Latin | Musicosity

Pastel Vespa

Discover all the shades of Pastel Vespa. Imagine a Latin blonde with the charm of Judith Durham and the silky voice of Claudine Longet surrounded by musical maestros that could be re-incarnations of Bacharach, Jobim or Tony Hatch. Think of a cabaret star from Australia , a real Queen of Easy Listening, a groovy and cheesy Shirley Bassey. OK? Then put the best bossa nova and easy listening moods and camp cover versions of hits by The Sex Pistols, Astrud Gilberto, Kiss, Chumbawamba, Ian Durie or Alanis Morrissette. This is The Experience. Enjoy the unique sounds of Pastel Vespa Exotica? Lounge pop? Mambo Pop? Anarchy Cha-cha? Odd kind of nostalgia? Time for action.
Pastel Vespa is the voice of Spring, a fresh daisy in dappled sunlight, but just as comfortable après-ski after an Audrey Hepburn-style day on the slopes. Sports cars, impossibly long white scarves, knitted daisy dresses. This is the world of Pastel Vespa .
"L'Anarchie" (siesta 162), the first full-length album and testament to the talent of this new star. Armed with unforgettable songs by Messrs. Lynott, Morrisette, Dury, and Rotten, amongst others and aided by the rhapsodic musical direction of Mr. John Thorn, Pastel takes you on a journey into exciting new musical terrain. Mariachi bands strum where electric guitars once howled, smooth lounge blows the angst from Chumbawamba and "Ironic" gets the torch song treatment it always craved. Pastel slows the KISS classic "I Was Made For Lovin' You" down to a bedroom purr, "Teenage Dirtbag" goes adult-contemporary and "Evie Pts 1, 2 & 3", the quintessential Australian 70's rock anthem, becomes a melding of lounge, The Carpenters and Latin disco! Yes the boys are back in town, but this time they're packing marimbas! And as for Pastel's singing, suffice to say it's as warm as the sunlit waters of Bahia .
“Takin’ The Back Roads” (siesta 192), is an extraordinary second album that only takes a few spins to blossom. Essentially when Pastel sings, nations meet nations, her vocals glide - Metallica meets Kaempfert, The Cure meets The Four King Cousins, Nakamura meets Joao Gilberto, Prince meets Tito Puente, The Angels meet Brigitte Bardot and New Order/ Joy Division meets Herb Alpert, just to name a few. Think of the United Nations of Pop or the majestic Tower of Babel and the integrating capacity of art. All the cover versions from this chanteuse are appealing and replete of singalong hooks.

Fiona and John Thorn are prolific, mobile and versatile artists. Their fecund imagination has generated from spontaneous and improvised Broadway Musicals “every night” to theatre plays of great success not to mention their musical restlessness of different sources and latitudes. They have played in Thailand , Emirates and Indonesia , always with great recognition and pleasure. They have been recently commissioned for the first moon festival in 2015. Let’s fly!

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The Hornstars

There are many words that could be used to describe Melbourne band The Hornstars. Funky. Danceable. Loud. Quirky (have you seen that video?). But above all else, the Hornstars are all about fun, and their primary mission is to show their audience a funky good time.

The Hornstars sound is big, brassy and hard to pigeonhole. The lineup featuring Clancy Cullen (vocals), Daniel Bardan (trumpet), Bruce Cousins (trombone), Russell B Myers (tenor sax), Joey Mount (drums), Mike Holloway (bass), Peter Bonett (keys), Gareth Durant (guitar) and Eric Morand (alto sax and percussion) bring a wide range of influences to the mix. Jazz, soul reggae - it may not all be funk as we know it, but it is definitely funky.

The Hornstars formed in 2016, legend has it, after founding members were kicked out of their ska band for allegedly being “too funky”. What came next was inevitable. The band quickly recruited their 9-piece lineup and confected a set of catchy and danceable songs, which they took to the pubs and bars of Melbourne and beyond, and eventually released as their debut album in March 2020.

During the COVID-enforced hiatus, band members continued to write, getting together when restrictions allowed. The band’s song writing continued to evolve, sometimes reflecting what was going on in the world outside (witness the hard funk grooves of "No Gigs" and "Half Way There"), and at others expressing aspirations for brighter post-pandemic future ("Touch", "Say Goodbye"). Occasionally emerging between lockdowns in 2021, the Hornstars were greeted with an enthusiastic reception and sold out shows.

With their second album Half Way There released in August this year, the Hornstars are looking forward to playing more live shows in 2022 and beyond. And while we are still living in uncertain times, here is one thing to be sure of - The Hornstars are still having fun in 2022, and so should you.

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