Elora Danan @ Rosemount

Tue 14th Apr, 2009 in Gig Reviews

After lengthy delays beyond the band’s control Elora Danan were finally able to celebrate the launch of their debut full length The Room Up There. The Rosemount Beer Garden filled up quickly, well before doors had even opened, hinting at the promising night to come. With a stellar lineup, a near capacity venue and plenty of drinks to be had this is a night that will be long remembered by both the band and their fans.

Openers My Mad Flow played and up and down set to a lukewarm reception. Their catchy pop rock didn’t seem to appeal to the masses; with many choosing to stay outside in the beer garden. Their set was filled with plenty of Do-Do’s and you guessed it, Whoa-oh’s, unfortunately the set was also plagued by a constantly out of tune telecaster and some atrocious three way harmonies.

The room filled quickly in anticipation of Melbourne’s City Escape on their fist trek out West. Their set was flawless; there was not a single weak element in this outfit. City Escape produced a dynamic sound ranging from crushing and heavy to beautifully melodic. The boys played older material such as For Stephanie from their 2008 Demo, whilst also previewing a large number of brand new songs that are set to appear on their soon to be released EP Avalanches and if Saturday’s performance was anything to go by, it is going to be one hell of an EP. The four-way harmonies were absolutely mind blowing and in stark comparison to those of My Mad Flow. These guys head back home knowing they’ve gained themselves a legion of new fans.

Up next was Perth’s favourite seven-piece We Are the Emergency, who have earned themselves a devout local following over the past year. What they lack in finesse they make up for up for in all out energy, screamer Ryan Lake made use of the little space he had on the Rosemount stage crashing into his fellow band mates whilst revving up the crowd. During the course of their set, a real life emergency was taking place outside with the police and ambulances attending an “incident” across the street, however this didn’t take away the crowd’s attention for long with the energetic seven-piece playing a solid and tight set.

A near capacity Rosemount was buzzing with excitement in the moments prior to Elora Danan taking the stage. Opening with the haunting Motion Without Meaning from their new album, featuring the immensely talented Isaac Kara on lead vocals the room began to come to life. With frontman George Green taking center stage as they kicked into lead single _Door Up Elevato _it was clear that this is a band on the brink of becoming one of the biggest groups in the country. Even a faulty bass guitar halfway through the set couldn’t halt Elora Danan’s momentum. Although their album was only released a couple of weeks ago, the crowd appeared to know and sing along to every new song.

The boys paid respect to their loyal fans by playing some old favourites such as Parallel Universe and Thank God For Their Growth In Faith And Love. With chants of “Check Your Smile” from the crowd the band came back on for an encore teasing their fans by busting into new song Ten Bucks Says It’s A Metaphor, dubbed “Get Your Breakdown On” by Green. After much reluctance from the band (Green referring to the song as “crap”) they played their hit Check Your Smile from their 2007 EP We All Have Secrets keeping everyone in the room happy. With charismatic Green at the helm, Kara at his side and a catalogue of strong material it is becoming more and more apparent that this is a band that will be making some big waves on the national scene in the very near future.