Squeezing your band onto a stage the size of a Harlem bathroom when you have eight thousand members and (at least) as many instruments is no easy feat. Trying then to move around and swap roles as frequently as the lady and gentlemen of The Gin Club did, and still pull said multiple instruments into a rich, full and cohesive sound is bloody hard and damn impressive. After touring off the back of their latest album Junk, these Brisbane bards have had the chance to hone their craft, and on the bottom floor of the sparsely populated Bar Soma, they showed the fine result. Days was a perfect example – the rolling balladry chased a full guitar spread as the full force of all involved lurched out of the surprisingly well tuned PA. The lucky audience was treated to a sonic slap, well and truly whetting the appetite of this fan for their upcoming Brisbane and Splendour spots.
An unfortunate front of house electrical failure cut what was a blossoming set short, but allowed for an unexpected gem. Mid-song and amplification poor, the resourceful lads relied upon a lone acoustic guitar and the strength of their own pipes to strike a chord in the now resonating room, fashioning a delicious soft drink from the proverbial lemons.
Touring to promote a new single and soon to follow album, Youth Group posed more questions than they answered. Their new material, for the most part, seemed a little lacking in direction and pull; what was obviously an attempted departure from routine may prove to be in the wrong direction. That said, one particular song, named for a street in Berlin with far too many letters to remember, was terrific. Strong and tuneful, it set Toby Martin’s eerily powerful voice against the dramatic soundscape worked up by the rest of the band, which is when Youth Group are at their best. Despite the dangers of sticking to a formula, there are certain strengths that they should perhaps play to. Or then again, maybe that would be being lazy.
Sampling a smattering of their older stuff, the band gave us Catching and Killing, Daisy Chain and two songs from their absolute corker of a second album, Baby Body and the title track Skeleton Jar. Having surely played them all so many times, to all sorts of crowds from Coldplay and Kings of Leon fans to their own devotees packed into The Troub, they glided through them with flair. Hopefully, what is one of Australia’s most dynamic and underrated bands will deliver with their new record. Hopefully their initially disappointing songs will turn out to be slow burners that join the ranks of their other poignant and prescient cuts. Hopefully.
