PerthZine

Tag: mojos

  • Gig Review – FACS + Last Quokka + Grub

    Gig Review – FACS + Last Quokka + Grub

    Mojos, Sunday May 10, 2026

    We’re at Mojos again and this time it’s something extra special, with Chicago band FACS headlining the bill. Alongside some of the upper echelon of local bands, it made for a hell of a noisy evening.

    Grub up first and in typically ferocious form. When that first heavy guitar part drops in Terrorhead, it’s like a sledgehammer slamming down, shocking everyone in the room to attention. Singer Matilda holds the crowd with her honest depictions of mental illness, delivered with bite. Singing lines like “I’m ready, I’m ready, give me stability please”, in the appropriately named Stability Please, the sound and subject matter are equal parts control and chaos. Maybe that’s the whole reason for making all this racket.

    Last Quokka were next, in all their punk/hardcore grime. The band are a force to be reckoned with. Raw and fun, and coming across like they don’t give a shit while singing about issues that prove they clearly do give a shit. With songs like Gina/Rupert (yes those two) and plenty of songs about regional WA, you can tell they’ve got some political scratches to itch. Combine this with punk rock messiness and you can’t go wrong really. Guitar strap breaks? Make it work, swing that thing all over the place. Hot in here? Take your shirt off and let everyone see your guts. This is what punk is all about, isn’t it?

    And onto the import of the night, US band FACS hit the stage in a smoky haze and instantly locked in with super tight, driving bass lines and intricate drum patterns. The sound the three-piece produces is big and almost ear-piercingly loud, but the balance between the bass and guitar is exceptional. As Jonathan Van Herik’s bass bulldozers through, Brian Case’s guitar moves from light to heavy, and really lets the dynamics shine.

    The band’s most recent album, Wish Defence, was the final record worked on by legendary engineer Steve Albini. With Sub Pop behind them, you could tell from the outset these guys meant business. Despite not knowing the pronunciation of the word Quokka, the band had the crowd on side and the packed house was clearly loving the touring act playing the small venue.

    Great to see touring acts coming through and getting a taste of our wonderful venues here in Perth/Boorloo, or in this case Freo/Walyalup. FACS did not disappoint, and kudos to the promoters for putting on such great support acts to go with them.

  • Gig Review – The Kill Devil Hills + Grub + Phantom Island

    Gig Review – The Kill Devil Hills + Grub + Phantom Island

    Mojos, Saturday April 11, 2026

    The Kill Devil Hills have a reputation as one of the most experienced and battle-hardened bands to come out of Perth/Boorloo. Seeing them strut their stuff to a sold-out Mojos only added to the legend.

    Opening the night were 4-piece Phantom Island. The band play a classic brand of indie rock, with an edge coming from the demon lead guitarist doing a lot more than the average melodic licks you would expect – giving them a slight proggy edge. Combine that with shared singing duties including the Britney-style mic’d up drummer and you’ve got a good formula. The stomping second-last song Adam was a highlight.

    Time to up the ante and who better than the triple guitar threat Grub to do it. Matilda up front drives the sound with her tele and ocker wit. Mix it with two more guitars and a ridiculously heavy rhythm section, and the force of sound coming from that stage is nothing short of mind-blowing. With singles like Ghost (stupidly heavy) and the crowd singing along to The Floor, it’s clear why these guys are getting plenty of radio play and hype. Thrashing it out in their hometown of Freo, they were magnificent and clearly having a good time.

    With the bands done and dusted, the stage fell into smoke and red light — and into the hands of The Kill Devil Hills. They took to the stage to a packed house and made it their home.

    Working from a formidable song catalogue, they went through everything from The Day the Dinosaurs Died to This Is Karrakatta. With a star-studded lineup of musicians including Timothy Nelson on keys / backing vocals, and drummer extraordinaire Todd Pickett banging away, the Kills could do no wrong. The crowd were rowdy and drinking too much, which added to the moody, smoke-filled ghost-town bar feel, with haunting violins drifting out into the haze. The combination of Brendan Humphries leading the vocals, with harmonies and more coming from Pickett and Nelson only amplified the atmosphere.

    Was it a coincidence that a black cat crossed the road outside as they played 13th Sunday? I don’t know but the devil works in mysterious ways.

  • Classic Album Review – The Kill Devil Hills: MATANGO!

    Classic Album Review – The Kill Devil Hills: MATANGO!

    The Hills Kill

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    With The Kill Devil Hills about to take over Mojos, we thought it’d be worth revisiting their last album MATANGO! Yes, we are calling it a classic album (let’s say anything over 12 months old counts).

    The album is an experimental, creeky alt-rock musical sprawl, with all band members stepping to the plate for big hits — even the backing vocalists are star players. The first track, Survivor Guilt, goes the furthest and sounds close to late Bowie, with a heartbeat-like rhythm and horror-movie vocals.

    This Is Karrakatta sets the tone for the rest of the album. Dirty, bluesy rock with a stomping rhythm section and the repetitive lyric “this is Karrakatta, mind over matter” forming the main hook. Meanwhile, singer Brendan Humphries paints a vivid image of the Perth/Boorloo suburb and train line.

    Humphries’ deep vocal tone goes to another level on The Day the Dinosaurs Died — smooth and deep, and best described as somewhere between Bowie and Nick Cave. Alongside the Cretaceous lyrical subject matter, it makes for a great tune. Atomic Kitty plays like a slow and swampy single but with something murderous underneath, and any song called Unlike Hemingway Said can only be a banger. It’s one of the faster, grindier tracks on the record.

    New Ordos is drifting into Floyd territory, if they were sitting in an old shack by the creek. The lyrics are dense with imagery — “and drown me in freshwater, I’ve got crystal left for grit” — and it just gets deeper. The song soars in the middle, with a swelling soundscape topped by big guitars. We then get the signature ballad, Weight of a Woman, to close out the album. Gentle, full of emotion, and it only cuts through more when the fine string solo plays.

    Look at that, I went the whole review without gushing over drummer Todd Pickett (he’s not just a drummer either). That’s a good milestone. Unlikely to be repeated after Saturday night. The Kill Devil Hills are one of the best bands in this town, maybe new music on the way?

    The Kill Devil Hills play Mojos Bar on Saturday, April 11.

  • Gig Review – The Devil & Abbe May with The Forever Party + Georgia Rodgers

    Gig Review – The Devil & Abbe May with The Forever Party + Georgia Rodgers

    Mojo’s, Saturday April 4, 2026

    Abbe May, Perth/Boorloo’s favourite rock-singing demon, returned to the incomparable Mojo’s Bar with her band of voodoo blues weirdos and hypnotised the packed house.

    Who better to start the night than fine blues guitar solo act Georgia Rodgers. With nothing but a Tele and just a hint of looper, the Melbourne/Naarm songwriter wowed the crowd with originals and her own version of Smalltown Boy by Bronski.

    Confident and full of twelve-bar jam-outs, originals like Cambodia came across as loose and laid back, but heavy when necessary. There is something spectacular about a person who can get up on stage with nothing but an electric guitar and a voice, with no band to hide under. When done well, it can be oh so powerful. Georgia did it right and it was a perfect opener to warm up the ever-growing crowd.

    Finn Alexander and The Forever Party next, and they delivered a rock set full of big moments. The Freo locals on the rise had a huge presence on stage, with violinist Elise Hiatt mobile and making the most of the space. Opening with Married to the Machine suited the night well, with the folky-rock track up there with their best.

    Playing good, hard indie-rock with that Freo twang and hints of The National — Finn and the band have been going hard lately, and it shows. With plenty of long hair flying about as they rocked out (special mention to bassist Patrick Nielsen’s knight-of-the-round-table, 70s rock band look), the room was now packed, sweaty, and ready to let The Devil in.

    Time for the main event. Abbe May is a well-known force of nature — masked up in a black Donnie Darko rabbit look, she did not disappoint. You could hardly get a more appropriate bunch of musos to play with than these rough and ready misfits.

    The band and crowd were in full party mode; the creek (Aussie swamp) voodoo tunes were perfect for the dancefloor. With hats not out of place in 70s era Dylan, and fiddle to match, the Devil band were tight and heavy and having a good time. Special mention to Todd Pickett who is a drummer possessed, if ever I saw one.

    Most of the tracks were taken from the Hoodoo You Do album, but the crowd was also treated to more fine Abbe songs — pony covers and a few new ones to entice the crowd, with Crush It, Snort It a standout. Loose and swampy with a catchy chorus, it hit the audience with a bolt-like connection. New album coming? Hell yes — release the devil. It’s been too long.

    All-round great vibes and a friendly audience in the mood for the party, The Devil and Abbe May killed it, resurrected it, and let it out into the night.