Scary Kids Scaring Kids @ TheRosemount, Perth (18/08/10)

Sun 22nd Aug, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Check out SharpShooter’s gallery

You never know what you’re going to get with a post-hardcore band, and the Perth gig of the farewell tour for Scary Kids Scaring Kids certainly proved that.

The first band for the night, Colour the Sky, was a good introduction to the sorts of music that we were going to hear for the next three-and-a-bit hours. The vocalist looked reminiscent of Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, without the crazy antics. Although a bit pitchy, the front-girl and guitarist bounced off one another (vocally) and it made a good mix. At times it looked as though the drummer was going to break his kit, but it survived – even if he was hitting the snare like he wanted to murder it. Everyone in the crowd was nodding their heads as Colour the Sky bopped around onstage to their Flyleaf-styled brand of rock.

The most random act of the night award goes to Mod Sun. Although he was the replacement drummer for Scary Kids, he didn’t fit with the rest of the bill. The crowd seemed disinterested, which made it a bit awkward when his requests for arm-waving were largely ignored.

Sculling his beer before the first song, people didn’t really know what to expect so they just stood around until they figured it out. When Keep It Movin’ was over, he made jumping into the crowd a regular thing, dancing with the front row and getting a guy from the crowd to scull the rest of his drink. Towards the end, his charisma started to wear you down until you couldn’t help laughing at his jokes (“Come forward, I swear I’m STD free!”) and nodding your head to his “hippy hop” tunes. His freestyle rap about the other bands on that night was a highlight, and was actually quite clever. No Girlfriend was probably stuck in more than one head for hours afterwards.

Just as the crowd started to appreciate Mod Sun and his humour, the set was over and We Are the Emergency commanded everyone’s attention. Their crowd was bigger than Mod Sun’s and their songs sounded great and were played with enthusiasm. Sophie Rodgers (keyboard/vocals) really stood out with her sweet voice up against the powerful singing of Ryan Lake (vocals) and James Harris (guitar/vocals). Knees Don’t Bend the Other Way was a clear favourite of the audience, who eagerly awaited its introduction and cheered the loudest for it. By then, they had won over even the most sceptical people and everyone, including the band members, was head banging, nodding their heads, or tapping their feet. The crowd almost seemed disappointed when they ended with Don’t Bite the Hand That Feeds You. As a whole, they were incredibly tight and professional.

In true rock star fashion, Scary Kids Scaring Kids stumbled onto the stage to a bass beat with a bottle (or two) of vodka in hand. They sure acted like a rock band, too, as Steven Kirby (guitarist) performed crotch-defying power stances and Tyson Stevens (vocalist) threw his pierced and tattooed head back and forth. However, despite their cool appearance, not only was it hard to understand what the singer was saying in between songs, he was pitchier than a kid going through puberty. In some songs you could barely hear the vocals at all, which is strange as the sound at the Rosemount is generally excellent and the rest of the mix was perfect. Sadly enough, the backing vocals didn’t do much good either.

There were a few gear mishaps as leads fell out of instruments; For the second night in a row, Kirby’s lead fell out of his guitar in the same part of the same song so he never got to play his solo. Once they finished the song, they started again from a few bars before the solo, and it was finally played (“I can’t leave this place without playing that fucking solo.” he said, laughing).

Pouyan Afkary (keyboards) was entertaining to watch, due to his passionate dancing and keyboard-throwing. Scary Kids entertained their loyal fans with songs both recent and old, like The City Sleeps in Flames, Holding On, Snake Devil, and Be Free. As the crowd shouted for an encore, they strolled back on stage exclaiming, “We were just told that we can’t finish the show and not play Faces ”. Strangely enough, it was the best song of their set.

The Perth leg of Scary Kids Scaring Kids’ farewell tour would have been a lot less disappointing had the majority of the band not played drunk.

Check out SharpShooter’s gallery