Born Ruffians @ East BrunswickClub, East Brunswick(03/02/09)

Sat 7th Feb, 2009 in Gig Reviews

It has to be acknowledged that the name Born Ruffians won’t go a long way in ringing any bells for people here in the Great Southern Land. Aside from the occasional bit of air-play from the likes of alternative-network Triple J, your acquaintance with the Canadian trio might only extend to one simple scrap of information: they’re the guys who have that song on that Jeep ad. Admittedly, the band has been amongst my own recent discoveries. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find by the end of the night that the indie-rock ‘Ruffians had in fact earned themselves not only a substantial following, but a highly appreciative one to boot.

First support Fire! Santa, Rosa Fire! had driven down from Adelaide – their bassist arriving in Melbourne only twenty minutes prior to sound-check – so I had to feel bad for them playing to a crowd barely in its 10s, and slowly building. They launched into their set, and already their sound and their initial emphasis on ambiance had very much begun to remind me of Stars. The band is rock as rock can be, their sound jam-laden and intense right from start to finish. They’re certainly a talented group in this respect, but a change of pace from the stampedes of drums and the stabs of guitar mid-set was, ultimately, refreshing. The greatest thing I took away from Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! was an insight to their personalities, coupled with their genuine desire and love for performing. A slight technical fault occurred early on within their set, but their ability to weather the situation with their playful banter and charisma was a fun glimpse at a band that enjoys being a band, through both the ups and downs. Their music wasn’t necessarily my cup of tea, but the life in their performance endeared me to them by the end of their set. I suggest you check out War Coward, a highlight of their support slot, and one I did enjoy.

Next was Hot Little Hands. They begin with a certain brand of brooding, haunting hard rock, with an almost ominous overtone to it. In contrast to Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire!, Hot Little Hands felt stripped back just that little bit, with the welcomed inclusion of keys and peculiar percussion sections. The band played a well-rounded set, showcasing standard pop-rock hooks, to a well-executed cover straight out of the 60s, to the memorable These Will Be The Days (a wedding song for Australian songstress and former bandmate Clare Bowditch). Even halfway through their time at the EBC, frontman Tim Harvey had visibly broken into a great sweat – a sign that he, not to mention the band, were truly putting everything into their music. Again, another group to take the stage became another group that would shine and take obvious pleasure in strutting their stuff to an ever-building Brunswick crowd. It’s hard to box Hot Little Hands into one genre of music. Even listening to them post-gig proved that their catalogue is as diverse as I suspected. The five-piece closed with single Scene Of The Crime, a radio-friendly rock number, reminiscent to the likes of The Kinks. Put simply, its bands like this that will get you interested in discovering music all over again. Definitely recommended.

Born Ruffians took to the stage and immediately began to excite the EBC with an ambient, almost tribal introduction to their debut album’s title-track, Red Yellow Blue, frontman Luke LaLonde employing vocal loops to heighten the epic beginning. It isn’t long however, before the trio break into the simple straight-forward indie-rock that their fans know and love them for, with the distinct shouts of Barnacle Goose. LaLonde’s vocal ability was certainly a standout, and is to be envied and praised for its incredible elasitcity. This standard of performance was maintained throughout the evening, as the band played their way through their only album. Much to my surprise, given the minimum exposure the trio’s received in Australia, the warm-welcoming crowd (at this stage near-capacity) did not hesitate for one moment to sing along to each track. If you like Vampire Weekend, then Born Ruffians are certainly worth checking out. They have a blatant simplicity to their music – their repetoire of lead guitar, bass and drums rarely changing throughout – which might be annoying, if it weren’t so damn fun and catchy.

They played everything from material from old EPs, to entirely new songs. Fan-favourites of the night included Foxes Mate For Life, and, yes, that Jeep song, Hummingbird (a song that will effectively summarise everything that is the band Born Ruffians – have yourself a listen). Despite night nearing its end, the band re-emerged from the crowd to treat us to an encore, and they themselves seemed positively astonished – and, more importantly, appreciative – of the reception and the love from Melbourne during their time down-under. One song later, and it was over, but you could tell that neither the band nor those that came to see them were going to forget this one quickly.

This was a top gig, and its easy to see why: three bands, each with their own special qualities, each with a remarkable enthusiasm for their music, and each with an amazing potential to extend themselves further into the limelight. I can only hope that when Born Ruffians return that other punters are treated to a similarly impressive evening.