Busy sound engineer Dave Carter, who works with bands such as the Kill Devil Hills, Mink Mussel Creek and numerous others, was recently the unfortunate victim of thieves and had his van and PA gear stolen. Six bands joined forces for Reload at the Bakery, with all proceeds going to Carter to help him replace his equipment and continue his good work.
Kicking off the night were the B-movie Heroes, who played a tight set of country-rock with some psychedelic touches. They were a fun band but perhaps need a bit of imagination with their song naming (their set featured Your Girl followed by Complicated Girl – we get the idea about girls!).
Circuits Of The Sun were next and continued the country-rock sounds, although more on the easy-listening side. While earnest and possessing some catchy hooks, their sound was too middle-of-the-road and sounded like the audio equivalent of candy. There were some nice vocals and harmonica work, especially in the opener My Devils and Sinking Ship.
The eccentric Mink Mussel Creek were as entertaining and theatrical as ever, as well as being the first of the bands to break in a new drummer. In the spirit of 70s Jethro Tull, Mink Mussel Creek even managed to channel a one-legged flute player in the style of Ian Anderson with enigmatic tights-wearing frontman Nick (vocals/guitar/flute). With some fantastic instrumental work such as in Meeting Waterboy, an epic song featuring some great riffs and warped lyrics, the set was one of the highlights of the evening and brought the energy of the gig right up.
The much-lauded, but unfortunately not-often-seen in these parts Panda Band finally made an appearance in Perth, and rewarded their home town with a set of new songs. “It’s our first gig here. It’s been such a long time that it might as well be our first gig,” noted vocalist/guitarist Damien Crosbie, and their set was worth the wait.Their trippy, multi-layered sound (using keyboards, synths, guitars and one of the biggest effects pedalboards to have graced the Bakery’s stage) was a memorable sonic journey.
The Dirty Secrets’ 80s-influenced synth-rock was an interesting diversion from the guitar-centric sounds of the other bands. Opening with Running Tonight, The Dirty Secrets high-energy set continued with My Heart’s On Fire and Devil’s Inside, with the highlight being the closer Lighthouse. Featuring rapid-fire synth lines from frontman Jarrah McLeary, taut guitar riffs and a watertight rhythm, The Dirty Secrets are well on their way to greater things. Their light show was also the best of the night, punctuating their songs to great effect.
Local legends The Kill Devil Hills rounded off Reload with their intense, swampy blues. Frontman Brendan Humphries was impassioned as always, and dedicated the suitably-named Nasty Business to Dave Carter (hinting that the thieves would get some interesting treatment if Carter ever caught them). The band’s dirty, raw and dense sound made for a brooding and volatile show.
The evening was a great showcase of the variety of music that has sprung up in Perth lately – from indie, psychedelic rock, new-wave and blues – and all for a good cause. Another fantastic aspect of the Perth scene is that despite our isolation and smallness, bands will help each other out when it counts.
