national tour.

“We only got back yesterday after finishing the Grates tour and so I’m still waiting for my sleeping patterns to return to normal. It’s been a really busy month, busy couple of months really.”

Reclining on his front porch “just chillin” Pete confides that hitting the road for such long stretches is not always easy, but the band takes it in their stride.

“I dunno, we’ve just been offered these amazing opportunities which are just to hard to pass up. It’s costing us a fuckload of money yet the experience we get and the fun we have is just like totally worth it. It’s definitely worth giving up a month of work to go out on tour with the Grates because you can just party for a full month and come back and you’re absolutely fucked and just get back into normal life for about a week and then go out again.”

Playing with such high profile bands has also given the boys a chance to establish a bit of a reputation for themselves, as well as solidifying contacts within the music industry.

“Yeah, totally we’ve met a lot of people and especially with this Grates tour. Just because they’re pretty high profile we’ve had a lot of attention and it’s done wonders for us. The exposure that we got from touring with those guys was probably like… uh, you can’t put a monetary value on it. But yeah, it’s definitely starting to get a lot more momentum for the band and we just can hopefully capitalise on it with the EP and our own tour and make the most of it and keep on movin’ on.”

Their new EP, In Colour, is slated for a November release but it’s not the first release for the band. Pete explains that they’ve previously recorded a ‘mini-LP’ called The Beagle And The Dove.

“We call it a mini-LP coz it’s like 8 tracks and 31 minutes and I think you need 32 minutes to call it an LP or something so we just missed the mark. We recorded that up in White Rooms studios which is up in Mount Nebo near Brisbane, just like secluded in rainforest pretty much. It was a really fuckin’ cool environment to record songs and for our first experience of recording it was amazing.”

“[For the Ep] We got to go down to Sydney for a week and stay in an awesome house in Darlinghurst and just record and then party on the weekends, often partying like on the nights after finishing recordings. I love getting out to new cities. We’ve been to Sydney a heap now and have a heap of good friends and just party on like motherfuckers, it’s great.”

The John Steele Singers will once again be loading up the van and hitting the road, this time on a headlining tour in support of the new EP soon. Once that’s all wrapped up Pete says the boys are keen to do some more recording.

“After this tour we’re going to have to get down, busy and start demoing some tracks for an album which is just in planning stages. We’ve got songs that we’d like to record but other than that it’s just a plan. We’ll have an album out some time early next year hopefully if everything goes according to plan which quite often, well most often with us it doesn’t but eventually we’ll have an album out next year. We’ll be able to tour that and hopefully get overseas for a few shows and just spread. Spread the love.”

Spread the love. I like it. One last thing springs to mind though. There’s no one in the band called John Steele, so I wonder out loud where the inspiration came from.

“Trim, Scott and I used to work at an undisclosed family restaurant back in 2004, 2005. John Steele was a kids toy that was left there by the previous owner and was adopted by the service staff as some sort of mascot. I don’t know where the name John Steele came from, I can’t remember for the life of me. The Singers aspect is well, there’s four people who can sing in the band so it has some sort of merit.”

For more info check out the band’s MySpace page.

Words: Dan Clarke, Interview: Mikey Carr.

Musicfeeds - It’s Spanish for awesome!

Some people may have been wondering what happened to Toni Childs. And Leopard Lady was one such person. What a delight it was when Ms Childs paid a visit to LL’s hometown of Brisbane. Not only did she bring with her new songs and the great songs she is known for (Dont’ Walk Away, House of Hope, Many Rivers to Cross) but she had a funked up band with stellar and mighty musos that was a genuine treat!Toni packed the house at The Tivoli with such a devoted crowd that the atmosphere was thick with love and adoration for this remarkable woman.

So….what did happen to Toni Childs? And what has she been doing for the past 10 years?

Well, in 1997 Toni came down with Graves Disease and was forced to take a hiatus from the industry and focus on getting well. She has now recovered and has used natural, alternative treatments through which she has developed a range of beauty products called Feminine Mysteries. She has also written a book entitled Living Beauty:The Alchemy of Acceptance and started a charity organization Dream a Dolphin. And now she has released her latest and long awaited album Keep The Faith. Toni Childs is seriously a woman of substance!

A deep connection is made with her audience while she performs her heart-stretching music and she has time for her fans after the show to chat, sign stuff and have a photo taken. Many people are emotionally thankful for what Toni has brought to their lives through her music. She is sure to impact many more with her other endeavours of goodwill.

The musical favour was returned to Ms Childs when she was serenaded by an impromtu choir with her Aussie hit, I’ve Got To Go Now. Hilarious yet quite touching.

Toni Childs returns to Australia late February 2009 for a tour with Jackson Browne. Keep yourself abreast of any Toni Childs happenings by visiting her MySpace .

Leopard Lady also captured her latest single One Life from her performance at The Tivoli. Watch it now on YouTube.

Leopard Lady has had the good fortune to have seen Yeasayer (New York City) in her own fair city of Brisbane at the trusty Zoo. They blew LL’s mind and on a bit of research into these talented folk, she found wonderful YouTube treasure. Hopefully you all get your minds blown at a live Yeasayer show at some point in the future!

www.myspace.com/yeasayer

Leopard Lady has been following the musical adventures of Clare Bowditch for some time now… 2004, on the Gold Coast at a club called Troccaderro’s, Ms Bowditch and her Feeding Set played to a room of maybe a dozen listeners including Leopard Lady. Even then, it was clear that there were massive things to come for Clare.Now, in the Australian Winter of 2008, the ARIA award winner is selling out her solo tour and bringing with her a toasty crew of fellow musical friends in Old Man River and a pared down Hot Little Hands.

Hot Little Hands warms up the growing crowd with accoustic-ish versions of their cool pop-rock with Tim Harvey (also of Feeding Set capacity) on guitar and vocals while donning equisite headwear.

Old Man River is such a super- laid back- star! He simply glows with his raw loveliness and sense of humour. His cover of Dan Bern’s Marilyn is fantastic! The now almost full house calls out requests for Old Man River’s own Italian Hot Hit, La. He also treats his new room full of friends with some fresh tunes.

Ms Bowditch arrives onstage, to an excited and devoted crowd of lovers of all things Bowditch. She wears a kooky combination of textures reflecting the diverse flavours in her sensational songwriting/storytelling. And her intriguing props and array of instruments including a late 1970’s Casio and a teapot are well used in entertaining the Zoo full of fans. Clare has a wonderful sense of uninhibited humour.

She also has a true heart for up and coming musos and artists. She has invited different performers throughout her national tour, to join her on stage and add their own touch to her song Your Other Hand. Brisbane’s chosen collaborator is Pascalle Burton… well, she happens to be one half of poetry-pop duo, Maiden Speech… Leopard Lady happens to be the other half of said duo! Pascalle adds her unique brand of spoken word poetry to the performance, doing Brisbane proud!

Clare delights with a number of duets, bringing back to the stage her beloved guitarist, Tim Harvey and his gorgeous vocals; a fun rendition of I Got You Babe with Old Man River; and a massive sing along with a stageful of music makers, including Andrew Morris, for From Little Things Big Things Grow.

Clare is doing her rounds with this tour before she heads off to Berlin to take her creative force to the other ends of this small world.

Look out world! Leopard Lady believes Australia has an answer to Joni Mitchell in our Clare Bowditch. And Leopard Lady has the eye and the ear for star quality. Mark this blog!

The stage at Jazzworx in Brisbane made for a cosy and intimate setting for former Brisbane girl, Kristen Berardi. Performing as a duo with James Sherlock on guitar, she shared some anecdotes with a privileged grassroots crowd including Leopard Lady.A country girl from the Northern parts of Queensland has sure come a long way! She has sung and won awards across the globe, most notably being the Montreux Shure International Vocal Competition. All the awards and accolades have not damaged her down to earth nature, however, which is so appealing and refreshing.

Kristen Berardi is not your average jazz singer. She gushes out her emotions as she sings and oozes thick soul in her performances. She has an openness that is engaging and real, coupled with a beautiful humility.

Leopard Lady first saw Kristen Berardi sing a couple of years back and was so struck by her raw and true performance that it left a deep impression which remains.

Kristen’s voice is an instrument and she is well respected by the jazz scene here in Australia and wherever she travels, leaving her long lasting impression. From New York to Jakarta to Sydney to Montreux to Germany and back to her beginnings in Brisbane, Queensland. Leopard Lady suspects the best is yet to come for Kristen.

To follow her career for yourself you may like to start here: www.kristinberardi.com

More of Leopard Lady’s musical findings to come… stay tuned!

Hunz could well be from another Planet and Leopard Lady wants to go there!Maybe she already has been when it seemed she was at his launch @ The Zoo in Brisbane…? Maybe she goes there every time she has since put on Hunz’s debut album, “When Victims Fight”, when she has thought she was merely in her loungeroom…? We are talking out of mind, out of body experiences. Hunz has a definite super power and Guru quality.

Electronic genius and deep grooves that carve out passages in another realm which may have been visited by Thom Yorke, Moby, Beck, Bjork, and Daft Punk in past eras.

Leopard Lady loves being transported by the music of Hunz as it speeds through uncharted depths of emotional and mental oceans.

This is a much anticipated album of work that Hunz has finally released to his already healthy following which continues to grow. People just have to hear the musical miracles this man is producing. If you get the chance to see Hunz live, you are then almost certainly going to be a new dedicated addition unto his fold. Leopard Lady can assure you that it’s safe to follow Hunz. And he is sure going to be going places!

Use this code to make your own connection with the marvel that is Hunz -

www.myspace.com/hunz

Now Go.

Leopard Lady WOZ ERE!!! The Zoo. The Launch of HUNZ’s much anticipated album ‘When Victims Fight’.Leopard Lady has more on the Gentleman himself in the following V Blog (ooh, more anticipation!)

The Zoo was quickly filling up and funking up in the unique Yeo & The Fresh Goods fashion. (Leopard Lady was already onto this good thing - Please see previous Leopard Lady V Blog ‘…got the *fresh*goods on Yeo’, for your own musical health.) Yeo & his Fresh Goods treated the HUNZ crowd to their raw, rockin’ pop/funk and chunky tunes like the groove of ‘We Could Be Better’. Yeo fans would have felt the absence of Horn player and general Showman, Tom Wearne who was in Europe for a stint. But Yeo’s songs are solid gold all the same and the freshies rose to the occasion. Find them here www.myspace.com/snackswithyeo

Grand Atlantic up next, had the crowd frothing with stylish, big-haired, big-guitar rock! Yes, Leopard Lady noted all the iconic symbols in this ensemble of seasoned rockers. Lead singer, Phil Usher, has a noticeable style gene and plays his guitar riffingly to this crowd’s delight. Grand Atlantic pound out timeless rock numbers as a tight unit. Find them here http://www.myspace.com/grandatlantic

Taste buds all ready to go for the Main Course of this delicious line-up?….hungry for a piece of HUNZ?….maybe Leopard Lady is needing a snack break?….Stay tuned now for Leopard Lady’s next offering to feast your eyes and sink your teeth into…okay, time for a sandwich?

As Leopard Lady has already vowed to show you, Brisbane has got it going on in the music scene!Another homegrown band to release a smashing CD are The Golden Virtues.

Deeply connected with the Poetry scene they often team up with spooky-poetic-crazed- genius, Ghostboy.

Launching their CD at the warm and funky 70’s lounge room that is The Troubadour, The Golden Virtues shared the stage with a huge and diverse line-up including Tim Steward, Dick Desert, Mia from The Cupid Arrow, Dave from Kindness of Strangers, The Friken Hecks and Ghostboy. After a decent dose of Ghostboy’s own brand of Rock’N'Roll Poetry, he introduced his good friends The Golden Virtues to an excited crowd who had packed The Troubadour to capacity leaving only enough room for some sweaty and heartfelt grooving which indeed ensued!

The Golden Virtues are Brisbane’s fresh answer to Fleetwood Mac. The band is made up of multi-instrumentalists who share the songwriting which produces a rich array of songs that rock their audience of gushing devotees.

Skye Staniford is certainly a golden girl who sings straight to the marrow via the heart and plays a mean flute! She rocks out on the six string and effortlessly has the crowd fall in love with her.

Hannah’s vocals blend gorgeously with Skye’s and she is simply sensual on her violin! When the girls get their guitars strumming, it’s just so much fun.

Reese adds a rugged edge that is beautifully vulnerable as he sings unabashed love songs for Hannah but then grunges things right up for some more Golden rocking out.

Robbie on Bass is smooth and subtle with a simmering Rock God beneath his gentle demeanor.

And with a drummer named Rad, how can you go wrong?! He is a powerhouse with feel. And very entertaining to watch as he pounds out the foundation for their rollicking tunes.

The Golden Virtues are a family and they have their audience wishing to be adopted in.

The whole night has a brilliant sense of community and there is an immovable joy in the atmosphere.

Leopard Lady highly recommends anyone experience the revelation of The Golden Virtues and take some of their love into your own lives. Check their myspace for gig listings and find out where you can purchase their debut album for your CD collections.

www.myspace.com/goldenvirtues

It’s a bit of a blur how Leopard Lady came to know about Yeo and his Fresh Goods exactly….it was a combination of myspace, Triple J Unearthed and ear-to-the-ground awareness of something really special!! But the clincher? Well, Leopard Lady has to respect the Keytar! And Yeo knows how to wield that thing, oh yeah!Brisbane has a lot of activity in the music scene which is producing some incredible acts at present. Yeo & The Fresh Goods is certainly one of Leopard Lady’s picks for truly big things!

In only a year Yeo has released a solid album of great tracks which he self produced to his credit. ‘Trouble Being Yourself’ is an array of genre-mashing tunes that bring Prince, Pheonix, Daft Punk, Justin Timberlake, Living Colour, Jamiroquai and a dash of Hall & Oates to mind. Yeo has created his own blend of such inspirations which in turn is mightily inspiring.

Live he brings his Fresh Goods consisting of hot Brisbane talent:

Trumpet & Vocals - Tom Wearne

Vocals & Keys - Georgia Potter

Drums - Richie Young

Bass - Mick Millard

These guys are all from many and varied side projects spanning Heavy Metal, Funk, Jazz & Folk which makes for a crazy cool live show! Leopard Lady has been privilged to be able to catch a number of said crazy cool live shows.

So here’s Leopard Lady’s Community Service Announcement:

Check out Yeo’s myspace www.myspace.com/snackswithyeo and learn where you can get a copy of ‘Trouble Being Yourself’ and when you can next see Yeo & The Fresh Goods live for yourself!!!!

Marylise Frecheville and Eric Boros, based in France, are two incredible individual musicians that together provide the unique experience called Vialka. Vialka is described as nomadic turbo folk and has an electricity that captivated and excited Leopard Lady!

Leopard Lady first noticed that Vialka were visiting Brisbane’s West End and playing a show at Tongue & Groove which is an underground venue that is relatively cosy but often houses the edgiest acts that come out of or through Brisbane. After visiting their myspace www.myspace.com/vialka Leopard Lady was thoroughly intrigued and automatically put their date on her calendar.

Making her way down the stairwell of the Tongue & Groove, Leopard Lady noticed that there was only a few other people gathered for our international visitors. Still sure she was in for a treat, Leopard Lady took in the three other support acts, all Brisbane bands, Do The Robot, ialarming! and Dachau Blue. A diverse and eclectic line-up of retro-pop, daring sonic art and experimental jazz.

Anticipation rose as the tiny and quirky Marylise took her place behind the drumkit and the tall, mysterious and moustachioed Eric picked up his guitar. Wow, wow and wow are three things that crossed Leopard Lady’s mind. They play fast, ferocious, funny and f!*#ing fabulously!!!!!! Eric is a virtuoso slash heavy metal freak on the guitar and Marylise is a goddess machine on the drums who you can’t take your eyes off! She plays like a powerhouse and has a theatre about her which is cheeky and intoxicating.Leopard Lady was taken on a ride by these travelling minstrels of madness and magic, loving every second of it!

If you keep your ear to the ground or your eye on their gig listings, Vialka may very well be playing in a town near you. They traverse the globe quite frequently and while based in France, they are true citizens of the World and Leopard Lady recommends crossing paths with the incredible Vialka at your next possible opportunity.

For more of Leopard Lady’s musical tastings, stay tuned!

Outside Tivoli at 4:00pm while Roisin Murphy’s Band is Soundchecking. Leopard Lady and dear friend Mr Pirovich have been given a tip off that they might be able to meet Roisin. They wait for a bit and ask a few staff members for assistance to no real avail. Then the band Van comes driving into the venue. Leopard Lady recognises the driver as Cyndi Lauper’s driver the night she met Cyndi(!!!!). Good sign. They expect Roisin to arrive soon….Mr Pirovich sort of thinks she is already there as he knows she is a control freak about her music. The girl at the ticket box asks if they would like her to take all their stuff for Roisin to sign in the Green Room and pick them up after the show (of course they refuse this second rate option) The pair walk back down to the gate. Noticing the people at the back of the Tivoli having a cigarette break they start to get excited…

LL: Is that her?!!! (Both look through the gate to check if it is Roisin Murphy at the back of The Tivoli having a cigarette. Both really excited.)

LL: (Calls out) Is that you Roisin?

RM(Roisin Murphy!!!!!): [Smoking in hat and sunglasses] Yes - Hello! (waving back)

MrP: [Standing on fence] We think you’re great!

RM: Thank you!

MrP: And we brought all our records. Can we get you to sign them?(RM puts out her cigarette and walks down to them.LL& MrP giggling and in slight disbelief.)

MrP: You look like Doctor Who!

RM: What?

MrP: The Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison.

RM: Oh yeah. Hello

MrP: I didn’t know you smoked.

LL: Neither did I. As a singer myself, I am surprised. I mean your voice sounds so great!

MrP: It’s not a judgement thing I just thought I knew a lot about you, but I didn’t know that. I mean “know” as a fan not a real, personal “know”

LL: Mine was a judgement thing! (hahaha!!)

RM: I know it’s terrible … don’t tell anyone.

LL: Hel-lo!!

MrP: It’s you!

RM: Hi.

MrP: I have to say that I love the work that you do. I’ve followed you for a long time and I’m very dedicated! I think you are wonderful.

RM: Oh thank-you!

LL: I saw you at V Festival on The Gold Coast. Do you recognise me?(hahaha)

MrP: I saw you at the last Moloko shows in Australia.

LL: Yeah we both did. We’ve got things for you to sign.

MrP:[handing over Overpowered LP] Now I know it’s your record but I don’t want to wreck the cover. Can you sign the back of it?

RM: Yes. Of course. [Begins writing] Who is it to? Anthony [Signs “To Ant” ]

MrP: This was so hard to get! Apparently EMI didn’t print enough copies to meet the vendor orders in the pressing of the record. So every vendor that placed an order only got some of their requested order. [Realising that he is over-talking it while Roisin is trying to follow the train of thought] Anyway that’s what my EBay vendor said.

RM: Anthony?

LL: Yes … (Leopard Lady helped her here as she was hesitant) That’s … h-o-n-y … [To Mr P] I think you should get all your things signed. [To RM] He’s a big fan.

MrP: I was going to bring everything but I thought that might be too wierd.

RM: You should get it all signed.

LL: We’re also coming to your show tonight.

RM: Oh great. (Now signing Anthony’s Vinyls of Ruby Blue)

MrP: I love Ruby Blue - that’s my favourite song!

RM: Thank you

LL: I love Sow Into You. Are you doing that tonight? Or is that a secret?

RM: Uh - yes we are doing that tonight actually.

MrP: I love the Bugz In The Attic remix of that … I’ve got it the car at the moment.

RM: Yeah it is good.

MrP: As well as all the bits and pieces from the Overpowered sessions … Pandora, Off & On … even though you and Calvin had words about it. [Roisin smiles and mock rolls-her-eyes]

LL: (Gets out her single of Let Me Know for Roisin to sign) I haven’t got much but I love them all. Anthony gave me this one.

RM: And what’s your name?

LL: Almaryse. But just write Meece. M double E C E. Thanks so much. (Opens the Ruby Blue CD) My husband gave me this and he’s already written on it for me. I’ll find a place inside. (Turns to middle of booklet for a space near picture of Roisin) What about here?

RM: That’s good.

LL: Do you think we could get a picture with you? Would you mind if we ask the security man let us in?

RM: [To security] Can they come through for a photo?[Security Guard nods and opens the big gate]

MrP: Thank you [Kisses RM on cheek]

LL: You go first (to Mr Pirovich. Leopard Lady takes the photo) Now it’s my turn. (Mr Pirovich giggles and takes the photo) Thankyou SO much Roisin.

MrP: 4:15. Meet Roisin. Done! What should we do now?

LL: Let’s go home. I have only got one earring and I can clear off my memory card so I can take even more photos tonight.

MrP: Yeah we may as well go home. Let’s try and remember everything we said. I’m going to write it all down.

LL: You are so cool!!