Howl, The Parties ofInterzone, Velociraptor @ TheClub House, Brisbane(23/10/2010)

Sun 24th Oct, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Subtlety is not Brisbane locals Velociraptor ’s expertise. Coming on stage wearing (mostly) suits reminiscent of something similar to The Hives, the twelve piece (with only nine of them on stage tonight) blast into a self-referential introduction song, spelling out the word, unsurprisingly, Velociraptor. The Hives comparisons are uncanny. Velociraptor then launch into the remainder of their set, comprised of short tracks infused with the melodies of sixties pop, with a lot more edge. The amount of people and instruments on stage could threaten to overwhelm, but the band manages to keep it in check. It is an intense and incredibly fun set (if a little long), and Velociraptor are a band with a fantastic stage presence and exuberant amounts of energy.

Slowing the night down slightly is another local act The Parties of Interzone, who begin their set by adding that it’s been a ‘long time.’ They don’t seem to show this at all, all five members seem extremely comfortable in front of the small crowd that has slowly built throughout the night. The set is composed of enjoyable post-punk tracks, complete with melodic guitar riffs. This is the type of music that can easily become dull if left to stagger. The Parties of Interzone seem to be well aware of this and let their solid set quickly come to an end before the crowd has had enough.

Ballarat’s Howl are in Brisbane in support of their latest EP Brothers in Violence. Without much fanfare, they start the set with one of many bass heavy tracks, the sound vibrating off the small walls of The Club House. Howl start to fly through their set which is dominated by tracks from the latest EP amongst others. The Howl live performance drips with intensity, complete with keyboards and synthesisers backing the bass heavy, fast faced punk that they perform incredibly effectively. The crowd, while small, are engrossed by the entire set. The band even manage to mix things up a little; before performing their latest single Cabin Fever, Howl perform a short rendition of the chorus from the Gorillaz track Clint Eastwood. Minus this, Howl played it mostly straight, the small group of dedicated punters at the Club House being treated to a wild and fantastic show. It was a performance which Howl seem to be able to pull off effortlessly. This was a fantastic way to finish off the night, and it felt like Howl had completed their set in a blink of an eye.