Blue King Brown Review
By Tessa Muskett
It was always on the agenda for tonight to get political. The Amnesty International organization on campus, in conjunction with many other supportive bodies organized the promising line up that comprised the annual ‘Fire Inside the Wire’ event. More than a concert, this event last year raised a huge amount of money with the bands being only one of many draw cards. This event felt like a party. There was a sausage sizzle, with the very considerate presence of tofu as an alternative to sausages. A representative from Soudan was scheduled to talk about his experiences in his home country and how different it is from Wollongong, specifically. Human rights were being celebrated, as was the right to party.
The lively crew of free agents, regulars at all of Wollongong’s live music venues, bopped onto the stage and stayed in motion until set’s end. In the past, they’ve donned bright orange workman jumpsuits but tonight it was a more relaxed look with jeans, collared shirts and waistcoat combos. Looking very much the part of crew, in their take on uniform, they bounced around like free agent radicals, balls of energy. The frenetic music teamed with rap vocals creates a full on sound that demands attention. FAC played a sort of covers-greatest hits medley featuring music from Muse and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
For New Zealand natives Kora, this was the first gig of a two show Australian stint and they didn’t hold anything back for the second show. These four brothers are accompanied by their half brother because ‘you need a token white man in the band’. Blazing through a set that incorporated drawn out and pounding instrumental sections that gave one the impression the band was trying to invoke the gods of dance, creating a performance that proved highly entertaining. Kora pulled out all the showmanship stops, culminating in their striking a pose to close.
President of Amnesty UOW Adam Everill commented laconically on how “Pretty much everyone in the building is up the front…it’s beautiful”.
Blue King Brown are one of the few bands in Australia, renowned for their rootsy music that has overtly political lyrics. They don’t wear their hearts on their sleeves, like indie pop/rockers but rather their beliefs on their chests, e.g. ‘Say no to nuclear energy’. The three back up singers looked like they were ready to join the scouts but it was a bit Pussy Cat Dolls with THAT many buttons undone. It was refreshing to witness a front woman who didn’t have to resort to skimpy or flashy clothes to get attention. Natalie Pa’apa’a rocked the ‘Fire Inside the Wire’ singlet, whilst earlier, Laughton Kora - frontman of Kora, wore the FITW tee as headwear.
These actions all helped to raise awareness of some bigger issues in the world. UniBar was utilized as a great venue for a powerful event celebrating the change that has already occurred and highlighting what some people view as still needing work.
