News
Brisbane Review
Hooray! A flattering review in Brisbane. That Tobes and his sweet lyrics and his massive lips, he's a winner. Seriously have you seen the size of the lips on that guy?
Time Off Magazine (Brisbane)
Sam Hobson
21st July 2010
From a Liar to a Thief
Rating 4.5/5
Beginning at first with a rather beguiling flash of style and hot, exposed flesh, Melbourne sextet The Tiger & Me’s debut is a surprisingly complex gem of an album which, soon after that first glimpse of cabaret so saucily splayed across all of its packaging quickly simmers down into something totally different entirely. For all of their European folk influences, late-night speakeasy stylings, and the odd flares of Spanish dance, From A Liar To A Thief is really quite an emotionally affronting listen. What the band have so deliciously managed to do – think, at first, an album that sounds like something The Cat Empire would make; that really feverish, richly multicultural live-act sound, and then imagine that irrevocably pared down to something that sounds like Damien Rice meets the sweet, harmonised indie folk-ballads of Headlights – is perhaps used the pomp and ostentatiousness of the exotic genres they take their influences from – deep red lipsticks, the heat of clunking passodoble heels, and the swathe of unabashedly bourgeois-bohemian attire – to play out a more heightened breadth of emotions. It all results in a really affecting honesty, this melding of superficiality – in the least pejorative of senses – and raw heartbreak.
The track ‘Til Sunrise’ is really where this all begins to make sense, effectively informing the root sensibility of all the tracks on the album that surrounds it. Each singer’s voice aches with the exquisite texture of hurt and sadness, and the instruments which began the album with such cheek and frivolity – accordion, ukulele, banjo, mandolin, and keys – suddenly become instruments of an almost overwhelming pathos. Lyrically, the tracks steals the show with an emotional erudition similar again to the likes of Damien Rice, and fellow late-night tall-taler Tom Waits, and the melodic invention on display amidst all this prettiness is a whole ‘nother kind of heel-stomping good.
HHHH ½
New Artwork & Adelaide Review
Hello!
Handsome Laura and Handsome Tim have combined again to do more handsome artwork for us, for next single. Handsome.
Handsome Laura is Laura Stitzel, more here.
Handsome Tim is Tim Allan, more here.
They're both very cool.
Also we were given a good review in Adelaide's DB Magazine.
Word.
Album Reviews
Well, we didn't have to hold our breath for too long for a few album reviews to make it out there into the world, and while Review Land can be a wild and treacherous place, we're pretty pleased with the ones we've come across so far!
Beat said things that made us feel all warm and fuzzy, see picture below. MX printed the same review and gave us CD of the week title.
These three we discovered in the last day or so:
Josie from Au Review.
K13ran (?) from Faster Louder.
Max from Soulshine.
Favourite bits...
"For a debut album, this six-piece from Melbourne have certainly produced something very impressive."
"listening to From a Liar to a Thief made me feel far, far away from the dreary quotidian activities most of us put up with. Contagiously catchy yet not over-the-top, this music is escapism at its best."
"The tracks are arranged not only brilliantly within themselves, but laid across the album to great consequence."
"This album is something you should definitely get your hands on if you have any inclination towards this brand of music, it's a great illustration of this underground trend in Australian music and is no doubt one of the gems to have come from that scene."
Oh and the renaming of our drummer 'Saraj' (definitely better).
- ALBUM LAUNCH -
We're launching our debut album From a Liar to a Thief at The Toff in Town on Saturday April 17.
We'll have several special guests on stage at various stages throughout the set. We can't stop adding band members. We're addicted.
Support comes from Aluka, which is very exciting. They have been touring around as Clare Bowditch's backing singers, in between releasing an EP late last year. You can hear more of them here www.myspace.com/alukaband.
Doors are at 8pm, and tickets are $13. It is cheaper if you pre-book, which you can do here: http://www.moshtix.com.au/event.aspx?id=35393&ref=spraci
Should you wish to indulge in the user-friendly world of the Facebook event page, as we like to do, then look no further than here: http://bit.ly/biRQrA
Terrific.
Interview in A Fine Line
A little while ago Ade was interviewed - go to page 58 of 'A Fine Line' to see what he said.
World domination?
Ahem.
Single review - The Dwarf
"Melbournians The Tiger and Me are a Triple J Unearthed act that are renowned for their cabaret, 1940’s- inspired sounds and circus-themed live performances.
Their new single Big Trapeze fits right in with the circus imagery and has a very romantic, European feel to it. They employ a vast array of instrumentation including violin, piano, accordion, upright bass and banjo. With both a male and female vocalist, you’re in for a treat with the charming vocal interplay between Jane Hendry and Ade Vincent. Big Trapeze makes me want to waltz with its 3/4 timing and big band stylings. It’s good fun and very easy listening.
The B-side on the single I Left The Wolves opens with a trumpet solo, which is followed by Ade Vincent’s deep, rich vocals. Their music reminds me a lot of other Melbourne groups like The Spoils and The Orb Weavers with its folk, roots grounding combined with a touch of country and a theatrical element. If you enjoy the sounds of acts like Beirut and Angus & Julia Stone then be sure to check out The Tiger and Me.
The Big Trapeze single launch is on at the Curtain Bandroom in Carlton on November 7th."
by Kathryn Mahina | Tuesday, October 20
http://www.thedwarf.com.au/nd/albumreviews/big_trapeze_the_tiger_and_me
New Tiger
We're pleased to announce that our new drummer is none other than Ms Sarah Galdes. If you weren't one of the 350 people at her debut show (I apologised to her for such a poor turnout...) then get along to one soon to see the new tiger in action. Sarah enjoys stamp collecting, competitive jousting, helping the librarian put the books back into alphabetical order, falconry, and Belgium. Norway so help me god you better stay away from our drummer this time you oil-farming socialist icemen. Henceforth all Norwegians are banned from gigs, and I am working on the Government to keep them all out of the country. Northland thieves. Bah.
uncharTED - TOP TEN!
A big thankyou to everyone who has been voting for us in uncharTED - we are currently sitting sixth! The top six (as voted) go through to the next round, with four 'media picks'. If we can stay in the top six for three more days we will move into the next round where we'll have a 1 in 10 chance of a gig at Splendour in the Grass and twenty five large. So again thanks to those who've been voting, and for anyone else, if you need more incentive, you can win tickets to Splendour in the Grass. Jane won two tickets. Seriously she did. I think this is very funny. All her friends have been voting for her band and SHE wins the tickets? Nice work Jane. If we win we will donate the tickets to someone on this list. Actually Jane won the tickets, who am I to be bandying them about like they're mine?
There are three days of voting until the next round, so let's keep it going. Vote vote vote. Vote.
http://www.uncharted.com.au/bands/bandDetails.do?band.id=84642
Thanks again, voters.
Ade.
ps Vote Quimby.
uncharTED
The Tiger and Me has been chosen from thousands of bands as one of the Top 50 in uncharTED, a competition that sees the winner get a spot at Splendour In The Grass plus a band development package worth $25k. The field is narrowed to 10 next, with 6 being by public vote and 4 by media picks. We really want to play at Splendour In The Grass a lot. So help us get there! It's free to sign up and free to vote, and you can vote once every hour. Just follow the link below.
http://www.uncharted.com.au/bands/bandDetails.do?band.id=84642
Radio Indy Grindie Award for The Tiger and Me
Radio Indy recently awarded us with a Grindie Music Award for Independent Artist Music Excellence for our Debut EP, the self-titled The Tiger and Me, which is pretty cool! Thanks Radio Indy.
