The Stems warmed up for a national tour at the Leopold Hotel, and proved to new fans and old, that rocking is just like riding a bike. It was an exclusive show for Perth fans who had the chance to pick up a pre release copy of the new and long overdue second album, Heads Up. Before the band embarks on a national tour with the Hoodoo Gurus and Radio Birdman.
It was an evening of time warp and temporal shift for everyone involved, the support act was young enough to be grandsons to most of the audience, but they were playing music that would have fitted right in alongside the tunes they were grooving to when they were underage themselves. The Howlin’ Novocaines gave the kind of performance Perth audiences have come to expect from the Northam boys since their success in the Next Big Thing competition. As Corey Marriot (vocals), in what is becoming a trademark move, jumped up on the kick drum and from there flew back to the mic stand, there was a gasp from audience members expecting him to go crashing straight through the drum kit instead. Such a stunt would go off well with a mosh crowd to launch himself into, and one hopes he will have the opportunity one day soon, before he gets too big for such things.
By the time The Stem* appeared on stage, the Leopold Hotel, was full to the brim with 40-50 something fans who have loved the band for over 20 years. A brief vox pop conducted among smokers and on trips to the bar revealed that many have been following frontman Dom Mariani ’s career since the band split in 1987.
The Stems appeared pleased to be back together, small grins of encouragement and were passed between the musicians and perhaps a note of surprise at the size of the audience; evidently they had not realised just how many people remembered them. The set delivery was tight, mixing old favourites such as Tears Me in Two and At First Sight with tracks from their new album.
The 12 audience members under the age of 40 reminded the rest of the audience how to dance; by the end of the set, the stage front was crowded with fans remembering what it was like to see The Stems play live including at least one gentleman who was moved to tears and crept back stage to shake hands and thank the band for their work.
Their new songs are along the same vein as their earlier work, classic psychedelic garage pop, different enough to give the fans something new to enjoy, and though their style hasn’t changed much from their indie-pioneer days, they still know how to pull together danceable tunes and get the audience smiling.
