Sugar Army @ HQ

Tue 9th Dec, 2008 in Gig Reviews

Sugar Army are one of the reasons why Perth should begin to pour their faith back into the local music scene. Although sounding slightly similar to other bands at the moment, Sugar Army brings with them a Wolfmother/Gyroscope sound and a garage-band style that cannot be found in any act. They bring that raw energy to the room that so many regular people find impossible to find; guaranteed to have yourself forgetting all dignity and fighting an urge to rush to the front and sing their catchy songs while dancing. This style that the boys brought to HQ so well prompted predicted excitement; proving that the Perth music scene hasn’t dried up now that John Butler Trio and Eskimo Joe have left it.

Sugar Army was the last act to take to the stage at 7 Sounds, so a healthy crowd was already beginning to form. Come 4.55, the room was still filling slowly but surely, and the band trudged on, not giving the slightest hint that the next 45 minutes was going to be the liveliest yet. But the minute they began playing their first song, Jigsaw, their raw energy seemed to shine through and expose them, however, the energy didn’t seem to engulf the crowd as well as it should have. Power and confidence was clearly one of their main strategies as the lead singer, Patrick Mclaughlin, belted out the tune with no mercy. People began moving to the front, as if magnetically drawn to them, and by the third song, the majority of the crowd was towards the stage. Although still a relatively unknown band, through their stage manner alone, Sugar Army could march their way into the big, bad world of music.

By about 4 songs into it, they began to slow it down, however not in the way that made it seem they were running low on whatever kind of wonderful fuel they used to stay so energetic. It seemed like they needed to give the crowd a break, not themselves, as the crowd seemed somewhat inferior to their magic. “We actually played at a schoolies week just recently, which sucked because everyone was drunk and smashing each other up, and they all went to Rottnest anyway so this is way better!” joked Mclaughlin. Although the crowd didn’t seem too lively, statements like this seemed to get a cheer from the crowd; perhaps being comforted by the fact that they were better than a bunch of drunken teenagers (which in itself isn’t exactly hard or thrilling).

As the act progressed, it seemed to get better, as the crowd began warming up to them, and enjoying the occasional witty remark that the lead singer threw at them. The drummer was shirtless halfway through, and the lead guitarist was jumping around like crazy, which normally would’ve made him look like an idiot, but for some reason he just looked good.

By the end of it, disappointment began settling in as the crowd realised that Sugar Army’s dazzling act was drawing to a close. It was obvious that the band felt the same way, as after their enormous cheers and applause erupted, they made their way back onstage for an encore- Toxic. Although originally a Britney Spears song, (which a lot of the members of the crowd horrifyingly realised), the band turned it into a better song, with the singer hitting all the notes accompanied by the furious, talented drumming.

Rolling Stone has already reviewed them, begging for the rest of the album Where Do You Hide Your Toys, and Beat Magazine raved that “Four on the floor dance rhythms stutter in math rock explosions”. Like their song first song, Jigsaw, Sugar Army just seemed like the perfect band to see live. Each member brought to their gig their own special aspect, which helped to turn the little things into one big piece of the puzzle: a charismatic, talented band, which nowadays, is getting harder and harder to find. Doing exactly what they did to Rolling Stone, Sugar Army left the crowd hungry for the other half of the album. Hopefully the boys won’t disappoint and soon produce the next sugar rush everyone is waiting for.