Tag Archives: #Melbourne

Unintended Consequences?

Posted on by
Reply

Last month, Melbourne City Council banned e-scooters for hire. The City’s Lord Mayor argues that the current trial needs to be re-set, as a result of increased traffic violations and personal injuries. So far, similar trials running in other local government areas adjacent to the City will continue, but they will no doubt be seeking to ensure the hire schemes are implemented and managed in a responsible, compliant and sustainable fashion, when the trials expire.

Despite the promised (and welcome) benefits of e-scooter hire schemes, I have yet to see current data that would support their continued operation. E.g., has the introduction of e-scooters reduced either the overall number of cars on the road, or the number of short car journeys under 2km?

I can see that e-scooters are probably popular with shift workers, largely because public transport services do not run at the times these commuters need them or where they need to go.

As well as living close to the City, I live in an adjacent LGA that is running a similar trial, so I have plenty of anecdotal evidence of the downside.

It’s not just users riding on pavements and in pedestrian-only areas with little care for those on foot. Many riders are carrying passengers (unlawfully) and choosing not to wear helmets (also unlawful). There appear to be a large number of joy riders, who often leave vehicles strewn across footpaths, rather than parking them responsibly. Then there are the helmets discarded without care or thought. Many of which probably end up in landfill, especially if they have been cracked or damaged through misuse. (A few months ago, I spoke to a Melbourne City Council street cleaner, and he admitted that if helmets are discarded like litter, they go into the general waste collection.)

I also see e-scooters for hire being lined up by their operators outside pubs and bars. I get that we don’t want people to drink and drive, but riding an e-scooter while drunk is hardly the answer!

I suspect that the obvious problems and misuse could have easily been anticipated, and even mitigated. Here are just a few suggestions:

1. Require all ride-share customers to have appropriate insurance. This could be done via the operator apps, and/or via a subscription model.

2. E-tag all helmets as well as the scooters themselves, so operators can keep track of their property. If I was an investor in these companies, I’d be concerned that they aren’t protecting their assets!

3. Require users to pass some sort of proficiency test – including basic road rules, and traffic regulations.

4. As well as limiting the vehicle speed, disable any e-scooter that is being driven on pedestrian-only footpaths or other “out of bounds” areas. The City of Melbourne and surrounding LGAs now have extensive cycle lanes, so there shouldn’t be any excuse for riding on pavements.

5. Consider attaching breathalysers to each scooter and applying weight limits on vehicles (to counter the problem of passenger over-loading).

Finally, the use of contributory negligence in assessing potential damages should be a default position. Indeed, any rider who causes an accident, injures a pedestrian or damages another vehicle or property, directly or indirectly as a result of the rider’s misuse or negligence should result in strict liability for all damages.

Next week: Ticket scalpers? Blockchain could fix that!

 

Triennial? Could try harder!

Posted on by
Reply

The NGV 2023 Triennial is really perplexing. It promises a lot, but ends up delivering very little of substance. I came away with no lasting impression of any particular work, and given there are 100 “projects” on display, that’s a very low strike rate.

First, the positives: it’s free; it draws in the crowds (especially during Melbourne’s late summer heatwave); there are over 120 artists involved; they include local and international, established and emerging names; most forms of art practice are represented; there is a LOT to look at.

Now the negatives: the curation felt scatter-gun, with the lack of a clear narrative theme or contextual thread; BIG is interpreted as being GOOD; the juxtaposition of new works with the NGV permanent collection must have seemed like a good idea, but the joins are abrupt and the implied associations often make no sense at all; and despite the variety of media, it all felt very samey, and nothing cutting edge; in fact, it all felt rather safe.

Much of the work looked like it had come off a conveyor belt, or designed by a focus group. So it ended up feeling bland, anodyne, tokenistic, worthy, “shocking” for its own sake, and was like a production line of the “latest thing”.

Often, less is more. This felt bloated and over done.

A great shame, and a lost opportunity.

Next week: State of the Music Industry…

 

 

Ageing Rockers

Posted on by
Reply

A few years ago, I mentioned the phenomena of ageing pop stars, that bunch of musicians from the 60s and 70s still recording and touring in their 70s and 80s – retrospective proof that for some, rock was a viable career move after all. Since their professional longevity has extended way beyond anyone’s original expectations, it does mean for us music fans we should make an effort to go and see their live shows, especially as more of these artists shuffle off this mortal coil – because we may never get the opportunity again.

Michael Rother – a sprightly 73-year old continues to record and tour (picture sourced from Melbourne Recital Centre)

A case in point is Kraftwerk, who visited Melbourne last December. The only original member, Ralf Hütter is now in his late 70s, but he stood and led his team of younger musicians for a 2-hour performance that was almost like a tribute show to themselves. Kraftwerk has not released any new music for more than 20 years, but continue to harvest their legacy via regular live shows and careful curation of their back catalogue. I hope they do continue touring but I suspect the chance to see them again in Melbourne may have passed (at least in human form, and not as resurrected VR projections or avatars, although Kraftwerk clearly anticipated this many, many years ago… ).

Last week, a one-time member of Kraftwerk, Michael Rother performed at the Melbourne Recital Centre, to celebrate 50 years of his old band Neu! A fit and sprightly-looking 73-year old, he looks like he still enjoys touring, and seemed very happy to be back in Melbourne. However, this concert was re-scheduled from a couple of years ago, when Rother experienced some health issues that prevented him from travelling to Australia. And the last time he was here, in 2012, he was joined by another stalwart of the German music scene of the 70s and 80s, Dieter Moebius (of Cluster and Harmonia) – who passed away in 2015. Given Rother’s connection to Kraftwerk and his key role in forming the sound of “kosmische Musik” (plus his work with Brian Eno, and the tantalising prospect that he might have played on David Bowie’s “Heroes” album if things had gone differently…) his continued presence on the live circuit is most welcome, especially as very few of his German contemporaries are still with us as going concerns.

Later this month, I’m going to see Laraaji, octogenarian jazz, ambient and new age musician who is coming to Melbourne to perform for the first time in his career (I believe). Another former collaborator of Brian Eno, this promises to be a very special concert.

Meanwhile, Eno himself still shies away from live performance, but an interesting documentary about him has started touring the world – and which, in typical Eno-esque fashion, is never the same film twice. And another documentary showing this month in Melbourne is “Opus”, the final recorded performances of the late Ryuichi Sakamoto (whom I was fortunate to see on his last visit to Melbourne in 2018).

The moral of the story? Get ’em while you can….

Next week: The Grey Ceiling

 

The Mercurial Music of Calexico

Posted on by
2

In addition to Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, Melbourne recently played host to US band Calexico. Given the hype surrounding those pop divas, you’d be forgiven for not noticing the latter’s sell-out concerts at the Recital Centre.

Calexico photo sourced from Melbourne Recital Centre

After nearly 30 years and as many albums, Calexico have a deep back catalogue to draw on, but the focus on the current tour is their 2002 album, “Feast of Wire”, featured in full alongside a few of their greatest hits and a couple of inspired cover versions.

My interest in Calexico stems from the late 1990s, via their involvement with a couple of other bands, Giant Sand and The Friends of Dean Martinez. Alongside these and other groups such as Lambchop and Wilco, Calexico brought a fresh perspective to Americana – that strand of North American music that has its roots in Alt Country, but which eschews many of the conservative (even regressive) styles and values of mainstream country and western music. What sets these bands apart is their willingness to embrace other musical influences, and explore more experimental sounds.

Calexico themselves have collaborated with a range of DJs and producers for some inspired remixes, and have featured on compilation albums alongside their US post-rock counterparts as well as European electronic artists. So quite eclectic company. In fact, Calexico’s own music incorporates Tex-Mex, Mariachi, dub and electronica, Morricone’s spaghetti western soundtracks, Tortoise-style instrumental arrangements, Tindersticks’ atmospherics, and Tijuana trumpets. Having been to California a few times myself (including a road trip from LA to northern Mexico), and having visited Colorado and New Mexico last year, Calexico’s music readily evokes memories of the Anza-Borrego desert, the border town of Tecate, the Skytrain from Santa Fe to Lamy, and the hills of the Tejon Pass.

Live, the core duo of Joey Burns and John Convertino handle vocals/guitar and drums respectively, while a team of four multi-instrumentalists take care of bass, guitar, keyboards, vibes, trumpets and accordions. The technical production is great, and like many visiting musicians, the band enjoy playing with the superb acoustics of the Recital Hall itself.

As for the night’s cover versions, there were two: Love’s “Alone Again Or”, a minor hit for Calexio when first released as a non-album single, and which perfectly suits their “Sounds of the South-West”; and Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart”, a song I hadn’t heard played live since one of Joy Division’s last gigs in 1980, and which prompts some emotional audience participation – a brave choice!

Next week: Ageing Rockers