The Very West Showcase @ TheToff, Melbourne (14/12/09)

Tue 15th Dec, 2009 in Gig Reviews

Bands from the Western Suburbs fought it out to prove themselves ‘Best in the West’ and win a spot on the Laneway bill.

The show started early, doors opened at 7:30pm and the sun still worked kindly through the Toff windows. The first man that I saw in the crowd was dressed up in red cowboy-like attire. I would soon identify him as the drummer for the opening band Yohosie, who all wore red to remind us that appearance was present on the judging criterion. Yohosie were one of the most established in terms of the six on the final card. Xani Kolac was a treat on strings, weaving a nice range of modes in her melodies, while embodying a stage presence that would rival the violinist of Bridezilla. It was odd to watch her male vocal partner standing steadily beside her as the somewhat antithesis, however, there was not a lot of help from the early crowd who stood far back as if waiting for their ears to adjust to the noise. The song Love contained thoughtful counter melodies between guitar and violin, but for a five piece the soundscape felt slightly empty at times.

Just when I had thought my feelings of awkwardness had resided from the opening comedy act Fear of a Brown Planet, they tweaked a little more when Humidity Entertainment took to the stage. After the comedy duo had thrown all their ammunition at white hip-hop, this enthusiastic and talented group brought to the floor what they called “hip-hop from the land down under”. Some of the content was rather explicit, and I glanced at the noticeably underage child in attendance wondering if his mother would block his ears. Whether Humidity Entertainment are extremely versatile for their ability to span through genres such as hip-hop, RnB and techno, or whether they are in the midst of an identity crisis is for the genre courts to decide. When the female vocalist got up for the last track there was a nice upper vocal register that had been lacking, complimented by a gift of coordination that allowed her to shake her hips like a disco queen. This push-of-the-button music opened up the ability for some much needed crowd interaction, and one can respect the orchestration in many of the songs – particularly those with an RnB sensibility.

The first taste of a definite direction came in the form of The Merchants, a trio of tube screaming rawness. They pulled an audience in with solid punk drumming and slurry, incomprehensible lyrics that stirred moments of early, early day Kings Of Leon. Although they lacked that one memorable chorus for a listener to take home, they delivered a portrait of energy that was not soon forgotten. Expect very pitchy vocals and a voluntary sloppiness from this front line and with their shirts buttoned up to the neck, one might call them a Londonised version of Grand Fatal.

Next up were The White Goods, a four-piece that seemed very well placed. These boys made the craft of singing and song writing look as simple as many bands only wish it could be. With catchy riffs, rhythmic brilliance and a vocal timbre and diction similar to Alexander Gow of Oh Mercy, these boys delivered an infectious and balanced sound. Through embracing the laws of song structure, tunes such as Open along with the surf rock opening of The Jacks became instant classics. The charisma of the boys was organic, and talking like Christian Bale’s Batman in-between songs was a much-appreciated quirk. The transitional nature of I Only Hit You worked effectively for breaking up the texture of the set and it was not difficult to picture their Servants album on a merchandise stand at the Sydney Laneway Festival.

The inspirational hip-hop of The Nubian Knights is what followed, opening up with some 4-way beat boxing before handing the beat duties over to their DJ in the corner. The crowd had obviously started to warm to the artists, the attempts to get arms waving that had failed earlier for Humidity Entertainment was now proving successful for the Nubian Knights. These four passionate men carried a message, lyrics that were nostalgic and pervaded with cultural imagery. As well as touching upon deeply ingrained social issues, they were also able to sing fun songs about something as simple as going to the movies, which perhaps is not done enough these days.

The Moxie closed off the ledger, and there was not enough room in my exacerbated little notebook to write all the compliments these former Alice Springs boys deserved. With obvious influence drawn from Coldplay in the thoughtful Song For Motion these boys brought sweeping reverb and delay tones that were well embraced by the beautiful acoustics of the Toff in Town. Many of the songs begun sparse with a thoughtful guitar line and were eventually met by a resolving groove from the rhythm section. The ability to build tension and to create release and resolution was one very well mastered by The Moxie. Lead Singer Tom Snowden is an artist in every facet: lyrically, visually with his shivering presence and musically with his ability to play most instruments on the stage. Snowden does not sing in a tone that in any way resembles his speaking voice, he sings deep like Jack Ladder, while fellow guitarist Brent Monaghan holds up a strong supporting upper register. Madman is another track worth hearing that may soon start a fire in the Melbourne music scene.

The White Goods walked away with the chocolates close to midnight in what was ostensibly a tight tussle of conjecture between the judges, and this decision capped off what was a giant range of talent from the Western Suburbs. Footscray Community Centre should be congratulated for putting on an event to unearth these humble young artists.