I was excited to learn that the Black Lips, well-known in the punk space for setting things on fire and playing very loud were coming to Brisbane. As someone who greatly enjoys the sound of trebly guitars being snapped in half and vocals that sound like they are coming from a 6” practice amp buried two feet underground, the Black Lips are a familiar (though enigmatic) entity.

Nine Lives was a really long concert. Beginning at 11:00 and ending at 12:00, it was an impressive effort actually getting people to stay there for a reasonable amount of time. With a wildly diverse / confusing lineup, mainly putting indie rock songwriters together with EDM, rock, country, and folk artists, and headlining with the ambient rock of Crumb and the talented work of Angel Olsen, it was clear that there was something for everybody at Nine Lives this year.

Last time I saw Béla Fleck was at a Bluesfest gig ten years ago with his full band The Flecktones in tow and it was jaw dropping then. He had genius eight times Grammy award winner bass player Victor Wootton on board and you never wanted the night to end.