We Are The Emergency @Manjimup 09/10/09

Wed 14th Oct, 2009 in Gig Reviews

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Far far south of Perth is a smallish town fast on its way to becoming the regional springboard for original bands.

Owing to several local birthday party clashes, Friday night saw a rather devoted few show up, however the talent on show was anything but small town. Unfortunately, in any town an 18th birthday with free alcohol will always win over an all ages gig in town with chaperones and no alcohol. Perhaps there should be an adult crèche at the next one…

First up were Rockingham lads Amplify9 with your classic rock four-piece, Competent enough for the genre, but musically not particularly inspiring or new. But wait till you hear the singer! His voice is like melted chocolate on granite. Vincent Trikeriotis opens his mouth and spills his passion and pain directly into your soul. After that, what use are three chords and a bass line? They’ll be at the Railway next Friday if you want to hear this vocal phenomenon for yourself.

After a relatively speedy change over, and a quick airing of the now smoke-machine-smoke filled room, Elleker Hall thanked everyone for coming out. Originally from Albany and then Dunsborough and now mostly in Perth, Elleker Hall are one of those bands that plays gigs when they come along but mainly just do it because they love making music together. And it shows. They don’t have that desperate, please-buy-our-merch-and-vote-for-us-in-this-latest-band-comp approach of bands that just want to be rock stars. It was refreshing to be invited to enjoy a set simply because the band was enjoying it. Musically, they were a more sophisticated electric version of that other Albany band, with more complex lyrics, a little bit more spite and a little less twang. They had people dancing on the spot, nodding and tapping and probably would have had a whole crowd of people actually dancing, had there been a crowd, and less inhibitions. They don’t have any gigs coming up, but someone clever will put them on a bill soon, and we’ll let you know about it.

Headliners, We Are The Emergency have been around the state and back again in the last year, playing everything they can get their sweat on. And they really did sweat on everything. By the end of the set, the Manji Town Hall was smelling like a teenaged boy’s bedroom. This is a band that must be seen live and chances are, if you have been anywhere near original live music in this city, they’ve been playing near you.

They are pretty to look at, and musically, they are tight with very catchy hooks and undeniable beats and more energy than anyone has a right to possess. Vocally, well… to many, the brutal screams do not make an awful lot of sense, particularly if you’re listening to a recording but when you see the guy who is screaming and hear the passion that comes out with his voice, you will suddenly understand. Like the two hardcore Manjimup fans who did their best to get a circle pit going and then just contented themselves with throwing themselves around on the dance floor and making the band jealous that they didn’t have nearly as much room on stage.

Astonishing, yes… So you go home and look up the lyrics and discover that they’re not screaming gibberish, but actual poetry, and some of it is pretty good. Do they scream out the words so they don’t sound girly and sentimental for having lyrics that mean something? Perhaps, but after hearing them thus delivered, it seems the only correct way to share the contents of your heart with someone is to belt it into their eardrums with all the vocal force you can muster. Classic indie love songs will never be taken seriously again.

We are the Emergency are addictive. Fans of the genre will love it, and probably already have the merch undies; others should just go check them out. Even if it’s not your bag. Seriously, it’s an adventure and an education, and above all, completely, insanely entertaining. This is how much fun a band should be having on stage.

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