The Vandas, The Cheats @ PennyBlack, Melbourne (5/09/09)

Sun 6th Sep, 2009 in Gig Reviews

Two-man band The Cheats played a racing set as G. Julian Tovey and Tom “Coops” Cooper maintained a suitable level of punk-rock intensity for the half hour set that felt like about ten minutes. These guys performed exactly like they grew up on a diet of The Ramones and the barrage of other punk-rockers that spewed from their influence. Both musicians were committed to increasing your heart rate and unleashing some young-blooded-male attitude in a wall of punk racket.

The drums and electric guitar combo did feel sparse at times, something a bit of bass could have remedied nicely, but then of course their sound wouldn’t be quite so raw and serrated, something they are obviously going for and is appreciated judging by the nodding heads in the room.

Julian worked some erratic-punk rock-n-roll moves, jumping up onto his toes and shaking in electrified convulsions. In between songs the boys were pretty relaxed, casually discussing which tunes to play next, before plunging into another two-to-three-minute party-starter. Run For Your Life was the stand-out track of their wam-bam, thank you mam set.

The Vandas gave a sturdy performance with relaxed, sway-in-your-seat rock and roll harmonies. They are the kind of band that sounds like any given combination of your favourite rock and roll heroes, as familiar to you as your parents’ old records. This does make their music feel like it has been done before, but with a strong adherence to the fundamentals of classic rock instead of transient contemporary trends, it instantly sets them up as a genuine Australian rock band that will likely transcend passing fads.

The Alarm filled the room with Bob Dylan lyrical honesty and classic, rock and roll embellished progressions. Like many of their songs, Slow Burn had some nicely delivered three-way vocal harmonies that had you wanting to sing along.

Each band member drank a shot provided by someone in the audience towards the end of their set, gulping them down in a laid-back, unpretentious fashion. These guys weren’t just there to impress the audience, they were there to enjoy themselves as well. No showy juvenile shenanigans, just a group of people with well-groomed musical ability, putting their sound out there and having a pretty good time whilst doing it.

Chris Altmann’s warm, deliberate vocal style, accented at times with gritty charm, matched the blend of hearty, subtly intricate rock like a pair of wayfarer sunglasses match shaggy mid-length hair and leather jackets.

Their set was sometimes mellow, sometimes upbeat but always ragged and worn-in like a well-loved pair of cowboy boots. A quality group of musicians with a well-rehearsed live performance that was easy to enjoy.