The Whole Molko, The Quarters,The Villians Lair, WilliamTell @ Revolver, Melbourne(10/07/2010)

Mon 12th Jul, 2010 in Gig Reviews

For a club with a tiny door and an epic stair climb, Revolver’s reputation for continuing to support Melbourne’s up and coming bands certainly keeps bringing in the punters, thus making for an excellent launch pad for The Whole Molko’s latest EP, Buyer’s Remorse.

Upon entering the tiny performance space, amidst the animal fur, urban inspired cyclone fencing and propaganda films flashing up on the stage wall, we prepared ourselves for what would be a night of diverse talent from some of Melbourne’s newest unsigned bands.

The young ruffians, also known as William Tell warmed us up for the distortion that was to come. Despite timing and tuning that left something to be desired, these fresh faced musos had an excellent stage presence and a distinctly relaxed and dishevelled appeal; dishing up the banter and working the audience in between songs over cleverly prepared drum fills.

It was the delightful surprise in the form of supporting act The Villains Lair, however, that saw the evening peak early on. At only their second ever performance, these four slightly under-dressed and somewhat reserved guys showed that some talent does not necessarily come with experience. Lead singer*Ash* and drummer Julian mastered their instruments and the band kept us wanting more with a sound that could well be the love child of Franz Ferdinand and The Arctic Monkeys.

Slightly more well-known around the traps, The Quarters took control of the stage next and showed how to work the crowd with impeccable timing and a boisterous vibe. These guys (and girl) truly own the stage and were nothing short of precise in the execution of a well-polished rock package of musicianship, charisma and professionalism that had audience members literally leaping onto the stage.

But it was The Whole Molko we came to see and, for a band that claims to have “a unique blend of music which is familiar, but in a way you don’t understand,” they certainly lived up to their word. While excessive distortion and a wall of indecipherable instrumental sounds will never be this reviewer’s cup of tea, you can’t go past The Whole Molko’s ability to put on a show.

Lead man, Sean Figgers, had the crowd in a frenzy within moments with his slightly manic but undeniably contagious physical energy that saw him jumping off drummer Nick Hart’s kick one moment and plunging off the stage, microphone stand and all, into the audience the next.

Despite perhaps not being the most talented act of the night, with their distinct look and riotous charm these boys certainly know how to put on a show and in certain moments, the Muse-inspired keys of guitarist/keys man David Crowe permeated the cacophony to prove there was some musicianship amongst the madness.

To be honest, The Whole Molko is somewhat more of an experience than a sound but to their credit, along with bassist Andrew Maltezos, these four guys managed to take the slightly lethargic assemblage and set them on fire. All in all it made for a good evening and discovering some new musical gems like The Villains Lair (who will be worth following in the future) is just the icing on the cake.