Let’s Get to It is the second single from Classic Face, and it is chock-full of new wave catchiness. How much energy and hookiness can one band fit into a single? A lot, it seems.
The tune is chaotic and danceable, bursting with positive energy and urging us to get moving. Beneath all the chaos, there’s a little more going on, with vocalist Michael Strong singing about being a parent, including lines like “let’s raise this girl together”.
If you like a bit of chaos mixed into pop music and bands like Devo, Classic Face are well worth a go.
Doing a lot for the local scene, Sidequest has now been around for five years and we’re at The Bird to celebrate. The indie label has been working hard to help Perth/Boorloo bands gain exposure, and what better way to mark the milestone than with a fine lineup like this.
Sam from Sly Withers opened proceedings with a stripped-back acoustic set. With just voice and guitar, it was a relaxed way to start the night and a chance to hear the songs away from the usual full-band setting. Sam sounded great and showed there’s plenty to the songwriting beneath the bigger Sly Withers sound. A nice way to ease into the night before things got louder.
Symmetrical Dogs up next and in their usual fine form. The band mix a serious sound with fun stage antics, and the crowd are always along for the ride. This time they had a new single to show off with explosion fantasy. It was great to hear new music, with more on the horizon from one of the city’s more established acts.
Clancy brought an electro tinge to the night. Backed by drums and guitar/synths, she played a fun set of electro-pop that balanced live instrumentation with the more electronic side of her sound. She was full of energy and exuded a charisma worthy of the crowded room, looking like she was having a blast. Having already proven herself across a number of Perth/Boorloo projects, stepping out under her own name looks to be working nicely.
It was down to Ursula to close the night out, and they did not disappoint. Riff-heavy, but with excellent melody and songwriting to back up the power, the four-piece were a force on stage. It was also good to hear new material is on its way. Their 2022 album, Brains, Waste, Heart, is one of the best things to come out of Perth/Boorloo this decade. The new single, I Fail at Everything I Do, is clearly keeping up the high standard.
Sidequest threw a hell of a fifth birthday bash and will be back again for Sidefest in November, with an absolutely stacked lineup of bands at the Rosemount Hotel.
The Off Set have released a three-track EP full of jangly goodness. The Perth/Boorloo multi-songwriter four-piece are clearly having fun making the music they want to make, and that sense of enjoyment comes through.
The EP opens with The places she only wished that she could go, written by Barry Divola and probably the catchiest of the tracks. See our single review of the tune here. It remains an earworm, but there’s enough going on beneath the catchy surface to make you dig a little deeper into what it’s actually about, referencing the strange phenomenon of youths going missing prior to the Tokyo Olympics in 1964.
Pretty One, written by Zack Yusof Young, presents a somewhat darker tone but no less accomplished. With a hint of Gary Moore’s Still Got the Blues, it’s moody but still features plenty of the guitar licks that define the band’s sound. It’s nice when artists can broaden their palette while still sounding like the same band.
Dave Wallace contributes the third track, Dusk Till Dawn, and moves back into catchy jangle. The tune sits somewhere between 60s acoustic rock and 90s alternative and features some fine imagery of the sun and moon sharing the sky, juxtaposed against the struggles of a relationship (yep, true literary ascendancy has been achieved with the use of the word juxtaposed). The track proves the band are a triple threat of songwriters, while still managing to sound cohesive as a unit; something that shines through in their live sound as well.
Stars Shift Over Time shows there’s plenty of songwriting depth within The Off Set, and makes you interested to hear where they go next. If it’s anything to go by, we can expect more quality, varied songwriting in the future.
The Off Set are launching a limited vinyl pressing of the EP at Lyrics Underground on August 29.
A new single arrives from Freak Mod 5, reminding us of the fun you can have with a few samples and synths.
The main hook kicks in straight away over a bouncy trip-hop groove, before making room for the synth to shine. The whole thing has a sci-fi strangeness about it — a little ’70s exploitation cinema mixed with turn-of-the-century samples and beats. Spacey synth breaks keep things interesting throughout.
Strange Melodies is the kind of tune that brings back memories of early-noughties triple j. When you think about it, there isn’t exactly a plethora of artists out there making this kind of noise — all the more reason to keep freaking, Freak Mod 5.
Elena Dakota, hailing from the remote Western Australian town of Derby, has released a new EP featuring some seriously good muso collaborators and gorgeously crafted songwriting.
The three tracks are a masterclass in nuanced bedroom folk. Opener Shapeshifting is both intimate and expansive at once, with Dakota’s main vocals backed by harmonies full of reverb. She pours her heart out in the chorus, singing “oh what a thing to love you / shapeshifting through these years”, and then yearns further in the verse: “I had a dream and it woke me / the need to tell you I care, I care, okay.” You can hear the room she’s recording in.
Concrete ups the tempo a little with lead guitar that could have come straight from an early Leonard Cohen record. It’s loose but swings beautifully as she sings about flip flops slapping on the concrete. The mandolin and banjo backing, by Jason Snook and Jack Davies respectively, livens the tune up and it really feels like walking.
The excellently named daylight pours itself (bright like orange juice) lets us know Dakota is no fluke. The vocal harmonies are rich, while the lyrics are quietly mournful. It could be the most radio-friendly song and wouldn’t be out of place next to songs from Laura Marling and other folk pop mainstays.
The tracks are bookended with sounds of recording, giving the EP an intimate feel. Meanwhile the production and layering really elevates this record into a class of its own. Dakota appears prolific in her songwriting and has more music coming. We can’t wait and recommend others jump on board. With songs like these, it’s hard to see her music not reaching a wider audience.
With a new single now out, it’s time to catch up on Cassis’ previous single I Killed a Man. The tune shows off the band’s slow groove electro-pop sound, while creating an atmosphere that is both dreamy and a little unnerving.
The song is inspired by the 1903 Darlington picnic tragedy — an event in which a group of French immigrants from Fremantle became involved in a deadly shooting that left a vineyard owner dead. It’s an interesting focal point, and quite the obscure piece of Perth/Boorloo history and folklore. Look it up if you like a bit of local history.
Anyway, enough interesting segues. The music itself draws comparison to French bands like Stereolab, given the French-English vocal stylings of Véronique Ramén. That comparison only goes so far, though, as Cassis play a smoother, groove-centred sound that is a little darker than other art-pop acts.
It’s great to hear music like this coming out of Perth/Boorloo. Like the story behind the song, it reflects the cultural threads that have long been part of the city’s history.
Four5Nine on a Saturday night and what better place to be. This time for Deep Beep and friends. As we’d expect from the band, they brought epic psych rock, with a bit of extra playfulness thrown in for good measure.
Adem K opened the night. The man from Turnstyle, with a last name too tough to go beyond the first letter, and wearing a Deep Beep shirt, showed off an eclectic set and his range. He played electric guitar but was also able to add some synth and looping dynamics, taking the show beyond basic singer-songwriter. It was pretty clear the man has a wealth of experience and can hold a crowd.
The Tigers were up next and continued the synth-heavy experimentation. The veterans of the Perth/Boorloo scene combined guitar and bass with synths and some horns and played through an interesting mix of songs. It felt like an organised jam session with a sense the band were on the edge, but knowing glances between the three of them showed they knew what they were doing.
Deep Beep were in a playful mood, showing the big epic tunes don’t have to be all seriousness. With friendly kicks thrown between members (Jerome on bass seemed to be the main instigator) it was a fun show to watch. The band are clearly mates and work together well, and their recent busyness playing plenty of shows is paying off. From epic moments like Tell it to the Mountain to the pure rock-out bliss of Atlantiss, it’s going to be hard to find a bigger sound in this little city of ours.
It was another night of music goodness, showing off what this fine little isolated city has to offer. Alongside Deep Beep, Adem K presented the night via his indie label Igloo Records, and we take our hat off to anyone trying to promote local music new and old.
It’s incredible to think that Stereolab have been around since 1990. The band have been a shining example of originality and influential despite never being a mainstream band. For those in the know, we jumped at the chance to see them, especially given it has been fifteen years since their last album, about the same time since their last visit to our remote city.
Mick Harvey got things going, first playing a few songs on his own before introducing Mexican singer Amanda Acevedo for the rest of the set. The solo opener, When We Were Beautiful & Young, could have been a song from either Nick Cave or PJ Harvey (both collaborators with Harvey). It set the tone for the rest of the set, with loops and subtle backing tracks accenting what is excellent guitar work that doesn’t rely on flashy twiddling, instead focusing on locking in the rhythm, played via straightforward chords. It was impressive to see up close.
He was then joined by Acevedo. They bounced off each other for a lot of the material — Harvey casual but confident, and clearly comfortable allowing songs to evolve without sacrificing the performance. Meanwhile Acevedo was a quieter presence but also got better and better as the show went on. Bonnie and Clyde was a notable cover, the smooth French classic performed in a subtle, darker form. There were some big moments that ventured into psychedelic territory in what was a generally captivating set.
Stereolab took to the stage, and you could tell the crowd were damn excited to see them. Playing songs from the latest album Instant Holograms on Metal Film (great title) and crowd-pleasing classics, including one from the 90s, the band’s infectious rhythms engaged the audience from start to finish. The crowd were a mixed bunch. It was good to see they are still being discovered by the younger generation, albeit in a slightly lower ratio than the older folks.
Multi-instrumentalist frontwoman Lætitia Sadier was a force up front, and encouraged the crowd to have fun and party. She switched seamlessly between synth, guitar and trombone and blew a few minds as she did it. Confident, yet not overly talkative, she had a rare air about her that just said watch and listen and have your mind blown.
Aerial Troubles showed off what a tight outfit they are, with Tim Gane’s rhythmic and melodic guitar a perfect counterpoint to the looser Sadier. It seems to be what gives the band an edge — her various instruments grooving around the almost metronomic tightness of the rest of the group.
The newer material is as good as any era of the band, who’ve consistently released quality for over thirty years. When they hit the classics, like Peng! 33 (sounding both like them and like the early 90s), the crowd response went to another level. Percolator, later in the set, had even more impact. Band and crowd were primed for a grand finish.
It was great to see Stereolab in Perth/Boorloo again, showing no signs of slowing down. They were full of musical energy, and beyond the synth-heavy side of their sound, there was a warmth and sense of fun once you settled in for the ride. Let’s hope they keep doing what they are doing. That goes for Harvey and friends too.
The Shakeys took over the Rosemount Four5Nine bar for a night of punk rock mayhem. It’s been a while since we’ve seen them, but it didn’t show as the seasoned outfit returned as if they’d never been away.
First up, The Barstools‘ Bobby Burgess took the stage solo on the acoustic, and he made that thing wail. The band are fast-paced and heavy blues-rock, so naturally Burgess played with plenty of gusto. It worked nicely for the opening slot – both stripping back the songs and showing off the songwriting, without sacrificing the energy needed for the heavy night ahead.
Up next were False Cobra, the first full band to get things rocking. Interesting fact – the band name is not a random word generator, it’s a type of snake that does cobra-like things, but ain’t a cobra. Anyway, fun fact over with, let’s get to the band. Moving into the punk realm, the drummer-fronted (or perhaps drummer-backed?) band played a hard, fast set full of restless energy. That’s not an easy thing to do on the tiny Four5Nine stage. With generally short, punk-like songs, and a bit of AC/DC vibes coming from the guitars, they got the crowd bouncing and ready for some sweat. Shirts came off.
Zerodent followed as the penultimate act of the night. The power-trio mixes old-school, hardcore punk with melodic guitar lines, the distinct licks more legible with less distortion. All this while the bass and drums power along, giving us what is essentially a tour through punk-rock – from 70s punk to hardcore 80s sounds, with even a hint of post-punk. They were a polished presence and suited the tight room perfectly. And no messing around here – short songs and get on with it.
Onto the hosts of the evening. The Shakeys are part of the Perth/Boorloo music fabric, and it shows from the moment the rock n roll-tinged punks hit the stage. In the now packed room, they brought the energy and the crowd reciprocated. They played a balanced mix of material from their catalogue, which varies from straight up 70s-style punk to more dynamic hard rock.
Straight Mollin was a fine way to kick the crowd into gear, the guitar work a fine example of what Jason Mirosevich is capable of. Talk So Tough showed off more of the band’s groove and dynamics, and was a highlight of the set with the room really going by this point, while drummer Lauren was tight as can be. The classic punk tunes are pure fun, a perfect example being set closer Drinkin’ Till Dawn, with backing vocals taking it to another level.
Once again Four5Nine proves itself a fine, narrow little venue that gets cooking pretty quickly when the bands do their thing. And once again this zine has nothing to offer but front-on shots of the band, and it was even harder with no room to move the closer you got to the stage. Luckily the band gave me some shots to include from someone brave enough to get right into the action.
Kae Tempest returned to Perth/Boorloo, this time playing the Astor Theatre and performing a mix of material from the new album alongside well-known songs from a stacked back catalogue. With beat-driven, danceable songs and spoken-word poetry, it was both a dance party and a chance for a room full of people to connect through shared experience.
Opening for Kae were local darlings Symmetrical Dogs. Reading the room well, they opened with the rarely heard live spoken word EP opener James. It was a treat to hear the track live as it moved from stripped-back electronic rhythm to melody-rich synth climax, and suited the mood perfectly.
With a bigger stage and production, the 3-piece stepped up their show as they played both established songs and a few newer tracks to give the audience a glimpse of what’s coming. As usual, there was plenty of banter between songs with singer Claire and drummer Boyd winning the crowd over with quirky observations and barking. Meanwhile, Mike had time to tune before continuing to dazzle with his unique guitar stylings. While not quite as interactive with the audience as they are in the smaller venues, they handled the big stage well.
Time for Kae Tempest, and he started things off by expressing how happy and honoured he was to be able to come to Australia and play for us. It was a warm way to connect with the audience who clearly felt the same way.
Multi-instrumentalist Pops Roberts handled the music and did a stunning job with synths, percussion and vocal hooks, while Kae was free to roam the stage. The set started with a bang, going straight into the more rap-like tunes. The tracks blended seamlessly — the beat-heavy, danceable songs morphing into Tempest’s spoken-word. The more well-known tracks like More Pressure and Statue in the Square appeared in the right places, reminding the crowd that he now boasts a sprawling catalogue of music.
The most poignant moments of the set were when Tempest’s spoken word poetry, often finishing with voice alone, brought messages of connection and love to the audience. These moments were sublime, sinking in through his confident and engaging delivery. Combined with his genuine, from-the-heart happiness to be sharing these words with people, they created something beyond simply a musical performance — something plenty of the crowd will take home with them and remember.
That was the general feeling as we settle into winter. Everybody share your warmth and heart with others. Be connected, don’t hate. With the current state of the world, this message, combined with Tempest’s delivery, really strikes right at the core. Maybe that’s a bold statement to make, but when you get moments that genuinely cut deep like that, you know you are watching someone special.
