It was a night for cheap thrills in a back alley of Perth. Cheap because the price right, and thrilling like a devilish spider monkey nipping at your heels.
The prospect of a garage-punk-rock band waiting down the stairs kept the trendy fluro jumper wearing kids skulking outside Capitol and the steadfast black torn jean wearing fans in the back alley of Amps.
Although, it was as if some sensing of this discerning matured audience had affected the judgement of venue management. ABC Saturday night police and crime dramas played out in the beer garden and main room as the audience gathered. The Bill was really meant for a guilty night in rather than following you to a gig cooing ‘slippers, robe and a cup of tea’. So with a passive set up the night got underway.
The openers were Tame Impala. With their long, cleanly washed hair the appearingly young band took to the stage with some originals and covers of a blues rock flavour. In tow were two video cameras and one still camera distractingly taking up all of the central floor space. Distractions of the beer garden mounting had many audience members finding themselves outside reacquainting themselves with old friends and PC Tony Stamp.
But unbeknownst to many outside there was a brewing taking place. As members of the night’s main act tuned and got the final technical checks in place there was a sizzling and hiss that was to later yield an uncompromising sound.
Emerging seemingly relaxed, Roman Tucker, Kit Warhurst, Dave Gray and Mickey Heartbreak, the members of Rocket Science assumed their positions.
And from the outset it was like a band possessed by an electronic organ jittering to an unholy beat. Red and yellow lights flashed and burned around the stage in the opening numbers kicked off by an instrumental intro and a wrenching Burn In Hell.
With the room heating up Tucker took the lead in throwing aside his jacket and dripping sweat on the keys. There was little more cooling to be gained throughout the set as the band stormed through four albums of material.
The raw and rough rasping and wails and clanging keys were unrelenting in the barrage of sound and then, like any good punk outfit, as suddenly as it began the noise ceased and Rocket Science disembarked.
