than his new home of Melbourne. On the day that saw the release of his outfit Split Seconds’ debut album, he found himself playing a solo gig to open this evening. Playing an acoustic guitar that appears to be ever diminishing in size, Pollard gave evidence of his songwriting prowess as he used a loop pedal to add different flavours to tunes such as local favourite All You Got To Do. Autumn Isles have been kicking around the scene for some time now with their inoffensive take on the pop tune. Lead man Alex Arpino is clearly someone who studies the classics with a focus on the big names from the ‘60s and the ‘70s. The Autumn Isles set was summery in nature but where sounds should have been crisp they were on the muddy side. With a set that takes no risks Autumn Isles appear destined to always play the role of bridesmaid. After being one of the most requested acts on local line-ups last year, the award winning 6s & 7s disappeared underground. To n i g h t s aw t h e i r l o n g ove rd u e re t u r n showcasing that they had lost none of their daring and appeal. With the enigmatic Josh Fontaine flanked by musical savant Stu Loasby, and having songs like A Velvet Coma, Kissing For Science and Smilin’ to air, 6s & 7s are destined to win over any crowd. It may have been a set that felt way too short, yet long enough to remind us of exactly what we have been missing. With the other acts having sizeable numbers, Even trim things to the bare essentials staying steadfast to the power trio configuration. Even (Photo: Dan Grant) Front-man Ash Naylor can play like 10 men with an encyclopaedic knowledge of a fretboard. Tunes from the bands early days littered the start of the set with Little Red Taxi and Stop & Go Man pulling people and their dancing shoes to the front of the stage. Wally Kempton is never too far away from his Chris Judd stubby holder as he offers up rock solid bottom end and sugar sweet harmonies. When the band turn to the most The Rosemount Hotel recent material they forgo melody and Friday, August 10, 2012 immediacy for more forceful and riff loaded tunes. Naylor played tribute to one of his Melbourne trio Even may these days be better favourite artists with a cracking version of Ziggy known as the band that is fronted by Paul Stardust that gave him ample opportunity for Kelly’s guitarist, but tonight they turned back pulling rock poses and showing off his nous. the clock to before the turn of the century when Black Umbrella is the bands most successful tune they were one of the nation’s most sought after and got the appropriate response but it was the unofficial anthem Don’t Wait that was the icing touring acts. Since Sean Pollard moved his band on the cake of a polished showing. over east, he has spent more time back in Perth _CHRIS HAVERCROFT
EVEN
6s & 7s/Autumn Isles/Sean Pollard
Jinja Safari (Photo: Alexandra Cohen)
JINJA SAFARI Opossum
The Bakery Wednesday August 8, 2012 When Elvis Presley first appeared on TV he had to be filmed from the waist up because his hip movements were considered ‘too suggestive for broadcast’. It didn’t take long for other rock front-men to outdo Elvis in terms of transgressive antics. In the next decade, Hendrix was lighting his equipment on fire and Jim Morrison was exposing himself to a packed stadium. Part of the joy of rock music is that it has always had as much to do with showmanship and stage presence as it has to do with musicality. After the Perth leg of Jinja Safari’s Blind Date Tour at The Bakery, I was left meditating on what role stage presence has to play in live music. Back when he was fronting The Mint Chicks, Kody Nielson had a heady reputation for his stage antics. One particularly noteworthy story is of Nielson, fuelled by punk bravado, using a chainsaw to hack apart a sponsor’s banner during Big Day Out. Nowadays, Nielson is a good deal more restrained, singing and playing drums or keyboards with his new project Opossum. In terms of song-writing, Nielson’s new band is a big leap up from the Mint Chicks. Opossum have an instantly classic sound, tracing seamless pop melodies around taught Motown grooves with liberal helping of psychedelia. In terms of stage presence however, there seems to have been something lost. Admittedly, the conditions for Opossum were less than ideal. They suffered technical difficulties and the crowd was still small and mostly seemed more curious than excited, but the band never really worked to get the audience on side. They looked mostly at their
instruments or each-other and their few brief attempts at stage banter mostly fell flat. I’m firmly of the opinion that bands should focus on their song-writing and musicality foremost but Opossum play jubilant, upbeat music which needs to be backed up by excitement and energy or else their excellent tunes end up sounding distant and muted. Jinja Safari, on the other hand, was all about the performance. The origin story for Jinja Safari is set around a camp-fire at a beach party with singer/guitarist Marcus Azon meeting multi-instrumentalist Cameron ‘Pepa’ Knight. One can imagine the early days of Jinja Safari being much like one of those free-for-all jams that develop at such parties sometimes – where there is always a guitar or two, assorted bits of percussion and everybody gets involved in the singing. Unlike most such jams, Jinja Safari are lucky enough to have a sitar (hot tip: if you have a sitar you will be a hit at parties), but the basic aesthetic is pretty similar. Their music is loose, upbeat, communal and plenty of fun. There is something cartoonish about the way that Jinja Safari performs. They jump up and down or try to start a clap-along at any opportunity. It’s kind of ridiculous, but it’s done with such abandon that it really is pretty hard to not get swept up in the excess and communal joy of it all. There is a sense of humour to it all as well, making Jinja Safari into friendly, smiling caricatures of the classic front-men. At the end of the set, Pepa Knight even ended up swinging across the ceiling of The Bakery using the scaffolding like monkey bars. Jinja Safari’s song-writing isn’t of the same ilk as Opossum’s, but their stage presence and audience engagement was exceptional and they gave the better performance of the night. You have to admire any band that can get a party started on a Wednesday night in early August. _HENRY ANDERSEN
Kate Miller-Heidke (photo Callum Ponton)
KATE MILLER-HEIDKE The Beards
Astor Theatre Saturday, August 11, 2012 The success of Kate Miller-Heidke’s 2008 record Curiouser rippled so triumphantly for so long on the Australian pop scene that it’s hard to believe it’s been more than three years since the left-of-centre singer/songwriter released new solo material. While a seemingly never ending tour cycle has seen Miller-Heidke grace local audiences with her presence relatively regularly since that album’s release (including a show at the Astor just five short months ago), the Brisbane-born songstress returned to WA once more to officially launch her new LP Nightflight. Kicking off proceedings, Australia’s favourite facially hirsute outfit The Beards captivated the crowd with their witty chat and prompted sing-alongs as they played through a collection of tracks from all three of their albums including Shaved Off His Beard, The Beard Accessory Store and the hilarious If Your Dad Doesn’t Have A Beard, You’ve Got Two Mums. While after 45 minutes of beard-related tunes, one couldn’t help but wonder if they’ll ever trim those overgrown lyrics, in the eyes of tonight’s whooping followers, The Beards could do no wrong. A light-hearted quirky element has always been crucial in tempering Kate Miller-Heidke’s sometimes frilly tone, but during tonight’s set she let her sentimental side dominate. Of the handful of songs from Nightflight, opener The Tiger Inside Will Eat The Child made the greatest impression, as almost the only deviation from the disappointingly dreary dirge too many of the new tunes lapsed into. The second half of the set was undoubtedly superior to the first, with Miller-Hiedke’s polished pop-sensibilities far more pronounced during crowd favourites Last Day On Earth (aka “that song from Neighbours”) and Can’t Shake It. It is these tunes which www.xpressmag.com.au
best demonstrate the singer/songwriter’s joy of playing with her voice, of lightening it, of inflecting it, of exposing the quirks. Miller-Heidke can be a self-absorbed performer, but there is no denying her meticulous musicianship. Miller-Heidke is known and loved by fans for her often unusual cover versions (previous live shows have seen her take on everything from Britney Spears’ Toxic to Talking Head’s Psycho Killer). Tonight, however, a mash up of Eminem’s The Real Slim Shady with Nicki Minaj’s verse from Kanye West’s Monster floundered, labouring under the weight of its own portentousness. Later in the evening, a cover of The Beards’ You Should Consider Having Sex With A Bearded Man was better, with a cameo appearance from frontman Johann Beardraven providing a welcome lift in mood and flow. Unfortunately, however, Miller-Heidke’s disingenuous sense of pop fun suffered when she again deviated into heavy-handed melodrama. New tune Sarah – the tale of a teenage girl who is abducted at a music festival – was overblown in its execution and proved that even when provided with thoughtprovoking subject matter, there are no edges in MillerHeidke’s music. As just over an hour’s listening proved, there was room for a good deal more deviation. Tunes from the new album more than proved Miller-Heidke’s songwriting has become increasingly ambiguous, and as a performer, she’s equally enigmatic. Fluctuating between a portable keyboard and a sole mic stand, her flowing vocals more a stream of sound than actual words, she seemed a long way away. Wherever she was in her head, it wasn’t Mt Lawley, and while inscrutability may be a prime Miller-Heidke selling point, it’s ultimately not one of the building blocks of a great gig. _JENNIFER PETERSON-WARD 39