Afraid You'll Fall, Ladies &Gentlemen, The Attendance, @Lanyon Youth Centre (25/07/08)

Tue 29th Jul, 2008 in Gig Reviews

Walking into a youth centre for a gig and not seeing the expected underage crowd was definitely unusual. It was delightful and somehow reassuring to be standing in a room full of overage music lovers despite the lack of a flowing liquor supply. Especially when no other night was more deserving of celebration, Lanyon Youth Centre here in Canberra was the final show for the Give It east coast tour, and oh my what a party it was!

The Black and White hailing all the way from Melbourne opened the night with their smooth melodic rock setting a very relaxed mood for the night. Showcasing all the songs off their brand new EP Trading Hours for Seconds. An electric performance of Second Spin was busted out to finish off their set.

With the PA front of house speakers turned right up, a sudden burst of energy from Sydney rockers Ladies and Gentlemen suddenly changed the pace of the night. The intrigued crowd grew larger when they broke out their very own rendition of Justin Timberlake live on stage. The crowd continued to grow as the combination of strong yet quirky vocals, electro synths and a punchy pop/punk sound was just too irresistible.

Sydney’s The Attendance (formerly Not Write Now) are not unfamiliar to the Canberra scene. Returning for the first time in 2008 with brand spanking new tunes, merchandise and of course the new name. Crowd favourites Evergreen and We Take What We Can Get from their debut EP Sleep Is Made For Sundays naturally had the crowd clapping and singing along. Just Add Water saw the addition of David Wine, singer from Afraid Youll Fall join the band on stage as a screamer and additional vocals. The stunt definitely added to the performance and everyone got to hear something just a little different. The onstage antics and witty inter-song banter is a comedy routine on its own, the punters are very lucky it is accompanied by great live music.

To prove that they deserved the headline spot for the night by putting 110 percent into their passionate performance, Afraid Youll Fall gave it all the energy and emotion they could. They played mostly new material with some songs yet to be named and releasing A Novel Beginning which is now available on their new demo. Maintaining the intensity throughout the set Liar, the only song to surface off their debut EP Days of Parallel was again a crowd pleaser.

Normally a promoter would say that a turnout of this size is somehow disappointing for and all ages show. However, ask anyone who attended and it is certain you’ll hear otherwise. The atmosphere, caliber of talent and enthusiasm from bands and crowd alike was more than enough to fill the venue. And what a venue! It is fully supervised and drug and alcohol free. It is located at a large shopping complex in Condor which provides free parking, plus hot food and drink is available all night. It may be a trek from the city, but Lanyon Youth Centre is great for south siders and the perfect venue for all ages gigs.