It has been three long years since the song Oh Yeah put End Of Fashion on the Australian music map but since then the band have been unable to recapture the same vigour and originality that brought them recognition.
Sunday night was testament to this as the Perth band failed to exude any energy or excitement. Lead Singer Justin Burford admitted that he had the flu and this offcourse can effect a performance, but instead of pushing on despite his ailment the show just continued to go down hill. In the bands favour it must be revealed that the turn out for the show was ludicrous, with The Governor Hindmarsh lucky to be filled with fifty occupants. You can’t really expect to see a mind blowing show when the audience is small and underwhelming.
They played their more popular songs from Lock Up Your Daughters and The Game but the majority of the concert was filled with their new material off their album Book Of Lies due for release September 27. Rather begrudgingly they even played Oh Yeah (arguably their most famous song even though it didn’t climb as high up the ARIA charts as The Game ) but it was obvious by the glances exchanged between band members and Burford’s giggling that the four band members have grown to resent it because they have been unable to match its popularity.
On the plus side Burford did take the time to talk to the crowd in between songs and all four band members stuck around after the show to sign autographs and hang out with their fans, something which bands don’t do enough of.
Supporting End Of Fashion on their national tour where Harlequin League and The Seabellies. The former had the tough job of being the first band for the night, playing their hearts out whilst people started to enter the venue and get comfortable. Singer J Rogers was clearly having a lot of difficulty with his voice as he too was probably suffering the ill effects of a cold. Throughout the show Rogers would gulp down water in an effort to clear his throat, but it didn’t seem to help. Later on he could be seen out the front of The Gov coughing and spitting into the bushes.
Stand out band of the night were The Seabellies, who were made up of an astronomical six members, all of which could play at least three different instruments each. Trent, who is the main singer transforms into the drummer, then the guitarist, then the bassist, then the keyboardist and back again. Look away for just one minute and you would think that you were watching a completely different band as everyone moves around from one instrument to the next like their on a revolving stage.
Watching musicians that are talented at playing more than one instrument in incredibly fascinating and even a little hilarious, especially when the drummer Sean swaps with the singer so he can play the horn. Or when the keyboardist Stephanie suddenly starts playing the saxophone. At a time when talent is hard to come by and one band sounds the same as the next, The Seabellies are definitely a standout.
It does make you wonder however how sustainable it is to have six band members, all of whom don’t stick to just one role in the band.
Sunday night goes to show that sometimes the headlining band is not necessarily going to be the most talked about band of the night (at least not in a positive way).
