Minute 36 @ Rosemount Hotel,Perth (15/04/2010)

Thu 22nd Apr, 2010 in Gig Reviews

For some bands, style is just as important as the music, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Many of the different musical movements occurring throughout previous decades are represented just as strongly through style as the music which embodies them. So when you see a band take to the stage with all members in suits, you’re going to assume they’ve made the conscious decision to follow that particular style. Now the only question remaining is whether their music can match their stylistic statement; Perth based Gothic-Folk band Minute 36 (what an awesome genre name) just might be able to pull it off.

Headlining a night of complete juxtapositions in the world of Rock & Roll, Minute 36 proved to be both the best song-writers, and most interesting band to take to the stage that night. However opening band Second Winter’s brand of heavy, alternative style rock (think Sonic Youth) was a very close second in that respect. Despite performing as a 3-piece Second Winter left no space unfilled, mainly due to striking musical proficiency of lead guitarist and singer Geoff Scott. This helped the band create a sound which seemed much bigger than the three people on stage.

Opening song You’re Poison was quick to introduce their big rock sound, and featured Scott moving seamlessly between power-chords and riffs. This particular style of playing was utilised greatly throughout their eight song set; its effect was to greatly alleviate the limitations that a three-piece presents musically. As displayed later on in the set in songs Black Looks and Between the Lines, Second Winter’s songs focused more on the musical arrangements than the melodies that lay within them. This complemented their approach and garage-rock feel; allowing the compositions and feelings within the songs to take centre-stage, while the vocals acted as an added point of interest. Crucially their compositions were not over ambitious or without noticeable structure, as can be the downfall of similar artists.

Second Winter played a modest set of fantastic tunes, with all focus centred on the tunes. It was disappointing to see them so low down on the bill, as following bands The Veescars and The FAIM Project didn’t quite live up to the standard set by Second Winter. The Veescars played a pleasing set of quite stereotypical pop-rock, with a focus on the more ‘Emo’ side of this genre. Second song Handsome Pair incorporated a throwback 60’s style feel, while the country sounding Every Love was the first song to really engage the idea of leaving a song short and sweet.

Penultimate song Keith was the most interesting played, with more emphasis on guitarist Tom Varian’s interesting use of delay and tremolo. Finishing on the mild Lucy, The Veescars never really presented enough variety and interest to excite, yet there was just enough to suggest better things to come.

Third band The FAIM Project are one of those bands that seem destined to polarise opinions. Some would view their on-stage antics as utterly ridiculous, not in keeping with their audience size, and ranging somewhere between mildly bemusing and outright annoying. Others may love the passion and punk style created during their performance, with leading man Noah Skape the main offender. So let’s just talk about the tunes; well it seems the FAIM Project are no big fans of structure within their songs, favouring energy and the odd scream to move their songs forward. Opening song (which started with some really strange use of falsetto) Overture was a good example of this and featured good use of tempo-change and big guitars, yet never really made use of light and shade techniques which could have made the song have greater effect.

Many other songs in their set also tended to follow this anarchic style, making it hard to distinguish one song from the next. Skape also took to singing parts of his in-between songs stage banter, which just came off as extremely odd. Plus, sharing inside jokes with your friends is not exactly going engage anyone who doesn’t know you, and tends to just annoy them that little bit more. Later songs made use of a megaphone which while complimented their punk leanings nicely; but seemed a bit ill-advised with less than fifty people in the room. Not everyone’s cup of tea, clearly, yet musically they were sound and if you’re into this sort of thing then they’d be worth checking out.

Finally Minute 36 took the stage, quickly launching into opening song Mary. Possibly the most unassuming and humble band of the night, Minute 36 truly deserved their place as top of the bill. Vocalist and double bassist (!) Kris Nelson’s vocals had an Emo(y) twinge to them, which nicely complimented their offbeat, minimalistic folk style. New single You’re a Thick Mist in this Bathroom was second to be played, and was a nice example of their enchanting ability to move from an offbeat style in the verse to a catchy, more traditional style chorus.

Guitarist Mark Neal made great use of the capo, which gave his already unique acoustic riffs an even spookier feel to them. Later songs Era Quondam and Seductress incorporated a extraordinarily sinister to feel to them, with Seductress in particular being possibly the best example of all of Minute 36’s best qualities in one song. In essence, the songs played by Minute 36 all tended to follow traditional structure, with the odd instrumental break adding greatly to the songs atmosphere; yet the intelligence and care with which the songs were composed with them were what made them so interesting and alluring.

Minute 36 releases their debut album An Argument Between the Taste and the Feeling later in 2010, and based on the tunes played tonight it’s going to be a good one.