Stereoflower @ The VelvetLounge, Perth (23/07/10)

Fri 23rd Jul, 2010 in Gig Reviews

It was a four band line-up at The Velvet Lounge as Geoffrey Power-King, The Imps and Adem K’s Community Chest backed up Stereoflower in front of a diverse audience.

Geoffrey Power-King warmed up the 12 people in the audience with a joke (‘How many sound techs does it take to change a lightbulb? One, two. One, two’) and the chorus of Sexual Healing.
The quirky blues sound of a guy and his guitar attracted people inside to watch and listen. However, many people were talking loudly and this overpowered Power-King many times. Guilt and Repair showed that Power-King has talent, but needs more polish and confidence. He compared his set to a rectal thermometer, saying he would ‘come out and get the temperature of the crowd, but no-one wants to see you in action.’ He followed this by saying ‘I hope I don’t forget the words to the next song.’ He did. Twice, before moving on to the next song. Then he attempted the song again and succeeded. Power-King apologised for having one more song to play before the end of his set. There’s self-deprecating, and then there’s negative. Power-King didn’t seem to have confidence in either himself or his music, despite his talent. It was unfortunate that people felt the need to ignore that he was playing and drown him out, but there were people enjoying his music and he seemed to be trying to convince them that they shouldn’t.

During the background music between bands, the crowd was treated to repeat message tone beeps every time the sound guy got a text.

There was a smaller crowd watching The Imps, however the entire audience paid attention to the indie-rock three-piece. Their song about death sounded quite upbeat, with fingers and feet tapping along to the beat. They were able to transition from serious slower songs to ‘hillbilly’ songs easily, showing their flexibility. The lead singer was able to croon one minute and sing lyrics like ‘Can’t get laid in a one-horse town, and incest is not a game’ the next. The drummer, Gary, never went long without grinning. By Kiss Goodnight, from the album All Ends Meet, the crowd started getting a bit restless, but this certainly did not detract from the good quality of the performance. The Imps launched into a cover of The Rolling Stones’ Dear Doctor, which was so solid, a woman from the audience went up to request a song, only to be told “No, I don’t know that.” By the end of Makin’ Tracks, it was clear that both the band and the audience had enjoyed themselves.

Adem K’s Community Chest started with a drum beat that was coming from the synthesiser instead of the drummer. Then drummer Trevor Cotton joined in and replaced the recorded drum beat. Their sound was soft rock with hard beats. Window Pane and Come On showed that Adem K (ex-Turnstyle) and Cotton have a lot of musical chemistry. They interacted with each other a lot and seemed as if they would be doing the same things were they practising in front of friends or in a sold out pub, which showed a high level of comfort with what they were doing. The music was loud and the songs were short, however the lyrics were often too soft and unclear. 200 Year Old Volkswagon started with a sound very similar to someone blowing a raspberry or farting, however as it went on it was interesting to watch the band work the synths and wait to see what music and sounds would come next. Their strongest talent lies in their ability to make good instrumental music. Vocally, the best song was Death Match In Galveston from Adem K’s previous band, The Burton Cool Suit. Adem K was able to show off his singing talent, with clear and confident vocals. The final song, Ceiling to the Floor, attracted the biggest crowd of the night, ending the set on a happy high.

Stereoflower had clearly co-ordinated outfits, but members were still able to pull off a cowboy look and doc martins successfully. Unfortunately, that was one of only a few things that went right this night. Most of the crowd had left, and bass problems caused several false starts. Lead singer Alex Elbury was apologetic and said sorry multiple times. No-one had a bass they could lend, so it was decided that bassist Marco Remarko would just have to try his best. Throughout this drama, drummer Doctor Blythe had been constantly drumming a mellow beat, with support from Rufus Marmaduke on guitar. During The Bar Stools, which was played with enthusiasm from all the band members, the sound guy, Travis, had got his bass to lend to Remarko. The crowd was told that Stereoflower sound much better on their album, It’s Alright, It’s OK, Satellite Commander.

In the next few songs, there seemed to be a real drop in effort. During Living Down Here Ain’t Living at All, Marmaduke moved around with the space that he had, and while he certainly had the playing skill, he seemed almost bored. With the exception of Elbury, there seemed to be a real lack in energy and interest. While the other band members put in enough energy to play their instruments, Elbury seemed to be the only one that was really trying. His voice was able to go from smooth to husky to suit the song and he showcased his vocal and instrumental talents. Then he left the stage to run into the band room and back for no apparent reason, while the others continued playing.

Stereoflower’s fifth song, What Have You Got If You Haven’t Got Piece Of Mind, was their last. The microphone fell off the stage twice. After Elbury played the harmonica, the band seemed to perk up. Marmaduke livened up and thrashed around, while Blythe assisted on vocals and Remarko put the borrowed bass to good use. The set ended positively, and the crowd appreciated that.