Mistletone’s Summer Kiss
Melburnians from north and south united under the Mistletone banner on Saturday for one last summertime fling. Photography by BEN BUTCHER.
It’s easy to be parochial when you live in Melbourne, a city divided by a dirty, polluted river. To the north, there’s art and rock’n’roll, good Lebanese food and cheap beer. To the south, it’s dance music, yuppie bars, overpriced tapas and beaches (the lower case kind).
But there was a distinct whiff of the north – both literally and figuratively – at St Kilda’s Esplanade Hotel for Summer Tones, the annual showcase for much-loved label Mistletone, on Saturday. Held on the last day of an oppressive summer, the event saw scores of northsiders pile onto the 96 for a beer-soaked evening by the bay. Indeed, if anyone was capable of bridging Melbourne’s great divide it’s Mistletone, the label started by Sophie Best and Ash Miles in the second bedroom of their North Fitzroy terrace. In little over two years, the pair have released acclaimed discs by Kes Band, Fabulous Diamonds, Beaches, Ross McLennan, Actor/Model, Panel of Judges and Barrage. And save for a couple absentees (McLennan and Actor/Model), the full gamut of Mistletone’s local roster was on show for Summer Tones.
Showing little of the parochialism that defines their hometown, the line-up also featured non-Mistletone bands including The Stabs, Pivot, Witch Hats, Qua, The Diamond Sea and the long-awaited comeback for the Ground Components, who played a well-received warm-up gig as “The Calloways” the night before at The Birmingham. There were also slots for the label’s overseas signings: Lawrence Arabia from NZ, experimental pop duo High Places from Brooklyn and Baltimore one-man party machine Dan Deacon, who swanned around the Espy in a moo moo and later coordinated a human tunnel from the car park through to the men’s dunnies.
Kicking things off were Melbourne’s Treetops, who added a nostalgic bit of circularity to the day’s proceedings. The psych-pop outfit were playing their first gig in their original incarnation in five years. Their first manager: Sophie Best.
Other highlights included jammy Front Bar performances by Kes Band and a mustachioed Ned Collette, an entertaining if not safe set from Beaches (no new songs, just a re-ordered version of their debut) and Rowland S Howard in the Gershwin, who was brilliant and utterly affecting alone with his guitar.
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Great photos, Ben (as always).
Pity I had to miss this due to work as I've heard nothing but good reports. Well done Mistletoners!
that human arch was epic. EPIC.
ben there are all these squiggly lines all over your photos.
also where are the parking lot experiments & barrage pics? I SAW YOU THERE
aren't Ruby Suns on Popfrenzy?
anok, there's a PLE pic in there. Open your eyes, man!
I can see me in one of those pictures!
I did take photos of Barrage and Parking Lot Experements... but the Barrage ones are still on the roll of film in my camera.. (as yet unprocessed), and the PLE pics werent super amazing... and so I guess they didnt make the cut from the M+N editoring committee
At some poeint, I guess I'll put up some other pics onto my photo blog thingo... Long Exposure
I can see me in the parking lot shot! (That tunnel was the best fun).
oh shit, there is too. sorry ben. can't wait to see your barrage ones!
Ummm PLE are there!!
the Mic photo BTW is Fab Diamonds
ooops. fixed.
the best local gig i've been to in ages, and this is all you've got? i hope the street press do a better job of reviewing this. pictures are great!
two reviews up as well.
there was A LOT to cover.
Some added extra photos are up on my Long Exposure photo blog
for example....
French Rockets
Cheers Ben!
no worries Carlos.
Hadn't heard of any bands playing in the car park before. How do you get down there?
Needs more fisheye.
No need for the north vs. south rubbish, the only thing keeping me from going to more gigs north the Yarra is the taxi fare.