I Heart Hiroshima @ RocketRoom (17/10/09)

Thu 22nd Oct, 2009 in Gig Reviews

My usual reaction on walking into the Rocket Room is to reach for my ear plugs, it seems no matter who is playing, it is nearly always too loud. It’s not because I’m a grandma, but I want to preserve my hearing so that I can still go to gigs when I really am old. So when I walked into the venue on Saturday night and didn’t reach for my bag, I was surprised.

The second surprise was the band on stage. When the Sky Fell do not sound like any other band to come out of Perth in the past five years. It turns out this is because they’ve actually been playing for over a decade. Which also explains the 90s indie pop influences. When the Sky Fell sounds like The Apples in Stereo with more synth and a little less talent (the problem with being compared to Rob Schneider). Their geeky appearance just adds to the earnestness of their fuzzy guitars and synthy pop songs.

The only disappointment of their performance was the empty room they played to, the enduring curse of being the first band on the bill.

Offbeat Antics took us a few steps away from the indie pop genre with their vintage style rock. Their usually dynamic and engaging show was a little lacklustre tonight, lead vocalist Azlan was sounding a little off and the whole band lacked their usual edge for most of the set. Three songs from the end they pulled out a cheesy funk metal track which had crowded room in fits, a nice reminder that Offbeat Antics don’t take themselves too seriously. It was also a chance for the band to loosen up and relax for the last two tracks, Isolation and another newer track, to close the set on a higher note.

The Bullet Holes have taken a lot of time out from gigging over the past year or so, and as a result the band has matured into a more cohesive pop/rock band whose sound is more recognisably their own. The most noticeable difference tonight was in the performance of front man Owen Hopwood. While he still looks like a fresh faced teenager Hopwood’s onstage performance has come a long way, where he used to move awkwardly, forgetting lyrics and fumbling, he now leads the band with confidence, and his lyricism has improved as well.

While The Bullet Holes are still singing about politics and the bigger picture, Hopwood’s lyrics are more poetic and eloquent, as he has a better grasp of what he wants to communicate through the music, he is finding it easier to deliver that message.

Tonight’s headliners were originally due in Perth a few weeks ago, but an ‘incident with a bicycle and a dust storm’ postponed the trip. With that in mind, drummer Susie Patten made an admirable effort to play this show three weeks after breaking her arm.

I Heart Hiroshima toured the UK and Europe earlier this year, and it’s not surprising considering the maturity and professionalism evident in tonight’s show. Each earnest pop rock song was executed flawlessly by the three members, with vocals swapping seamlessly between Patten and guitarists Matthew Somers and Cameron Hawes. They chirped out melodies and harmonies perfectly matched for the balmy summer night.

The band are currently touring their new album The Rip, so the current single Shakeytown came up early in the set, before the band deviated from their planned setlist. They offered up a selection from both albums including their UK Radio single Crime off the first album. While the band played a tight set, there was an ominous sense that the band were holding back in their performance. But as the band revealed, it has been a tough few weeks between the broken arm, and one of the guitarists getting mugged the night before. However as the band finished with Punks, the first single from their debut album, they finally gave the audience the burst of energy and conviction they’d been hinting at all night.