Chapterfest @ the Tote,Melbourne (19/09/09)

Mon 21st Sep, 2009 in Gig Reviews

The appeal of Chapterfest initally lay with Tenniscoats, Pikelet and Primitive Calculators. I’d saw those three bands written on the wall of the Tote and thought it sounded likely to be a pretty great night without even realising it was a mini festival for Chapter Music at all.

So it was a tiny bit annoying to miss Primitive Calculators – seriously when does a headlining bands finish by nine thirty! The disappointment was eased a little as we headed upstairs to see The Twerps. I got little excited butterflies in my tummy I liked them so much. Setting the tone for most of the bands that night The Twerps played kind of jangly pop songs with really lazy vocals sliding over the top. We watched the rest of their set in the really crowded Cobra Bar, made a note to see their next gig, and then headed downstairs to check out what was going on at the – œmain stage’.

What was going on turned out to be a whole bunch of people sitting on the floor. The Tote is just not that big, so people had to stand way back near the bar or the door to accommodate the sitters. We couldn’t really dig the scene downstairs for too long anyway. We stood around chatting and wondering why we felt so ill at ease before we realised there was actually a band playing really weird kind of yowling sounds. I’m not sure who they were and I don’t want to slander anyone so they shall remain unnamed. Anway it just kind of made us feel weird so we headed back upstairs to see Hit The Jackpot, a three piece. The band members played musical instrument chairs, jumping around from bass to guitar to drums. They were fun, their sound changed a fair bit depending on who was singing and drumming but I dug them, I appreciate a good solid bash on the drums, catchy guitar hooks and some more lazy lyrics. Hit The Jackpot also took part in the trend of the night: stuffing up. It was kind of endearing to see so many false starts in the one night.

Anyway we didn’t stay for their whole set because we trotted back down the stairs to catch Minimum Chips, who seem to have had their heyday in the mid nineties. Their droney pop kind of sound is evergreen but the keyboard organ thing was a bit overbearing. Plus they were really passive on stage. According to singer Nicole Thibault it was because they’re old and were concentrating. It didn’t really grab me. We left them early to go back upstairs to catch Pikelet. Up the stairs, down the stairs, up the stairs, down the stairs…We only stayed for a few minutes even though Pikelet sounded awesome and almost psychedelic-ey as we didn’t want to miss a good spot for Tenniscoats.

There’s twee, and then there’s Tenniscoats. With their romantic back story the Tenniscoats are a Japanese husband and wife who apparently lull each other to sleep playing music and record in forests. Suitably, their stage show was very sweet and endearing, probably the most gentle show I have ever seen at the Tote. Just acoustic guitar, vocals, and a hand held blowy-keyboard thing. Quiet vocals, pretty hand picking and even a cute audience sing along. For 45 minutes, the Tote was transformed into a giant crib full of big hairy babies drinking beer. They ended by walking through the crowd still playing, and into the band room, leaving me ready to head home to bed.

Chapterfest was just like when you go to a restaurant and get a whole bunch of yummy things to share and you just pick here and there as it takes your fancy and then leave feeling full. I’m really enjoying the two $5 Chapter Music compilations circa 1994 I grabbed as well – like taking some leftovers home to try. It was a very low key kind of night and a great chance to hear a mix of old and new bands, especially if you have a short attention span. Add in the 14 buck entry fee and the Crayon Fields DJs spinning Xanadu: too good.