Sydney, Australia
Did you know that the most recorded song in music history is "Yesterday"? More than 1600 versions, from that first legendary midnight recording of the chord progression Paul McCartney said came to him in a dream in 1965, were cut in the next 21 years alone, let alone the twenty since then. Or that German Thomas Scholl holds the record for fastest yodel, managing to squeeze 22 tones (including 15 falsetto) into a single second?

Just a few fascinating factoids brought to you by the Guinness World Records website, which I'm browsing as I try to avoid uni work and find an interesting segue into my topic for the day. Bah, that'll have to do - I'm here to plug a little event going on one week from now as part of the Sydney Uni's "Verge" arts festival. SClub favourite Brian Campeau ("and friends", adds the Verge guide) will be setting up on the Manning forecourt from next Monday the 18th, and staying there. Yes, Monsieur Campeau et ses amis are attempting to set the world record for longest continuous band performance by playing non-stop for 50 hours. And they need your help! For the attempt to be valid the band need at least ten conscious audience members at all times, so they are asking you to bring sleeping bags and snacks and your teddy and whatever you need to hang out for a while and help make history. (There is also talk of 2am pillow fights.) Besides which, the show is also bound to be a thoroughly satisfying one, full of Brian's inventive musical quirks and virtuoso performances - at least until it descends into a thoroughly entertaining mix of random jamming and Journey covers. (Well, here's hoping.) So if you're heading home in the Broadway/ Chippendale/ Newtown/ Camperdown area or just feel like a quick live music fix before work (and who doesn't every now and then?), head down Manning Road and drop in on these brave soldiers in the fight against, um, gigs ending.

At the other end of the musical time spectrum, tickets to Muse's Sydney and Melbourne gigs in January sold out in a mere twelve minutes this morning. (I'm rather tickled to have helped out there.) The band were clearly prepared and second shows were announced in both cities; at the time of writing these were being snatched up like copies of Lady Chatterley's Lover in a high school library. If you still miss out, I wouldn't worry - the tour is promoted by Lees and West, so keep saving those shraps for the opposite of a little night in...

Brian Campeau - Montreal.mp3
Brian Campeau - Lake George Version 2.mp3
Brian Campeau MySpace

Labels: Brian Campeau