Melbourne band Goodbyemotel launched their second EP end.play to an enthusiastic and loyal crowd at the Evelyn Hotel. But not only were a handful of new songs receiving first-time public airing tonight, two local bands with the potential to cross over from indie rockers to commercially appealing outfits were on show.
Support act My Empires played their debut gig under this moniker, having previously performed as the inexplicable Sake Sake. A large crowd had gathered in time to catch the band who were advertised as ‘featuring members of 67 Special ’. The ‘members‘ was in fact only one, drummer Ben Dexter who was also on drums for this band. Fans of 67 Special’s intense, raucous rock – and of local garage rockers 84 whose guitarist Andrew Worotniuk is also dabbling in this local supergroup – would have been taken aback by the completely different musical direction of My Empires. Perhaps it shouldn’t have been so unexpected after all, given one of the reasons musicians form side projects is as an outlet to express their diverse musical interests.
My Empires’ line up was completed by Ant (vocals) and Dan (bass) from yet another local band, Second Dan. They tread between atmospheric and melancholy songs (‘Lost In Motion’) and melodic pop rock with a strong emphasis on catchy choruses and repetitive vocals (‘Brooklyn’ and ‘Don’t Wanna Be’). Their shoe-gazer, guitar influences showed up on ‘Turning Out OK’, which closed with an extended guitar jam accentuated by swirling, psychedelic effects.
What My Empires possesses above its members’ other bands is a commercial sensibility: upbeat pop-rock songs and some dark but accessible ballads that precariously border on indie and mainstream (read Coldplay, Matchbox 20 ).
Much the same can be said about Goodbyemotel, although the rock edge that is evident in portions with My Empires is not so prevalent in Goodbyemotel’s music. Theirs is a more considered indie pop with changing dramatic tempos, sometimes within the same song, and powerful expressive vocals.
They played tracks off end.play, including ‘All That Bad’, whose melodic chorus and soft blend of pop and rock showed why big things have been predicted for this band. Keyboardist David Schmidt sits quietly behind the keyboard, at times adding barely noticeable notes throughout songs but occasionally the keys came to life on select slower paced songs, as they took on a melodic, almost psychedelic character. The five piece band was joined onstage by a guest celloist who added a mellow and melancholy tone to their music’s already dark mood.
The newly chandeliered Evelyn Hotel (or have I been missing from there for a long time?) slightly diminished in numbers towards the end of the band’s set, but the enthusiasm for Goodbyemotel by those still present was unmistakable. Fans were engaged in singing along to tracks from 2005’s debut release Information and off the one week old EP end.play. ‘Get The Hell Out Of Here’ was popular, its gentle, slow verses that rose to big guitars and catchy, intense choruses were totally misrepresented by it’s angry title.
Goodbyemotel showed tonight that they have a strong set of songs and equally proficient performance of them live. They seem to be taking the gradually approach to establishing themselves, by releasing several EPs and building a loyal live following. But given the market for their type of dark, brooding indie rock it’s growing within this country and their chance to step up may come before they’d even planned.
