live reviews What we've been to see...
HELP SAVE TONE - Wed 7th -
GALLERY BURLESQUE Fringe Festival edition Songs
ROYAL HEADACHE
GoodGod Small Club / Repressed Records September 2 / September 4 Sure, there were whispers, but it’s hard to say it didn’t come as a shock when Sydney’s Royal Headache sold out their album launch a week in advance. After two years of quiet murmurs from the underground, Royal Headache have thrust themselves into the broader picture – and with two over-capacity shows in three days, those murmurs have become screams. The fervour at the GoodGod show was almost scary; the crowd’s febrile energy was like a scene from a Sex Pistols documentary. From the moment the first chord hit, the front row snapped into action, collapsing over the lip of the stage before being dragged back up and torn over outstretched arms to the middle of the pulsing pit. Shogun, the band’s unassuming frontman, struggled to howl his vocals as he was passed around the crowd throughout the set, a miserable sound mix making the night an endeavour fuelled by volume and emotion. Loud, fast and frantic, it was indisputably fun, but with such an energetic crowd the band's finer side was obscured in the cataclysm. It was their Sunday instore at King Street’s Repressed Records where the hype was undeniably qualified. With the sound in check and an observant rather than participatory audience, their perfect powerpop songwriting came to the fore. Royal Headache’s balanced brand of punk may bridge the rough edges of The Saints with Radio Birdman’s melodic sensibility (they would have solved a lot of arguments in 1977), but it was more than just funloving Buzzcockian punk: it was fucking hypnotising. Pacing like a man possessed on ‘Psychotic Episode’, Shogun’s unusually soulful vocals were filtered into a lo-fi blur amongst the ragged and frenetic guitar work, and the band’s sudden halt and return on ‘Girls’ was genuinely heartstopping. There’s a reason why people are so excited about Royal Headache, and it’s more than just an appreciation of such an artfully exciting mix of sounds; it’s the second coming of something Sydney needs. They’re a band who cares so little about the trimmings that they debuted new tracks at the album launch of their debut. There is no press kit, no acknowledgement of an album cycle; they’re just releasing what they love. And with the reception that one weekend in Sydney gave them, the love for their music is not going unrequited.
SONGS
Tone Thursday September 8 Tiger Choir are a young group from Hobart who are trying to be too many things to too many people. They certainly mean well enough, but with a sound that seems to swing between the aesthetic of every popular triple j act of the last four years (see: Oscar + Martin, The Drums, Gypsy & The Cat), a drum machine that doesn’t sit at all well with their live drummer and some pretty subpar mixing, they’re not pleasing many tonight. When they find their own sound, they’ll be something to witness, but right now they’re nothing too remarkable. Also, someone forgot the volume control – their set is double the decibels of the headliners. Like their support, Songs are having a bit of an off night too, but it’s mostly beyond their control. Tonight’s meant to be the big debut of their new band 2.0 after the first lot vamoosed and left bassist Ela Stiles and guitarist Max Doyle without anyone to kick out the jams. Their new backing guitarist (and Songs’ tunes really do rely on the interplay of guitar sounds) has gone and had his baby born – completely unprofessional – which leaves them one man down, and with Ela losing her voice. Despite all that, they power through a bold set that’s made up almost exclusively of new material from their forthcoming sophomore album. But while the music is fresh and new, nobody has any idea what they’re listening to. Half of this stuff matches the driving minimal psych aesthetic they championed on their debut, particularly new single ‘Heavy’, which brings back all kinds of Bait-ShopIn-The O.C. vibes with its insistent bass pulse. Unfortunately, Songs rely on a gradual build up of tension based on repetition, and that’s something Max can’t do by himself when his wingwoman is sick and his other axeman unavailable. Some of the tracks plod without going anywhere and become a bit same-y, but others fare a lot better. The inclusion of keyboardist Jules Ferrari is welcome, particularly as she backs Stiles up with harmonies that match the minor-key sentiment of the music perfectly. But it’s not the best set from Songs, and even Max acknowledges that: ‘Come see us next time when we’re better.’ Sounds like a plan to us.
- Thurs 15th -
Dome Home 5
WET HAIR (IOWA), NAKED ON THE VAGUE + ‘HEAD’
- Fri 16th -
COLOURED STONE ‘Black Boy National Tour’ with special guest Yung Warriors
- Sat 17th Golden Cage presents
GUTI Live! / ARG (Desolat) w ROBBIE LOWE, JAVI SAMPOL, JADED AND JAMES PETROU, GARTH LINTON
By Jonno Seidler
By Max Easton
BRAG :: 429 :: 12:09:11 :: 31