I was not well for this gig. Felt iffy to start with and got worse as the evening went on — ultimately I bailed quite early in the headliner’s set. It’s frustrating, as the sweaty, close-crowded punters appeared to be working their way toward some sort of meltdown. It’s annoying as The Nation Blue’s gritty rock ethos has a lot going for it. And it’s disappointing, as it shows in the poorer-than-usual quality of the few shots of the band I selected. Maybe next time.
Had better luck with the supports. Particularly so for SixFtHick as the Corbett brothers take their pent-up ferocity onto the sticky dance floor. They chaotically surge left then right — narrow spaces suddenly gaping as wide-eyed punters stumble out of their way. It’s hard to not take a step back when Ben is fully in your face — clawing at his chest like he wants to escape his own skin and screaming the lyrics to, say, The Floor Is The Limit. It’s hard to not be a little wary of Geoff’s animalistic fury as he belts out Retirement Party. But, at the same time, there’s a ritualistic element to their schtick. They’re not feral animals; the fury is controlled. And that’s why I sometimes wonder whether the duo hopes for a more involved response on the occasions when they dissolve the traditional distance between band and punter.
A goodly sized crowd is on hand at The Zoo tonight to catch Decoder Ring. It’s my first listen to a band that has garnered a lot of respect for it’s instrumental rock-tronica, and I come away impressed by both the strong nature of their tunes and their ability to hold an audience entranced. The “big-screen” imagery projected onto the wall behind probably helps — a chaotic visual feast that spans a mind-boggling gamut of rocket launches, blooming flowers, space panoramas, ultrasound imagery and much more. Any ultimate meaning is debatable, but it’s a hook for the eye that enlivens what could otherwise by an entirely too introspective experience.
On the other hand, Sydneysiders Bridezilla prove a disappointment. The way they deployed the saxophone and violin on their self-titled EP was just thrilling — a menacing thrust and riposte duel working around and through Holiday Sidewinder’s vocals one of the highlights. Unfortunately, it’s hard to perceive the challenging angularity that made that release so fascinating in their performance tonight, even on the cuts drawn from that effort.
Date: November 27, 2009
Venue: Front Bar, Step Inn
Acts: No Anchor
Donovan Miller’s induction into the ranks of No Anchor as second bassist immediately raises expectations that their act will be twice as sludgey, twice as brutal and twice as relentless. Tonight’s performance, in the closeness of the Step Inn’s Front Bar, disproves that theory — mostly because when you make music as brutal, sludgey and relentless as Ian Rogers and Alex Gillies, it’s nigh impossible to push that particular barrow any further. Diminishing returns ‘n all that.
That being said, Butcher Birds’ hard-hitting skinsman slots in alongside Rogers effortlessly, and the band’s all-too-brief forty-five minute set is a cracker. It’s hard to say through a haze of alcohol whether they were debuting filled-out variations of old tunes, or out-and-out new material, but I know I bloody liked it.
2 High Festival
Date: November 14, 2009
Venue: Brisbane Powerhouse
Acts: McKisko
The anticipatory hush of several score people who fill the Visy Theatre is so thick as to be almost palpable. Unflustered, McKisko proceeds to fill this intimidating silence with gorgeous readings of her fractured folk-minimalism that are mostly taken from debut long-player Glorio.
The exquisite starkness of her tunes is rendered whole orders of magnitude more raw as the theatre’s acoustics carry the tiniest guitar ring, the hollow, boxy thud of her bandmate’s kick drum and, of course, every shivering inflection in her crystalline voice. We are so utterly spellbound by this lo-fi tour-de-force that it’s a shock when the lights come up at the conclusion of un-recorded gem Down The Track. Thirty minutes has passed already?
I’m always amused at the wary alertness hovering in Darren Hanlon’s eyes when he first takes the stage. It’s as though he’s fearful one of his enthusiastic fans might take their adoration too far and tackle-hug him as he’s playing, say, The Kickstand Song.
Tonight, (like just about every night, I imagine) the worst his exquisitely polite audience inflicts is the inevitable request for Danielle. A request followed by the equally inevitable response “not in this lifetime”. Danielle aside, he’s chattily open to requests, and with the backing of drummer Bree Van Reyk, quickly works through an all-too-short set that includes the ever-loved Happiness Is A Chemical, Electric Skeleton, Eli Wallach, The Unmade Bed and a lovely closing cover of Fizcher-Z’s The Perfect Day.
Tonight it’s former Candle Records stablemates The Lucksmiths who are the stars. Like the late and much-missed label itself, the band is finally hanging up boots after 16 years of charming audiences everywhere with their beautiful, infectious indie-pop. Read more