The Jezabels, Two HoursTraffic @ The Zoo, Brisbane(05/12/2010)

Thu 16th Dec, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Sunday night saw Sydney four-piece, The Jezebels drop into balmy Brisbane for the final stop of their Dark Storm Tour. In tow was Canadian band Two Hours Traffic who kicked off proceedings in the finest of style.

One of my favourite things, although quite rare, is when you go to a gig to see the headlining band, give or take anything else about the evening. You arrive focused on the prize at the end. And then the prize comes early. This has happened to me twice this year – the second time being this particular gig.

I knew nothing about indie-pop quartet, Two Hours Traffic before seeing them play. Every song was unfamiliar, but I was enjoying everything I heard. And, I wasn’t the only person there that was doing so! The undertone of banter from the audience was almost absent and applauding accolades were offered at the end of every song. Post set I purchased their most recent release Territory on vinyl and I haven’t stopped listening. My favourite songs from the evening turned out to be album opener Noisemaker, title track Territory and the acoustically trimmed track Lost Boys. Two Hours Traffic excitingly intertwine warm acoustic guitar with cleverly crafted electric guitar riffs, warm vocals and harmonies laced with keys and synths. And, I probably need not say this, but, I highly recommend checking them out. Hopefully they return to our shores sooner rather than later.

After such a satisfying start to the evening, my expectations had steadily increased for The Jezabels.

Two sold out Troubadour (RIP) shows were combined and moved to The Zoo; a notion that excited me. I have a soft spot for The Zoo and was adamant that The Jezabels were due to graduate to a bigger venue. Superstar front woman, Hayley Mary is deserving of a bigger crowd.

I don’t think I could have been more wrong.

I saw The Jezabels earlier in the year at The Troubadour and it was a real treat. It was intimate and there was a buzz in the room that Mary was feeding off. Not to say there wasn’t a buzz at The Zoo, but I would attribute the increase in venue size to an underwhelming show.

Hurt Me and Disco Love Biscuit provided glimpses of what I expected, but it all felt a little same, same and flat for my liking. The drummer, guitarist and keyboardist gave technically flawless performances, as did Mary, but it lacked sentiment. All the excuses in the book exist to forgive them (“It was the last show of the tour”, “It was a gazillion degrees” etc.) but that aside, it just didn’t hit the spot.

I’m extremely partial to what The Jezebels do, but, to continue growing at the rate they have been, they need to step up their live show. I want to experience the feeling that I had at The Troubadour, but at a bigger venue.

When I look back on that night, my memory is very Two Hours Traffic-heavy. In my opinion, they really stole the show.