The Vasco Era @ Amplifier Bar,Perth (30/04/10)

Sun 2nd May, 2010 in Gig Reviews

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Nothing could have kept people away from Amplifier, as The Vasco Era celebrated the release of their second album Lucille on Friday night.

Big Scary’s opening notes quickly attracted a crowd. Having Jo Syme on drums (among other things) does cause comparisons with The White Stripes that might not occur with a male drummer. However, Syme does good, unique drumming. A cover of Future Sailors by The Mighty Boosh apparently didn’t go well in Melbourne; however Boosh fans here appreciated it. Lullaby was mellower, but Big Scary were able to maintain the fierce drumming and vocals. Their second cover, Led Zeppelin’s Babe I’m Gonna Leave You, saw singer Tom Iansek move to the keyboard and further showcase his vocal range. In his words, “it went alright”. Big Scary’s audience interaction showed them to be affable people, especially when Syme jokingly chastised Iansek for interrupting and then talking over her. Their range from the fast and upbeat to the slower, melancholy songs ensured there was something for each of the audience members to enjoy.

When The Novocaines appeared, there was already a large gathering around the stage. The loud start to the set excited the crowd, and lead singer Corey Marriott sang through several songs from their Ragdoll EP with great intensity. He praised Big Scary, saying they got him “Smashed. Not in a drinking way, but in a positive musical way.” The Novocaines then moved on to Adhere to, from their upcoming album, which Marriott revealed will be called Courtesy Eventually.

WAMi Award Nominated Guitarist Jay Marriott and bassist Steven Turnock, as well as singer Marriott, thrashed around the stage, constantly flinging themselves about. Although drummer Liam Young had less freedom to move (and less hair to flick), he easily kept up with the frantic energy of his band mates. The Novocaines effortlessly transitioned to songs with a darker vibe. Not satisfied with one microphone, Marriott took charge of Turnock’s microphone, singing through both, while the crowd bobbed to catchy beats.

Cries of “Play another one!” were met with two more songs, before Ragdoll Blues. This slowed the tempo, but the still dancing crowd was rewarded with a high energy encore that maintained its intensity until The Novocaines exited with bright lights and cheers.

The crowd was huge as The Vasco Era began the opening chords of Not Stuck Here. Off-stage, Iansek played keyboard throughout almost every song. When they performed their first Beatles’ cover, Why Don’t we do it in the Road, the crowd got moving with a steady rhythm. Bassist, Ted O’Neil moved closer to the audience, to the front row’s delight. As Lucille wound down, Sid O’Neil proclaimed the song was over, and they were going to play on old song called “When we something, something, something or other”. This got the crowd chanting along and at the end of the song, they added in lyrics to Happiness Is a Warm Gun, the second cover from The Beatles’ White Album. A cover of Jack the Ripper, by Screaming Lord Sutch, produced a lot of moshing.

During a quick pause to change and tune instruments, Sid asked for a lighter to play guitar with. He said he was serious, but a sudden swell of tall people made it impossible to see as they started playing. Drummer Michael Fitzgerald was joined by Sid, who seemed to delight in smashing the cymbals.

Their cover of The Smiths’ I Know it’s Over had gentler guitars and drums, which showed their ability to perform a range of genres. Sid sang with passion, before screaming into the next song I Am the Chosen Vessel, which sent the crowd back into mosh mode. He turned his tank top into a halter-neck, to the amusement of the audience, because “every now and then real men need to wear a halter-neck”. The Vasco Era proceeded to cover Nick Cave’s Dig, Lazarus, Dig, replacing the verses with freestyle about the location. An entire verse was dedicated to Sid’s annoyance and confusion about the pole in the room’s centre. The crowd responded quite well to a halter-neck wearing man from the eastern states making fun of the venue.

The Vasco Era thanked the crowd and looked set to end, when Syme got on stage and ‘Honeybee’ started up. The crowd cheered as Young and Marriott joined the merriment. The stage became enjoyably chaotic with six energetic musicians. The crowd clapped and cheered as Sid repeatedly yelled “Yours” and Ted went into a frenzy of manic guitar playing. The music wound down, and the crowd was on a happy high as they left.

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