Day of the Dead @ Fly By NightClub, Perth (07/05/10)

Sun 9th May, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Friday night at the Fly By Night was a mixed bag of music with a wide variety of characters in the crowd to boot. Day of the Dead were launching their new EP Damned if You Do and with 3 support bands of varying styles it was like a taste test of the Perth music scene.

Datura started the night with some good old fashioned rock and or roll. They chucked in some blues and a cover of I Just Wanna Make Love to You. Their blues was mean, rolling like a plough. Apparently this is Dom Mariani ’s new band, when he’s not busy flitting around Europe with The Stems. When the guitarist sang, it was something special. His gravelly voice and stiff, nervy demeanour added an edge to the sound that was otherwise very polished.

Arts Martial played a very short but sweet set. They are cute boys with catchy tunes that were more alternative/indie rock than the rest of the line up but not in a wussy way. Jarrod Ross had some pretty good pipes on him that could easily lead an anthemic sing-a-long (especially on Supernational and Dreams). The title of “Next Big Thing” that they were recently crowned is very fitting. From the looks of the crowd they’ve got men singing along and drunk girls dancing to them, so that’s promising.

The Devil Rides Out welcomed us to a heavier portion of the evening. There was quite a large amount of throaty, shouted vocals. The blues jamming was nice, and the spoken word by Joey K was impressive. They had enough other guts to inspire at least the men in the crowd. One bloke, who had walked into the venue looking sheepishly timid, set forth to the empty floor space to flick his long locks back and forth, back and forth before calmly regaining composure at the song’s end. Another used the space with an efficient knee slide across 10 metres or so. Joey K had some very emphatic rock moves and took the opportunity to use the rock catwalk well. Instrumentals were spot on.

So finally Day of the Dead graced us with their delightfully unique sound of spaghetti western surf guitar. The options at a Day of the Dead gig are to sit and let the twangy joy wash over you or get up and let it move through you, hips falling into line with the syncopated rhythms. The audience was split and all were contented. Towards the end of the night a gaggle of ladies jumped on the catwalk to show off their moves. Two extra brave beauties made it to the real stage to practice their burlesque moves (to the envy of the others who quickly dissipated). We were otherwise visually engaged by a screen that at times showed the desert, at others a gyrating beauty, and others their signature cartoon drawings of skulls and dogs gambling.

They are an instrumental band and no member can be faulted. Ben Frichot with his narrow moustache leads the pack with his never to be faulted guitar skills. Brendan Giambazi used his double bass like a weapon, pluck pluck plucking to give the sound a deeper quality. Luke Fragomen was also very skilled, with a variety of drum styles to show off his talent. There is no fault to be found in this band. Think minor progressions from the wild west or some espionage scene, something delightfully sinful and yet so sweet.

There was a secret surprise for all after the encore. Perhaps it was a hint to a future direction. A guest singer, Pat Laughlin (Sugar Army) rolled onstage and fitted in perfectly with their style and their sound. He had the swagger to fit the cool requirement and the voice to match their talent. His one song was impressive and fun also.

Frichot complemented the audience that we must have been “creative” to want to come to see this kind of instrumental music. Perhaps the audience was creative, or probably just clever enough to know they’re onto a very good thing. Day of the Dead are obviously masters of their chosen genre and fill the void of bands who could play the soundtrack to a noon showdown in the main street of town.