The Step Inn is an intimate venue at the top of Brunswick Street in Fortitude Valley, and tonight the doors open for some local bands to show off their wares. Clutching glasses of chardonnay and red wine, the beautiful indie crowd swan around and I am feeling slightly conspicuous with my vodka.
Five piece locals, STRATTON are up first and their music catches my attention immediately. Rock with a bit of punk and indie mixed in, the talented group, formerly known as Deadstock Circa are entertaining and for a young band, they display a maturity that will be an asset when they begin recording soon. Their songs are catchy and well written and performed without missing a beat.
A technical hitch holds MONTPELIER up for a few seconds as they begin but they calmly swing into gear, and begin a very chilled out and relaxed set. Informing the small crowd that they have just returned from LA where they are recording their debut EP, they launch into – Ε“The Rafters’, the standout song of the set. Lead vocal duties are shared between the bassist Greg Chiapello and the guitarist Dave Butler and their light vocals match the indie-pop tunes perfectly. The foursome has only been together since the start of 2009 but are very much in sync with each other, and their music, and tonight’s set suggests big things may be on the horizon.
I don’t think I have ever seen a lamp set up on a keyboard before, but in saying that, it has been a long time between the smaller gigs for this reviewer. However, the interesting set up on stage for THE ARACHNIDS makes me wonder what I am in store for. The crowd are a little stunned by the force of the front man Dead Bookner’s vocals and his eccentric dance moves as he struts around the tiny stage bashing at his guitar, and producing sounds that prompt the girl next to me to ask, is he taking the piss? Read my mind. The songs are erratic and the band are obviously striving for edgy but it’s just not paying off for them as the crowd disperse slowly out to the bar area and they receive a very lukewarm reaction.
With so many bands emerging, and so many sounds that are the same, a new band has to stand out from the crowd and as THE KILL SCENE take the stage for the final set of the night it is obvious that they know this. Taking a slightly different approach, using a drum machine, rather than a traditional percussion set, the alternative rockers, who have only been together for a year, are strongly influenced by Nine Inch Nails and The Cure and it shows. Jackson Walkden leads the four and has a strong voice. The music is dark and Walkden croons into the microphone, the lyrics washing over the crowd. I was a little surprised at how well the lack of a drummer’s presence seems to work but it does for the moment, and it will be interesting to see if they can pull it off down the track. Showcasing the material they are writing for their upcoming EP, The Kill Scene may need a little more practice but from the sounds of things they have some nice stuff already.
