Hold Hands @ The Tote,Melbourne (26/07/09)

Sun 2nd Aug, 2009 in Gig Reviews

The Tote hosted community radio fundraiser ‘Hold Hands!’ organised jointly by a bunch of Melbourne’s independent record labels. Sophie Best from Mistletone, one of those labels, described the event as designed to showcase Melbourne’s indie talent – which it certainly did.

Launching into the festival Spider Vomit’s set tickled me pink. I really enjoyed it – the way the band disguise a good grasp of songwriting fundamentals with a dissonant veneer, the brilliant drumming, obsolescent gender, Hannah Brook’s verve. The shared vocals – between Hannah and Craig – delivers often ungainly duets: ‘The love don’t take/what the love don’t want’.

I permitted myself just one CD purchase all day and chose Spider Vomit’s album Widow Walk. It came with a special Hold Hands CD, a nicely crafted souvenir created with love and charity just for the event.

Black Cab have just released their third LP, Call Signs, and sounded just like The Doors, or at least singer Andrew Coates sounded just like Jim Morrison – is this the same thing? I heard lots of people in the audience making the comparison, plus a few ‘bit like Joy Division’ comments.

The Sand Pebbles peddled their psychedelia, followed on the downstairs stage by fellow Melburnians Kes Band, who I found almost entrancing. Kes Band reminded me of America but only loosely and without coming across as derivative. I get the impression Kes Band’s Karl E. Scullin is very creative, and indeed he has been described in The Age as a ‘deeply idiosyncratic songwriter’.

Jessica Says, a pop setup fronted by Jessica Venables, provided a point of contrast for the day. On keys, accompanied by synth and strings (among other instruments) she offered a soulful break from rock, as well as a compelling vision, performing as she did in a matte black spandex jumpsuit, sleeveless. While she released her debut LP We Need to Talk this year, Jessica has already had a varied and noteworthy music career, playing with New Buffalo and performing lead cello with the Melbourne Youth Orchestra.

Kid Sam played upstairs in the Cobra Bar – a garish intimate space. The acoustics out of the stage-space were tinny, which suits Kid Sam’s particular brand of percussion. The crowd was beginning to thin out – I think people were being sensible on a Sunday night and catching St Helens downstairs on the way out and home.

Finally, Beaches rounded out the day. A testament to the trend for ‘cross-pollination’ among Melbourne’s indie scene – everyone’s in each others’ bands – Beaches stars musicians from Spider Vomit, Panel of Judges and Love of Diagrams. I love their hazy psych and surf rock, their epic sound. Horizons was a highlight.

The event reportedly raised over $6700 for RRR, PBS, FBi and SER – a welcome boost to community radio coffers in both Melbourne and Sydney. It was a great idea to harness the talents of Melbourne’s musicians, who make for a currently robust independent music scene, and all for a good cause. I look forward to the next fundraiser.

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM THE GIG HERE