Post by locomotive on Jun 13, 2004 3:41:04 GMT 10
www.vibewire.net/articles.php?id=2758
Shannon Noll @ Mercury Lounge
Kuypy - 6th June 2004
I was practically begged by a friend of mine, let's call her Mads, to go see Shannon Noll in concert with her because she couldn’t convince anyone to go see the guy. Yes, Shannon from Australian Idol. The runner-up to the title. He’s been signed by BMG, the record label that judge Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson works for and has released his first album That’s What I’m Talking About (a catchphrase used by Idol judge Marcia Hines in reference to a great Shannon performance on the show).
Like most of the other people Mads had asked, I was unsure if I should, or could, bring myself to see this guy in concert. After all, Australian Idol to me was just a big old karaoke competition. It wasn’t that I didn’t think Shannon was talented, it's just that little thought at the back of my head that I don’t see how much different he would be to seeing a really good local band or cover band play at the pub. And thinking back to his and Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian’s performance at the Logies, well it just had cheese written all over it.
But I agreed to go anyway (stamp sucker on my forehead please). I wasn’t terribly sure of what to expect from a post Idol Noll gig. But nothing could have prepared me for what I got. I have to congratulate the people at BMG who are marketing Shannon. Cause they’re on a winning formula with whatever they are doing for him. He’ll have a very lucrative domestic career if his Melbourne Mercury Lounge gig is any indicator.
The Mercury Lounge a nightclub in the Crown Casino. It's a small nightclub at any time, but it was crammed to the rafters for Noll's gig. I saw the Screaming Jets there a month or so prior and have to say, they had the same effect. What surprised me most about Noll’s gig was the amount of males there. I expected the hordes of screaming young females there, and Mads was also a part of that throng as we both knew she would be. But the guys? As if to baffle me more, the guy standing next to me was singing every one of Noll’s songs and didn’t vote for the guy or even watch the Australian Idol show.
Noll’s appeal is obvious once you see the man in action. I say action because he likes to bounce and jump and do little dance moves, working the stage from side to side. His appeal lies in the ‘local boy done good’ tag that he seems to live up to. He’s just your average guy, a good guy, having a go at his dream life. He’s a young family man with two kids and a fiancé and even includes his two brothers in his band.
Noll’s vocal ability is good. Very good. He actually sounds a hell of a lot better to me than I remember him being on the Australian Idol. He does have gravely kind of voice but that’s what helps make his sound unique. I was quite impressed to find that Noll and his band sounded much better than the warm up support act, Zinc.
Basically he and his band are a glorified and crisp-sounding pub band. They perform songs from Noll’s commercially-made, radio-specific album, as well as some covers of songs Noll had previously done on Aussie Idol and other gigs. Like Robbie William’s 'Better Man', Barnsey’s 'Working Class Man' and Crowded House's 'Better Be Home Soon'. Noll's sound is along the lines of Bryan Adams, who wrote the runner-up's second single 'Drive'.
The crowd sang its way through every song with Noll relaxed and joking with the 300-strong audience. The only pretentious moment for me came at the end when Noll supposedly finished his gig and walked off stage and the crowd had to chant for more for the encore performance. Can we get rid of this concept please? We all knew he wasn’t about to go home without performing the song that has become his signature song 'What about me?' Of course, when Noll and band did come back out to perform the song, the entire place lifted and were united as one. It was amazing.
artist: Shannon Noll
genre: Pub rock
where: Mercury Lounge, Melbourne
price: $35
the good: Great mix of rock, ballards and covers.
the bad: Mercury Lounge was understaffed and crowded
the vibe: Pub rock is here to stay! A very good night out.
Shannon Noll @ Mercury Lounge
Kuypy - 6th June 2004
I was practically begged by a friend of mine, let's call her Mads, to go see Shannon Noll in concert with her because she couldn’t convince anyone to go see the guy. Yes, Shannon from Australian Idol. The runner-up to the title. He’s been signed by BMG, the record label that judge Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson works for and has released his first album That’s What I’m Talking About (a catchphrase used by Idol judge Marcia Hines in reference to a great Shannon performance on the show).
Like most of the other people Mads had asked, I was unsure if I should, or could, bring myself to see this guy in concert. After all, Australian Idol to me was just a big old karaoke competition. It wasn’t that I didn’t think Shannon was talented, it's just that little thought at the back of my head that I don’t see how much different he would be to seeing a really good local band or cover band play at the pub. And thinking back to his and Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian’s performance at the Logies, well it just had cheese written all over it.
But I agreed to go anyway (stamp sucker on my forehead please). I wasn’t terribly sure of what to expect from a post Idol Noll gig. But nothing could have prepared me for what I got. I have to congratulate the people at BMG who are marketing Shannon. Cause they’re on a winning formula with whatever they are doing for him. He’ll have a very lucrative domestic career if his Melbourne Mercury Lounge gig is any indicator.
The Mercury Lounge a nightclub in the Crown Casino. It's a small nightclub at any time, but it was crammed to the rafters for Noll's gig. I saw the Screaming Jets there a month or so prior and have to say, they had the same effect. What surprised me most about Noll’s gig was the amount of males there. I expected the hordes of screaming young females there, and Mads was also a part of that throng as we both knew she would be. But the guys? As if to baffle me more, the guy standing next to me was singing every one of Noll’s songs and didn’t vote for the guy or even watch the Australian Idol show.
Noll’s appeal is obvious once you see the man in action. I say action because he likes to bounce and jump and do little dance moves, working the stage from side to side. His appeal lies in the ‘local boy done good’ tag that he seems to live up to. He’s just your average guy, a good guy, having a go at his dream life. He’s a young family man with two kids and a fiancé and even includes his two brothers in his band.
Noll’s vocal ability is good. Very good. He actually sounds a hell of a lot better to me than I remember him being on the Australian Idol. He does have gravely kind of voice but that’s what helps make his sound unique. I was quite impressed to find that Noll and his band sounded much better than the warm up support act, Zinc.
Basically he and his band are a glorified and crisp-sounding pub band. They perform songs from Noll’s commercially-made, radio-specific album, as well as some covers of songs Noll had previously done on Aussie Idol and other gigs. Like Robbie William’s 'Better Man', Barnsey’s 'Working Class Man' and Crowded House's 'Better Be Home Soon'. Noll's sound is along the lines of Bryan Adams, who wrote the runner-up's second single 'Drive'.
The crowd sang its way through every song with Noll relaxed and joking with the 300-strong audience. The only pretentious moment for me came at the end when Noll supposedly finished his gig and walked off stage and the crowd had to chant for more for the encore performance. Can we get rid of this concept please? We all knew he wasn’t about to go home without performing the song that has become his signature song 'What about me?' Of course, when Noll and band did come back out to perform the song, the entire place lifted and were united as one. It was amazing.
artist: Shannon Noll
genre: Pub rock
where: Mercury Lounge, Melbourne
price: $35
the good: Great mix of rock, ballards and covers.
the bad: Mercury Lounge was understaffed and crowded
the vibe: Pub rock is here to stay! A very good night out.
