Wednesday 27 November 2013

The Locies: A Review Of Sydney's Alternative Music Awards

EVENT: THE LOCIES presented by THE SYNETHESIA MASSIVE
VENUE: FACTORY THEATRE
DATE: 23/11/13

Our journey begins at the iconic Lansdowne Hotel in Chippendale. The camera pans through the double hinged doors and onto our narrator as he overthrows his opponent, “The Succubus Of Enmore” with a flawless victory in a gentlemen’s game of pool. She concedes defeat and hints that we should make tracks so that we can make it to our destination on time. A brisk walk through the sundry nirvana that is Newtown sees us face to face with Marrickville’s foreboding music citadel, the infamous Factory Theatre. Squires and fair maidens were summoned here from across the realm to witness the wedding of the century. Eighteen artists representing a plethora of musical genres would join together to celebrate the inaugural LOCIES, Sydney’s own alternative music awards. We franticly passed a troupe of vividly dressed jugglers and rushed upstairs towards the Fusebox stage in order to catch the virgin performers of the day.

I peered meekly into the vacant room where my eyes were greeted by a lone bearded sentry, surveying the stage from his centralised pedestal. He smiled as he ushered us into the dimly lit room and jested that we were just in time to catch their rehearsal, a joke pointing out the lack of punters in the room. Our hirsute guide joins the ragtag cast of flower children on stage and we are introduced to quaint Sydney folk sextet LITTLE HART with CAM RAEBURN. Fellow hairy member Miles Johnson invites the five strong observation team to take a seat on the floor and enjoy the show. We obliged the alien request and I sat confused, completely oblivious to what I was about to witness. Acoustic guitarist Louise Miller’s chilling, wispy vocals are on par with Julia Stone in the opening track from the band which immediately gives me the sensation of floating down a river in the country. The band take the time to learn all our names and dedicate the second track to the spirit child seated in front of me who took the acknowledgement as an invitation to dance like a space cadet for the rest of the performance. An orchestra of instruments line the stage and with them, five vocalists with surprisingly deceptive voices. The sheer power of violinist Bron Watkins’ ethereal tones caused me to tear up with admiration. The role of tenor was supplied by Cam Raeburn who strummed his ukulele like a flamenco by the end of the set. Electric guitarist Miles Johnson supplied a gentle baritone from his small framed body and Mitchel Creecy admired his band mates while he tapped away on his snare lined wooden crate. The biggest surprise of the set for me came from lanky bassist Scott Davey who was a dead ringer for Shaggy from Scooby Doo. The guy’s voice was raspy, deep and sounded like he had smoked a cigar every day for the last forty years. The band in its entirety was charismatic and their vocals complimented each other perfectly like the multiple layers of a homemade lasagne. They threw in some gorgeous acapella for good measure just in case we weren’t already blown away. The stand out track for me was “Maybe Low” which once again had me reaching for the tissues. Considering this isn’t even my style of music, this was the perfect way to start the day.

Dj outfit DA HEEBIE JEEBIES open with a nostalgic remix of Aladdin’s “You ain’t never had a friend like me”. It was all silly fun as the filthy hippies behind the turntables joked with each other throughout the set while dancing for their own amusement. A pumping mix of Red Hot Chilli Peppers “Give It Away Now” got a few people dancing. I absorbed what I could from the set and made my way downstairs to the Floor Stage to catch the next performers.

Upcoming Sydney foursome VILLAGE ECHOES open the Floor Stage with their fresh take on turn of the millennium inspired indie rock. More people had decided to show up for this set but they decided to hug the walls. I close my eyes as the amalgamation of influences fill my ears; Foo Fighters, early Good Charlotte, Bloc Party and the upcoming single bears a distinct Arctic Monkeys flavour. Guitarist Lauren Shapiro shames the boys by sporting more tattoos than the three combined. Alex Almasi was comfortable behind the mike but his vocals suffered from being too far back in the mix. James Pounsett demonstrated some crisp drum fills and showed great cymbal work. The track “Sleeping In” was a highlight for me and would make a great composition for a sad montage of a movie. I found that each song the band played was fresh and very easy to dance to. Shapiro broke the set up nicely by taking over the vocals with her distinctive indie voice. Bassist Steve Parfitt was the most entertaining of the four with a stage presence similar to Jason Newstead of Metallica. Impressive set from these ambitious young upstarts.

I rolled my eyes as seasoned Sydney quartet AGE OF MENACE were setting up because I had stupidly labelled them as nothing but daft thrash metal before they had even started the set. They managed to draw the first real crowd of the day so I decided to stay and see them out, which turned out to be one of the best decisions of my day. These guys were a band out of time but they delivered a punching hard rock/metal set with a no bullshit approach. From the get go Rob Smiths vocals were drowned from the overly loud, empty bodied, phaser heavy distortion of Pete Ross’s Slayer-esque guitars. This was remedied soon into the second song when I couldn’t help but be reminded of how much the band sounded like Powerman 5000. It was a really fun set for the audience and the band with bassist Adam Barns seemingly having the most fun in the room. Smith’s vocals were a combination of Dez Fafara of Coal Chamber/Devil Driver and Spider One of Powerman 5000 and it was fucking awesome. An incredible moment of the set came from a verse where Adam Breakspear only hit the toms and Smith rapped over the top. This lead to an incredible drop when the rest of the band came in.  The band only got better as the set continued and my only criticisms by the end of it were that the bass and backing vocals were a little lost in the mix.


BLACK BREAKS were another band I had never heard of before today’s events and they had easily drawn the biggest crowd of the entire day. This set screamed of fun even before they had started playing with the Earl of charisma, Chris Dubrow verbally licking the asshole of Stu the sound guy behind the duct tape mother ship that was his guitar. The band sported adorable matching vests to entertain us with their sexually charged brand of party rock. Opening track “Alien Nation” had the room buzzing early. Its well tested formula was akin The Sweet’s “Ballroom Blitz” and Foo Fighters “All My Life”. Dubrow is a rock star in every sense of the word and you can’t help but be drawn to his dominating stage presence. With that being said he humbly directs attention equally to every other member of his band. The super low, distorted, twangy bass notes of Mark Avery combined with the well suited electronics of new member Matty MacMartin help drive and infuse the party rock madness with a distinct industrial edge. More influences come into the fray as the set continues. Sex Pistols, Black Flag, Motorhead and Mammal are thrown in my direction as Dubrow spits lyrical with his spoken and rapped verses. MM9s Kerry Foulke brings his priceless experience to the band and rocks out like a possessed Hatebreed fan at his first gig. Tracks “Take Take Take” and “Blah Blah Blah Black President” had the whole crowd dancing and the comedic timing strewn between the two was genius. At the end of the set Dubrow gave a heartfelt speech about how the decline of live music in Sydney is an easily rectifiable issue that can be amended by everyone simply attending one gig a month; a message I support 100%. Black Breaks set the bar unusually high for the rest of the bands of the day. I felt bad for whoever was up next.

The crowd had grown noticeably smaller for Sydney rockers DRAW. A loyal troupe of what I’m assuming were friends, line the front of the stage and the band kick into an instantly Audioslave flavoured set. Vocalist Michael Rappell appears out of nowhere; the spitting image of Jim Morrison (The Doors). He desperately tries to emulate his idol and after a single song is visibly out of breath. The stage presence of the band was non-existent with the exception of multi instrumental prodigy Brad Kafer. Mid set came a woeful cover of Coolio’s “Gansta’s Paradise” which was so awful that the cringe was travelling around the room like an electric current passing through a chain of kids holding an electric fence. The poor kid on the end was going to cop the brunt of it; unfortunately that kid was me. The synth was completely lost in the mix and Rappell’s overuse of the megaphone was done to death. It wasn’t all bad though. Draw finally managed to come alive when they completely shifted gears and decided they were a Chilli Peppers styled funk band. The finale was a decent song too which incorporated the occasional angry vocals and some surprisingly effective disjointed breaks. Maybe I was still giddy from watching Black Breaks or maybe Draw just aren’t very good. Either way, I wasn’t impressed.

NEOTOKYO are a band that I have seen before and I really want to succeed. Debut EP “Pillars” is a corker from start to finish and shows the talent and ambition behind this great Sydney four piece. I instantaneously notice that jovial percussionist Jason Ludwig is sapping all the happiness from the other three members of the band. Shoeless bassist Michael Bargache does his thing in the corner but the tone of his instrument needs to be a butt load beefier to fatten out the breezy tones of Adam Funrness’s flurry of deliciously delayed guitars. Neotokyo have stumbled across a rare treasure within vocalist Chris Tantchev who is a major asset to the group. His vocals, an amalgamation of Daniel Johns (Silverchair) and Tyrone Bain (Ashphoenix), effortlessly crescendo into beautiful, heartfelt ballads. Neotokyo in my opinion seem to fall down live because apart from Ludwig, who mouths the noise of every part of his kit as he hits it, no one in the band engages the audience. Every band will have their share of shoe gazers which is a given but because of the non-existent interaction from the guitarists, the onus falls on the shoulders of the incredibly gifted Chris Tantchev. He gazes over the crowd to the point of almost looking asleep onstage and is incredibly awkward using a microphone stand. He gives the stand the boot after a while and immediately seems more in his element albeit a little stage shy. Opening EP track “Speak” is the standout of the set. I found myself singing along to its instantly memorable vocal hooks which really demonstrate the bands integrity as song writers. They close the set with new single “Neon” which has an infusion of Hoobastank to it which works well with the direction of the band and ended the set strong.

Event organiser Angelina Hodgson informed me earlier in the day that the one band I absolutely had to witness was Brisbane’s CALIGULA’S HORSE. Upon arrival to the Floor Stage the prog rock superstars had my attention with two branded banners that had framed the stage. This small detail had already set this ambitious band apart from the rest of the bill before they had even played a note and at the genesis of their set my jaw hit the floor. And the floor under that. And the floor under that. The glorious sounds of Opeth laced with but a smidgen of djent stimulate my overly spoilt ear holes. Supermodel vocalist Jim “The Ken Doll” Grey delivers incredibly potent, driving vocals which took the best parts from Chaos Divines’ David Anderton, The Butterfly Effects Clint Boge and Karnivool’s Ian Kenny and turned them into a hulking leviathan to drive the band. He is theatrical with his performance and makes you feel the emotion behind the lyrics even if his voice was hard to hear at times in the mix. God damn he is a pretty, pretty man. The music was gothic, operatic and downright sexual. At one point I swear Dave Couper (who bears a striking resemblance to Little John from Men In Tights) stared me down as I was taking notes as if to say “Na baby. You keep doing your thing, and do it real slow like”. All this was while he was frantically fingering the steel ropes of his bass like a Parkinson’s patient on red bull. The music was covered in a chainmail of tightly wound key changes and acute, unified notes. It was syncopated nirvana and the crowd was lapping it up by the gallon. Snowflakes of Periphery fell from the speakers as the luxurious, fire kissed, Rapunzel length hair of Drum monkey Geoff Irish lit up the back of the stage like a Texan sunset. This band was good and every aspect of their performance demonstrated that they were fully self-aware. Zac Greensill charged away on his axe, dicing it to pieces as the set progressed. Animals As Leaders could be heard now as Irish counted the timing in his head in between strategically placed winks to the girls in the crowd. No effect was out of place as these Mensa accredited musicians continued to seduce me and everyone around me. Omnipotent guitarist Sam Vallen performed like a gladiator fighting for his life and knew every inch of his instrument right down to the microscopic hairs in its asshole. I was so wrapped up in the performance that when the music ended leaving nothing but a half second of falsetto, I found myself uncontrollably tapping my foot to the beat of song that had just expired. I was ready to drop my derps in the middle of the room and to start going to town on myself at the conclusion of the appropriately titled “Colossus” and the cynical sense of humour that exuberated from the Queenslandians only made the experience that much more enjoyable. Needless to say, I am now a loyal and devoted fan. Verdict? BAND! OF! THE! DAY!

I’m going to say right off the bat that TEAL are going to be the next big band in Australia. I’ve seen them open for Twelve Foot Ninja and The Butterfly Effect and bring the house down on both occasions. Teal are fresh yet familiar. The songs are chock full of vocal and melodic hooks which are sure to drop the pants off many a mistress in bedrooms Australia wide. The boys struggled with some technical difficulties while setting up and it was evident by the amount of shoe gazing going on that they were upset at the beginning of their set. However Vocalist supreme Joe Surgey over performed to help pull his band mates out of their slump and had them firing on all pistons half way into the opening track. Surgey’s intense and peculiar performance causes the veins in his neck to surface for air like an orca. His flawless vocal chords producing a fusion of Cedric Bixler-Zavala (The Mars Volta), Matt Bellamy (Muse) and Jeff Buckley which would rival all three of these powerhouses any given day of the week. Each track seems to identify with a different time signature as the major influences of Radiohead and The Mars Volta are worn proudly on their sleeves. The guitarists manually handled the effects on their pedals resulting in a brilliant whirling, static like sound akin a turning the dials on an old timey radio. Surgey sheds his technicolour dream coat mid set to reveal a minecraft shirt which got it fair share of giggles around the room. Fan favourite track “Solitaires” demonstrates just what a wrecking ball the Sydney quintet have in their arsenal in terms of writing and it is delivered with flawless execution on this most momentous of nights. Teal are a larger than life band who will have promoters and label managers fighting over them in the very near future.

Because I’d already seen them ten to fifteen times before, I decided to give the ever impressive Meniscus a miss in favour of SVELT, a self-dubbed bass heavy “jungle groove” act hailing from Sydney. I found these guys really hard to review as it is not my type of music at all. The drum, bass and synth trio played an entertaining show and I imagined Michel Winslow’s Spaceballs character giving his status report of “I’ve lost the bleeps. I’ve lost the beeps and I’ve lost the creeps” throughout. The allure of the upstairs band became too much however and I found myself being whisked up the onyx steps before I knew it.

Sydney’s instrumental post rock trio MENISCUS drew every musician in the venue to their stage. The crowd was rowdy as I entered; the boys from Caligula’s Horse even rowdier. I was shattered upon learning that I had walked in just in time to catch the last song and I nestled myself amongst the bewildered onlookers to catch these gargantuan performers melt some faces in the room. The ambient, rainforest sampled track that was “Cusp” had the masses watching in silence, trying to piece together exactly how guitarist Daniel Oreskovic effortlessly massacres the frets of his axe while producing a sound so fragile yet so limitless. His stage persona is a Muppet that transforms into a hubcap flying off a car. It’s bizarre and entertaining and you can’t stop watching. The projection on the wall frames stellar, low end architect Alison Kerjean as she lays the crucial, grinding bass that gels the music together. Cameron Brennan rounds out the trio with his solid percussion skills, often guiding Kerjean’s groove and flaring into an outbreak of accented fills that make the music come to life. The set ends before I even have a chance to unwind and Meniscus are thanked with a volley of cheers and thunderous applause.

A curfew caused the awards ceremony to be cut down in order for the headliner to be able to play a full set. I’d given Melbourne’s ENGINE a quick listen before I came and instantly poo pooed them. Once again my pre judgement proved me to be a total and utter twat. In a day full of charismatic vocalists, Casey Dean stood head and shoulders above them. The music was big, brash, unforgiving and was a less heavy, more party version of Armenian-American metal clowns System Of A Down. Guitarist Jedi Wright was in his own little world while the rest of the band demanded the adoration of everyone present. Aryn Appleberry’s juicy bass and amazingly strong backing vocals were the salsa to Dean’s corn tortillas chips. Dean rummaged through the back stage area mid performance and returned with a pink unicorn head found in a pile of abandoned costumes behind the stage which he wore for the next song in the set. Engine were another band who liberally applied comedy into their routine. This was an incredibly entertaining way to end the night which left me with a warm feeling in my tummy like I had just downed a fresh flagon of mulled wine.

I have never walked out of a music festival that satisfied in my life. Event organiser Angelina Hodgson has gone above and beyond what even the most seasoned of festival promoters are capable of by rounding up a consistently high calibre of musicians into one place. The amount of talent and showmanship I saw today proved that the live music scene is in very capable hands and it is alive and kicking. It is up to us punters to fuel the fire to help make it the raging dragon it was destined to be.  

Don’t be a dick, Sydney! Support the live music scene.

https://www.facebook.com/camraeburnmusic

Saturday 23 November 2013

Jericco @ The Bald Faced Stag w/ Supports

BAND: JERICCO
VENUE: THE BALD FACED STAG
DATE: 22/11/13
SUPPORT: FAR AWAY STABLES, VELOCET, MERCURY SKY

“Whip crack went his whippy tail” perfectly described the thunder storms overhead which brought with them an unwanted humidity to Leichhardt’s Bald Faced Stag hotel. The venue was already infamous for housing tropical warmth temperatures and the weather intensified it tenfold on this most ominous of nights. It was muggier than a porcelain beverage receptacle being held at gunpoint in a Hell’s Kitchen back alley. Fat John Mayer manned the fort, serving hydrating amber fluids to the parched and weary. We fuelled up and attempted to migrate through customs but we were promptly arrested by a small snag. My amnesia prone offsider had purchased tickets for the festivities online but had forgotten to pay her phone bill and couldn’t access her emails to prove that we had already paid for admission. Luckily Gandalf tattooed our wrists with an adorable obsidian crab and suppressed the urge to scream “YOU SHALL NOT PASS”.

Sydney prog rock quintet Mercury Sky sadly opened the night to a single fan. Stragglers did eventually mosey in mid opening track which instantly reminded me of Karnivool’s lung busting anthem “New day”. Drummer Kieran Berry had my attention from the opening thud of the snare drum. The sheer enjoyment he was experiencing onstage was radiating from his Cheshire Cat grin. Bassist Mattheus Aditirtono’s luscious black mane was a perfect replica of Liu Kang’s puffy locks and his digits danced across the steel cables with the same grace as his bicycle kick. The atmospheric melodies created onstage were briefly reminiscent of the heartbreaking rock sonnets of Arizona’s Jimmy Eat World. Unfortunately this was all purely confined to the first few tracks as the band seemed to fall to pieces before my eyes. The overall sound became a cluttered mess once the programming was introduced into the fold. I’m not sure if it was out of time or if it was simply a poor choice to begin with but it completely shifted the dynamic of the band from Hyundai i30 to Mumbai train wreck. Mercury Sky now sounded like a horrible 30 Seconds To Mars/Faith No More/R.E.M. hybrid. The second guitar was completely lost in the mix, vocalist Kay Thatch’s whiney, nasally vocals only seemed to agitate the cesspool more and the banter between the band was cringe inducing. This band has a lot of work to do in order to grab the attention of more punters. It’s simply too ambitious for the musicians involved.

The room is still relatively empty as Sydney foetuses Velocet marinate my ears with a stimulating spin on prog rock. It’s impossible not to see the similarities between vocalist Andrew Butler and Julian Calablancas of The Strokes.  He looks the part, his eyes graze the ceiling and he exudes a godlike level of cool on stage. Add a dash of Craig Nicholls from The Vines and that’s your front man in a nutshell. The instrumentation is catchy and seeps an abundant level of influences from its pores.  Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead, Cog and The Butterfly Effect are but a few that I managed to extract before I was lost in the sea of uncapped potential before me. For a band so young, they possess a level of stage readiness that would make most bands broil with envy. The toms didn’t seem to be mic’d which caused the band to lose so much of the oomf their live performance needed but what they didn’t know didn’t hinder their performance in the slightest. Velocet paid homage to Queens Of The Stone Age with a solid rendition of “No One Knows”. While they didn’t break any ground in doing so, Butler did manage to nail the droning stoner rock tones of Josh Homme. The stand out track for me was “Up Against It” which raised many ears in the room with its acutely noted intro; wispy, disjointed body and Butler’s appropriately lax vocals. These prodigies still have a fair way to go but that is something that will come with the experience gained from regular gigging and I plan to be there for every show.

There seemed to be a recurring theme of filthy fringes tonight which continued with Sydney radio friendly alternative rock act Far Away Stables. The room was still quite empty and once again I found myself watching a drummer having the time of his life. Cam Bury was frantically bashing away at the shiny cymbals and sheep skins in front of him. Stables music is akin to Goo Goo Dolls but with definitive pop punk influences such as Simple Plan. Brandan Sheargold’s reminded me of a whinier version of Gregg Alexander from New Radicals. The band weren’t bad, they were just the musical version of Jason Statham. They know what they do well and they do it to death. Their take on Skrillex’s “Cinema” was a nice change of pace which worked tremendously well for the style molesting my eardrums at the time. An act of good faith took a turn for the worse at the conclusion of their set when a drum stick hit someone’s Mum in the front row, hilariously causing someone in the room to enjoy the band less than I did.

We quickly drowned our livers with a refreshing Caribbean concoction of spiced rum and ginger beer which instantly fended off the dampness in the air. Hastily entering the cavern of noise once again, we were greeted with around 100 punters who seemed to appear out of nowhere; moist with anticipation for Melbourne party rock monstrosities, Jericco. I had somehow avoided seeing these guys for the last 5 years and the infectious moistness drew me to the giddy mob by the stage. Jericco make their presence known with an aural battering ram which send the fans rabid. The sound production and lightshow left the opening bands in the dust within the opening seconds of the show. Diehard fans sing along with charismatic front man Brent McCormick’s unavoidable vocal hooks. The musicianship is uniquely laden with Middle Eastern influences and is instantly memorable. McCormick surveys the crowd with his crazy, rapey eyes and entrusts the horde with the microphone duties during the second song for some intense call and response participation. The result had me grinning from ear to ear and I found myself dancing while taking notes. Every member of this band knew their place and even though McCormick was the focal point for most, he managed to direct the attention of the zombies to every other member of the band. Bassist Roy Amar is a fucking beast on stage, utilizing all six strings on his bass with military precision. Drummer Aiden King almost looked asleep behind his kit but his arms flailing around like an inflatable car yard advertising man suggested differently. Guitarists Jordan Nagle and Adam Hompas stomped around their corners of the stage and sung along to the anthems on show well away from the nearest microphone. This is a band who love what they do and it shows with every second that they are on stage. A trio of gentleman in the crowd who my offsider has officially dubbed “The Stag Hags”, stripped down to their suspenders and zebra pants and led the crowd in some horrendous and often confusing chants between songs. The masses were rowdy and couldn’t get enough of the strangely arousing Melbournites. McCormick broke the set up with the gorgeous acoustic track “Moonlight Highlights” off the debut album. Once again he offered his worshippers microphone duties which The Stag Hags humorously shat all over before McCormick relinquished their rights on the vocal projector. His comedic timing is another major pulling card for the band which he delivers throughout the song in spades. The track “Beautiful In Danger” draws one of the biggest crowd reactions as Amar swaps his bass for an “Oud” which was a completely alien instrument to me before the show. The Middle Eastern lute a perfect accompaniment to Jerrico’s already Arabic flavoured sound. Karnivool and Tool influences rang clear throughout the set as my smile intensified with each passing moment. At one point I even found myself clapping along to the songs. This may not seem like much but I am a fierce advocate of not doing this as I have seen it throw off too many bands in the past. McCormick utilized every section of available stage and the crowd were eating out of the palm of his hand which is why the set seemed to end so abruptly to an overwhelmingly disappointed audience. The chants of “One More Song” filled the room which were promptly shut down by a visibly exhausted McCormick who politely declined by mouthing the words “Fuck Off” from the side of the stage. We left the venue like kids full of sugar. Every participant in the night’s events fidgety with wonderment from the show they’d just witnessed.

These phenomenal entertainers will be back in Sydney THIS THURSDAY (28/11/13) at Beach Road Hotel in Bondi. Don’t be a dick, Sydney! Support live music.

COG: PIONEERS OF AUSTRALIAN PROG


Bondi has long been the Jewel in the crown of Sydney. Its world famous beach, the dais that pits bronzed Aussie flesh against the British white walkers has long been a beacon for leisure enthusiasts. This bastion sheltered what would soon become one of the most important and influential alternative acts to emerge from our shores. Three pioneers, who would eventually be heralded as Australia’s long awaited answer to Tool and who would help lay the groundwork needed to make prog more accessible to our sun burnt countries malnourished ears. I present to you this piece, outlining the monumental impact that rock titans Cog have had on the live music circuit.

The alternative Aussie music scene of the nineties was already well represented by a healthy dose of bands such as Silverchair, Grinspoon and Spiderbait; all of whom achieved critical acclaim both locally and abroad. However an unfulfilled seductress lay restless and unsatisfied on her rose petal stained bed, as no prog rock band had been able to satiate her ravenous appetite. Many attempted to scale the unforgiving rocky crag only to fall to their lonely, untimely deaths. After the demise of local heavy groove heroes The Hanging Tree, guitarist Flynn Gower illuminated the bat signal for percussion virtuoso Lucius Borich, to see. The two artists began sculpting the framework for the Juggernaut that was to come, eventually recruiting Flynn’s brother and hand me down receptacle, Luke, into the coveted bassist role. The search for a vocalist proved to be a more challenging one. After 18 months of chasing red herrings, Flynn opted to adorn the mantle. One “Eye Of The Tiger” montage later, Flynn emerges from the hyperbolic time chamber wielding one of the most distinctive, haunting and instantly mesmerizing voices the country had ever heard. 

The Bondi threesome had developed a formula that would make even the most prudish music fan cream their denim. Flynn’s delay heavy, crunchy guitar work, haunting vocals and cryptic, evocative lyrics; Lucius’s concussive beats, an unrecognizable descendant of the tribal drumming they spawned from; the grinding, pulsating groove of Luke’s distorted bass hooks. This perseverant trio wrote and toured relentlessly, at every scurvy ridden venue Australia had to offer and people were starting to sit up and take notice. The injection of a worthy spearhead of progressive music had punters salivating in relief and wonderment, leading to a previously unheard of and now infamous four month residency at the recently deceased Excelsior Hotel in Surry Hills. This coincided with the release of the Just Visiting EP’s which were receiving high rotation on Triple J and recurring appearances in the ARIA charts over a two year period. Securing the opening slot for Armenian-American metal royalty System Of A Down and the release of a complete re-imagining of “Open Up” by Leftfield, torpedoed the boys back into the ARIA charts once again. Prog rock was definitely on the rise with the popularity of already established bands such as Karnivool and The Butterfly Effect coming to the forefront. Cog were ready to release an LP and they elected to head to Weed, California to record with world renowned producer, Sylvia Massy.

2005 saw the release of their critically acclaimed debut album “The New Normal” featuring a full roster of awe inspiring sing along anthems including “Run”, “Silence Is Violence” and “Anarchy OK”. The chill that ran down my spine when “Doors” was played live and the sold out venue would roar “OY-YA-HOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” brought me to a state of pure ecstasy and I had no doubt in my mind that this was the pinnacle of live music entertainment. Cogs impressive sound was much bigger than what I thought a three piece was capable of and it was this booming lushness and colossal stage presence that kept the punters returning. More and more local bands were citing Cog as their major influence. The live music scenery evolving as emerging acts rode on their tailcoats and the advent of bands such as Dead Letter Circus added more fuel to the wildfire. Cogs onslaught of sold out shows and festivals continued; touring with the likes of Shihad, Karnivool and Kora. They we’re the artists that everyone wanted to share the stage with; that every musician wanted to emulate. 

We were teased with the singles “What if?” and the tear jerking “Bird Of Feather” prior to the release of a new form of monster that was 2008’s “Sharing Space”. The sound had evolved with the lyrics becoming more in your face and less cryptic. When the album was eventually released, social media platforms came alive with the mantra “Yes they’re making lists”. The punters were more receptive than ever before as the crowd sizes for tours increased dramatically. The boys even managed to coax British prog Gods Oceansize down under for an Australian tour in what many believed to be one of the greatest prog lineups Australia had ever witnessed.

Cog truly are one of Australia’s great treasures. They laid the foundations for progressive minded, doe eyed musicians to drive on. Through genius composing and sheer tenacity they’ve inspired a whole generation of Australian musicians to continue and uphold their legacy. Because of my musical heroes, bands such as Dead Letter Circus have achieved heights bigger than anyone in 1998 would have ever thought possible. Twelve Foot Ninjas rapid fan acquisition is thanks largely in part to their willingness to lead from the front line, charging blindly into rusty bayonets. Sydney favorites Breaking Orbit continue to grind away on the snow covered plains of Hoth because Cog have already demonstrated the just rewards that come from perseverance. Cogs cult following have cemented their place as one of the single most important bands in Australian history and their music will forever stand as a testament to a change in the way the Australian public view the alternative live music scene. 

Joshua Towney

http://www.cog.com.au/index.html

Sunday 17 November 2013

Like Thieves @ The Annandale w/supports

BAND: LIKE THIEVES
VENUE: THE ANNANDALE HOTEL
DATE: 16/11/13
SUPPORT: RED REMEDY, WE WITHOUT, MANDALA

We departed Rivendell under the watchful eyes of Elrond. An elite representative of each race would band together to form the fellowship of the birthday pub crawl. Our mission was a simple one; to get the birthday girl to the fires of the Annandale hotel so she could look upon the face of her beloved Clint Boge, maybe slaying a few orcs in the process. Like Vikings, we pillaged every tavern along the way, relieving them of several tankards of amber ale. It didn’t take long for inebriation to assume the role of autopilot and before we knew it, we had stumbled across the historic venue. Torrential rain farewelled us with an icy kiss as we entered the iconic live music sanctuary. The foyer was alive with excitement. Weary travellers who had braved the weather were huddled around the bar, wide eyed with anticipation for the events that were about to unfold.

The band room itself smelt of stale beer and a soothing Gregorian chant sample was ushering in opening local prog rock act Mandala. An eager mob of around 20 rowdy fans had already gathered at the front of the room, standing close enough to lick the shins of any musician unfortunate enough to brave the front of the stage. The Sydney quintet immediately caught my attention with their delayed, reverb laden guitar work which created an ethereal ambiance within the room. This was quickly washed away by the backing track becoming far too loud in the mix which caused all the talented musicianship taking place to amalgamate into a bass heavy fuzz. The entire band seemed to be suffering from stage fright with the exception vocalist Robert McGinn who was confident leading his troops into battle. His vocals at times beared a loose and reserved resemblance to Forbes Mckail (Rook, The Khyber Belt).Everything seemed to fall into place three songs into the set. The sample was turned down and the gargoyles on stage came to life. Guitarist Rodney Cross’s eyes opened wide and he froze like a deer in the headlights when it became his turn to provide backing vocals. Surprisingly though, the backups were a perfect accompaniment to Roberts cautious vocals. There were great uses of multiple vocal melodies and the harmonies were spot on. The set was a slow and grinding start to the night demonstrating musical influences ranging from Dead Letter Circus, Breaking Orbit and Neotokyo to the more exotic such as the sitars of India. I was left a little underwhelmed by the end of the set as the songs tended to plod along and never seemed to accumulate to anything mind blowing but the boys had done enough to convince me to purchase an EP. Mandala show great potential and should hopefully appear soon on the radar of prog fans everywhere.

The room had filled up a bit more while Sydney quartet We Without took to the stage however the hordes chose to graze around the back of the room. Heavily grunge inspired with a hint of new metal, I was taken on a journey back to the 90’s where this style of music reigned supreme. In the half hour set I heard Powderfinger, Alice In Chains, Hoobastank, Ill Nino and Soundgarden with vocalist Chad Elliott sounding strikingly similar to Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. Chad struggled to reach his multitude of high notes so much that his face resembled a bottle of undiluted raspberry cordial by the end of their set. The whole time I felt as though I was watching a covers band and it is a sad admittance that the one enjoyable song of the set was a cover of Ou Est Le Swimming Pool’s “I Just Dance The Way I Feel”. We were also treated to a swing dancing couple up the front of the room mid set, presumably one of the member’s parents. With a busy and needlessly complicated sound, We Without were a very disappointing second act.

We barely had time to down another round of scotches before being swiftly kicked in the face by the most misplaced band of the night, Red Remedy. The multi genre goliath exploded from the firing line with their brilliant fusion of abrasive punk, metal and rock. The room was wary and kept their distance for the first few songs as the Sydney foursome unleashed hell on stage. Leigh Czerwonker’s crunchy, grating guitar work marinated Adrian Booths fat, juicy bass riffs. Jess Rossiter was a monster behind his transparent drum kit, making excellent use of the toms and resembling Foo Fighters Taylor Hawkins in both manic performance and appearance. Charismatic front man Zach Evans punched out an incredible vocal effort. He had an awe inspiring scream and his clean vocals were an eerie mixture of Brandon Boyd of Incubus and Brian Molko of Placebo. He seamlessly transitioned between the two and was pitch perfect the whole set. His on stage persona was cocky and brash and it worked for him. He threatened to not play anymore songs until the crowd moved forward and without hesitation we gladly moved closer to this architect of entertainment. I found myself tapping my foot to every song which were overloaded with influences from the bands I grew up with. Deftones album “Adrenaline” was at the forefront with layers of System Of A Down, Rage Against The Machine, Disturbed and Sevendust rounding out this full, beefy sound. The double kick was applied liberally and syncopation between all instruments was abundant. High energy performance, amazing on stage chemistry and brilliant genre fusion mean it is only a matter of time before Red Remedy become a major player in the Australian live music scene.

A Perfect Circles “Judith” came through the PA and stirred something within everyone’s loins as the full attendance starting either singing or head banging to the song. The half capacity Annandale hotel was getting more eager with every passing minute. You could cut the anticipation in the room with a sweet potato. There was no secret who every person in the room tonight was there to see. Like Thieves marks Clint Boge’s most promising act since leaving recently reformed The Butterfly Effect and the expectations for the band were very high. Thieves take to the stage and receive an average reception. Predictably the Boge fan girls erupt when the veteran ascends the dais with a huge smile on his face and a fabulously filthy Movember moustache. They don’t waste any time and immediately wind the room into a frenzy. My initial realization is that it is going to be impossible to review LT without comparing them to TBE. The songs from the debut EP “The Wolves At Winters Edge” represent the direction that Butterfly Effect could have taken after “Begins Here” instead of the fan dividing “Imago”. The start of their set had some really poor mixing with Boge’s vocals being lost in the wall of sound which is not something you want to happen to the biggest drawing card of your band. This was remedied by the third song when the Brisbane prog rock quartet got the crowd singing along to “Killing Reason” off their debut EP. The mix was crisp as Boge’s trademark operatic voice littered the air. Guitarist Oden Johansson is amusing to watch perform as his tongue never enters his mouth as he swings back and forth like a metronome. In terms of influences, the most obvious musically would be fellow Brisbane act Dead Letter Circus, Sydney’s instrumental virtuosos Meniscus and of course The Butterfly Effect themselves. Like Thieves road test a lot of new material in the set but apart from the awesome song introduced only as “something a little different”, nothing seemed to grab the audience’s attention. The quality of sound began to waver yet again as the set progressed. The vocals becoming muffled a second time was the catalyst that caused a few disheartened punters to leave the venue early. We were thanked for braving the rain as they broke out into their closing track “The Wolves At Winters Edge” which was by far their strongest performance of the night. Like Thieves had a lot to live up to and quite frankly, fell well short of my expectations. The very fact that I walked home in the rain with a very drunk girlfriend who was chanting “Red Remedy. Red Remedy. Red Remedy” had a lot to say about the night.


Joshua Towney



Monday 11 November 2013

Circles @ The Bald Faced Stag w/supports

BAND: CIRCLES
VENUE: THE BALD FACED STAG - LEICHHARDT
DATE: 09/11/13
SUPPORT: DAWN HEIST, RED BEE, BEGGARS ORCHESTRA

Like suckers we arrived half an hour early in order to secure a ticket for my brother who hadn't picked up his presale yet. We arrived in a ghost town, only to witness fat John Mayer serving sarsaparillas as tumbleweeds danced their way across the vacant, beer stained carpet of the Bald Faced Stag. For reasons unbeknownst to me, this solid metal line up hadn't yet drawn the crowd I was expecting it to. I shrug it off, enter the octagon and eagerly await the first band to hit the stage.

Appropriately named local act Beggars Orchestra come out of the gates as if they were playing to thousands. The hirsute five piece showcase their own brand of energetic, progressive rock and within seconds the crowd seems to appear from out of nowhere. Beggars portray a sound as if they have more members than they do which is no easy feat. They proudly display their influences throughout the performance ranging from Muse and The Mars Volta to a Santana-esque guitar solo towards the end of the set. The boys have a solid stage presence and the crowd ate it up. I wasn't as drawn into it as much as I should have been though as I feel as though the vocals let the team down. Now, vocalist Russel Parlett is an amazing talent with an incredible range (think Fall Out Boys Patrick Stump) but the vocals simply lacked the hooks that are so desperately needed to convince me to invest my time and money into them. The majority of the backup vocals were headed by guitarist Jarvis Tetch and were mostly out of tune. Surprisingly the most memorable aspect of vocal stylings for me came from keyboardist Miguel Fava and Bassist Jimmy Evans. They harmonized with each other beautifully and for me at least, it was the only vocal hook of the entire set. Beggars are a reasonably new band and have improved dramatically since I saw them open for Sydonia last year. If these kids iron out the creases in their writing then they’ll definitely be one of the bands to watch out for in the future.

Hailing for the Blue Mountains come the sleeping behemoth that is Red Bee. I’d seen the boys play about 8 years ago out at the Bull & Bush in Sydneys West but nothing could’ve prepared my anus from the aural maelstrom they were about to unleash.  These charismatic lads opened their set to a virtually empty room apart from five eager fans up the front row. Within seconds a “Pied Piper” effect had caused every ear in the venue to prick up and every set of legs to amble inside. We were greeted by technically meticulous; Dillinger inspired, Pantera-esque math metal and it was glorious. Daniel Silks gruff vocals although limited in range, suited the syncopation laden music perfectly. I was reminded of the early Grinspoon stylings of Phil Jameson and oddly enough Brandon Boyd from Incubus but with a think Aussie accent.  These guys are tighter than Ebeneezer Scrooges bunghole and commanded the attention of every musician in the room. Guitarist and vocalist Dan Silk suffered from hand cramps throughout the set and amazingly didn't let it affect his performance. Ian Dunns maniacal pounding was causing his drum kit to fall apart the whole set and it didn't affect his performance. Like a true rock star he chose to drink his water straight from the jug because apparently cups are for pussies. Bassist Jim silk looked like the angriest man alive but the chemistry between all three members was dynamite. I found myself watching every member equally and not focusing on the vocalist. Upon completion of their set I immediately made my way to the merch stand and purchased their album “Ictus”. It cost $25 which may seem steep but I had no qualms about shelling out my cash to support these incredible and deserving artists. Easily the band of the night.

Next up were Sydney electro metal powerhouse Dawn Heist fresh from their tour of Europe. The room was starting to fill up and unfortunately this is where the night starting to take a turn for the worse. The in house lights were turned on for the rest of the night, banishing the darkness as well as the atmosphere that came with it. The volume had seemed to have been doubled since the end of Red Bees set making it too loud thus my introduction to Dawn Heist had started with a sour taste in my mouth. The decibel level meant I heard none of the “electro” in their self-branded style of electro metal. Patrick Brownes vocals seemed to suffer as a result. The man has an amazing scream but his clean vocals were out of tune and piss weak. The band came across as nothing but overly generic metal. In the end it all became too much for me and sadly I only managed to last three songs which is a shame because listening to their recordings is an absolute pleasure.

The room had filled up by the time Circles hit the stage who were also fresh from a European tour.  A thunderous applause ushered in the Melbourne lads as vocalist Perry Kakridas sauntered to the microphone with a level of cool that emulated Chino Moreno. Due to sound issues, he struggled with hitting his notes in the opening song greatly reducing the impact of his welcome to Sydneys snobbish music audience. This was quickly rectified as they unleashed their unique brand of sample heavy metal to their hungry, screaming crowd. I could hear the influences pouring out of their performance; Twelve Foot Ninja, Orgy and Faith No More spring to mind instrumentally whilst Perrys vocals had a distinct similarity to Papa Roaches Jacoby Shaddix. Due to the volume I found that his vocals were generally weak and only seemed to come to life when he pulled out his delicious scream. As a whole the band was as tight as seasoned veterans who had been playing for 20 years together. Syncopated musicianship, gorgeous backing samples and an overly energetic bassist who stole the show all contributed to the musical portrait of a band that is only going to get bigger with time. All in all it was a solid performance but due to a  combination of the best two bands opening the show and the volume defiling the clarity of the latter two bands performances, found myself to be bored beyond tears by the back half of their set. The recordings are amazing and hopefully I will get to see circles again soon with a much better sound engineer.

Joshua Towney