Pink Reason @ The Birmingham,Melbourne (11/09/09)

Fri 18th Sep, 2009 in Gig Reviews

Apparently this guy, Kevin De Broux coined a whole genre, called shitgaze, when he told his mate that what he listened to was not shoegaze but shitgaze. His mate was Matt Whitehurst who played with him in Psychedelic Horseshit, a pioneering band of this whole shitgaze scene. Now they go by the name Pink Reason.

Tonight’s lineup was gonna be Kev, as well as Matt and Ryan Jewell. A friend recommended the band as “junkie psych and not acid psych” and mentioned that the label that is releasing most of the shitgaze luminaries was Siltbreeze – both good points as acid psyche can be too hippy and local kids Fabulous Diamonds have also released a 7 inch on Siltbreeze.

A guy going by the fairly accurate name of Lost Animal was supporting. It was like you’d muted the TV on a 60’s space show and you were watching it in 1983, with the lights low and the synths up. He’d mutter into his microphone every now and then and he looked like he’d accidentally stumbled on to the stage from Smith St and started using whatever gear was at hand. Or it could just be what Jarrod Quarrell does in between his St Helens gigs.

The venue and the setting and everything was perfect for Pink Reason, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was totally faking that American accent and was really a Smith St local. You know something’s either right, or kinda fucked up, when there are two drunk girls dancing the whole way through your set – even in the sad bits. The single Borrowed Time came about halfway through the set with Kev’s deep voice making anything seem kinda bummed out, even if it’s not. Other highlights included Winona and Paranoia.

The whole Pink Reason thing came together from the latest release with Electric Bunnies and not really much of their earlier stuff. Though it made me want to go and get all their earlier stuff and see what I liked more. I didn’t know former junkies could come up with such good shitgaze.