Radiothon 2010 Closing Party @Rosemount Hotel, Perth(28/08/10)

Mon 30th Aug, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Check out Toxikon’s Pics

RTRFMs Radiothon ended with a closing party at Rosemount Hotel on Saturday August 28th. A crowd gradually gathered in anticipation of a great night ahead and the RTRFM staff and helpers were praised throughout the night.

Wolves At The Door kicked off the proceedings with a pounding drum beat. The vocals of Ash Hendriks and James Gates blended in well together, with Hendriks’ higher notes complimenting Gates’ gravelly tones. The lingering notes floated over the heavy guitars and drum beat to produce a powerful alternative folk sound. The constant checking of watches to see how much time they had left was a bit of a disruption to the good flow of music that they had.

James Teague was the first performer in Bar 459. The 21 year old is quickly gaining a positive reputation in the Perth music scene and it’s easy to see why. Playing a guitar almost as big as him, Teague’s powerful voice made people focus solely on him. He was shy when addressing the audience, but with a burst of guitar, he changed into a confident performer. His higher notes aren’t quite polished, and his transitions between songs are not as smooth as they could be. However, Teague performs catchy indie/folk songs very well, especially when harmonica and banjo playing are thrown in.

As Will Stoker and the Embers exploded on the stage, the drum beats of Ashley Doodkorte were felt throughout the main area. Stoker was all over the stage, and guitarists Gareth Bevan, Ryan Dux and Luke Dux swayed and rocked around to the music they were producing. 5 Beds for Bitsy attracted people and got them moving. It was like a competition between Stoker’s vocals and the music to see who could be the most powerful. It was pretty even, with Bevan adding extra vocal depth when necessary. Stoker’s clarinet playing was a hit, as was the announcement of Bevan’s wedding the next day. The guitarists plugged away, while Stoker joined the crowd to dance, posed for photographers and played with the microphone cord. Stoker impressed the crowd with his wide range of vocal talents, and made them laugh nervously as he asked ‘Who showered tonight? I didn’t.’ After Ten Thousand Horses, it seemed like the crowd had just witnessed the antics of a crazed preacher and his worship band.

There were quite a few people in Bar 459 when Hayley Beth was playing. Unfortunately, most of them were not giving her the attention she deserved. Beth worked hard to overcome the noise of the people talking at the bar. Beth had a cold, and commented that ‘James Teague had more people watching him.’ However, this did not affect her strong guitar playing and powerful voice. Beth was able to deliver deep blues singing with ease.

Young Revelry started out very loudly. The guitars and drums were thrashing and front man Sebastian Astone seemed to thrive in the central position during songs such as You and I. Guitarist Peter Leveson-Gower was very boppy, and each member played with serious energy. There was solid heavy music between lyrics, and by the time Young Revelry reached Old Souls they were sounding very polished while maintaining their garage-y sound.

Adem K’s Community Chest had a delayed start due to ongoing technical issues. A lot of the stage was covered with various musical equipment and it seemed like it would be hard to move around in the space, but Adem Kerimofski managed. His voice has a soft edge to it and whilst the lyrics were clear, they could have been louder. He and drummer Brian Cotton have good musical chemistry, with the singing and drumming blending together seamlessly. After Pop Muzik, Kerimofski announced that although they were playing this gig for free, it was much more fun than some of the ones they get paid for. He was able to show off his vocal abilities throughout the songs, and the technical difficulty that caused the keyboard to not work did not seem to affect him or bother the crowd. Kerimofski needed ‘to tune down’ before closing with Ceiling To The Floor and audience cheers.

A large crowd packed the main room for The Tigers. A giant amp sat upon the stage as the crowd enjoyed the soft rock. A keyboard added variety to the five piece and gave the music some extra depth. A ‘Sorry about it being loud’ was greeted with cheers, as the crowd clearly did not mind. A short ode to RTRFM was sung smoothly, and the music and lyrics flowed along, with peaks of extra strong and powerful music and lyrics when needed. The Tigers maintained a laid back, yet professional vibe.

Ghostdrums consisted of Pete Guazzelli, a drum set, a synthesiser and some musical toys. At first it sounded like background music with some added whimsy. While there were some dedicated fans at the front, most of the crowd looked a bit confused. One of the people at the side of the bar remarked that it was like the music of Ross Gellar in Friends (The One Where Chandler Crosses The Line). The synthesiser seemed to be producing most of the music, but further listening revealed that Guazzelli was playing and looping the sounds and music. As the set continued, people became more interested, and Ghostdrums ended up with a respectable amount of people enjoying the music and applauding.

Harlequin League started with All Your Wars Are Won. Guitarist Sebastian Astone thrashed away and a crowd formed. Lead singer James Rogers said ‘Thanks cunts’ and continued to thank people for staying throughout the set. Newest single Charlatan had the guys moving around the stage, while Benjamin Pooley concentrated hard on the synths and Chris James drummed fiercely. The voices of Rogers and Astone carried over the music and at times they moved and turned around completely in synch.

Two Fists ended with much positive yelling from the crowd, and through the rest of the set Harlequin League kept the music going from song to song without a pause in guitar chords. They produced a solid indie/rock sound however, there seemed to be something missing. By Again and Again, the final song, there seemed to be a real lack in energy. The crowd had reduced in size and Harlequin League went off almost dejectedly.

Thus ended RTRFM’s Radiothon for another year.

Check out Toxikon’s Pics