We Are the Emergency @Amplifier, Perth (8/5/10)

Tue 11th May, 2010 in Gig Reviews

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Now that we’re getting into the cooler months, the thought of a packed Amplifier stage area to watch local and national bands doesn’t seem like a bad idea, and with the talent coming out of Perth people were even keener for the Whispers and Fragments album launch by We Are the Emergency on Saturday May 8.

Opening for the night were Perth locals Only Hope who performed well to a diminutive early crowd, followed by the farewell show for Here We Ghost who are calling it a day before their tunes could make their way from MySpace to an actual CD.

Next up, Melbourne band Stealing O’Neal raked in the crowd, with their pop-rock and punk tunes providing one of the highlights of the night. They were quite the disorderly bunch of musicians; yelling out “we are just here to get rowdy and support our friends We Are the Emergency!”

Their interaction with the crowd enhanced the performance and there is no denying the sheer talent of these guys. Chris Scott’s strong vocals and the deep drumming of Ryan D’Sylva shone through. It was a special night for this band too, since their new album was available for fans to buy for the first time anywhere. This is one show Stealing O’Neal should be proud of.

The stage area started to pack out a few minutes before We are the Emergency were due on stage and anticipation was in the air. For many fans, this was the first time they would hear any of the new music the band has been working so hard on. Opening with a powerful new song, It’s Floating Wicker Propelled by Fire, the mood was set and the fans went into overdrive. Usually it takes a few songs for people to get into a band, but from the get go Amplifier was pumping. An old favourite Hello my Name is Distance was next, which saw a moshpit forming. An already pumped crowd began to scream and cheer once Sophie Rodgers started on the vocals. The keyboardist’s vocals feature on only a few tracks, but her voice is powerful and gives something extra to the band.

Don’t Bite the Hand That Feeds You, If A Tree Can Drop its Leaves and Footsteps were the next three songs, all from the new album. They ranged from mellow and less screaming songs to heavy breakdowns with catchy yet meaningful lyrics. Comparing the next two songs, I was Born Ready Baby, from the Seizure EP and Between the Places we Belong, on the debut album, their current sound is has become more refined and collaborated.

Whispers and Fragments was ‘leaked’ before the release date, and there was much speculation about whether it was truly leaked, or the band had done it themselves for popularity or publicity. Either way, it worked for them because the fans had already gotten heavily into the new songs. My Conscience is the Only One who Gets me seemed like it had been out for months. There were people who already knew the words and were immersed in music. With a heavy intro and stand out lyrics like ‘I’ve failed trying to steal the stars from someone else’s sky’, there is nothing negative to say.

Ending the show with the radio-friendly sound of Oh… Knees Don’t Bend the Other Way brought in one more round of sing-alongs before the band called it a night… For the performing part anyway. It was a show that showcased how far a few Perth musicians can come in a short year and the talent that shines through each member.

FasterLouder’s reviewer caught up with bassist Sam Hart after the show to see how happy they were with the outcome.

“The show went better than any of us could have hoped for, it’s strange we were expecting a good turnout, but what we got was incredible. ...it’s always daunting playing new songs for the first time, because you wonder whether people are going to know them yet or not… there were people going crazy from the word go.”

The guys took themselves off to the sunny south-west where they stated whilst recording and although enjoying every moment of it, they couldn’t wait to play some shows.

“I just love seeing the crowd getting into it, there’s nothing better than seeing a room full of people singing along to songs that you’ve written,
...It’s the connection that you get with people when they’re singing their hearts out, it’s a hard feeling to explain, but there is little else like it, that sounds really wanky but it’s true!”

Hart agreed that this show really proved how far We Are the Emergency have come as a band and that they are serious when it comes to making solid music.

“The six of us are a lot tighter now not just in a musical sense now but also as friends and I think that had a huge effect on the direction of the record. Whispers… is the perfect representation of where we are at now as a band.”

When asked about playing in other cities, Hart said [we’re] “Thinking about it, planning it, and getting freaking excited about it! ...We’ve a got a few things in the pipeline at the moment that we can’t say too much about yet but we will be visiting the rest of Australia very shortly!”

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