Loomer, Axxonn @ Ric's Bar (29.01.08)

Regular attendees of Brisbane noise-rock gigs will likely immediately recognise the two members of Axxonn, Ian Rogers from doom-punkers No Anchor and noise artist Tom Hall (who also moonlights in Secret Birds). Where the regular acts of these two musicians generally tend towards the more abrasive end of the musical spectrum, Axxonn have a much more soothingly warm and embracing sound. Consisting mostly of warm synth swells and repetitive melodies that are slowly manipulated and embellished with the addition of effects or gradually undulating dynamics, occasionally grounded by a subtle beat, their set consisted of 3 or 4 songs which seamlessly blended into one another, becoming acts in a larger, cohesive musical passage. Ric's would not generally be the best venue to experience music with this sort of subtlety, but the crowd at this show was surprisingly reverent and focused on the sounds emanating from the stage. While I'm told later that the darkness of the venue's PA hid some of the subtlety located in the high-end of Axxonn's music, it had the effect of making the experience even warmer sounding and all encompassing.

You can download their free EP 'Should You Fear Hell' from their website (I believe that Gav is going to review it soon). Axxonn are also playing The Hangar on March 14th with AHeadphoneHome and some other bands.


This was actually my third time seeing Loomer in the space of a week - the first time, at the Step Inn, was a bit rough but with a few indications that there was some quality music underneath it all; the second time was at The Zoo, where they took advantage of the big PA and blew the roof of the place with a rock solid performance, upstaging the rest of the bands that followed that evening (including the mighty Secret Birds). This Ric's show was somewhere in between, but the quality of their performance meant that it tended more to the second show than the first.

As much as I don't want to merely reduce this review to a list of comparisons to other bands, I'm kind of forced to. The common statement made about Loomer is that 'they sound like My Bloody Valentine' - certainly being named after a song from Loveless doesn't help them in that regard. It's not an entirely baseless remark (especially if you listen to the track 'In Me' on their myspace), but their name is misleading insofar as the band don't so much envoke the sound of that classic album as they do the band's earlier, more angular recordings such as the Feed Me With Your Kiss and You Made Me Realise EPs. Loomer are a far more muscular band, being just as much indebted to MBV's American cousins Sonic Youth (circa Daydream Nation and Goo). They actually reminded me somewhat of the now defunct Brisbane band Frou Frou Foxes at times, although Loomer are much less aggressive and more melodic than that group.

One thing that has struck me about Loomer each time I've seen them is the amount of effort they are putting into their music - they're not merely a bunch of kids who are goofing around trying to replicate their favourite bands. You can hear the songs in amongst the noise, and you can see that the band care about doing them justice when performing. They walk the tightrope between pure noise and pop as well as any other local band I can think of from recent times.

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Anonymeye, Ur @ Ric's Bar (23.7.08)

It's been two weeks since this show actually occurred, so I thought that I should write about it today or not at all.

Ur are an instrumental space-rock trio (comprised of three Rockinghorse staffers) that have been playing around Brisbane for a few months now. Usually they're loud and electrified, fusing almost 'classic rock' guitar with synths and repetitive (though non-standard) rhythms. For this particular show, however, they took a leaf from the headliner's book and played largely acoustic. The result of this was that their usual sound took a turn towards the middle-eastern; Exotic scales and droning riffs were the order of the evening, with clattering percussion underscoring it all. It sounded like some sort of sci-fi inflected ancient Egyptian music, or in other words, the perfect alternate score for the movie 'The Fifth Element'. I had only seen Ur once before (the previous time they played Ric's, supporting Del Toro), and I must say that I much preferred this version of the band; it sounded much more unique, and somehow more cohesive. I did find myself zoning out a little bit towards the end of the show, but that might have been more to do with lack of sleep on my behalf. I can imagine that such an experience would have been quite pleasurable when laying in the comfortable couches of somewhere like The Hangar.

Ur don't have a myspace or anything like that, but you can listen to their previous Ric's show via the awesome Brisbane bootleg blog at Turn It Up To 10.


Anonymeye (aka Andrew Tuttle) could technically be labelled as a Melbourne artist these days, but since he spent his formative years and started this project in Brisbane (as well as playing and organising many events here, such as last week's Decline Of Modern Civilisation show at the Tongue & Groove), I figure that we can stretch our metaphorical pages to talk about him [update: apparently he moved back to Brisbane a few months ago]. Tuttle mixes intricate bluegrass fingerpicking with sound manipulations to create a fairly unique atmosphere, since when the two are combined it creates a strange balance between comfortable familiarity and otherworldiness. This evening's set started with more acoustic melodies than electronic drones, easing everyone into Anonymeye's world. After a few minutes of this the electronic elements began to creep in, but they were still in the relative background and served more as a bed of noise on which the guitar lines sat. Gradually the drones took on a more upfront role, with Tuttle alternating between a few bars of picked guitar and a few bars of sound manipulation. I got the feeling that he was having a few technical difficulties, as the electronic elements of his sound weren't coming through clearly and at times the two disparate elements were not gelling - it almost seemed like two parallel sets that were competing for the audience's attention. At other times it all managed to fall into place, but these moments tended to make the more awkward parts even more frustrating. Ric's is also often not the best location for a show like this - as great as it is for a sweaty rock show, the chatter from the mall (and in the room itself) tends to distract when there's more subtle music coming from the stage.

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Secret Birds @ Ric's (20.6.08)

Secret Birds played Ric's on Friday night. All three members of I Heart Hiroshima were in the band, plus the three recent 'regular' members (so that's two drummers, three guitarists and a bassist). They played three chords repeatedly for half an hour. It sounded like Sunn O))) covering Neil Young's 'Cortez The Killer'.

That's really all I have to say about it.


Edit: ok, so apparently it actually WAS a half hour cover of Cortez The Killer. There you go.

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Skinny Jean, Mr Maps @ Ric's (8.6.08)

Starting with a minimal setup of mandolin and vocals before gradually building up to a five-piece band during their first song, Skinny Jean began their set with a sea-shanty-esque folk number that could quite easily have come from The Gin Club. I'd never gone out of my way to check out the band before, since their name had always made me think that they would sound like any number of bands aping the fashionable NME-electro-rock sound. However, I'd recently been told that they didn't really sound much like that at all, so I figured I should go see them.

Having successfully defied my expectations with their first song, they then thoroughly confused me by playing... an NME-electro-rock song, complete with prominent synth lines and dancing hi-hat beats. While I was still trying to reconcile the two disparate genres displayed so far, the third song came out sounding like some cross between Pavement (slightly discordant interlocking guitar parts) and Jeff Buckley (overly dramatic male vocals). And so it went; quiet folk against stadium rock against big band jazz against indie pop. I couldn't figure out whether what I was seeing was one of the worst or one of the most awesome sets I've seen... ever. What can't be denied is that the band can put on a pretty entertaining show.


While Skinny Jean may be able to put on a pretty decent imitation of a whole slew of genres, Mr Maps (lead by one Chris Perren) seem to have hammered their musical chops into shape in order to perform a supremely impressive display of the post/math-rock sound. If I were to compare them to other bands (and I'm about to), I'd say that they're like the flawlessly technical Battles attempting to incorporate the wide-eyed sound of Sigur Ros' 'Takk' album, or if the expansive Do Make Say Think combined their lengthy jazz-inspired workouts with the disco-rock of Of Montreal (or any number of psych-pop bands from the Elephant 6 collective). Occasionally they descend into sounding like a somewhat derivative version of Explosions In The Sky, but I was only reminded of that band for a minute or two in the final song of the set, before Mr Maps threw in yet another time change and headed off in a completely different direction.

Special mention must be made of their drummer, Sangdae Yang. While each member of the band has a pretty good grasp of their respective instrument, Yang is one of the most accomplished drummers I've seen in Brisbane (especially now that Leigh Fischer is overseas with Scul Hazzards). He sits at his kit, barely moving except for the flurry of his arms playing more complex rhythms than I've seen in a long time, throwing in interesting fills, providing ambiance when a strong rhythm isn't required, handling time changes with ease, and all the while keeping locked together with Perren's sampled rhythms. Meanwhile, the guitarists shred away with fretboard-tapped melodies and arpeggios, the keyboardist provides melodic hooks, and the bassist keeps everything locked together and understandable.

Those who like their music simple and unpretentious will most likely hate this band, which I'm not sure is really warranted as their music is not complex for complexity's sake - in fact, there's a large part of Mr Maps music that is totally accessible, even 'pop'. It may be instrumental, it may require great skill (and hours upon hours of rehearsals, I imagine) to play, it may be difficult to dance to at times, and it may well play to the audience's head as much as it plays to their heart or their loins. All of that aside, I don't think that this is music solely for the chin-scratching intelligentsia - at its root there is still something very communal to it, even populist.

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The Rational Academy, Do The Robot @ Rics (6.6.08)

Do The Robot are a funny band. They're one of the most warm and soothing bands I can think of (in a kind of cold, detached way), while also having the ability to be weirdly grating. They released their debut album a few months back (Amp On Fire, which this post will kind of be reviewing while simultaneously discussing their show on Friday), and this event has caused me to re-evaluate my stance on the band. The first time I saw them they struck me as potentially brilliant shoegaze/pop band, and while that's still the case for the most part, the record shone a light on one particular flaw that had previously been largely hidden in live performance; namely, Sera's vocals.

I'm not saying she can't sing, in fact I think she has quite a good voice - it's strong while still fitting in with the hypnotic sound of band really well. The thing about it that irks me is that pet peeve of mine, the Fake American Accent. Sera is probably the worst offender of this I've ever heard - worse than Patience of The Grates, worse than Ross Hope of Iron On. Both of those vocalists are backed by tight, energetic, concise playing and songwriting that takes some of the focus off their singing on onto the music behind them (plus you get the feeling that they can't really help singing like that). This isn't the case to the same extent with Do The Robot - their songs are largely quite sparse and repetitive, giving plenty of time to pay close attention to the vocals.

Ninety percent of the time it's not a problem, but there are occasions where it pretty much ruins a song. Take the track 'Audrey', where Sera sounds like a 20year-old Kim Gordon. Actually, she sounds EXACTLY like a 20year-old Kim Gordon. This may not seem like much of a problem to a lot of people, but the thing is that Kim Gordon is a pseudo-beatnik New Yorker - Sera isn't. Her accent comes across as overly affected and therefore somewhat insincere, which then has the effect of breaking the spell that's so well created by the the hypnotic guitar and drums.

I guess this is another case of me being overly picky with a really good band. I actually REALLY like Do The Robot, which is why I find them to be such a frustrating listen every now and then. Matt's guitar parts are often really well written, injecting a deceptive amount of melody into what are often two- or three-chord progressions. The drums parts (played live on record and usually played via a backing track or drum machine live) are generally lively and inventive, turning music that could be somewhat 'samey' into something much more vital. And, despite my previous comments, Sera's vocals are usually dependably melodic and vibrant. The band has a real knack for taking a limited amount of elements and wringing every last drop of musicality from them over the course of some lengthy compositions. While some might find the band to be somewhat 'boring' (as the album's reviewer from Rave did), others will find their minimalist compositions subtly beautiful and enveloping.

As long as you don't mind the accent. Hey, it seems like I'm the only person who is bothered by it.


The Rational Academy, on the other hand, have been around for long enough for pretty much everyone to have made up their mind regarding the band. Generally speaking, you already know whether or not you like their brand of noisey indie-pop. While they've experimented with various additions to and offshoots from their core sound, they still play music with the same basic blueprint they started with - walls of discordant guitars, soft boy/girl vocals, big drums, pop songs married to feedback and white noise. The only real change is that over the years the band have gotten much better at doing it. There was a time where it was pretty much guaranteed that one song per set was going to fall apart somehow, whether it was due to poor sound or a broken guitar pedal or the band simply losing its way. Not anymore. These days The Rational Academy are a well-oiled machine, consistently putting on good performances.

This was a good performance. Despite the distraction provided by the next-door venue's outdoor dance tent (wtf?), the band was able to put together a more-than-solid set consisting largely of songs from the recent A Heart Against Your Own, plus a few more (presumably) from the soon-to-come follow up album. Starting out with the epic 'Squid & Whale', other highlights included 'Beach Party' (dedicated to Before Hollywood - nice!) and 'Two Books', which was slowed considerably from the recorded version, and in the process came across as far more powerful. The set concluded with a suitably immense guitar version of 'Turin' (hey RA dudes: you should seriously consider putting this version of the song out, if you're not already).

Also, FWIW, the band played an even better - though somewhat shorter - set the next night at the Tongue & Groove (and were kind enough to wish Happy 21st Birthday to 'Sam', who was celebrating her big night with a bunch of noise-bands thanks to a venue double booking... though I have a feeling Sam and the vast majority of her friends had long vacated the band area in favour of the outdoor part of the venue, where it was considerably quieter).


PS: Yes, I know that I reviewed both of these bands together a few months ago when they supported Mum, but I figured that this show warranted a post considering we hadn't reviewed the Do The Robot album. Also, the next live review will feature two bands who haven't yet been discussed by Before Hollywood.

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Teeming With Wildlife, Do The Robot @ Ric's Bar (9.11.07)

I figured that I should write about this gig today, else it will have been a week since the show which officially makes it old news in the fast-paced world of Brisbane's indie-rock scene. But fear not! For we are nothing if not timely.

I first saw Do The Robot... oh, I don't know... a while ago. Let's say it was about 9months previous. Anyway, I distinctly remember being really impressed with them, especially considering it was one of their first shows. Their shoegaze-inspired guitar parts mixed with interesting, energetic drum parts to create a really catchy sound that, while it wasn't really original per se (in fact it's actually very 'retro'), certainly had enough of its own character to help the band stand out as One To Watch. Fast forward to around 2 months later and I was watching the band play sans-drummer at Ric's Bar. It was... really boring. Without the energy provided by the drums things just seemed to drag on and on, compounded by the fact that most of their songs consist of one or two variations on a single chord progression.

After a few months break I had the chance to see them again this past Friday, this time in full-band mode. The consensus? They're really good, and certainly one of the more promising acts in Brisbane. I still think their songs are a bit long for what they are (stretching things out is great, but 5 songs in a 35 minute set when said songs are pretty much straight-forward pop songs is maybe pushing it a bit), but other than that there's a lot to like about the band. As I mentioned moments ago, their songs are pretty catchy and their sound is engaging. One thing I really appreciate about the band is their realisation that good 'shoegaze' isn't built solely on one man, a fender guitar and a whammy bar. In fact, while the whirling guitar parts in their songs have a certain lethargy, the drums and vocals are often quite insistent and lively. In summary, I'm really looking forward to seeing the band develop over the next year or so - I'm hoping that they can turn into a really interesting pop group. There aren't enough of those in Brisbane, most of our indie-rock bands seem to either be pop in a really obvious way, or they're completely un-pop (exceptions being bands like I Heart Hiroshima and The Rational Academy, who tend to do a good job of balancing the two elements).

Teeming With Wildlife mine similar territory to Do The Robot, but they replace the previous band's shimmering grace with huge amounts of fuzz and massive riffs. They have a real love of effects (mostly distortion), and a wall of amps to deliver them through. They also have that burried vocals thing going on - in fact, the vocals were so burried that I don't think I heard them once in the entire set. Most of their songs were either of the linear-build or the verse-chorus-verse varities, so being able to hear some vocal lines might have added a beneficial extra dimension. They're enjoyable if you're into listening to really really big riffs being played really really loudly. I don't think they're going to blow anyone's mind (well, they might do so through pure volume and guitar tone, I guess), but I don't think they're really aiming to rewrite any rulebooks. In fact, I'm pretty sure they've achieved exactly what they wanted to, that being to write songs that involve (as I said just two sentences ago) playing really really big riffs really really loudly. Basically, if you're into that sort of sound (and a lot of people are, myself included) they're a fun band to see.

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BigStrongBrute, All & Sundry @ Ric's (2.11.07)

Due to ordering too much freakin' food at The Alibi Room (something I seem to do EVERY time I go there), I missed the first half of All & Sundry's set. This turned out to be a bit of a shame, as the performance of the 4 songs that I caught was much stronger than the previous time I'd seen the band (at Fat Louie's last month) - and this with the band being one member down, since their violinist was unable to make the show. All & Sundry's sound is a ragged alt.country/folk inspired brand of indie-rock that still manages to squeeze in a bit of that post-punk thing (mostly thanks to their guitarist/vocalist's style of playing) - it's kind of like rockier Songs:Ohia/Magnolia Electric Co mixed with The National, with the rhythm section (drums, bass, guitar) laying down a foundation that ranges from that modern 'angular' thing through to something more rustic, while lap-steel guitar and (usually) violin add a rough-hewn quality to the songs. Sometimes it all comes together, with the disparate elements melding into a uniform sound. Other times it can come across as though the music is pulling in two separate directions. This was, however, only their 4th or 5th show, and with the improvement evident between this and the last show I saw I have confidence that they'll be able to reconcile the different elements in their sound to create something more consistent. They already have a not-insignificant number of songs that have been able to achieve just that.

I haven't seen BigStrongBrute in a long time. In fact, I had no idea that the (as far as I was aware) predominantly electronic solo project of one Paul Donoughue (of Tragic Athletic / Rational Academy / Yeow Meow fame) had recently morphed into a full band, complete with guitar, live drums, keys, trumpet and female backing vocals. I've been informed that this is a very recent change, so I don't feel quite so out of the loop. Anyway, I like this new setup a lot more than the previous. As with All & Sundry, BigStrongBrute's sound is country influenced indie rock with a modern twist; in BigStrongBrute's case it's a slight noise-rock bent. To be honest I'm not really too sure what to say about their music. There was a gospel song. There was indie-pop. There was a noise song. There was a country duet. There was all of this mixed into the same song. There was certainly a lot of energy on stage - Donoughue in particular came across as a sort of amalgamation of Johnny Cash, Nick Cave and Tim Harrington, though the band's keyboardist/trumpet player seemed to hold his own off to the side of stage.

So, BigStrongBrute... I arrived not really knowing what to expect from them. I got something I wasn't expecting. I'm still not quite sure what to expect from them next time. I just know that I am fairly keen to see them again.

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The John Steel Singers, The Rocketsmiths @ Ric's Bar (5.10.07)

The Rocketsmiths have never really interested me. They just never really seemed like 'my thing'. I'd heard some tracks on 4zzz a year or two ago (back when they were called The John Citizens) and hadn't really thought much of them. I'd resigned them to being one of those bands that existed outside my sphere of music. However, when it was announced that they were going to be playing with The John Steel Singers at Ric's, on a Friday night, for free, I decided that I might as well check them out. In the time that had passed since I had handed down my initial judgement on them they'd become one of the better known Brisbane bands, so I figured I should give them another chance.

I'm somewhat glad that I did. While I don't think I'd go so far as to say that they are, in fact, 'my thing', they're definitely not 'not my thing' either. If I were to sum them up with a quick one-liner, I'd say that they were Brisbane's ultimate bar-band. They're like The Hold Steady but with more of a rootsy feel and less poetic pretensions. They're energetic, with a big sound that's perfect for drinking to (I guess...). There's shades of country, rockabilly and plain old classic rock in their sound, with bar-room piano and rock'n'roll guitar solos a-plenty. Lead singer Dom works the crowd like someone who is used to playing venues much larger than Ric's, while the rest of the band supports him with some pretty tight playing. Ultimately, while they're probably not a band that I'd actively seek out, if they were added to a bill that I was 50/50 on, they'd most likely influence my decision towards going rather than the opposite.

The John Steel Singers. I've already reviewed them twice since we started this blog, so there's not really much point doing a hugely detailed review of them here again (additionally so when considering that there will probably be reviews of this show in next week's street press). So, to quickly sum things up, I thought that this was perhaps the best show of theirs that I'd seen (with the possible exception of their EP launch at The Troubadour). They're getting much more energetic on stage while actually increasing their tightness, which I guess comes down to how often they're playing these days. There are no doubts that they're a well rehearsed band, but thankfully they're turning into a well rehearsed band that hasn't wrung all energy and spontaneity out of their performance, which is something I was admittedly somewhat concerned about. I guess that I needn't have worried. It's also reassuring that a lot of their best songs are the ones that weren't on their EP (eg: the popular set closer, 'Poor Rich').

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The Rational Academy, Kate Bradley @ Ric's Bar (3.10.07)

This particular show was part of the 2007 Big Sound showcase (and will probably be the only show I see from said event). As such there were plenty of 'industry bigwigs' (I guess?) strutting around with entry cards attached to green sashes hanging from their respective necks. However, Ric's was about as full as it usually is on a Wednesday night, ie: not completely empty, but still with plenty of room to find a space to watch the band / get through to the bar without bumping into anyone.

Glasshouse were the first band to play, but since I didn't really have a huge interest in them I preferred to spend my time during their set sitting outside. In any case, they had really well kept hair, with fashion sense and upbeat songs to match. They may well have been great, I really don't know.

Kate Bradley filled the middle spot. My first time seeing her was when she first started playing solo after quitting from The Autumn Giants (I only got to see said band after she had left). Back then she used to play with a drummer as her only backing, and her music had a really interesting grit and edge to it; it was somewhere between earlier PJ Harvey and Jeff Buckley. Shortly after this she employed a full 3-piece backing band (to go along with her own guitar-playing), which I never really enjoyed as much as her early live format. It sounded too slick for her songs, which benefitted from a more raw approach (or maybe that's just my own preferences coming into play). Theses days she's travelling with a 2-piece rhythm section, giving her the standard guitar-bass-drums lineup. In other words, she's split the difference between her two band formats. I think that for the most part it works - her new bassist isn't afraid to hit the old Big Muff distortion every now and then, while at other times he and her rather metronomic drummer give everything a polished shine during the less rock moments. I still find myself longing for a bit more of that old rawness, but it's a pleasing step in the right direction as far as I'm concerned. As for the actual songs played on this particular night, I especially liked the somewhat atmospheric closing song, which seemed to be built on variations of the one chord progression. She also played two songs from her EP, 'Alexander & All Your Daggers' and 'Any Day Now' (which was also an ex-Autumn Giants song).

The Rational Academy played to a fairly receptive Wednesday night audience, sans their (moderately) new bassist. The biggest thing I'm finding about their new lineup is the comparitive simplicity of the parts played by their new drummer; with all of their previous drummers having been quite busy on the kit, it's strange for me to listen to these songs that I've come to know so well being played with such (at times) rudimentary drum parts. Maybe it's just the drummer in me that notices it, and everyone else is blissfully unaware. On some songs the new drum parts fit perfectly - the set closer being a good example of this (I *believe* the song is called 'Pretend It's The Sea'... that's not quite the right name but it's close). However, on an old favourite like 'Pop Repeats' some of the dynamics and power of the song seem have been lost to an extent. Overall, though, I think the new members have slotted in well; it's just one or two songs where I think I just preferred the old way that they were played. I guess that sort of thing is inevitable when a band goes through such a big change in membership.

In any case, the important thing is that the songs are still as good as they ever were. 'Beach Party' will likely be the best local song released next year (if the band stays true to its January 2008 album release date), and all of the other songs that are regulars in their set are also of high quality. I really like their song '2004', however I'm not quite sure why the band insists on singing along to a backing track for that particular number. Surely Ben Thompson has enough guitar pedals to approximate the recorded sound? As far as I can make out it only consists of some pitch-shifted down guitar/bass drones (with some liberal use of delay), some cleanly picked guitar lines, a simple kick drum beat and vocals. Again, I guess that's just my personal preferences coming into play. Certainly, when the song is actually being performed I'm thinking less about the backing track than I'm thinking about how good the song is. They're definitely in my top few favourite Brisbane bands, so I guess my (hopefully fairly minor) criticisms stem from a desire for them to be perfect, which I suppose is a bit of an unfair request. In any case, they're a great band, this was a really enjoyable show and I can't wait for their album (hopefully) early next year.

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Mt. Augustus, Rooftop Nightwatch @ Ric's Bar (9.8.07)

Quick disclaimer on this one; one half of this blog is the creative talent behind Mt. Augustus, the other half of this blog is the author of this review however, so no bias I swear.

This was the debut performance of so-called 'Brisbane super group' Rooftop Nightwatch. Sporting members of John Steele Singers and Roman History, I had reasonably high expectations for the band, however I was blown away by how tight the band was for their first show. Visibly nervous about their debut, the band showcased a sound somewhere in between alternative-country and indie-pop and came off something akin to The Lucksmiths or Augie March. Having said that, they didn't stick with any one formula for a song. The constant switching of instruments and vocalists (Pat E and Melissa both sung beautifully) left each track feeling as fresh as the previous. While there were stand out songs, the lack of titles as of yet makes them hard to identify; the second song (which the band claims was an attempt to channel Burt Bacharach)was an excellent piece of pop songwriting, while a later track had Pat M switching bass for guitar and producing a sound Stephen Stills would be envious of. With such an excellent start for the band I can only see Rooftop Nightwatch becoming a scene staple.

Mt Augustus kicked off with 'The Warmest Winter', a track which is my favourite of the bands, and proved straight off the mark why they are one of the best bands kicking it around Brisbane at the moment. Cam vocals sound like some sort of unholy union of Jeff Magnum and Gareth Liddiard, while Pat E (also of the aforementioned Rooftop Nightwatch), Daniel, and Simon, back him up with a sound that channels but never clones the sound of the bands main influences, Neutral Milk Hotel and Okkervil River. The bands set was almost chronological, with earlier tracks such as 'Edith' and 'Mt Augustus' being brought out earlier. Towards the end of the set the band delved into tracks of their new EP, Monolith. It was hard to pick my favourite songs of the night, however new track 'Club Soda', the epic 'Reverend Storm', and the musical saw-accompanied '12 Hour Trip' were all excellent.

Keep an eye out for a review of Mt Augustus' Monolith EP. as soon as I can get my hands on the damned thing!

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Stature:Statue, No Through Road, The John Steel Singers @ Ric's Bar (20.7.07)

I missed the first band, Twist Oliver Twist, but since I don't get paid to do this that's ok. I didn't talk to anyone who had seen them, so I don't even have second hand information on their set to pass on. You can have a look at their myspace if you want, though.

The first band I did see was The John Steel Singers. Full disclosure: I am friends with this band - I organised two of their first few gigs and I recorded their first demos. With that out of the way I'm free to say that I think that, on a technical level, they're probably the best pop songwriters in Brisbane. Their songs are so intelligent and brilliantly written while still containing amazingly catchy melodies and hooks. With that said, they're not always the most engaging live act (don't kill me guys, hear me out). While I've never seen a 'bad' JSS show, sometimes it seems as though they're content to merely play their songs on stage without really putting a lot of energy into the actual performance, especially in the vocals department (although with the number of 3 part vocal harmonies they employ, maybe I'm asking too much). I'm someone who really values energy in performance, so this is probably more of an issue for me than for other people (and admittedly, I've never seen a JSS show where the crowd wasn't totally into the band). Also, the last few times I've seen the band it's been at somewhat larger venues (The Columbian, The Globe, The Zoo), so maybe it's only an issue in bigger rooms.

Friday would indicate that this is the case, because in the intimite confines of Ric's there was no lack of energy from the band. In fact, I'd say that it was the best set I've seen them play. I could tell that the band have been touring and practicing for their EP launch in August, because they were really tight (without being so rehearsed as to cross over into being somewhat boring). Their songs were as melodic as ever, but they also injected some much-needed noise into certain sections (giving their Kinks-esque pop a decidedly 'experimental-Wilco' feel), while their ambient segues between songs sounded as natural as I've ever heard, not forced like they could sound on previous occasions. I was also pleased to see the return of their two-piece brass section to their live set - recently the trumpet has gone awol, leaving a lone trombone for a song or two per set. Guys, more brass! Said brass was used most effectively on the untitled closing song, featuring one of their catchiest choruses followed by dueling guitars solos and one hell of a chord progression to finish.

Download a live recording of The John Steel Singers' set here (courtesy of ex_king_john of tregbo).
Download their early demos here (featuring songs that will appear on their forthcoming EP in better recorded versions).

Next was No Through Road (from Adelaide), playing in solo 'man-with-a-guitar' mode. The man really faced an uphill battle, playing such music on a Friday night at Ric's, sandwiched between the huge sounding pop of The John Steel Singers and the insane energy and volume of Stature:Statue. To his credit he gained the attention of a decent percentage of the room, largely thanks to his willingness to scream his head off while playing such quiet music. Indeed, if there's one word to describe NTR's music it's 'dramatic'. Maybe even melodramatic. But hell, I'd rather see something that flirts with being over-the-top than something that's safely within the borders of supposed good taste. Overall I can't say that I fell in love with NTR's music on Friday, but I'm certainly interested enough to see them next time they're here in full band mode.

Capping off the night were the super-energetic Stature:Statue. Quick summary of the band: loud, angular, yelly, massive hair. Seriously. Massive hair (although less massive than it used to be, now that the singer has had his cut). My impression of the band is that they sound like what Wolf & Cub would sound like if their influences had skipped a decade or two; instead of sounding influenced by 60s psychedelia and 70s prog rock, Stature:Statue sound more like 70s/80s punk (of both the regular and post- varieties). I guess that puts them in the same league as a lot of other energetic post-punk outfits doing the rounds at the moment. However, I never felt myself thinking 'here we go, another one of these bands'... and I'm not quite sure why. I mean, they're super energetic, with flailing limbs and guitars going every which way, but that's not exactly uncommon in their chosen genre. They have an insane rhythm section, but again, not all that uncommon. Highwire vocals? Nothing new. Good use of effects? Not exactly ubiquitous in the genre, but not exactly unheard of either (although they did use some really cool looping effects on the vocals). I can't quite figure out why they seem better than most other bands that sound like that. Without hearing a good studio recording it's difficult to determine whether it's because of superior songwriting or just a great live show. I think that for the time being I'm going to have to put it down to the Seriously Massive Hair. Hey, it worked for At The Drive In, right?

Oh, and I think that they might sing in Italian sometimes.
if (true) bonusPoints++;

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Cam's Gigs of the Week - July 20th

These things are being posted later and later in the week, aren't they? Luckily I don't really have a huge amount of recommendations for this week.

Friday 20th:
Stature:Statue, No Through Road, The John Steel Singers, Twist Oliver Twist @ Ric's Bar
Violent Soho, Vegas Kings, Roshambo, Nova Scotia @ The Step Inn (aka The Shamrock)

Saturday 21st:
Capital, Me Mu & Meow, Strange Attractors @ The Troubadour
Nova Scotia, Re:enactment @ Ric's Bar, 3pm

Sunday 22nd:
Feathers, Shiver Like Timber @ Ric's Bar, 3pm
SixFtHick @ Ric's Bar, 9pm


It's the weekend of Ric's. Thank god it's free.

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Little Lovers, Nova Scotia @ Rics (25.5.07)

First live review!!

This past Friday evening I, Cam, did something very unusual for someone who frequents the Brisbane live music scene; I went to Ric's Bar to see some bands. But not just any bands, oh no, I went to see a band that almost never plays at said establishment. I went to see The Little Lovers.

So yeah, The Little Lovers seem to play Ric's about once a fortnight. However, that's no bad thing at all because they ARE one of Brisbane's best bands, and Ric's IS a lovely little (free) venue. Better yet, they were being supported by a really cool new band that I had yet to see, Nova Scotia. If you're not aware, Nova Scotia features (ex) members of a lot of awesome local bands, amongst them Toadracer (one of the most underrated Brisbane groups from the last few years), Eat Laser Scumbag, The Sips and more. Judging by the songs available from their myspace I was expecting this band to deliver a lot, especially for one so young, but they definitely delivered. They were tight, energetic, melodic (most important) and managed kept things moving along at a good pace throughout the gig, despite some issues with new guitars and broken strings. Their songs are simple and catchy while still managing to consist of more than just two chords and a (misplaced) attitude, unlike too many bands in this city. As can be expected from their lineage, they definitely sound very 'Brisbane indie-rock', ie: big, fast drums and guitars, with synth lines cutting through the songs alongside jangly Fender guitar solos. About the only negative to their show was that the room was pretty empty for a Friday night at Ric's.

In the time between Nova Scotia and The Little Lovers, however, the room filled right up. It's a well known fact* that even if you see tLL's on a bad night you're still in for a good show, and this night proved that point beyond a doubt. Guitarist Wintah seemed to completely forget every second riff he tried to play, and spent most of the night following the other two members for cues (which is somewhat funny when you consider that their bassist, Dan, has only been in the band for a few short months). Furthermore, from where I was standing (right next to the 'main' doorway) I could barely hear Dan's bass, except for when everything else cut out. Despite this, it's pretty safe to say that everyone in the room had a great time. The Little Lovers are owners of some of the best pop songs going around Brisbane right now, so it takes more than a bit of sloppiness to ruin one of their shows (hell, would you really want these songs to be played note perfectly?). It won't go down as their most triumphant show ever, but who cares? It was still highly enjoyable.

A note for Sydney readers: The Little Lovers will be the stage of The Hopetoun on June 1st. They're playing with David McCormack & The Polaroids and Beachfield (the new band from Custand member Glenn Thompson). Go along!

In addition to that, both bands have shows in Brisbane coming up in the near future. Check out their myspace sites for dates and songs (non-downloadable, unfortunately).
Nova Scotia - June 16 @ Alley Bar
The Little Lovers - May 31 @ The Tivoli (supporting Cold War Kids) and then various dates throughout June and July (including another show at Ric's!).


Ps: Not every review will be this glowing.


* it totally is.

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