Weekly News - June 30th

So weekly might be a somewhat misleading title, but I'm going to try and get this back on schedule.

• In case you've yet to hear, Brisbane has a new festival in the guise of Sounds Of Spring. The event will be held October 11 at the RNA Showgrounds. Unfortunately the first lineup doesn't excite me all that much, with only a smattering of interesting acts on the bill. Hopefully any forthcoming announcements can rectify this.

• I'm not sure if I totally grasp the concept of Brisbane PARK(ing) Day, but from what I can tell it partially involves gigs being played in carparks. I'm all for this sort of thing, and if you are to then head over to the website to get involved. The actual day is September 19th so get in quick.
  

• Dew Process' roster continues to grow with the signing of San Diego band Delta Spirit
  

• Room40 head honcho Lawrence English has a forthcoming album titled Kiri No Oto. The album is apparently an attempt to transpose "the visual effects of mist, mirage, snow fall and the like to a variety of acoustic situations."
  

• Local imprint Mere Noise Records is now offering a number of past releases for purchase on iTunes. The label has released some great records from bands like Texas Tea, Butcher Birds, The Dangermen, and The Warm Guns.
  

• New Music:
• At Sea - Scream Like A Queen (Live): This is a damn good song; sounds like The Drones if Gareth Liddiard was a girl.
• No Anchor - Drone Me Out Pt.1/Drone Me Out Pt.2/The Night Of My 2nd Car Crash: These three tracks are off No Anchor's forthcoming debut, Fire Flood And Acid Mud (which was recorded by Cam). For and band consisting of just bass and drums, No Anchor get a very impressive sound happening.
• Mr. Rascal - Here Comes The Winter/Funeral Song/Ode To Peace: Mr Rascal also has an album due in the near future, and they're showcasing the songs on myspace at the moment. These three are all great little folk-rock numbers. 'Ode To Peace' is a standout with its mandolin/choir thing making it something like Radiohead's 'Exit Music (For A Film)'.
• Do The Robot - Dressed In Red (Demo): Sounds like strawberry ice-cream.
• The Fricken Hecks - Hot Kives/NIghtmare of Anne Stripe/For The Girls
• Hot Liquid Sex - Emergency: From their debut EP Unexpect The Expected.
  

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Review: Warm Guns - Warm Guns EP

John Lennon once said happiness was a warm gun. Well it turns out he may have been wrong. The Warm Guns' debut release is a 9-track EP released by those local supporters of all things head banging, Mere Noise Records. The Warm Guns are a four piece consisting of Amy Dzufer on guitar, Kellie Lloyd (better known as a member of Screamfeeder) on bass, Mel Lathouras on keyboards, and Murray Pas providing a backbeat. Vocal duties are split evenly among the band, lending a distinctively poppy vibe to the EP.

Opening track 'Even If I Could' starts well enough with grungy guitar and Rhodes keyboard making for an excellent intro but, once the vocals kick in, the song becomes an exercise in mediocrity. 'Bullet For Stu' follows a similar pattern, though the multiple vocalist aspect comes into its own, making for some nice melodies. Again though there is nothing to push the song above average.

'Irene Ballstein' doesn't mess with the band's formula. While musically the track is a little tighter than the previous two, its lyrical subject of rock and roll excess comes off as a failed attempt at irony. 'Breakdown' is more cannon fodder in this musical battle, with its hard rock riffing and 'yeah yeah yeah'-ing coming off a little tediously. The next track 'Gustav Bladivostock' is a little better. Rather than being stuck in the same gear as the previous tracks, the Warm Guns decide to mix up the pace a little here, and it pays off.

'Mr Sleaze' is the redeeming track on the EP. The song takes an entirely different tact to the previous songs. The vocals are brilliant and the track ends up sounding like the Stooges fronted by Aretha Franklin. Musically the track ups the ante as well, with a searing guitar solo mid-song attempting to steal the show. The Warm Guns' return to their old ways on 'Wanna Meetcha', though the song is decidedly improved on the first five tracks, with the vocals again dragging the track across the line.

'Turkey Neck' moves dangerously close to power ballad territory, with a chorus consisiting of the lyrics "Are you ready to die?" repeated constantly. The result is a very forgettable song. The appallingly named 'Suck My Cockney' is the last track on the EP and is almost as uninspiring and repetitive as the previous track. Ultimately the Warm Guns EP is a very shaky start for the Warm Guns. While the band definitely show talent on some tracks ('Mr Sleaze','Wanna Meetcha'), the rest of the EP falls flat.

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Mere Noise Meltdown

This Saturday evening will see the Mere Noise Meltdown occur at The Globe. The event is a showcase of Mere Noise Records roster; home to local luminaries such as Vegas Kings and the Butcher Birds. I could really go either way with some of these bands; three of them cite Turbonegro as an influence on their Myspace sites which is a sure sign of mediocrity in my eyes. That said one of the more mouthwatering attractions promised on the evening is Brisbane supergroup the Horrortones which features members from Sixfthick, Little Lovers, Wiseacre and Vegas Kings strutting their stuff. Should be delicious.

As a little taster here is a track from the Butcher Birds recently released Eat Their Young EP. These lads and lasses are at the forefront of what seems to be an early 90s revival occurring in Brisbane so hopefully we will hear more from them soon.

Butcher Birds - Tiger Paw

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