With the American dollar worth about as much as an election year promise suddenly the flight Down Under doesn’t seem so daunting to the army of international bands set to attack shores this summer. Most punters already have their summer nights booked and their ticket draws overflowing. So will the guys and gals of the local scene struggle against the invasion? As two of Melbourne’s most hyped next-big-things took to the East in front of a slightly underwhelming audience it was a tempting explanation to blame smaller than expected crowd on the coming onslaught of gigs.
Then again a Friday night in Melbourne is never lacking for quality gigs and maybe the kids were simply seeking other pleasures this evening. Either that or they were home finally removing that hideous line of fluff that emerged above their lip during the Movember month.
Little Red, riding pretty on the back of hefty JJJ support, are the first of the hyped names to take the stage. With their slick harmonies and 60s R&B riffs Little Red are only a roller skated waitress away from recreating the best night you’ve never had at the local sock hop. And when the kids hit the diner for their post gig cheese fries and pop they can argue about who’s the best Red. It’s only a matter of time before the gals start wearing pins with the face of ‘their’ boy.
Want to relive the moment when Matthew Broderick became a howling ball of pent up John Lennon in Ferris Buler? Dom’s your man. Prefer a sweeter charm; maybe a boy to hold your hand at the school dance? – that’ll be Quang. Cocky like a kid on the make who’s let his roaming eye distract him from a Rat Pack audition – Mr Tom Hartney. While at his stage left mic Adrian is the dark horse; the man of mystery. Up back, Taka keeps time with metronome head bobbing and a grin that could swallow the Cheshire cat whole. Wrap all that in matching shirts and stand safely back from the buckling knees of the girls in the front row.
Tonight though the boys are a little rough around the edges. With another band it might not matter, but when you’re dealing superbly cut gems a bit of rough handling can easily cause damage. Quang’s vocals are almost lost when he steps to the lead mic and things just ain’t as tight as we’ve come to expect from a Little Red gig. The premiere of a ska flicked tune certainly needed to tighten up. And an attempt to coordinate some crowd participation hand-clapping is as successful as a Tony Abbot leadership challenge. With a busy few months ahead – including at least two of the big festivals; Meredith and Laneway – it looks like Little Red are mucking about before the real business
Yet even on a lesser night it’s a brave band who takes the stage after a Little Red show. The Trap acknowledge the of the power of Little Red with Trap leadman Dougy noting that they should bottle their goodness so that when ever you’re down there’s a handy dose of fun and happiness nearby. The punters have their own bottles of happiness after a visit to the bar reveals the beer taps are down and it’s only bottles of the amber stuff tonight. Ah well.
The Temper Trap open their set with huge instrumental fanfare and seem prepared to claim the stage as the evening’s headliners. But three songs in and the punters are still holding back and though they’re easily persuaded forward with a little coaxing the gig never quite sparks.
Somewhere in the indulgence and volume is the great band capable of delivering singles as strong as ‘My Sun’. Their strength lies in the Dougy’s elastic vocals which stretch and bend his lyrics to raise the band above the swarms of contenders singing the slogans of the Bloc Party. But in their efforts to break from the pack they fallen into the trap of indulgent noodling, turning from their pop strengths in the odd belief that directionless instrumental sections are the same thing as creative development. They seem to want to be something ‘more’ than a indie/pop/rock band but have become lost in the experiment. It’s glaringly obvious whenever their drummer steps out from behind the kit to offer a few programmed beats and unnecessary guitar lines. Unfortunately for the Trap they haven’t raised the bar, only the volume.
It may seem ridiculous to comment on the dance moves of a bass player, but earlier gigs featured so many distracting dance moves that the Trap were in danger of becoming known as ‘that band with the poncy bass player’. Now they may be challenging Wolf and Cub for ‘most directionless, crowd losing instrumental breaks’. Their bass player may still hold his guitar bizarrely high – what’s he trying to hide up there? – but at least he’s reduced his jerking dance movements. So some improvements have been made.
Neither band turns out a dud show, but both can, have and will deliver better. Like those broken beer taps it’s probably just an off night and while the crowd still gets close to what they wanted it’s still not quite the perfect cold pot they were hoping for.
