Tim Loydell & The Deckchairs,Repeat Offender, Travelling Soand So's @ The Zoo, Brisbane(11/10/08

Mon 20th Oct, 2008 in Gig Reviews

The first act from the All Hands on Deck charity tour was The Traveling So & So’s, a young ambitious band who have merged the sounds of harmonica, drums, guitar, sax, trumpet, and epic vocals to create a tremendously energetic live performance. Their songs Old Lyon Town, Forced Seasons and Crazy Daisy are a testimony of the bands unpredictable scope combining elements of folk, blues, pop-rock, and jazz. With their diverse talent apparent, it was an impressive set from this relatively new band.

Next up was local Brisbane melodic rock band Repeat Offender, who looked genuinely cheerful and excited to be on stage – despite the fact that since 2003, these guys have toured profusely, performing hundreds of shows at different venues. Carrying strong and clear voices, Ryan Wilson and Steven Childs shared the vocal spotlight as this punk-rock band commanded stage presence. Credit must be given to the impressive drummer Dane Karolak’s style, as he nailed proficiency and regularity to perfection. Last Kiss showed off guitarist’s Alex Markwell and bassist Matt Newton’s striking skills, and Lost illustrated the bands more boy-bandish style. Although a lot of the tracks sounded very similar, they also covered aspects of dance rock to punk-rock, in a very Gyroscope kind of way. The last track played, She Knows, was by far the most enjoyable, and by the end of their set I had certainly grown fond of their enthusiastic performance.

Tim Loydell & the Deckchairs met at QUT only last year when they discovered their collective passion for roots music. The five members, ranging from 19 – 21, have produced a sound well beyond their years, encompassing beautiful lyricism and delightful instrumentals. The songs of their EP are nothing compared to their live performance, with Loydell’s powerful voice, and the bands sound being similar to that of John Butler Trio, absolutely taking over the room. Talent was dripping from Tim’s fingers as he played the acoustic guitar in a variety of ways, including two handed tapping, which is rarely seen from such young performers these days. The favoured tracks included Little Boy, Morning Star and My Oh My, and they even did a quick cover of John Lennon’s Imagine.

The flow between the songs was impressive, and in the breaks Tim was witty, telling punters at the back on the chairs that he was glad they moved from their couches at home to stools at the bar. They band played such a variety of tunes, ranging from roots and blues to rock and funk, and a bunch of frantic fans at the front seemed to enjoy every bit of the show, even creating their own mosh pit when they finished on a Rage Against the Machine cover Bullet in Your Head. The hard jamming was a fantastic way to finish a fantastic performance, and I would certainly be stoked to see more of these guys again soon.