Exams are starting again, heart rates are rising and you’re probably wishing you could rewind to the days when you were too young for exams. Unfortunately not all blue phone boxes and Deloreans are time machines and the impeding doom of your exam worth 50 per cent of your grade is unavoidable. On the bright side, Melbourne’s music Gods are giving you a taste of the past in November with two gigs that will bring back some good memories to lift your spirits.
Fleetwood Mac
The Mac is back. John McVie’s funkadelic basslines and Mick Fleetwood’s unique drumming form the biscuity base. The interchanging melodies, haunting harmonies and innovative instrumentation of Lindsey Buckingham, Christie Mcvie and Peter Green fill out the deliciously creamy middle. Stevie Nix is the tambourine playing cherry on top. After 16 years of messing with the ingredients, they have finally returned to the original recipe that has made them a tasty treat for the senses since 1967. Returning to Oz for the first time since 2009, I for one cannot wait to get a piece of this Fleetwood Mac cake.
If, like me, you have trouble trying to squeeze your whole wardrobe into a suitcase or sweat over cutting down an essay to meet a frustratingly small word limit, then just imagine this: Fleetwood Mac have an eclectic back catalogue of 17 albums over 50 years. At their three Rod Laver Arena shows, they will be on stage for around 2 and a half hours. That’s like fitting Ulysses into a couple of tweets… madness! Yet with hits like ‘The Chain’, ‘Dreams’, ‘Rhiannon’, ‘Landslide and ‘Go Your Own Way’ to choose from, the show is sure to be one you’ll remember!
Rod Laver Arena, November 4th, 5th and 6th, tickets: $90+
The Darkness
In 2003, equipped with a flamboyant front man with a ball-bursting vocal range, The Darkness released what has become one of the most epic karaoke tracks since Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. I am of course talking about the band’s mega hit ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’. Many a group of drunk lads and ladies have taken on the glorious challenge of hitting those high notes, usually ending badly with a pair of split jeans after a poorly executed air-guitar solo knee slide.
Known for live shows that bring back memories of the makeup-wearing rock gods of the ‘70s and ‘80s, The Darkness boast a live show that will blow your mind off the books in a glittery gust of high voltage sex-rock. As well as their old hits, the band will be touring songs from their newest album, Last of Our Kind, a fitting title for a band stretching the life out of their tight white pants and diamond encrusted guitars. In a change to their line-up the band has recruited Rufus Taylor, son of Queen’s legendary drummer Roger Taylor, to smash cymbals on their Australian tour. Playing Melbourne’s Forum for one night only, this could be your last chance to get your one way ticket to hell and back, so don’t miss out.
The Forum, November 11th , tickets: $80