The latest installment of Really Good In Theory, now in its third year, was held at the Irish Club. The daytime market saw offerings that ranged from homemade zines to packets of chai mix. Grabbing a chai and a tasty Indian semolina sweet from the food stand, I parked myself on a comfy sofa and watch some movies including one of woman with a life sized doll/puppet strapped to her back attempting to go about her daily routine.
The Monies got the night time component of RGIT under way, kicking it back to 1996-style Australian indie rock. The trio plodded through a set laced with sentimentality and nostalgia for a bygone era, with friends and partners making up the still growing crowd. The Monies, are probably better known to some as local legends The Moonies, and tonight perhaps the variation of the name could explain the lack of punters.
Following The Monies, Cameron Wood, took the stage armed with a guitar and bag full of pedals. Over the course of ten minutes Wood ‘played’ the guitar creating a looped ambience that wasn’t without its hiccups, mainly owing to the PA and poor mixing.
One third of Hit the Jackpot, Kynan Lawlor, was the second of the solo guitarists tonight. His set started with a tin whistle introduction, which I assume was in honour of the Irish Club. The tone of the guitar was fuzzy and was played with the abandon that Lawlor is known for. My only qualm was I couldn’t hear the vocals – perhaps this was the intention.
The Family Hour over from Melbourne were the quirkiest band of the night, fusing some piss-funny antics and a musical splatter of country, 80’s hip hop and some other odds and ends. Anyone who likes early Beck, Ween or anything Tre Parker and Matt Stone do would probably enjoy these guys.
Back to the local scene and Cities Roamed By Cannibals played an angst rock set that certainly lived up to their name. CRBC proved to be the loudest set so far and are probably still a little way of being ripe for the picking – keep your ears out for them.
The Avant Gardeners, took over the stage, as well as the back wall, during their set, with nine or ten members clambering onto the stage and some psychedelic picture projections. In their first show in almost twelve months, AG boasted six guitarists on stage during their set, the numerous guitars used creating layers of swirling fuzzy vibe. The vocals were delivered in an almost stream of consciousness ramble in a Captain Beefheart meets Lou Reed kind of way. If the singer had been fed more piss, I’m certain the set may have taken an interesting turn…for the better or worse.
Due to the backward public transport system in Adelaide I was unable to catch No Through Road, playing Cinderella in order to catch the last train to Noarlunga at a piss-weak 11:55pm.
