Stereoflower at Manhattan's,Perth (30/09/10)

Sat 2nd Oct, 2010 in Gig Reviews

The newly renovated Manhattan’s was looking good as The Wishers and Ruby Boots joined Stereoflower for a night of solid performances.

The Wishers started off the night with their easy listening country rock. Their set-up is a little unusual in that there is only one singer with no back-up vocalists. Song The Bartender and I would not be out of place on Mix 94.5 and the smooth vocals had most of the audience’s full attention. The vocals held strong throughout the set, filling the room and reaching out to the street. After Hold Your Course, the title track from their upcoming EP, the band members chatted amongst themselves and gave the impression that they would be the same whether they played for ten people or a hundred. The performance seemed effortless for The Wishers, as the music perked up and slowed down, while still maintaining the same basic sound for all the songs. The choice to end with a cover of Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues seemed popular with the crowd, who were left happy after The Wishers polished performance.

Ruby Boots had an army of supporters and a wide array of instruments. They have also doubled the amount of band members, with the addition of a drummer, a banjo player and a bassist. First song Sleeping Alone had some technical problems, with the instruments and the powerful voice of lead singer Bex Chilcott being unfavourably treated by the overly loud microphones. Luckily, this was completely fixed after the first few songs. One, Two saw banjo player Jesse Woodward playing the washboard, which worked with the violin to produce a proficient song that would not be out of place at a hootenanny.

After Emergency Rescue, there was a point where Chilcott and Woodward had to take a minute to work out which keys they should be playing. Devil is the song that ‘we love playing the most’ and it showed. Violinist Eliza Rogers showcased her vocal talents with some impressive high notes and the rest of the band interacted well with each other and drew the audience in with their energy. Despite there being six instruments played at once, plus that amazing voice, nothing got overpowered or lost in the music. They managed to sound good and unique without overdoing it.

Stereoflower’s first song, The Bastards, stood out after the mainly country feel of the other bands. Lead singer Alex Elbery’s voice carried nicely over the powerful music of heavy guitars and pounding beats. During I’ve Been Sleeping In A Dust Bin, Elbery broke a guitar string, but that did not affect the performance. Elbery hopped around, while guitarst Rufus Marmaduke moved around his stage space to play close to each of the other band members. Passenger Seat made use of the effects pedal, and after a false start, Stereoflower powered on. Doctor Blythe’s drum beats were felt through the floor as the sounds of the guitars floated above them. Blythe was able to make good drumming look easy, as Elbery showed that he could hold powerful notes well, at times his voice sounding mature beyond his 21 years.

A broken pedal meant Elbery had ‘to play the old school way, if no-one minds’. Most of the crowd had left, though that would have been more to do with it being 11pm on a Thursday than a broken pedal. Final song What Have You Got If You Haven’t Got Piece Of Mind saw Blythe singing back-up vocals that provided a nice edge to the lyrics. Stereoflower kept up their energy and gave it their all until the last note.