Hell City Glamours @ Sando,Sydney (10/09/10)

Mon 13th Sep, 2010 in Gig Reviews

The first of the support bands was Spirit Valley and I must say, they could be the Best. Band. Ever. That may sound like a mammoth claim for a new two-piece from Sydney, but exaggerating I am not (well, maybe a little). This was only the second gig played by Spirit Valley and they impressed the crowd with their great dirty bluesy rock sound.

The vocalist and guitarist Dave Tomlinson has an amazing Tom Waits-erish voice and the drummer Chris Stabback looked so natural he could have been hitting skins before the umbilical cord was cut. Their set was made up of long building songs that culminated in epic climaxes, the last of which, Victory, clocked in at 12 minutes. There was clearly a lot of love between the two of them and playing on the floor rather than the stage created a great low-key intimate vibe that pleased the crowd. Superlative flattery aside, I was really impressed by the band and it would be great to see them get an album out and keep playing more and more live shows.

The next band up was Neon Heart, an energetic five piece from the Hawkesbury. While they brought a light-hearted feel to their set and played their instruments impressively, I was far from wowed by this band. An apt remark was made by a friend who noted they seemed to each represent a different aspect of passé alternative teenage angst, and I felt this was a distraction from the music. While they joked around with each other and offered some fun antics, it all seemed very rehearsed and underwhelming. However, it is important to note that such disappointment may not have been shared by all the watching crowd, as there was a bit of semi-dancing and the room remained encouragingly occupied throughout their set.

The last support was Devilrock Four, a four piece from Melbourne who have an album due for release in November. They play guitar based rock and do so well, however I would have appreciated it more if the vocals were louder. They offered great guitar riffs and a good solid rock sound, without any pretension sometimes evident in such musical outfits. I can’t say they were any standout hits for me in their set, but the experience overall was one of reliable, satisfying and genuine rock. It was certainly an enjoyable way to spend an hour of my life and one I would happily repeat.

Quite a few beers in, Hell City Glamours came on stage to a comfortably packed room. The atmosphere was good, with a really friendly vibe that can perhaps be attributed to the seven years the band has been playing in Sydney. And this experience showed in their music, as their set was super tight in a very relaxed way. The vocalist and guitarist Oscar McBlack has a great voice and was fun to watch, proving that showy glamrock is great for entertainment and Robbie Potts’ drumming was impressive as he unleashed fury on his kit with much evident talent.

It was nice to see the guys having fun on stage and their carefree cheer was infectious. Much of the crowd was singing along and for a song or two quite a few punters made their way on to the stage for a dance. It felt a very sincere show with seemingly effortless natural rock style. And luckily, a sound to match. The highlight song for me was Josephine, one of the catchier tunes in their repertoire and apparently well known by most of the other punters too. But the absolute crowd pleaser was One Night Only, the memorable first track on their 2008 self titled album.

It was a nice touch to give away the HCG/DRF split 7” (free with the price of a ticket), as it always feels agreeable to go away from a show with more than a looming hangover and a stubborn stamp that won’t scrub off for days. Without a doubt, for anyone who hasn’t seen these guys play it is definitely a worthwhile addition to the musical ‘to do’ list and it would be great to hear another album soon.

Check out the photos from the gig