First up were Adrian Hoffman and Ellen Oosterbaan from Empty State . Whilst their youthfulness was apparent lyrically, their innocence was both endearing and captivating. With a pure sound of acoustic guitars and sweet-sounding harmonies, this well matched 2-piece played with a kind of sincerity and graciousness that charmed the crowd, without letting their nerves get the better of them.
Next on were Tame Impala . Here are some boys that know how to jam. All 3 members were masters of their instruments and strutted their stuff with an intriguing level of nonchalance not often seen on kids their age. Looking like the Kings of Leon and sounding like The Doors, they played with a tightness that was mesmerising and very impressive. An inspired cover of Blue Boy’s 1997 hit Remember Me was a highlight of their set.
The young crowd eagerly anticipated The Flairz’ arrival on stage and squealed joyously when they arrived. They took a few songs to hit their straps but both Dion Mariani and John Mariani played some awesome guitar solos, with Scarlett Stevens (drums) and Georgia Wilkinson Derums (WD) (bass) providing a decent backbone throughout the set. Vocally not as strong as instrumentally, lead vocals were traded between the Mariani cousins and WD, giving some variety to their sound. John’s vocals were disappointingly muffled at times, Dion sang with confidence and WD could do well to connect more with the audience. With a small stage restricting the possibility of too many rock manoeuvres, Dion did his best to entertain the crowd with his windmill-esque guitar moves.
The novelty value of seeing The Flairz is starting to wear off as they age, and their by-the-book AC/DC style guitar driven rock would definitely benefit from more stage presence to match their impressive musicianship. Having said that, they obviously have some loyal followers who were jumping about throughout the set and thoroughly enjoying themselves. The finale came with Abbe May (vocals) and KT Rumble (guitar) from Abbe May & the Rockin’ Pneumonia joining The Flairz on stage for a cover of Cherry Bomb , giving ample opportunity for all 3 guitarists to show off their amazing talents.
Capping off the night were Abbe May & the Rockin’ Pneumonia with their sultry blues. Although out of place due to their adulthood, no-one was complaining. May’s divine vocals were gutsy, raw and smooth all at once and are simply a sound to behold. Her band-mates provided solid backing and Alexico P. R. Che’s wailing violin mixed especially well with May’s vocal instrument. Not mixing so well was May’s whistling on a few songs that came over slightly piercing but, perhaps that’s only because May’s vocals are too splendid to be interrupted with such oddities. After the lights were rudely turned on a song before the end, the band finished off a satisfying night which left the audience in no doubt that the Perth music scene has a rosy future in the hands of these youngsters who showed great talent and ample potential.
