School of Seven Bells - 23 July 2012, The HiFi

w/ Little Scout, Tara Simmons

School of Seven Bells are a band that I have loved for quite some time, and to have them play in my hometown was kind of amazing. Their electro-dream pop is just this: psychedelic music for the soul.

Tara Simmons got the night off to a right start with her single “Where Do You Go”. With her self named emergency band, she is sounding much more electrified than the last time I heard her play. I mean this not only in the nature of her songs and the nature of their composition, but also in her presence. She’s still that tiny folk-like singer, but there so much more to the sound she’s now creating, and I love it. “Be Gone” is still such an amazing song, and truly sums up her new sound. I do like the way the live show features not only a real drum kit, but also combines this with the electronic backing tracks as well as pad drums to create something immense. Although things weren’t perfect this evening, expect to hear a lot more from this young lady.

Little Scout had the pleasure of touring the HiFi venues across the East Coast with School of Seven Bells, which I think suited quite nicely. I do believe that this band has now really found their stride. After the success of their debut record, Take Your Light, released in August of last year, they were quiet for a time, but now they are back in force. After trying to unburden herself from under a guitar for most of the tracks from said record, front-woman Mel Tickle reclaimed the instrument for many of the new tracks. Her vocals are stunning in their simplicity and effortlessness. I love how in indie music, especially Australian indie music (I use the term loosely for this purpose), each vocalist brings their own voice to the table, unlike the commercial vocalists who seems to be carbon copies of the same type of voice.

The band's new song “Day” is quite a stunning track, and takes me back to the Little Scout I know and love from their EPs. Tonight, they also played an old favourite from the time of these EPs, “Dead Loss”. The band’s newest single “Go Quietly”, released only a couple of days previously, was certainly a highlight of the set. It is so different form anything else released, and brings something fresh to their sound.

Now, School of Seven Bells. This band is nothing short of fabulous. Their combination electro-dream pop sounds are something quite unique, and you can’t help but be enthralled. What I loved about this band is that they played songs from across their three album discography. They opened the hour and a half set with “Iamundernodisguise”, the opening track to their debut LP Alpinisms. The first thing you noticed about the band was the difference between recorded vocals and the live vocals. I firmly believe this is due to Claudia Deheza’s departure from the touring scene. Twin sister, and vocalist of the band, Alejandra, remains, with another touring singer singing harmonies.
But it not the same. The vocals harmonies of the band are so close and somewhat dissonant, that I can imagine it being a struggle to reproduce with a new vocalist. In saying this, this new vocalist did do a good job.

It is evident that the vocals, however, are secondary only to the music being created by brainchild, Benjamin Curtis. When I try to think of the stand out moments, I must say, I’m at a loss. Each song is unique, but melds very well together, so as to create a somewhat psychedelic mind trip. At times I found myself drifting into another headspace entirely; their music has that power. In saying that, “Windstorm” was sensational, as was “I L U”. Also, in the encore, the final song they played seemed to go on forever, yet never got repetitive or tedious.

The one thing about the gig that was disappointing was the lack of people in the room! I’ve never seen the HiFi as empty as it was tonight. There was so much space to move around in the lower mosh, and the levels were barely full. For an international act to play to a crowd of that size, it’s saddening. I, for one, can’t believe there weren’t more people in the room, this band are certainly something special.

Charlie Mayfair - 10 June 2012, Black Bear Lodge

w/ Little Casino, Sleepy Tea

It has been quite some time since I have been to the Black Bear Lodge, and probably only the second time since its infamous transformation from The Troubadour. I’d forgotten just what an amazing room it is. Stupidly hot, but incredible. Charlie Mayfair chose this venue for their show celebrating the release of their new EP Fall in Time.

Opening the night was Sleepy Tea. Lets do some math here. What do you get when you combine Tom Wearne (Tin Can Radio) and the Emma Louise? Awesomeness, that’s what: a dream-pop kind of mellowness that has glorious melodies. This is Tom’s side project, but you can tell that just by listening. The songs are very similar in construct as those of Tin Can Radio, but without the heavy electronic synth. The opening three songs were the two vocalists accompanied by guitar. These songs were delightful. Their voices mesh so well together to create some beautiful harmonies.
When the rest of the band (bass and drums) joined the due, things got a lot more interesting. It was such a different kind of song they created, and different types of songs also. But still, very Tin Can Radio like. Can I just clarify; this is definitely not a bad thing at all. You can’t change your song writing style just because you want to change up the group of musicians you are writing for. Their last song, I think it was their “single” even thought nothing has been officially recorded, was easily their most catchy, and funnily enough, most unique also.

Next up was Little Casino, a band who I had heard absolutely nothing about or of. Here’s what I found out tonight. They have just finished recording their debut EP which will be released in the near future. “All Fall Down” is an amazing song. It shows off the vocals of lead singer Ben Forbes. There’s a certain quality to this young mans voice that really captured me, more so than many other new bands I’ve heard of late. The band as a whole work really well together and they sound like they’ve been playing together for years, when In reality, I think it has only been a short amount of time. They have their own unique folk- rock style and also their own interpretation of that style.
There are not too many bands that can make me grin like a fool on first listen, but these guys? They had Ben grinning from first tune they played. I know they are going to be a band that I follow closely as their career develops and flourishes. They definitely have the makings to be one of my favourite new bands.

Finally, Charlie Mayfair brought it home to that room where the air was almost unbeatable due to the heat and stuffiness. They have come so far since the last time I hear them play. They sound has developed and matured and they are definitely becoming an Indie-Pop force to be reckoned with. The one thing that sets this band apart from all those other bands out there is their vocal harmonies. When lead singer, Hannah Shepherd together with Irena Lysiuck and Dave Di Marco sing together it is something truly special. And they sung together in pretty much every song, so I think you get how special these three together can be.

Their opening song of the set “Blue Water” has evolved since last time I attended one of their gigs. It’s form may have changed, but it hasn’t lost any of it’s intensity. It opens with just Hannah on vocals, joined by Irena and finally Dave, before the rhythmic accompaniment of the rest of the band sets in. It was nice to hear Dave taking up lead vocal duties on a new track “Stone”. The band’s new singe “Waste Me” was sensational live. I didn’t think they could pull off the opening as well in a live situation as they do on record but it was flawless. Kudos. As an encore, the band welcomed Emma Lousie and Tom from Sleepy Tea back on stage to sing an unplugged number. That is, the acoustic guitar unplugged and the mics turned off. This was something truly mind blowing. I just wish I had been in the front row instead of mid crowd.

Charlie Mayfair have really stepped it up in the last little bit, and their new EP, is certainly something special. Grab it when you can!

Founds - 9 June 2012, The Zoo

w/ Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire!, Arundel

Arundel was up first, playing to a room that had no more than eleven punters in attendance. There were more band members lingering around than there were guests. The solo artist himself remarked that there was so few people, that you really noticed when each new guest entered. He had a chuckle to himself because of this. Moving on. Arundel’s sound is unlike most “popular” music on the market. It is more like, for lack of a better phrase, an electronic soundscape.

The one-man band started on drum pads and synth for his first couple of songs, before moving between glockenspiel and guitar as well as these pads. He also welcomed Claire Whiting (from Inland Sea) to the stage for some guest vocals. These two songs were pretty much the only time lead vocals were featured in the set. “Flourish”, a tune he was debuting live tonight, was the highlight of the set for me. It was the one and only time he donned his guitar, and used loops to basically create a song from scratch. Awesome stuff.

Next up was Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! Here’s a band that I cannot make heads or tails of. I like what they have got going on, especially Caitlin Duff’s sensational vocals, but at some times in the set, they actually looked bored. There are other times however, when they looked very impassioned about what they are playing. It was quite a strange extreme.Regardless, the music they create is really quite interesting, and is made more so by the vocals. Miss Duff has such rich tones throughout the entirety of her vocal range. There were moments where she even reminded me a little of Stevie Nicks. In all honesty, this band would be nothing without her talent. “Code Breaker”, the band’s new single, was quite different to most of their other work. But in a good way, it differentiated it from the rest of the set.

Headlining for the night was Founds. This band is not everyone’s cup of tea. I can definitely appreciate that. They opened with the lead vocalist singing and playing a simple bass riff on her synth, at a particular point in the song, she was joined by the rest of her band to bring the song to its climax and conclusion. This young lady also has a sensational voice, but I found her lack of connection with the audience a little disconcerting.She rarely looked up from her synth, or if she was looking out, she had her eyes closed. Also, she didn’t speak, bar once mid-set to thank everyone for coming. No one else in the band spoke either, so it was a little strange. The band has two distinct styles of music. The type where the vocalists are singing simple melodies consisting of long sustained notes, while the band plays intense rhythmic accompaniment, and the type that is more “indie-pop” and more sing-song like, while retaining that folk like influence. I like this about the band. One last thing of note, the violin player is insane! In the best possible way imaginable!

This was a night of ups and downs for me. There were some truly amazing moments from each act, but then there were also moments that didn't quite sit, and they lost me in that moment. I think I need to hear more from each of these bands; see what else they’ve got stashed up their sleeves.

The Jezabels - 7 June 2012, Brisbane Convention Centre

w/ Lights, Snakadaktal

When I heard that I was heading off to The Jezabels I was a little beside myself with excitement. The last time I heard the band play was over a year and a half ago to an almost sold out Zoo. My, oh my have they come a long way since then. I’ve been following their career closely, missing their gigs at the Tivoli over that period, and dying to relive my first live experience. So, in a nutshell, to say I was beside myself with eager anticipation would be the understatement of the century.

Opening the night at the Brisbane Convention Centre was the youthful Snakadaktal. I won’t lie, I was slightly afraid for the youngsters. The Convention Centre is not the easiest room to play, especially when it is less than half full. I shouldn’t have been worried. The band has a maturity way beyond their years. I don’t really know what I was expecting. But it wasn’t this. The only clue to tell you they have only been doing this a very short time is when they speak to thank their audience and their fellow bands.

“Air” was definitely the stand out of the set. It, along with “Chimera”, showed off the vocal talent of Miss Phoebe, as well as Sean. I do believe thought, it is Phoebe whose vocals shine throughout the set. They are simplistic and unforced, which is refreshing to hear. The electric drum sounds combined with live drum sounds is nicely balanced, but the overall the sound was not altogether uniform. One song the bass would be shaking the room, the next it was more blended in the texture. Both are fine, but I believe it needs to be consistent. Their final song, and new single “Dance Bear” has a completely different vibe to the rest of their songs, and I’m not completely sold on it. However, I am more than happy to have my mind changed.

Next up was Lights. Here’s a couple of fun facts for you. Lights is a young lady from Toronto, Canada. She plays Electro-pop kind of music. I’d never heard of her and I despise myself for this. Here why. She was freaking fantastic! I am not normally one that loves heavy electro sounding music, but I found myself completely enchanted by the set because it had subtle elements of that indie-pop goodness that I love. There were three synth stations and a drum kit set up on stage, with Lights herself positioned in the middle of two parallel keyboards. The title track of her latest release “Siberia” was quite stellar, as was the song that she introduced as “what was left of as reoccurring dream.” But it was her opener, “Banner” that hooked me right away. Lights’ vocals are something to be admired, she is such a charismatic performer with a voice that cut over the heavy drops that occur underneath. Look her up if you are as ignorant as me, it's well worth your while.

Onto The Jezabels. First off, something has to be said about Hayley Mary and her vocals. She is one of the most incredible singers in Australian music at present. Big call, I know, but there it is. She has such a deep and powerful low register that is so much lower than most females can comfortably sing, while at the same time conquering her higher register, which most singer use sparingly out of fear. It’s something so special. She still dances the way she has always done. With the bended knees, and arm waving sideways in the air. I love it. Brilliant.

Like I said previously, this little band from Sydney has come a long way since gigs at the Zoo sized venues. The production of the show and the stage set up were something you would see from bands of a much higher caliber, but it was so good to see them stepping up in order to be that next big thing. The set was really well put together. I still wholeheartedly believe that the material that came off the set of three EPs, as a whole, is leaps and bounds better than their new material on Prisoner. This is just my personal opinion. Because of this, they lost me in the middle, when they played “Nobody Nowhere”, “Horsehead” and “Long Highway” in a row, but brought it home with “Try Colour” and songs from their EPs. I think it is just that they are more memorable, and not over cluttered. I will say thought, that “Deep Blue Ocean” is an amazing song, and I was glad to hear it included in the set. They finished with “Dark Storm” before encoring with “Peace of Mind” segueing into “Hurt Me”. That combination is a winner. Just saying.

All in all, a sensational gig, full of unexpected surprises. The good kind. I am truly happy that The Jezabels have stepped it up. They have always been good, but this just shows, that if a band keeps on working hard and producing good music, they can keep the journey going, and going, and going… and going.