There are really only so many times one person should review a band before it begins to look like the reviewer is on the payroll, Schvendes is one of those bands unfortunately, and so there will be no lyrical waxing over their Friday night performance; Not because the band doesn’t warrant it, simply to avoid accusations of bias.

Sharing the Shape stage were Pacific by Rail. This band includes the world’s tiniest bass player with the voice of an angel, albeit a terrified one. Their performance would have been vastly improved by an increase in tempo or at least a change of pace, and any kind of interaction with the crowd. Admittedly, it is difficult to interact with a crowd you can’t see because they are all sitting on the ground in the dark or crowded around the couple of surfaces available to put drinks on. Perhaps it was an unfortunate mesh of circumstance, this band is musically adept, but the mournful sound of the songs coupled with the long faces on the band members made it seem that playing a live set was the last thing they wanted to be doing. To be fair, it may have just been nerves, or the impression that they were playing to an empty room, but Friday’s performance was wholly uninspiring. Had they handed out razor blades at the door, at least the crowd would have had some idea of what they were in for.

In stark contrast, second billers, French Rockets, should have been handing out acid at the door, but even if they had, the crowd could not have been prepared for the onslaught of sensory input they were about to experience. Their light show is phenomenal. Even if you don’t like psy-trance, their show is a very persuasive argument for all things mind altering. A cynic might suggest that a band who brings their own lights is perhaps overcompensating for something else, however, two tracks into the journey, it became clear that the lights are necessary for transporting an un-chemically enhanced audience into the head space where the music makes sense.

There are no words to describe it, but possibly there are brightly coloured chalks that would describe it well on a lounge room wall. The music is inspiredly psychedelic, and would be impressive just by itself; Then the lights make sure you don’t miss a moment of it. Having tried them once, you will be compelled to find out when they are playing again so that you can take your friends. This band has hit on the perfect way to begin a musical revolution, because people will come for the lights, and stay for the sound.

At the stroke of midnight, or just a bit after because of some fun with soundchecks, Schvendes hit the stage, and filled the dance floor… sort of. Since there were about twelve people camping on the ground in front of the stage, the band probably thought they too were playing to an empty room except for their most comfortable fans. Schvendes may be the only band in Perth that can count a zombie among their fans, and as much as the band was uncomfortable at the suggestion of a growing legion of zombies swelling their audience, several of the other punters were clearly amused by the idea. By the end of the set there were at least 4 people doing the undead shuffle, and video evidence that may appear on u-tube one day soon.

As always, the band were poised and beautiful, building the set slowly, throwing in a new song, which demands a second listen, so hopefully they will bring it out again for their next gig. The end of the set crept up on everyone, and after frontwoman Rachel Dease announced that it was their last song, the band, seemed to forget their poise, and go their instruments as hard as they were able, taking the set out with a bang.