Inaugural Freq.Convergence @The Bakery, Perth (13/11/2010)

Fri 19th Nov, 2010 in Gig Reviews

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Thank god for The Bakery. In a time when more venues are interested in generic cover bands (if they have any live music at all), The Bakery are more than willing to present new and interesting music that deserves to be heard. It’s not too much of an assumption to make that not many venues would hold such an event as the Inaugural Freq. Convergence, but on Saturday night, that’s exactly what The Bakery did. Featuring experimental artists Usurper of Modern Medicine, Naik and French Rockets, it was an evening perfectly tailored for those who love their music in a somewhat more unusual style.

Usurper Of Modern Medicine opened the event on a high and positively psychedelic note. Emitting hazy jam pieces, the newest band of the evening (and also side project of Injured Ninja) were cloaked in darkness while the screen broadcast warped mind-bending clips to match the experimental, Kraut based music. Despite some occasionally chintzy sounding synths, the trio had an undeniable force to their sound and the rhythm section was nothing short of exceptional. With their debut EP to be released sometime in 2011, it’ll be exciting to see how Usurper Of Modern Medicine develops and grows. Heartless Robot should be very proud of their latest addition.

Next to appear onstage was ‘prog-hop’ wunderkind Naik (aka Sam Price), backed by drummer Adam Stepanovski. It’s safe to say that there aren’t many in Perth who produce music quite like Naik’s. Imagine grooving hip hop soundscapes without rapping but with its own uniquely experimental bent, and that’s Naik in a nutshell. The duo performed an entirely instrumental set of genuinely invigorating and sensational sounds. Zoo Trip was a highlight and featured crucial elements to Naik’s sound, samples and loops overlaid by one incredible beat. Naik himself not only manipulated electronic devices but also brought out a guitar to add extra dimension to his already complex sound. Even if it was the most visually minimal of the set, it didn’t end up mattering. HIs music is impressive enough without any visual distractions.

Finally, French Rockets arrived and promptly blew everyone’s minds. This was admittedly expected from the WAMi winners, but the band more than delivered on promise. With perhaps the greatest list of influences known in Perth, the cosmic art rock of French Rockets is a sound to behold. Even with the occasionally overlong break between songs due to technical issues, their set was nothing short of spectacular. If the other artists were the exciting blast into space, French Rockets took the Bakery into orbit. Collaborating with Steve Hughes, the director of French Rockets’ famed 1×1 video, they were almost as visually sublime as they sounded. The lights, films, sounds concocted were almost frighteningly powerful that all the audience could do was hold on the best they could. The set finished with 1×1 and completely blitzed the room.

There were no survivors from the onslaught. French Rockets won, the rest of us are still attempting to gather the remains of what is left of our minds. Thank god for the Bakery, and thank god for French Rockets. All hail the new art kings of Western Australia.

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