The Break, featuring Rob Hirst, Jim Moginie and Martin Rotsey from Midnight Oil and Brian Ritchie from Violent Femmes hit the road in Victoria over the weekend for their first headline tour.
Midnight Oil is the band I have seen live most, dozens of times over their time together. Midnight Oil is without a doubt one of the greatest live rock acts this planet has ever seen and heard so downsizing three of The Oils founding members to the pubs is indeed a rare treat.What you get in The Break are four world-class musicians. Hirst on drums, Rotsey on guitar, Moginie on keyboards and guitar and Ritchie on bass are the best of the best. Midnight Oil were unique, Violent Femmes were unique and what you get with The Break is something unique all over again.
The Break doesn't even try to copy the past, with one exception. Midnight Oil's 'Wedding Cake Island' was a perfect inclusion in this set. As a band, that is the moment it started. the Break's Rotsey and Moginie gave the same piece of land off the beach at Coogee in Sydney its own anthem back in 1980. The Break play it in their set.
The Break is a surf-rock band, taking its mark from the great surf acts like The Atlantics and Dick Dale. Rob Hirst made reference to Peter Hood from The Atlantics as someone who listened to the surf and replicated the sound in music. That is the position The Break come from as well. (Incidentally, The Atlantics, who are still around, often play 'Wedding Cake Island' in their set).
Hirst acted as Master of Ceremonies for the show, setting up most of the intros and joking about playing in the revered Gershwin Room at The Esplanade, St Kilda, the same room where Rockwiz is filmed.
The Break will continue their live shows in Sydney later this week.
Remaining dates are:
Thursday June 17th – Manly Boatshed, Manly, NSW
Saturday June 19th - Beach Road Hotel, Bondi, NSW
Sunday June 20th – Annandale Hotel, Annandale, NSW
Thursday June 24th - The Globe, Brisbane, QLD
Friday June 25th – Joes Pub, Eumundi, QLD
Saturday June 26th, Miami Tavern, Gold Coast, QLD
Sunday June 27th, Great Northern, Byron Bay, NSW
JULY
Saturday July 3rd, Manly Boatshed (earlier 9:30)
Sunday July 4th, The Brewery, Newcastle, NSW
Friday July 9th, Brisbane Hotel, Hobart, TAS
Saturday July 10th – The Hub , Launceston, TAS
The Setlist from The Espy, June 13, 2010 was :
Branded
Squintro (from Church of the Open Sky, 2010)
Cylinders (from Church of the Open Sky, 2010)
S.Q.U.I.D. (from Church of the Open Sky, 2010)
Birdman (from Church of the Open Sky, 2010)
Five Rocks (from Church of the Open Sky, 2010)
Eye Contact
Wedding Cake Island
Groyne (from Church of the Open Sky, 2010)
Phobus Grunt (from Church of the Open Sky, 2010)
Penetration
Blasket Islands (from Church of the Open Sky, 2010)
Dump (from Church of the Open Sky, 2010)
The Surfing Priests (from Church of the Open Sky, 2010)
Oyster Stomp (from Church of the Open Sky, 2010)
Winkipop (from Church of the Open Sky, 2010)
Massacres (from Church of the Open Sky, 2010)
Miserlou
Cyclops (from Church of the Open Sky, 2010)
Farm
