Ahead of their new album release due out in June, Schvendes are playing a handful of shows around the country kicking it off at The Rosemount Hotel promoting their single Repent and Repeat.
Opening the night of home grown talent to a very modest crowd of about 30 people was The Least Resistance with their very familiar brand of indie-rock. With their bassist Tim Fawcett missing in action gallivanting through Melbourne, frontman Damien Goerke and crew were joined by ex-bassist Brian Nimbalker for the night. Nimbalker was the original bassist back in the day when they were Quarter Past Five. Schvendes’ cellist Tristan Parr initially took a liking to the band after them after seeing them perform at a New Years Eve gig at The Hydey and it was clear why he did. With kickin’ beats and rolling basslines they impressed the audience with tracks such as Well, Here I Am finishing on an energetic high with Venom.
After a short break, the lights were dimmed on stage and an ambient hush fell over the growing crowd. Initially, Will Stoker & the Embers intrigued the audience, beginning with strong vocal solo, it looked like it was going to be a great set. Though as the set progressed, Stoker’s inner showman came out, along with questionable dance moves and Duff-Man style pelvic thrusting, it became increasingly obvious that he was more concerned with stage tricks than hitting his chops.
The band’s only redeeming factor was that guitarist Luke Dux did an incredible job of making songs like Belly of the Beast about as enjoyable as they could be. Looking well and truly spent by the end of their set, Stoker quipped “Yeah! We’re so fucking cool!” but, well… his see-through shirt and juju beads suggested otherwise.
Streetlight is one of those bands in the midst of the indie-rock band breeding ground that is Perth that rises above, stands out and blows everyone out of the water. These guys have such a fantastic band dynamic you can feel the energy radiating from the stage. Every song was executed with flawless precision, which is no exaggeration, if you’ve ever caught one of their live shows.
Every song was exceptionally impressive in its own way and each was equally as good as the last. Familiar tracks such as Sunshine Apartments and Attack That Gentleman in particular, scored points with their older fans in the crowd before closing with the high-powered, Rush.
By the end of Streetlight’s set, a rather large crowd had gathered, some at the bar and many more on the carpeted floor near the stage as if waiting to be read a story. Schvendes have this commanding effect on people. Many people have tried to assign an appropriate label to this band, but none have come up with a category that really encapsulates the essence of the band. You see, Schvendes is another one of those bands, as mentioned before, that rise above the standard rock band generic. From their musical theatrics and dramatic build-ups to Rachael Dease’s (vox/bass) often frightening, vocal power, there is no chance they can be ignored. Highlights of the set were Mockingbird with exceptional performances by Parr and Turn Out Your Lights with chilling vocal harmonies by Dease and Tara John (keys, vox)
Their highly anticipated album Sweet Talk Your Enemies is due for release on June 28th followed by a national tour and we can expect more exciting, stunning and incredible things from this group.
