Philadelphia Grand Jury, Howl,Bearhug @ Metro Theatre,Sydney (13/11/10)

Wed 17th Nov, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Pavement, Pavement and more Pavement – from their cardigans to the tone of their guitars, it’s more than a little clear what makes up the collective record collection of Bearhug. Not that it’s too major a problem, mind – the quintet play pleasant, warm and harmonious indie rock with truckloads of slacker charm. Catching plenty of the right breaks recently, with supports for Broken Social Scene and the upcoming Built To Spill tour. Their awkward discomfort showed as they shuffled about the vast stage, made larger by each band’s drum kit being set up on the side rather than from the centre back. Playing to a mostly unresponsive all-ages crowd, who weren’t quite sure what to make of them, didn’t help boost their confidence much further, either. Still, they are an easily likeable band with plenty of potential to develop into something much greater. Tonight just wasn’t the right atmosphere for that to be properly showcased – let’s just say right time, wrong place.

Ballarat brats Howl might look all cleanshaven faces and suave collared shirts, but be warned – they can be dangerous little bastards, too, especially in front of an audience of rabid, party-ready kids. Though there wasn’t nearly as much edge as one would get at one of their club gigs, the six-piece were still in both good spirits and fine form, making the most of the expanded stage by shimmying and thrashing about in what appeared to be a mix between an epileptic seizure and a drunken Peter Garrett impression. Yes sir, these guys know how to get both themselves and their audience worked up – their jerky, rollicking post-punk pastiche made impact quickly with the now-faithful converts, as tracks like Anyone But Us and Blackout were extended and intensified for the live environment to full effect. From the crowdsurfing to the Justin Timberlake cover ( Sexy Back ), Howl continue to impress wherever they may roam. They were sweaty, anarchic and wild – and this was a “restrained” set for the band.

“What is he waiting for?” A confused punter looks on as the Philadelphia Grand Jury’s new drummer stands in the middle of the Metro lit by a spotlight. You didn’t get the memo? That’s a she you’re talking about – it’s I Heart Hiroshima’s Susie Patten, who raises her arm and says into her microphone: “If you’re having girl problems, I feel bad for you, son…” The trio rip straight into their much-loved Jay-Z cover, with Patten performing the track almost entirely within the audience, bouncing about and dancing with various punters. Although her predecessor, the legendary 55-year-old Calvin Welch, left quite big shoes to fill (or sandals and socks, depending on what time of the day you got him), the petite Patten is an eager, suitable heir to the drum throne, and this was a great way to introduce herself.

In what was the biggest headlining Sydney show to date for the Philly Jays, the band gave a notably different performance to what one has come to expect from them. This serviced both good and bad points – on one hand, it was great to see the band mix it up and present something new to repeat offenders in front of the Jury (the last legal pun you’ll see here, I swear). That said, it’s a damn shame that the kids up front for their first Philly Jays experience won’t get to experience the full unabridged rock & roll pandemonium of I Don’t Want To Party (Party), here presented in its radio edit form; or the freeze-frame breakdown of Ready to Roll that, no matter how gimmicky, never gets old.

It’s definitely not to say that this was a bad gig, however. New tracks like A New Package For You had practically everyone without a security top on dancing like idiots, while favourites such as Going To The Casino (Tomorrow Night) and The New Neil Young were loudly and energetically received.

Another standout, too, was the audience itself. Sure, anyone who’s been out of high school for longer than six months will be quick to reject the idea of all-ages shows – but really, this was an audience out for a good time. They bounced around, screamed at pitches that can only be heard by certain breeds of dogs and sang nearly every song in the set as loudly as possible. It was clear the band – especially bassist Joel “MC Bad Genius” Beeson – were going the extra mile in certain songs, probably just to keep up.

Ending a roughly 45-minute set with The Good News resulted in what was a bookended highlight with Susie’s 99 Problems. Two lines into the song, Simon “Berkfinger” Berckelman ditched his guitar and impulsively announced “I wanna go in there!” Not long afterward, he was in the audience, and spent most of the song crowdsurfing, much to the annoyance of the security and much to the joy of the crowd itself. Amazingly, he didn’t miss a beat of the song, keeping in time and in tune while being hurled about the front. Sure, it was controlled chaos, but the Philly Jays are far from going soft or G-rated just yet. They’re back, and as good as ever.

Check out the photos from the show