Australian pop-noir icons, My Friend the Chocolate Cake bring their Back-to-Back, Track-for-Track national tour to Melbourne Recital Centre this October for a live best-of in Elisabeth Murdoch Hall.
Performing their 1991 self-titled debut release and ARIA Award-winning album Brood (1994) back to back, the band will also dust off some rarer numbers from across their stellar 25-year career, including Neighbourhood Watch and John Cale’s Buffalo Ballet.
Founded in 1989 by David Bridie and Helen Mountford, the group quickly grew to include violinist Hope Csutoros, Mandolinist Andrew Carswell, guitarist Andrew Richardson and drummer Russell Bradley, who was the first of several percussionists. What emerged was a vibrant and unique ensemble that would go on to release seven studio albums, win two ARIA Awards and perform to sell-out crowds across the nation.
My Friend the Chocolate Cake’s collective musical influences are eclectic and span multiple genres from Scottish and Irish folk music to classic pop and rock, with inspiration drawn from a range of artists, composers and bands such as Billy Bragg, Arvo Part and Joy Division.
Resisting categorisation, the band perform emotive musical pieces about people, characters and their community, moving from subtle chamber instrumentals and acoustic pop through to full scale ballads – offering a unique and unrivalled combination of moods and genres.
“Chocolate Cake is such a joy of a band to be in,” says David Bridie. “Everyone in the band believes in all those diverse elements really strongly. While it’s entertaining, it stands for something. It’s a unique band in my experience. You’d bottle it if you knew what it was.”
My Friend the Chocolate Cake
Elisabeth Murdoch Hall – Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank Boulevard, Southbank
Performance: Saturday 31 October 2015 – 7.30pm
Bookings: (03) 9699 3333 or online at: www.melbournerecital.com.au
For more information, visit: www.melbournerecital.com.au for details.
Image: My Friend the Chocolate Cake (supplied)