Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Led Zepplin and Guns and Roses.....
Kicking things off, the ironically titled (obviously) Young Liberals casually go about their business. Their dorky style gives them an innocent edge, which they quickly dispel as they blow the unassuming crowd’s ear drums with primal punk-rock.
They’re rough as guts; all distorted guitar and heavy rhythm that slides back and forth between The Stooges and The Strokes. The mulleted frontman never gets animated, but has a perfect rock scream that cuts through the chaos and energises the room.
Most of this created atmosphere is lost during Exhaustion’s set, though. It all starts out sounding a bit like a sound check, because they’re really just jamming along together. The three-piece play an unenthusiastic first few variations that seem to confuse the crowd.
A bit like Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love breakdown, the band members are all on their own planets, mashing away on their own tangents – they might as well be playing in different rooms. There’s simply nothing for the audience to hold onto until the drums and bass start their own, more succinct, rhythms. Now it’s a bit easier to sink into a deep focus and appreciate the subtle variations, but it still feels over-indulgent. Perhaps they’re simply not the right band to open for Geelong’s Ausmuteants.
The headliners’ first song Freedom Of Information has guitarist Shaun Connor taking over the vocals and he does a great job, chanting angrily, “I don’t wanna touch!” and firing the crowd up straight away. The guys look super-cool, especially bassist Marc Dean who, wearing a singlet and tight jeans, channels rock gods like Slash as he jams along, seemingly lost in his head (but definitely not).
Lead singer Jake Robertson plays pretty corny synthlines that add a meatier, pop element to the band’s otherwise lo-fi garage sound – he’s a great frontman and gives the band a strong core to work around. Robust drummer Billy Gardener also helps.
This disco-punk quartet is about to head off to tour the States. They are well-oiled and go through the motions of playing their biggest crowd-pleasers. That’s not to say they’re doing so passively; all four band members bring heaps of energy to their short, punchy songs and deserve the recent attention they’ve been getting. They might occasionally come across as young and naïve, but Ausmuteants definitely know what they’re doing.
Friday, August 29, 2014
School Damage
This is their first record , its round, black and has 3 songs on it: "Sick of You" opens with Danielles' monstrous bass growl, swelling with tom toms from Jeff (that really should have been played standing up) and guitar feedback into an ice cool verse and throwaway chorus that will make any fan of the Shop Assistants swoon. Jakes' guitar kicks off "Butt Hurt" which promptly explodes into a full blown keyboard driven Fairground/Carousel orgy of boy/girl Vox that is pure pop-methadone.
B-Side Ballad "Break Up" is the Big-Haired Indie-Rock slow-burner that also-rans like the Vivian/DumDum/West Coast Girls would kill for, like all good FM rock the song goes on forever, Carolyns' keyboard eventually fading into the sunset over the Bay.
more....
The debut 3 track 7" will be released in early August, available to preorder now from the Detonic Recordings store!!!
Monday, August 25, 2014
Old Mate - It is what it is - lp
IN REVIEW: OLD MATE – IT IS WHAT IT IS (SDZ RECORDS, 2014)
It’s another great piece of down in the dumps, black and blue rock. Australiana meets Americana. Songs soaked in box wine and cheap beer, set decrepit neighbourhoods and between shitty relationships. There is a rhythm here that moves, a rhythm that one must keep when moving through life to avoid being left behind.
Old Mate is the newest outfit helmed by Pat Telfer (Bitch Prefect). What originally started as a solo project has now expanded and features members of Peak Twins and Wireheads. It Is What It Is is the debut LP from the group, coming after an EP in 2012 and a 7” in 2013.
It’s another great piece of down in the dumps, black and blue rock. Australiana meets Americana. Songs soaked in box wine and cheap beer, set decrepit neighbourhoods and between shitty relationships. It’s a nice departure from the jangle and strum of Bitch Prefect, reflecting more the day drunk desperation ofKitchen’s Floor.
This is a terrific album thanks to some cunning instrumentation and a willingness to add flavour to the bluesy murk. Piano, saxophone and other intriguing bits and pieces create some airy texture over the fundamentals. Telfer’s brooding croon is exquisite. His purposefully flat delivery adds gravitas to his tales of daily monotony, over drinking and failed relationships.
The music helps to lift the vocals above the subject matter; for example, the sax on ‘Know What He Wants’ adds a sense of urgency to, what I gather is, the tale of a man seeking to take from others without consideration. The album seems to look at abusive relationships in society; abuse of substances, abuse of the self, abuse of others – it’s all pretty grim yet there is an interesting dichotomy at work with the instrumentation, preventing the listener from getting bogged down in the grittiness. We are made aware of the topics at hand, but are constantly moved along by the strong musical current.
It Is What It Is seems to be about the exploring the hard facts of life but not being able to do anything about it. Life is what it is; you can’t do a damn thing about it but live as best as possible. This album is about trying to do that but not always being successful. This is a largely entertaining album, I can imagine it transitioning well live – an experience I hope to catch soon. There is a rhythm here that moves, a rhythm that one must keep when moving through life to avoid being left behind. The road points straight ahead, where it leads is anyone’s guess. Old Mate walk the road, playing I Spy with what they see along the way; observant and honest music and something to treasure.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)