Papa Vs Pretty @ Oxford ArtFactory, Sydney (2/12/10)

Tue 14th Dec, 2010 in Gig Reviews

The final Thursday showcase gig at the Oxford Art Factory for 2010 was up and down affair.

Folksters Tin Sparrow took the stage first with a musically appropriate evocation of their name: fragile folk pop layered with harmonies and plenty of acoustic guitars. All quite pretty, you can be assured but not terribly arresting.

Next, Sydney three-piece Dark Bells graced the stage. Their shoegazey musings are vaguely comparative to LA band Warpaint or the next logical step after Mercy Arms; the music has a lobster-in-boiling-water type quality where you don’t notice the cacophonous volumes the band are getting up to until the blissful breakdowns. Dreamy, mournful and reverbed to the hilt soundscapes ensued. Reccommended.

Indie-punk rockers TRAPS have an indistinct but catchy bouncy guitars, drums, bass style a la Cut Off Your Hands. The lads pranced about the stage in a manner befitting their fun, carefree style and manage to get the crowd going a bit, but lack of substance in the songs prevented them from really going off.

Headlining the night was the always spectacular Papa Vs Pretty, with guitarist frontman Thomas Rawle bringing his usual combination of bashful humility and epic guitar showmanship. The band plowed through the set, dredging up old favourites and new songs alike. The excellent new single Wrecking Ball provided a plethora of head-bobbing action from the enthusiastic crowd. New song Honey proved to be popular also.

Papa Vs Pretty never fail to impress with their eclectic licks and tight-as-a drum rhythm section. Anyone going up to Pyramid Rock or Peat’s Ridge would do well to see them there. And I’m certain, their new album will provide a proper consolidation of what we heard on Thursday.