Bearded Magazine, 9th October 2012
Rock’n’roll may not be the hippest style of music in Britain right now but Jim Jones, front man of loud and proud rockers The Jim Jones Revue doesn’t care. ‘It’s great for us’ he says of the lack of similar bands competing for the spotlight; ‘it’s like having the whole amusement park to ourselves.’
After noticing a shortage of bands in London playing the Little Richard and MC-5 style of rock‘n’roll they dug, the quartet (now a quintet following the addition of Henri Herbert on keyboards) decided to fill the gap. Four years of tireless touring later, Mick Jones of the Clash is among their fans, recently saying ‘there is no band bigger than The Jim Jones Revue.’
Key to the band’s success has been their wild live shows, which Jones considers something of a community service ‘I’d like to think that we help a little, every show we try and free everyone from the bullshit of their lives and elevate them as much as we can…try and help to put all that other shit in the distance, even if it’s just for an hour or two.’
The band have developed a reputation for being loud to the point of deafening – so much so that they recently created an app to measure the sound levels at their shows. ‘That was just a fun idea that came out of the situations we are often in where there’s some official checking to see if we are breaking the sound laws with his little meter’ Jones explains of the The Aural Decimator ‘We thought we’d turn the situation on it’s head and put it on the hands of the fans where it becomes a good thing… the mark of a real gig!”
Having toured their 2011 album Burning Down Your House significantly (‘the house has been burned to the ground…now we’re off in search of new adventures’ Jones tells me) the group have been focusing their attention on the creation of their third record, The Savage Heart which is due out on October 15th.
Considering their first album The Jim Jones Revue only took 48 hours to record, how has the process changed? ‘Whatever our resources we always try to make the best album we can and pour everything we have into it.’ Jones explains. He believes there is a definite improvement in the sound on this record, which can be attributed to the use of three different studios (including The Chapel in Lincolnshire and Edwyn Collins’ London studio) in the recording process.
Also key in the creation of The Savage Heart was producer Jim Sclavunos (of The Bad Seeds and Grinderman) who worked with the group on the last record; ‘We knew he was someone we could trust to have around as we attempted to journey out into deeper waters. We were in search of new monsters and we knew Jim was a dab hand at that stuff.’
What these monsters will entail remains to be seen but Jones has hinted that there are surprises in store for people who see them as ‘straight ahead bash bash boom’. One thing that fans can be certain of is that the cover art for The Savage Heart will be interesting, considering the band did actually set a property on fire for the cover of Burning Down Your House.
The exploration of deeper waters certainly seems to be paying off if the response from France (where they tested the new material) is anything to go by. ‘It’s always a great feeling when the crowd picks up on something new straight off the bat’ Jones says of the reaction to new material ‘You feel like…“well I must be doing something right!”’
The French aren’t the only ones who seem to think Jones and his band mates are doing something right, with the U.S also starting to sit up and take notice. Following appearances at SXSW and The Late Show with David Letterman, I ask Jones whether their success in America has always been a goal or just a happy surprise? ‘Bit of both really…The lion’s share of our influences and inspirations come from the States, so it’s somewhere that holds a mythological attraction for us, and it’s always great to be there.’ He notes that they also have a responsibility to their fans in the UK and Europe though ‘so we have to try and divide our time carefully.’
Along with the U.S, the group have also been working the festival circuit including Pukklepop and Gutter Island. But it’s clear that the band’s preference is to be masters of their own domain. Jones explains ‘Festivals can be great and they’re a really good way to connect with people who may not have had a chance to see you before, but there is something about doing your own shows that takes it to the next level, it’s your own environment.’
The band has a months-worth of being in their own environment to look forward to, as they embark on a 15 date UK tour to promote The Savage Heart. Considering more than half the group are in their forties, you might expect them to be taking their collective foot off the pedal. Apparently that’s not the case; ‘Touring is hard work but it’s a labour of love…once the band is three or four gigs into it, you can feel a change coming over the whole touring machine…and once you get that rolling, it’s like nothing can stop you!’
The Savage Heart is out on October 15 through Play It Again Sam/Punk Rock Blues Records
Purple Sneakers, 20th April 2012
Something is happening in Brisbane. The northern city is shedding its reputation as the home of the Brisvegas strip and XXXX beer and becoming a hub for new music. And at the forefront of that movement is disco-wave band MITZI.
“Brisbane is really going quite well at the moment” explains Mitzi keyboardist Jad Lee “There are a lot of young, Brisbane bands doing really good things and getting a lot of exposure via Triple Jand blogs and local radio and stuff. So it’s starting to get a bit of a buzz around it for new music.”
Lee and his bandmates are no strangers to buzz. Originally intended to be an anonymous venture for Lee and buddy Dom Bird, Mitzi took on a life of it’s own after the pair won a Bang Gang DJs remix competition and were offered the chance to play at Parklife and Stereosonic. The live incarnation of Mitzi blossomed with the addition of Cale Suesskow and Charlie Murdoch and when the four-piece decided ‘we can only go so far instrumental, let’s sing’Bird and Suesskow became vocalists.
While Lee points out that most Brisbane bands tend to be rock or indie-based, Mitzi’s retro sound has meant that they’ve become something of a go-to for support spots; ‘It’s good to be a bit more unique because it means that if there’s ever a band in town that’s a bit like us, where they’re a bit more electro or dancey, that band will often come to us to be the support. We always get those opportunities to play with the bands we love.’ Those bands include The Whitest Boy Alive, Little Dragon and Metronomy. Says Lee of the experience; “It was cool playing with international bands who are so successful…and just seeing how they do their live show and taking some ideas and taking notes and that sort of thing.”
Surely it gets exhausting playing warm up spots where you are constantly trying to win people over though? Lee concedes that it can be daunting “It’s a bit of a tough task but if you do look out to the crowd and they’re starting to dance, and starting to get into your music when they probably haven’t heard you before, it’s a really good feeling.’
MITZI may not be a support act for much longer, making the transition to headliner for Major Raiser’s ‘Let’s Band Together’ show in Sydney on May 5 with the likes of Conics and Glass Towers. “We love coming down there and it’s for a good cause” says Lee of the gig, of which all profits go to The Music Outback Foundation.
Also coming up is a debut album which the band are currently working on, and more live dates: “We’ve been pretty quiet over the past 3 months but there’s a lot around the corner” Leepromises.
And what of Lee’s infamous mane of blonde curls? “We’re fortunate in that we’ve all left our jobs recently to concentrate on doing this album and we don’t have professional lives so to speak, so we don’t have to groom ourselves. It’s been getting pretty full on but I guess after this, when it starts getting hot again, it’s going to have to have a cut or a trim so watch this space.”
Capitalising on the chillwave genre which is oh-so-trendy these days, Adam Bainbridge (aka Kindness) creates a comprehensive and colourful album. While this release might have seemed more innovative a couple of years ago when the likes of Toro Y Moi and Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti were at their peak, there is enough brilliance on World, You Need A Change Of Mind to make it feel relevant.
Bainbridge skilfully harks back to the ’70s and ’80s throughout this debut album, covering a range of genres while still maintaining a consistently nostalgic sound. That’s Alright is clearly funk inspired while the infectious Gee Up calls on disco and delivers exactly what the title promises. Bainbridge really shines on the softer tracks however; Cyan is mellow electro perfection while House is heartfelt and measured.
Bainbridge showcases his quirky approach with some unexpected covers- reinventing the Replacements’ Swingin Party into a hypnotic and memorising experience. His take on Anyone Can Fall In Love is almost unrecognisable from its previous incarnation as theEastenders’ theme.
While not doing anything particularly original, the exuberance and flair shown on World, You Need A Change Of Mind makes up for it.
Best Track: Swingin Party
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: ARIEL PINK’S HAUNTED GRAFFITI, ARTHUR RUSSELL
In A Word: Nostalgic
After two years of touring, Ernest Greene, the man behind synthpop act Washed Out has discovered the key to a great performance: alcohol. “Normally the drunker we are, the more energetic we are on stage but we’re also much messier and we’ll fuck up partys. If we’re too sober, we’re kind of stale but we play all the parts right so somewhere in between is where we like to be. So you’re drunk enough to enjoy yourself but not too drunk” he explains.
For someone who studied to be a librarian and had no intention of pursuing a career in music, it took a while for Greene to enjoy himself. “I guess the thing starting out is just that I’ve never played in bands or done any performances at all so I was a little bit intimidated by that.” Fortunately, with a couple of years of experience and the addition of four band members, he’s learned a few things – the importance of alcohol being one of them.
Discovered in 2009 after friend Chaz Bundick of Toro Y Moi posted a Washed Out track on his Myspace, Ernest is often grouped in as part of the ‘chillwave’ movement. Greene, however, believes the Washed Out sound is more difficult to define. “I don’t think we fit squarely in any category which is good because I think we can reach a lot of different people. But we’re not like a die hard electronic band or a die hard indie-rock band so I think it takes a person to be open minded to really embrace it.”
Despite having grown into an accomplished live performer since those early days in 2009, Greene admits he still feels most at home in the studio. “If I could get away with staying home and making records I would do that,” he says. In fact, he still has aspirations to be a librarian. “I definitely could go back to that world. It’s kind of a lot like my everyday life when I’m back from tour. The last thing I want to do when I’m back is to go out to clubs. It’s my nice, quiet space and that was very much why I enjoyed working in libraries.”
Greene will return to Australia in 2012 for St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival after winning hearts and fans with his performance at Meredith last year. Given the atmospheric nature of Washed Out, the music hasn’t always translated in a festival setting.
“When I started I was playing by myself and it was a very ethereal atmosphere. I did a handful of big festivals and it was really hard because there was sound bleeding in from other stages and there were just so many people out there,” he remembers.
Recognising that the performances weren’t working, Greene added a backing band. “Part of the band thing was to try and strengthen the sound of the set. It definitely helps having people behind you. Our set up is almost like a traditional rock set up so we can play loud if we need to.”
The band (which consists of a drummer, a bass player, a keyboardist and Greene’s wife Blair who also plays the keyboard) have made some adjustments to songs as the earlier Washed Out material was never intended to be played live. “The way that we’ve approached it is that we’ll still play the songs from the record or the older songs. The live version might be quite different so we hope that the audience is open to that. I guess it keeps it fresh for us too,” says Greene.
He admits that it can be a challenge to keep people interested at festivals so they’ve developed a couple of different sets to cater for different situations. One such situation was supporting Cut Copy as they toured around the U.S. in the latter half of 2011. Knowing the core audience would be looking for something a bit more up-tempo, the front man says they adapted the show to give it a more upbeat vibe. As a long time Cut Copy fan who had never seen them live, Greene found the tour an “eye opening experience.” The shows encouraged him to think about the different elements of a performance, which led to the realization that, “It’s not just about the songs. There are so many other factors that are really important. So as an inspiration I’ve been thinking much bigger about the visual side of our performances.”
Will the elaborate arm movements that Cut Copy lead singer Dan Whitford is known for also become part of the Washed Out repertoire?
“[Dan Whitford] can pull it off. I don’t know if I can pull it off. I think the more intoxicated I am, the more the arm movements happen. Maybe if I get drunk out there then I’ll have more dance movements,” Greene laughs.
Greene’s music has been the subject of critical acclaim and after a string of EPs, he finally released his first full album Within Or Without in July this year to rave reviews – but fans provide the best insight into the impact of his music.
“It’s quite odd meeting people after shows and hearing stories about these big moments in their lives and they’re listening to the record or just how much the music means to them. It’s really inspiring for me personally to just take a step back and it makes me try that much harder to do what I do and never half arse anything.”
His shows will be anything but half arse by the sound of it. Currently in between tours, Greene admits that he came home with a long list of things he wanted to work on and has been making adjustments to the show in preparation for more touring next year. I suspect that his preference for recording over playing live has more to do with his perfectionist streak and less to do with the performing itself. After less than a month home he’s telling me, “I already feel refreshed and ready to get out there.”
After a year of playing festivals including Glastonbury, T in the Park and Reading, one would expect electro band Metronomy to be experts of the festival circuit. Not the case, says lead singer Joseph Mount. “When we did that show at Glastonbury, we were very far away from our comfort zone.” On playing festival main stages, he admits, “It’s very terrifying but I guess if you do more, you get better at them.”
Despite Metronomy’s reputation for quirky live performances, which often feature dance routines and light shows in the form of chest-mounted push lights, the band tend to prefer more intimate shows. “We do feel more comfortable playing smaller stages or smaller venues for sure,” he says. “Sometimes festivals can be really enjoyable and sometimes they can be as stressful as hell but they’re still good to do just to keep you on your toes.”
I suggest that festivals are perhaps like the first date where you have to try and win your companion over, while sideshows are more like the third or fourth when you know they’re already keen. “Exactly!” he agrees, “And hopefully at the festivals they’re interested but it’s more of a quest.”
Visiting our shores for the fourth time in three years, the quartet has developed a special relationship with Australia. “There’s definitely a really nice connection,” Mount says. Coming for the first time as a three piece in 2009, “We had no idea what to expect and we just ended up having this ridiculously enjoyable time,” he recalls.
Mount notes that Australian audiences also seem very grateful, which makes the journey here worthwhile. The extensive touring the band have undertaken to promote new album; the Mercury-Prize nominated The English Riviera has made them nonchalant about travel. “We’ve reached the point where for us, a ten hour flight seems kind of normal.”
Despite a hectic Australian schedule, which sees the four-piece play Falls Music and Arts Festival, Southbound and Summafieldayze, Mount hopes to be able to add to his fond memories of our country. It will be the first time he has spent New Years outside of England and he’s going to do his best to join in the festivities, despite being booked in to play at Sydney’s Field Day on New Year’s Day. Ever the gentleman, Mount doesn’t want the seedy crowd to suffer alone. “It’s only right that we should be hungover too.”
Backing up their festival appearances will be a sideshow at The Hi-Fi on Friday January 6. It will have only been just over a year since Metronomy’s last visit to Oz so how has the show changed in that time? “We’ve kind of been touring with little gaps here and there since we were last in Australia. So in terms of the new songs, hopefully we play them better than we did before,” Mount notes modestly.
Considering the last time they were in Australia, The English Rivierahadn’t been released, Mount and band mates Oscar Cash, Anna Prior and Gbenga Adelekan are also looking forward to hearing fans singing along. “The nice thing is that last time we were in Australia, we were playing a lot of the newer songs for the very first time, we used you as guinea pigs. It’s the first time we’ll be playing new stuff and people will actually know the songs.”
While earlier records Pip Payne (Pay The £5000 You Owe) andNights Out were filled with dance floor-friendly singles, The English Riviera is much more focused on creating an atmosphere within the album. So it was always going to be interesting to see how that translated into the live show. “With records, you can sit down and get lost in them,” Mount observes. “When you’re watching a band playing live you can never quite have that one-on-one connection.” But instead of trying to replicate the sound of the album, Metronomy have committed to creating a unique experience when they play. “When it comes to doing a live show, we always try and make it into something that is entertaining and something that is memorable for different reasons.”
The English Riviera is the first album Metronomy has released since swelling to a four piece but Mount (who writes and produces all the tracks) has remained faithful to the writing style which brought him success as a solo project. “I’m still writing the way I did when I first started and I hope that’s why the music is like it is and that’s why people like it. I wouldn’t ever really want to change it for the sake of it.” That said, “Now that there’s four of us, it’s a really nice opportunity to try and write in a different way.”
Their upcoming tour will also be a chance to see how tracks from the new album are received in Australia. Mount says that as the band has toured, they’ve noticed the way that tracks resonate with audiences differently. “We’d been playing The Bay all summer, but the first place we played it and people went crazy was Barcelona, which is by the sea and sunny. Whereas those colder English places go for The Look more.” He has been surprised by the way that the new songs have transformed when played live, especiallyThe Look. “When you’re signing it in smaller parts of rural England, it has this weird significance that it doesn’t necessarily have on the record.”
Mount clearly takes the opinions of his fans seriously. “I’m really happy that we’re in this really lucky position that people are beginning to trust us a bit more,” he explains. The front man confides that as a teenager, his goal was to be in a band and travel and now that he’s doing that, his goal is just not to lose fans and keep people interested. “There’s nothing crazy,” he says of the band’s future aspirations. “Nothing like playing stadiums or anything like that. I think that would probably scare the crap out of me.”
Justice’s † earned them a legion of fans, won over by their dance floor-friendly electro-disco tunes. Their second album Audio, Video, Disco will divide them.
Instead of producing another album of easily digestible club bangers, Gaspard Augé and Xavier De Rosay challenge the listener with a harder, prog-rock sound. While this will not please everyone (and perhaps for this reason), this evolution is to be respected.
The duo clearly know what it takes to produce a hit track, but resist the temptation to give every song on the album the commercial treatment. The result is a more consolidated sound which commits so completely that it almost sounds more like a soundtrack than anything.
The moments of brilliance we’ve come to expect from Justice still feature here, including the epic Civilisation. Midnight Juggernaut’s Vincent Vendetta lends his vocals for the Ohio, a track which manages to generate a low-fi lounge sound while still maintaining the rock-dance edge of the rest of the album. New Lands has moments of sounding nothing like a dance track and everything like a rock track, the synths in the background providing the only giveaway.
The remainder of the album is less focussed on filling dance floors and more focussed on creating an atmosphere. The consistency within this new release shows growth for the pair and allows the listener to assign a more tangible sound to their work.
Best Track: Ohio
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: 10,000 Hz Legend AIR, Discovery DAFT PUNK
In A Word: Committed
As winners of the 2011 triple j Unearthed High competition, Snakadaktal’s self-titled debut EP comes fraught with expectation. The good news is that it lives up to the hype.
Despite listing Metronomy as a major influence, Snakadaktal’s mellow tones have more in common with The XX and Foals. What they do share with Metronomy however, is serious skill with a synthesiser and a complexity in composition.
Wake Up and Skin Boy are both layered and haunting in equal measures. triple j favourite Air is wistfully beautiful. The only time Snakadaktal’s crafty style of arrangement becomes problematic is Chimera which features so many changes in tempo that it becomes difficult to follow. The song suffers from forcing too many concepts into five minutes, but what it does have going for it is a captivating chorus which sneaks into your head and refuses to leave.
The level of skill and talent in this band might defy its members’ 17 and 18 years but the age-appropriate lyrics ensure songs feel consistently genuine and never precocious. Carnival (Lobster) muses about kids songs around the campfire while Air paints the picture of an ill-fated teen romance, complete with references to climbing through windows.
Even at six tracks long, this album packs a punch, albeit a soft and dreamy one.
Best Track : Air
If You Like These, You’ll Like This : XX THE XX, Total Life Forever FOALS
In A Word : Whimsical
Flight Facilities, Roxanne Parlour, 12 November 2011
Groupie Magazine for Pages Digital
There is something undeniably sexy about air travel. Perhaps it’s the possibility of joining the mile high club or the fact that the front of the plane is called the cockpit. Either way, Flight Facilities’ stopover at Roxanne Parlour on Saturday night had plenty of people in the crowd looking for a layover.
Flight Facilities cleverly differentiate themselves from other DJ/producers by embracing the concept of in-flight entertainment. Co-pilots Jimmy and Hugo wear ties from the original Flight Facilities company and identify themselves with aviator style hats and goggles while on stage. The paper aeroplanes hanging from the roof of Roxanne’s main room and the cards the duo fling out at the end of the set indicate that Flight Facilities are making their band their brand.
The familiar intro of ‘Foreign Language’ signals the arrival of the pair, who welcome the audience via an announcement on the PA system. The set takes off with an instrumental version of Spiller’s ‘Groovejet/If This Aint Love’ and Bag Raiders’ ‘Snake Charmer’ and as we ascend; it’s clear this is going to be a disco-heavy voyage.
The romanticism of air travel is already having a powerful effect on the audience. There appears to be some strip-searching happening mid-flight as a randy couple expose more undercarriage than is appropriate on the dance floor. I get groped for the fifth time in as many minutes and start to wish I’d listened to where the emergency exits were.
But then vocalist Jess Higgs joins the duo on stage to perform latest single ‘Foreign Language’ and the audience become entranced. Dressing for the occasion with evening gloves, her performance adds a nice live element to the show. ‘I love Melbourne!’ Higgs cries and the feeling appears to be mutual. So enthusiastic is the pulsating crowd that the Roxanne floor starts to tremble and I wonder if this is the Flight Facilities’ version of turbulence.
From here on, the show reaches new heights. Providing plenty of support for local acts, Miami Horror’s ‘I Look To You’ gets a run along with Cut Copy’s ‘Take Me Over.’ The cabin crew grows as mates including Anna Lunoe join the duo on stage. The set soars with Two Door Cinema Club’s ‘Something Good Can Work’ and The XX’s ‘Crystalised’, ensuring nobody on board was going to suffer from Deep Vein Thrombosis.
Teasers for ‘Crave You’ are weaved throughout the set, making the anticipation palpable when we reach 2am and descent becomes imminent. The first lush notes of ‘Crave You’ drop and a cheer goes up, as do the crowd’s hands. Our pilots switch to cruise control as Giselle’s vocals are overpowered by the audience and Jimmy and Hugo take the chance throw back some well-earned shots.
The appreciative audience applauds as Flight Facilities wave goodbye and upon disembarking, passengers head to the bar to celebrate being back on solid ground. I don’t know about anyone else but I’m blaming tomorrow’s hangover on jet lag.
Jagermeister Independent Music Awards, Revolt, 12th October 2011
Groupie Magazine for Pages Digital
Ignoring the fact that John Farnham wasn’t in attendance, it doesn’t get more Aussie than the Australian Jagermeister Independent Music Awards. The ceremony, held last night in Melbourne, recognises the best acts signed to local independent labels and in true blue style, there was an abundance of flannel shirts and jokes about ‘roots’.
Presented for the first time at Revolt after years at the Forum, the refurbished factory created an intimate atmosphere for the mix of musicians and industry professionals. The event was relaxed and unpretentious; there were no international celebrities foraging for a plug and nominees who arrived too late to shotgun a seat were relegated to the back of the room with the punters.
Host Dylan Lewis did a commendable job of playing larrikin while staying on-message and sponsor-friendly throughout proceedings. Lewis was unafraid to take the piss out of fellow presenters and artists, complimenting Taka Honda from Little Red on his gaudy ensemble; ‘I love your sparkly things, I love your blouse’ before encouraging ABC presenter Derek Guille to repeatedly use the word ‘flaps’.
With the notable exception of Bud Tingwell in The Castle, Australians are not known for their speech-making skills and most acceptances last night consisted of only a few sentences. The exception was the charming Henry Wagons whose speech for Best Independent Country Album came via Nashville. In his video from ‘the land of bad haircuts and fried food’ Wagons encouraged the audience to give his fellow band members who were present ‘a slap on the arse and a tap on the back’.
The back slapping is broken up by performances from artists flying the indie flag including Calling All Cars who kicked off proceedings with a rocking rendition of ‘Worlds Collide’ and The Holidays whose ‘Broken Bones’ was dead-set swoon-worthy. Adalita managed to do the impossible during her performance: silencing the room (for the only time all night) and showing the new kids exactly how it’s done.
If there is anything Australians love more than booze, it’s free booze and many of the attendees were getting their money’s worth last night. Accepting the audience-voted Jagermeister Most Hunted Award, 360 gave the crowd a lesson in bartending as he described his attempts to order a Jagerbomb earlier in the night; “They said they don’t do Jagerbombs. So I said ‘give me a Jager and Red Bull’ and they did… that’s a Jagerbomb”
Ultimately though, it was a celebration of the sheilas. Emma Louise had a bonzer night; her performance of ‘Jungle’ was haunting and her speech for Breakthrough Independent Artist of the Year was endearing. Adalita proved she is ‘Strayan through and through’, dropping an assortment of profanities as she accepted the award for Best New Album before paying tribute to the late Dean Turner.
The Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR) proudly pushes their indie identity and so they should- local labels play a vital role in this country’s musical landscape. As Nick O’Byrne from AIR pointed out, 91 of the 162 ARIA nominations announced earlier that day were released through independent labels. He declared that without the independents, we have a ‘hollow, boring music industry’ and bloody oath; I reckon he’s right.
Waverley, Friday September 23, 2011, Yah Yahs
Beat Magazine, 28 September 2011
Being a Melbournian in September, you would be forgiven for thinking the only thing worth leaving the house for on a Friday night are the footy finals. If you do manage to tear yourself away from the telecast however, you’re likely to be rewarded with seeing some of the city’s best new musical talents.
Grunge rockers Waverley launched their first single Where Were You on Friday, alongside Triple J unearthed winners The Owls and local folk piece Miyazaki – enough incentive to save the footy franks for next week. Waverley have started earning radio recognition over the past few months and rightly so. Impressing early with the catchy One From Two, they introduce Feeling Nothingas “that song you might have heard us play on SYN FM this morning” and you get the feeling you might be hearing a lot more of these types of intros in the future.
It is clear from the first bounce that there are no bystanders in this band. Each member of the four-piece pulls their weight to maintain an impressive pace throughout the show whilst ensuring it still sounds effortless. The drum-driven Paper Walls provides a nice change of pace and gives the guys enough breathing room to show off their musical skills. There is a definite distinction between tracks from Waverley’s 2009 EP and newer material, which sounds tighter and more developed when played live. New track Hearts Collide provides the most sincere moment of the night; the unashamedly honest lyrics silence the room instantly and you can see the audience connecting.
Although Waverley appear completely self-assured whilst playing, between tracks they aren’t quite as confident. The vocal audience is providing plenty of encouragement but endearingly, the quartet doesn’t seem quite sure how to take it.
Lead single Where Were You is unsurprisingly, the crowd pleaser of the night, eliciting a mass sing along and providing a rousing lead-in for final track Who Will Find You. For most Melbournians, the name ‘Waverley’ is synonymous with a local football ground but after Friday night’s show, I suspect that may not be the case for much longer.
LOVED: Seeing the unbridled enthusiasm of a band who couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces during the show.
HATED: Seeing the unbridled enthusiasm of victorious Collingwood fans on Smith St who couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces after the match.
DRANK: Carlton Draught. I am a Blues supporter after all.
allthesethingsthativewritten 