Rook @ The Espy, Melbourne(24/10/2008)

Mon 27th Oct, 2008 in Gig Reviews

The 27 Seconds tour hit the Gershwin, named for the first single from Melbourne rockers Rook’s shiny new EP Add Colour.

Engine 3-7 warmed up the crowd with their energetic stint on stage, but appeared to have peaked a little too early. Barely halfway through the set, and whilst things didn’t exactly fall apart, the performance never really surpassed the beginning of the set which definitely commanded the attention of punters.

From New South Wales came The Evening Son, who opened up with an extended instrumental intro before launching into a an onslaught of heavy drum beats, searing bass lines and soaring vocals courtesy of enigmatic front man Jared Melrose. The Evening Son are a recent phenomenon on the local music scene, and it shows in the at-times uncertainty that emanates off the stage, occasionally giving way to glimmers of brilliance and potential that make these boys one to watch for the future.

Lingering the midst of the already hyped up audience were numerous other local bands showing their support, including members of .hinge, Mammal and Schelite floating around inconspicuously, which is always a great thing to see at gigs of this caliber.

Having witnessed a live performance by Rook recently, one was a little better prepared for the sheer intensity that has rapidly become their trademark. Tonight celebrated the end of the 27 Seconds tour, which incidentally also kicked off in Melbourne a few months ago, as well as the release of the eagerly anticipated Add Colour, the follow up to the Transitions EP.

Shortly after midnight, a black curtain drew back to reveal the mirror-flipped Rook header which perched on the screen neatly above drummer Rod Crowe’s head. Just prior to hitting the stage, all four members of the band were wandering around in the crowd pumping themselves up, and boy did they savour the release of the pent up energy.

It’s difficult to avoid the cliché, but what diminutive vocalist Forbes McKail lacks for in height, is compensated by the big voice, and the larger-than-life presence on stage. From the back of the room, the vocals came out slightly distorted, and it was hard not to attribute that to the venue itself, which has never been a favourite for sound quality.

On the other hand, Tyson Fish’s looming presence was overshadowed by his precision with the guitar, and his ability to make his musical (guitar to be more precise) contribution the main focal point.

Bassist Adam May was in fine form, dreadlocks mimicking his fingers – dancing with no intention of stopping through the old and new numbers that formed the well-thought out set list for tonight.

In a little kickback to pre-Rook history, the boys shook the dust of the foundations of Rook and morphed into Paper Street, which featured almost the exact same line up, with the drummer being the only difference. Other highlights (bad pun not intended, but welcome to stay) included the lighting picking up around this point, which was perfect as Rook invited .hinge front man Glenn Johnstone and Guy Shenfield, guitarist for Bushido on stage for a very special super band performance that was marred by the cat-calling emanating from the back of the room.

Once again, Rook rams home and reaffirms the point that they are in fact, one of the best (yet strangely unknown) rock bands on the live and local music scene today. The successful release of the new EP represents (hopefully) a whole new sleuth of shows encompassing both the beloved classic tracks and the brand new shiny numbers that debuted themselves tonight, coupled with the trademark powerful and emotive performance.