The Bakery is fast becoming everything that Amplifier used to be, before it was taken over by the masses. On Friday night, it hosted Schvendes and a host of local supports for a night of music from the shadowy side of rock. You can see al the photos from the night, here

Standing in for Simone & Girlfunkle, who were sidelined with a shoulder injury, was an coustic duo fronted by singer Felicity Groom. Opening with an eerie solo played using a violin bow on a saw (yes.. a saw of the tree cutting variety) to the tune of a funeral waltz, Felicity’s set comprised of songs of heartache and loss, darkness and light. “I opened the gates to get inside your head” sang Felicity’s classically beautiful voice “Now you’re wondering who the criminal is instead”. Backed by spaghetti western Portishead-style guitars, Felicity danced slowly around the stage and threw sultry looks at gentlemen in the audience. Closing with a recent EP opener Treasures, described by Felicity as an “anti-love song for for all the anti-lovers”, and Morning Sunbird Smiles, Felicity left the stage as she entered; with a second haunting saw solo.

Formed in 2008 and relatively new to the Perth live scene were next onstage, Shock! Horror! Like all new bands that aren’t yet stage hardened, their set was a bit loose in places and there was virtually no crowd interaction, but damn these kids have potential. Crossing their sound somewhere between The Arcade Fire and an early incantation of New Order, you can almost close your eyes and imagine you are listening to an early Yeah! Yeah! Yeahs! gig. And they look damn cool as well – guitarist and bass player Natasha is the epitome of a New York doll with perfectly shaped hair and high heels. With the catchy hooks and the sparse and shouty lyrics to tracks like Four Day Weekend and Vessels, if they can get their songs together and create more crowd interaction, Shock! Horror! is sure to grow a bigger fan base.

Coming in from the furthest reaches of the darkest caves of your mind came These Ship Wrecks. If you’ve ever listened to Godspeed You Black Emperor or Expolosions In The Sky and liked what you heard, you need to see this band. With their 10 minute plus sonic explorations building from minimal humming cellos and ending in twisted eruptions of guitar pedal noise, These Ship Wrecks’s brand of post-rock is both melodic and emotional and, in an unusual twist for many post rock acts, highly listenable. Onstage, each member of These Shipwrekcs appears lost in their own musical bubble, yet the resulting wall of sound is a cohesive and increasingly forceful noise. From the pedal fuelled interjections of guitarist Nathan Savage to the droning cello solos of Allie Clark, this is a band to watch. These Shipwrecks are releasing a demo EP in the not too distant future.

After releasing their debut album Sweet Talk Your Enemies last year, headliners Schvendes’ live act boasts a formidable tracklist. Having toured extensively, Schvendes’ sound is tight and balanced, allowing each member to let their respective instrument shine through each song. And with two guitars, two keyboards, a cello and drums, Schvendes have an extensive pallete of sounds to craft. “Lets get all the heartbreaking songs out of the way early” joked singer Rachael Dease. Twice The Man and earlier track The Scoundrel’s Made An Outcast elegantly display Schvendes’ influences, but it was track Small Mercies Sweet Graves that was the set highlight. The dark, brooding basslines and soaring two-part crying vocal harmonies make this song one of the best written by a Perth band last year. Whilst crowd interaction was again slight, the audience clearly enjoyed Schvendes’ set and they proved to be a perfect headliner to a night of music of the darker variety.

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