We All Want To @ BrisbanePowerhouse, Brisbane(04/09/2009)

Sun 13th Sep, 2009 in Gig Reviews

If a rose by any other name is still a rose, is Screamfeeder by any other name still Screamfeeder? Thankfully the answer is no, with front man Tim Steward trying his hardest to noticeably deviate with his new outfit We All Want To. Well, as far as someone as recognisable and essentially Brisbane as someone like Steward can reasonably deviate, that is.

First a bit of back-story. Screamfeeder was one of these darling little indie bands which popped up in the booming post-grunge era Brisbane. They shared stages with the likes of Powderfinger, Custard and Regurgitator during those band’s formative years. Their music was always lauded as an intelligent post-grunge dirge which won them a solid following, but never mainstream success.

Fast forward ten or so years, and the band never really faded away. Singer-guitarist Steward and bassist Kellie Lloyd have always been main-stays of the Brisbane indie crowd, with solo shows and the odd reunion gig; just this year they did a quick run of gigs highlighting their career peak album Kitten Licks. Steward always maintained the solo path, but eventually settled on a five-piece collective to back his live efforts. This band has now been christened with the devilishly vague moniker of We All Want To and have been welcomed with open arms in the Brisbane music clique.

This early Friday evening set as Brisbane Powerhouse’s newest monthly band in residence (aptly named The Residents series) belied the essentially formulaic nature of its only released effort (single Back To The Car), to give a glimpse of something much more intricate and mellow. Sure, the fuzz pedal got stomped once too often, but that exuberance was naturally balanced by flautist, co-singer and tambourine queen Skye Staniford. Drummer Dan McNaulty ’s almost pathological avoidance of the snare drum and the solid rock beat added layers of interest within the rhythm section, although it was slightly askew when one of the numbers saw three members accompany Steward’s vocal and guitar track with a furious hand-clapping back-beat. The last minute omission of fifth member Todd Hutchinson (who had missed a flight, as explained) had obvious effects, with the lack of his multi-instrumental fills leaving many songs a little one dimensional.

The unnamed and as yet unreleased songs came thick and fast, with minimal explanation to the sparse post-working week audience. It hardly seemed to matter, however, with each song responded to with warm and encouraging applause, indicating the leather recliners and bar-stools adorning the raised open floor area of The Turbine Platform were dotted with familiar faces to the band. Closing number and title track to their single Back To The Car was a stand out (admittedly due to familiarity), and filled the auditorium with the requisite amount of crunchy rock guitar goddery that Stewart has always been known for in Brisbane musical circles. There was hardly anything to fault with this insight into what is being promised from this band.