Sunday Wheetbix and Tunes 14/09/25
Stereolab - Mars Audiac Quintet
Yesterday in Australia there were nation wide antifascist protests. It was heartwarming to see the turn outs. But fuck me, what a cesspit things are at the moment. Stereolab seemed a fitting choice for this morning for the current climate and to digest my feels.
They were the last band I saw before the Covid wave hit Australia and when live music died for a few years. I remember saying if that was the last gig for awhile, I’m content as it would be hard to top. It felt very fitting that was the last one for years. I’d like to think Stereolab would have found that amusing too.
I was around 10yrs old when this came out. At the time I wasn’t clued in to the politics behind the band and album. I was attracted to the pop melodies and the retro aesthetic – oh and of course I thought they looked cool as fuck. I was in year 5 which was my favourite year of primary school. I got to sit next to Daniel (dreamy), had my first boyfriend which lasted a week, a few girl crushes, went to QLD, and had my appendix out. That last bit was less fun. It was also the year I remember properly exploring my own music outside what was on the TV and radio. I was an only child so I didn’t have any older siblings to influence me. However I’d become best mates with my friend Julia via the local tennis club. I’ve posted about this before, but her older sister, who was very musical and in bands shaped a lot of my taste then. It opened a whole world of music I hadn’t heard before - including Stereolab.
That Stereloab gig was like a reunion of my childhood and uni days in one. My friend and her sister were there, in addition to my mates. It was a really magical night and on the list of great gigs.
This is the repress. I decided some years ago to buy vinyl copies of the Stereolab albums I had on cd and others I didn’t own. I try and buy the originals in the wild when I see them. An expensive habit I’ve created for myself. I have a few originals from my uni days – some I was fortunate to buy before their prices skyrocketed and some I was given after a friends bad break up where they could no longer listen to Stereolab. Oof!
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