Given the plethora of young talent signed to the Modular label and the renowned party atmosphere Modular strive to create, their new touring concept Tour Mod was sure to be a fun-filled affair. On offer for this eagerly anticipated Friday night was New Zealand born vixen Ladyhawke , newcomers Tame Impala and synth-rock favorites Van She , with Dj’s Andee Frost , Ooh-ee , Generik and Nick Foley filling in the gaps.
Perth band Tame Impala started off the night superbly offering a different flavour to the standard Modular pickings, providing phychadelic rock with a frenetic energy to get the crowd into the mood. Their tracks Skeleton Tiger and Half Full Glass of Wine were highlights and showed the bands ability to take music styling’s from the 60-70s and present them in an approachable, modern fashion. A cover of Blue Boy’s Remember Me setup the crowd’s energetic mood for the rest of the night and proved that although only newcomers, Tame Impala know how to play a great live set.
Andee Frost kept the atmosphere buzzing until Ladyhawke took the stage for her 80s synth-infused show. Ladyhawke, real name Pip Brown, instantly grabs attention with her forlorn and vulnerable cuteness and her opening track Professional Suicide sung emotively with eyes closed and head down, only furthered this perception. However as she went into her next track, Manipulating Woman, it became clear that this look was being accentuated through nerves and quite simply, she looked uncomfortable being the focal point of attention. This was unfortunate as her third track, the catchy Dusk Till Dawn, brought about comparisons with Tina Weymouth from her Tom Tom Club days only lacking the quirky energy required for such a track.
As the set went on Pip gradually gained assuredness and began to interact with the crowd more, and her major influences Pat Benatar, Cyndi Lauper and especially Stevie Nicks could truly be seen. When Back of the Van (a true tribute to Stevie Nicks) was played, Pip really began to channel her 80s idols and her true talent was shown. This was followed with her most popular track Paris is Burning and as soon as the Gary Newman Cars inspired riff came in, the crowd burst into dance, joining in singing the well-known chorus. Although Pip did manage to finally get into the swing of things at the end of her set, she still looked most comfortable when thrashing her guitar and shying away from the spotlight. In time and with experience she is sure to develop her live show techniques and truly realize her potential.
Ooh-ee kept things rolling with a mish-mash of 80s and 90s classics till the adored Van She took the stage. Van She’s album V was released Aug 9th and having just recently finishing touring on their national Party Tour and playing Splendour in the Grass this was sure to be a confident and entertaining live show. The contrast between the stage presence of Ladyhawke and Van She was immediately apparent, and their opening track The Sea had everyone’s eyes glued to centerstage and dancing along. This was followed by the frenetic Changes and then one of the crowd favorites Strangers, both performed perfectly and highlighting Van She’s skill at reproducing their recorded sound in a superbly tight fashion live. Cat in the Eye and Mission followed with leadman Nick Routledge clearly loving performing and this only added to the crowd’s investment of energy.
The highlight of the set was Sex City with guitar hooks combining perfectly with the highly addictive vocals and by this point the sweaty-mass making up the crowd was completely sold on the Club Mod concept and the prodigious talent of Van She. Finishing with Kelly the crowd was left wanting more and asking questions of where to get tickets for their album launch tour. Some argue that the synth-rock indie market is a saturated one with big names like Cut Copy, Midnight Juggernauts and the Presets dominating, however Van She are out to prove they deserve their time in the sun. With their brilliant liveshow and great debut album, they are certainly doing everything possible to achieve it.
Ladyhawke’s debut album is due Sep 13th, Tame Impala’s sometime in October and Van She’s is out now! Hopefully Modular continue to throw parties like this all around Australia to introduce some of the label’s talent to the Australian live scene.
