Grey Daturas @ The Tote,Melbourne (22/11/2008)

Sun 23rd Nov, 2008 in Gig Reviews

I walked into The Tote on Saturday night armed with a pair of earplugs, ready for a night of loud music. If I could have fitted two pairs in, I would have. Everything is still muffled the day after. Stoner punk band Inappropriate Tough Guy Behaviour was first up. A two-piece with only a drummer and a bassist, they sure made a heck of a lot of noise. The small-ish drummer was leaping out of his seat as he hit his drums with intensity. After the first song, he ripped off the tape around his wrist and proceeded to go even more nuts. It was a good thing he was sitting facing the side of the stage as well because his gigantic cymbals probably would have shielded him from the audience. The focus and chemistry between the drummer and bassist were excellent, and the music that flowed from their instruments was mesmerising.

With two of their members becoming dads soon and the night’s show being their last gig till March next year, Dad They Broke Me were riveting on stage. I’m not exactly sure which genre to classify them as, there was a mix of noise and rock, and most of it was experimental. Asking the frontman what they were just led to the reply “Piece of shit?”. Although he is a nice bloke off stage, it’s a totally different story on stage. He sounded like he was literally screaming his lungs out. Half of the time he looked like a zombie, eyes glazed and limbs just hanging stiffly, while at other times, he was like a psycho in a mental institution, bashing his head with his hands as if he was trying to get the bad thoughts out of his head. It was hard to tear my eyes off him and focus on the other members of the band.

Probably one of the things I did not expect was to see a female singer for hardcore band Crux. And probably one of the things I least expected was to see an Asian female singer for hardcore band Crux. During the songs, she screamed and growled, but in between songs, she just seemed like any other soft-spoken girl, shyly speaking into the microphone. The rest of the band were clearly throwing themselves head-on into their music as well, literally. Both guitarist and bassist were headbanging their way through their set.

Hardcore band Robotosaurus stepped in for a quick set even though they were not on the original setlist. On the first note of the first song, the frontman leaped onto the floor and screamed into the microphone. All throughout the set, he was clambering onto speakers, holding onto the roof of the stage for balance, never staying still. After about three or four songs, they made way for Grey Daturas.

Initially, I thought there was a mistake, and that one member was missing because there were clearly four instruments (two guitars on each side of the stage, a bass, and a set of drums), but only three people were setting up. As the set progressed, I saw why. Both the guitarist, Robert MacManus, and bassist, Robert Mayson, took turns playing the drums. Repetitive trance-like drone erupted from the speakers. I have to admit, I drifted off quite a few times because of the cycling rhythms and deafening noise. And often, when I snapped back, they were still playing the same core rhythms. It was hard to tell when they changed, but it was clearly rather structured improvisation. From the way Bonnie Mercer brandished her guitar on the stage, it was clear she loved the music she played. Flinging her guitar downwards to get the desired effects, and shaking it violently above her head was just a few of the things she had to do.

The set climaxed at the end when all three members were on their knees on the floor playing with their pedals. It was hard to tell exactly what was happening, except that the crescendo of noise pretty much tore my earplugs apart. The volume was too much, even for me. I don’t know how some in the audience survived without any earplugs and not have their eardrums ruptured by the end of the gig. When the band finally finished, everyone seemed as if to snap out of a trance and go straight into “Oh my God, that was amazing!” mode. I know now to bring earmuffs instead of mere earplugs in the future.