Bridezilla EP Launch @ theMandarin Club (28/11/07)

Mon 3rd Dec, 2007 in Gig Reviews

It’s a Wednesday night and there’s an unusually long line outside Sydney’s Mandarin Club on Pitt Street. The lift up to the Oriental room is not working and the pseudo indie kids outside are starting to get edgy. The event – Bridezilla’s launch of their new self-titled and long awaited EP.

Bridezilla, for those unfamiliar, are Newtown’s Holiday Carmen-Sparks on rhythm guitar and vocals, Pia May on lead guitar, Millie Hall on saxophone and keyboard, Daisy Tulley on violin, and Josh Bush playing the drums. Oh – and most of them are under 18. But put aside your prejudices, because Bridezilla are not an after school jam.

With a name like Bridezilla, you’d be forgiven for thinking they’re just another Goth band spewed from the inner suburbs of Sydney, but don’t underestimate the barely legals of today. Bridezilla put other teen prodigies to shame. Having already played alongside Wolfmother at the Great Escape and Eskimo Joe at the Enmore Theatre, these kids are climbing the indie rock ladder to success, with a helping hand from Ivy League Records. And some of them haven’t even finished high school yet.

With a set complimented by dozens of red roses creatively intertwined with sound equipment, the mood is eerie and a little dark up in the Oriental Room. With a sound similar to Maynard Keenan ’s other band, A Perfect Circle, Bridezilla bring to the foreground instruments that otherwise make just a few cameos throughout most rock albums. Daisy absolutely kills the violin with a talent well beyond her 17 years of age. Not that her other band mates are overshadowed by her flair. Although sometimes impossible to decipher, Holiday’s breathy vocals can suddenly turn into a rasping moan. Holiday and Daisy both have a strong stage presence, even hopping down occasionally to serenade the fans. Yet all bring an array of unique talents to create a sound all Bridezilla’s own.

Do they write all their own songs? Yes they do. Their EP only consists of five quite long songs, so where are the rest from their set? An intern informs me that they tire easily of their work, yet they have an ability to whip up a hit in an afternoon. Their final encore was made up during their sound check, hours before their EP launch.

So what can we expect next from a teen quintet with an ability to create a hit in 2 hours? Check them out supporting Architecture in Helsinki nationally, at Homebake in Sydney in December, and Laneway in March next Year. Their EP is in stores now.