Tonight was the second and final night of Big Sound showcases and security was tight at the Empire Hotel. In order to enter the Moon Bar I had to present my media pass, ID, get a stamp and a wrist band and have all these things checked by a security guard twice on my way upstairs, after which the door bitch still tried to sting me for an entry fee. Upon entering the Moon Bar I was distracted by booming bass from the DJ playing downstairs reverberating through the floor – very very annoying.

Sydney band Stone Parade and locals Ruby Tigers did nothing to take the bad taste out of my mouth. I’ve chosen to review both bands together as they were so similar that it was creepy. Both bands had:
– obviously rehearsed their sweet rock moves in front of a mirror for hours,
– enlisted two guitarists – one with a Fender telecaster, one with a Gibson SG,
– banners displayed everywhere with their logo on them,
– tried to incorporate “ironic” pop songs into interludes (Stone Parade – Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick In The Wall” and Ruby Tigers – Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love”)
– tacky merchandise that they very kindly offered to stick around after the show to sign,
– effeminate narcissistic frontmen,
– great haircuts,
– cliche lyrics,
– superfluous backing tracks.

The music? Over-polished commercial pop-rock in the vein of U2, Small Mercies and Hinder. These bands were the epitome of style over substance and even a tremendous vocal performance from Stone Parade’s Greg Byrne couldn’t win over the clearly disappointed and frankly bored crowd.

Phew, glad I got that out of the way. I’ve got a confession to make – I have a massive nostalgic soft spot for pop rockers Repeat Offender. Like the previous two bands they had merch on sale and attempted to play a pop song tongue-in-cheek as an interlude (Black and Gold by Sam Sparro), but what set them apart from the other two blands, sorry, bands was their genuine enthusiasm and happiness at being onstage and music with a slightly rough edge.
Vocalists Ryan Wilson and Steve Childs traded vocal duties during a setlist heavy on new material, but the best reactions by far from their sizable crowd came from old favourites “To a Modern Love” and “Are We Shaking The Foundations”. Whilst the new songs were good, they lacked the energy of the band’s older material with the possible exception of closing song “She Knows.”

The Paper and The Plane shuffled onstage with little fanfare and proceeded to blow the performances of the previous bands out of the water. Guitarists Paul Voge and Greg Ibbottson layered guitar parts that were both intricate and forceful over a strong foundation laid by the rhythm section. Vocalist Dan Van Zupthen crooned, wailed and screamed his way through most of their new release A Year, Two Months… old favourite “All That I Had” and eight minute epic “My Dreams”. By the end of their performance, the room was completely packed and the band delivered closing song “I Didn’t Sign Up For A Marathon” with a conviction and passion that all previous bands lacked.

Black Mustang blasted all pretence and commercial sheen from the room with a cranking set of pounding blues-rock. Steve Foster and Dan Starr took turns with lead vocal duties, showcasing tracks from their most recent release Between The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea. The small crowd lapped it up enthusiastically and although the late set time of 11:45pm did not work in their favour, the band was genuinely happy to be there and did not disappoint. If nothing else, lyrics like “I like you better when you’re high” were a refreshing change from the melodramatics of the previous bands.

If nothing else, this showcase was an excellent example of how style over substance will never equal fulfilling music – l can only hope the industry gurus I spotted at the event agree.