Love of Diagrams, St Helens,Lee Memorial @ The Tote(24/05/2008)

Tue 27th May, 2008 in Gig Reviews

It was a cold night – one of icy bite when the couch, central heating and Eurovision appeared a perfectly reasonable idea – but the punters still flocked down to the Tote to see some of the Melbourne indie scene’s favourites. Besides a cold night at the Tote is a fine excuse to show off a new scarf; another great indie rock tradition.

The early arrivals were treated to the second gig from Lee Memorial, something of a Melbourne music mafia supergroup – though the band would surely scoff at such a tag. Even so, with members of several home town heroes including members of Gaslight Radio, Sodastream, Nation Blue, Paradise Motel and Ninety-Nine joining forces in the band’s ever evolving all-star cast it was little surprise to find a healthy early turn out for the opening act.

At first it was odd to hear Karl Smith’s vocals over the fuller, richer sounds produced by Lee Memorial after attending so many Sodastream gigs where hushed reverence and quiet tunes were the order of the evening. Though Lee Memorial did include the occasional cello backing, their sound is far richer than the softly, softly approach of Sodastream. They’re all seasoned on the indie scene so it’s little surprise that they sound so wonderful, but in just their second gig it’s clear that they’ve managed to gel into a group equal to the sum of its many splendid parts. Hopefully Lee Memorial will establish themselves as a Melbourne institution, much like the other bands of its many members.

St Helens followed and though Hannah Brooks shadowed practically every lyric from Jarrod Quarrell the two offered little in the way of interaction and at times it seemed Brooks was purely on stage to add a little mystique to the band’s drifting indie sound. The fact that she looked like an ad for American Apparel in art rock approved black tights and t-shirt probably doesn’t hurt her position in the group. While Quarrell’s lyrics boarded the line between dreamy and dreary ultimately their set was largely unmemorable and suffered further from wedged between two such impressive groups.

There were no such concerns with the headline set from Love of Diagrams. Stripped of any pretence the three piece play a crisp, clear and, here at the Tote, beautifully loud show that cut through the approving chatter of the punters. One (over)eager fellow took it upon himself leap to the side of the stage to skull pots to the amusement and appreciation of the crowd. The Diagrams were simply unfazed by the side-stage antics, with plenty of new stuff to test out the band got down to business with a lack of fuss, barely acknowledging their co-star. With their excellent Matador debut album Mosaic recorded with Bob Weston ( Mission Of Burma, Shellac) behind them, the Diagrams have rightfully gone international, earning the respect they deserve.

It’s perhaps a shame they aren’t packing the rafters at larger venues, but when a stroll to the Tote rewards you with such brilliance it’s truly a sign things are kicking in Melbourne despite the best efforts of developers and governments. The Tote is one of our finest venues and when some of our finest indie rock groups take the stage why would you want to be anywhere else, even on a bitterly cold night?

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