FEEDBACK POND, WATER TEMPLE, THE WEAPON IS SOUND, FUCKING TEETH THE BAKERY: 15/09/12
I rocked up to The Bakery half an hour before the opening act were due on stage, expecting a fair portion of the sold-out show’s crowd to be lined up, excited and ready for action. This wasn’t the case, and for all those who decided to skip Fucking Teeth, well, you missed out big time. Sporting what would become the night’s fad by way of paper-boat hats made of newspaper, the early crowd were treated to a feast of rough-cut punk jams and wolf howls, complimented by some fantastic and often humorous songwriting. Next to grace the stage were The Weapon Is Sound, and there was only just enough room to fit all eight members. A stark contrast to the previous band, they had the crowd grooving away with some heaving, hypnotising beats of psychedelic dub-filled reggae. The band certainly deserve extra credit for their size, and it works wonderfully in their favour, the end product being some of the most genuine-sounding dub the Perth scene has to offer. The penultimate performance of the night saw Water Temple face the audience, and while they didn’t particularly stand-out amongst the other bands, the growing crowd were on their side and this really allowed them to shine, their confidence brimming. Their style of furious instrumental rock really hit the spot. By the time Pond took to the stage, the crowd had amassed inside The Bakery and the band opened with their classic brand of psych riffage from the get-go. Although Pond share some members with Tame Impala, it is obvious that the bands are completely different animals, Pond certainly being the more wild of the two. Lead vocalist Nick Allbrook looked well and truly in the zone, spending a lot of time staggering across the front section of stage and making a mess of the mic cord. The band as a whole produced a gruelling, noisy set that was so eagerly lapped up by the audience, it was easy to see why Pond have conquered Perth with their revelling funk-psych jams, and for all those who were there, it was certainly a night to remember. Kane Sutton
PRITA GREALY, LUCY PEACH ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB: 13/09/12
The warm, intimate vibe of The Ellington jazz club was the perfect spot for local musician Prita Grealy to play as part of her Postcards From Europe tour. As the name suggests, the hip hop, soul and folk singer/ songwriter had been touring The Old Continent for the past six months, returning to Perth with a bunch of new songs to play to her adoring audience. With an electric guitar in her hand and a flower in her hair, Lucy Peach gave a beautiful solo performance. While first slightly nervous and a little lost for words, she certainly didn’t lack confidence when it came to belting out each song with that massive, pitch-perfect voice of hers. From opener Wax And Wane onwards, she ploughed through a great 45-minute set which included a fantastic performance of Black Haired Boy and Golden Days. The set culminated in a beautiful version of A Million Ways; a perfect ending to a performance demonstrating just how far she’s come as an artist.
Prita Grealy arrived onstage shortly after to a warm hometown welcome. Despite a few problems with her loop pedal, Grealy got everyone warmed up with a smooth version of Mellow. After a quick tune up of her tiny acoustic guitar, she recounted a story of her adventures in Glückstadt drinking a weird concoction of aniseed alcohol with a slice of anchovy (yum!...wait, what?) before leading into a fiery version of You Did Me Wrong. She stepped away from the mic to give a truly unplugged performance of an as-yet-unrecorded version of My Home that left the whole crowd dazzled before closing the set with a mighty, foot-stomping version (literally) of Get Out Of Your Own Way that even got some of the audience to their feet. All in all, it’s great to have her back. Scott Aitken
EARTH, MARGINS, ORIGINAL PAST LIFE
ROSEMOUNT HOTEL: 15/09/12 Masters of those drone frequencies that lull the onlooker into a 1000 yard stare, Original Past Life unwound a hypnotic set that blurred each of their individual songs into one oozing, ebbing molasses of loops and effects. Ostensibly led by Adam Trainer, who manipulated a variety of instruments, it was drummer Michael Caratti who kept the band on their toes, by constantly improvising and searching for sympathetic sounds from his kit. Taking their seats on a barely illuminated stage, Melbourne quartet Margins gradually constructed a creeping, atmospheric funk that might be described as a kind of night stalker music; not overtly threatening, but decidedly edgy in an understated, minimal sort of way. I half expected to turn ‘round and spy a shadowy figure in a hat and trench coat recording my every move. They resisted raising the volume until the closing piece, and even that progressively faded into nothingness. The recent trend in all things drone-doom/postrock seems to be to adding more technology and instruments; moogs, bows, percussion etc. Whilst such exotic instruments, samples and jazzy lights can still be transformative additions, Earth cut straight to the animal core of the music by utilising the most rudimentary tool kit – a bass, one standard drum kit, a beautiful crimson guitar, a handful of sparinglyused effects and an elemental approach to songcraft that could be summarised as “we swear to play the riffs, the whole of the riffs and nothing but the riffs”. Strikingly Spartan, it could almost be read as a giant finger to those acts that over-complicate to impress. Magically enough, simple numbers such as Old Black built a tangibly thick atmosphere, as they mixed new, and in some cases unnamed, material with two-decade-old pieces such as Ouroboros Is Broken. By no means a big man; frontman Dylan Carlson nonetheless shimmered with a masculine intensity, magnetising all eyes as he peppered his set with acerbic asides such as, “$100 for anyone who stabs the person next to them using flash photography”. “I have a medical condition,” he explained. Cranky on the outside, but sweet on the inside, he responded warmly to the charged waves of appreciation that rolled his way and beamed as he shook hands with fans, after closing the show by detuning his bottom E string into reverb oblivion. Christopher H James
LOUNGE SOUND
A massive line-up takes control of Leederville Loungeroom Thursday 20 September. Will Stoker & The Embers, a five-piece who never give way to a dull moment, headline the night supported by Mezzanine and Mark Neal. Hosted by local cabaret crazy showman Tomas Ford, there will be pizza and booze specials galore. Free entry.
SIMPLE SOUNDS The best punk/alternative acoustic acts around Perth have decided to join forces at Mojo’s Tuesday 25 September for what promises to be a relaxing and memorable night. Paper Plains, aka Patrick Gengler and Matt Rickwood, are the main attraction and have Brayden Edwards, Rhys Watson, Mai Barnes and Yiannos McStavros playing support. If you don’t know these local gems, get yourself acquainted. $5 entry.
DOUBLE TIME
Two of Australia’s most recognised and awarded jazz talents, vocalist Gian Slater and saxophonist Jamie Oehlers, have been collaborating on various projects over the past five years. They launch their latest studio offering, The Differences, Friday 21 September at the Ellington Jazz Club. The album combines Gian’s hauntingly beautiful and original voice and Jamie’s firebrand intensity and virtuosity.
AMBIENT ANTICS
Sunday 23 September will see Mojo’s filled with spacey guitar sounds, improvised noise and plenty of diversity when three-piece semi-experimental band Robo-Ant takes to the stage, showcasing new material. Joining in on the action will be Misty Mountain, The Ron Pollard Quintet and Hunting Huxley. $5 from 6pm.
THE DRUM MEDIA • 27