Lyla @ Jive, Adelaide(27/11/10)

Fri 3rd Dec, 2010 in Gig Reviews

CHECK OUT ALL THE PHOTOS HERE.

Now I know what you’re thinking after all that. Just as I used to wonder the same thing.. “no really? LYLA? WHAT THE FUCK DO ALL THESE HYSTERICAL NITWITS SEE IN THIS BAND!?”. And as much as we COULD all cite all manner of insane conspiracy theories as plausible answers, ie: it’s a private school thing (didn’t they all go to Rostrevor!?), it’s some fucked up rock & roll “WAG” type thing? or maybe keyboards Stefan “Blobby” Krcmarov really IS that wildly “pants wettingly” attractive to the opposite sex that they come flocking in droves to bask in his musky scent (wait.. it’s the whole he looks like a gay pirate from 1985 right!?). But as much as all this combined may begin to explain SOME of their “screaming fangirl” appeal? I’ve figured a much more likely explanation that truly encompasses EVERYTHING in one here: and you need look no further than their sparkly scarves, pointy shoes, designer jackets, dress shirts and overabundance of near unpronouncable Italian surnames to figure it out too. Yup Lyla are without a doubt THE quintessential “fashion band”. And I don’t mean because they’re in any way fashionable in what they play, pfft.. what are you kidding me!? by the very fact they’re ripping off everything from Oasis, Supergrass to Jet to colour their sound: makes them either six years waaay too late, or six to sixteen years waaay too early to be considered hipster relevant (aaaah and aren’t they ever so refreshingly dorky because of it?). Nope to put it more bluntly they’re just the kind of band that girls everywhere would love to fantasize about dressing up. No more than that.. they’re the kind of band girls don’t have to fantasize about dressing up because they love nothing better than to be dressed up in return.. HA HA HA no shit they’re the Adelaide scene equivalent of playing “barbie dolls” in the most hilariously tragic way possible AND DON’T THEY JUST LOVE THEM FOR IT!? YOUUU BETCHA!!

Still as much as this does provide me with endless ammunition to mock them mercilessly with? they surprisingly don’t suck as musicians, weirder still they’re actually getting good at it, maybe even real GOOD at it, so much so you almost forget just why you were laughing at them in the first place (oh no wait, there goes “Blobby” again.. AAAAHAHahaHAHahaHA!! ahem oh he’s a gift that keeps on giving I swear!). Yup this is Lyla. Tonight they’re launching their brand new EP Sitting In The Sun, which according to them is their debut EP, despite the fact they already released one It Ain’t Right (not to be confused with the 2010 single of the same name) back in November 2008 and I know this WHY!? because I WAS THERE YOU FOOLS!! Still considering how far they’ve come in two years? maybe they’re allowed a little bit of revisionist history here.

With the EP recorded predominantly in Hillside Studios (a teeny bit at Broadcast) over winter, often in between DJ sets at The Ed Castle, and well into the morning: what makes their shit particularly noteworthy now is that they produced a lot of it themselves (and they totally didn’t fuck it up either) and it appears this increased confidence has rubbed off in their a-grade performance tonight. Leaping onto stage like conquering heroes to the hysterical screams of their Lylabird rent-a-crowd: they tear into the first three songs_Walk, Into Yer Bones_ and Get On barely pausing for breathe in covering an A-Z of all the swaggering retro rock cliches (and masterfully so too) all buzzing guitars and bass, honky tonk keys, shouted upbeat slogans passed off as lyrics with a swinging rhythm section that whips a dancefloor into hysterics? aaaah fuck it.. if you’ve heard any of Jet’s Get Born album you pretty much know it already. But as the set wears on they get that much more creative with it. From Stefan alternating between slamming tandem sticks percussion and keys through fourth and fifth songs It Ain’t Right and Dig It (When You’re Down). To Matt Minucci hammering out a deranged cover of The Gossip’s Dimestore Diamond on a shitty 1950’s style radio mic (which absolutely kills) only to join the rest of the band in launching into the last two songs: Cadillac and All Dressed Up And No Release (both re-worked into nothing short of a full throttle “chainsaw” attack in how much they cut up a dancefloor). And short of some teeny tiny issues with Sammy Bruno’s bass lead they’re every inch a five headed diabolical beast in playing it to precision. They’re borderline taking the absolute piss out of themselves in all the mad shapes they’re pulling in projecting it. The crowd’s absolutely eating it up, as much as I’m doing my best not to roll my eyes to it (as much as I’m pissing myself laughing in all the photos I’m getting of it). Yup that’s Lyla! They’re so damn “rock & roll” now they’re practically its pisstaking punchline. But they’re getting so damn good at it: not only in looking the part but in SOUNDING the part? I dare say we wouldn’t have it any other way!