I Heart Hiroshima, Howl @ TheGaelic Club, Sydney (4/2/11)

Mon 7th Feb, 2011 in Gig Reviews

There’s a weird trend developing with the audiences to Ballarat six-piece Howl, in which they are dressed in the same kitschy floral shirts that most of the band wears themselves – kind of like Jimmy Buffett’s Parrotheads, except sixty-odd years younger and with a better sense of direction. It’s a minor, perhaps even pedantic, observation; but it still begs the question: are Howl heading towards cult status in the live arena? It seems with each show and each tour, the crowds are growing in numbers, strength and fervency – and it’s performance like the one they give tonight at the Gaelic that validate this swelling interest.

The band play the kind of cutthroat rock & roll that was stylised in the late seventies and early eighties, yet add their own sense of youthful reckless abandon in order to give it the 21st century injection it needs. From their screeching originals like Blackout and Anyone But Us right down to a flawless Beastie Boys cover ( Sabotage ), it’s very easy to get caught up in the band’s frenzy. Sure, you know what’s coming during finale I Hear It’s Love, in which the drummer strips to his undies and the entire band goes crazy in a flurry of sticks, hair and hormones. What’s great about Howl, however, is the fact they’re often like a classic horror film – even when you know exactly when the big scenes are coming, there’s still the underlying and undying excitement which stems from the high probability that someone’s going to get hurt.

“We are I Heart Hiroshima!” announces Susie Patten, lately better known as Susie Dreamboat of the Philadelphia Grand Jury, but tonight behind the kit with the band that brought her name to prominence in Australia’s indie-rock scene to begin with. “It has been over a year since we have played in your fair city and it’s great to be back!” As fun as it’s been to see Patten go a bit crazy with the Philly Jays over the past few months, it’s no secret where her heart lies – centre stage, drum kit especially brought forward, with the guitar work of Cameron Hawes and Matthew Somers on either side of her. This was clear from the get-go, as the trio ripped into London in Love, their first single from all the way back in 2006 which hadn’t lost a skerrick of raw intensity after all these years. The only people who weren’t screaming about losing their knife at the the tops of ther lungs were those not paying attention – and they weren’t worth the effort to begin with.

Selections from both 2007’s Tuff Teef and 2009’s The Rip kept up the energy levels, as more and more people made the pilgrimage to the front of the dancefloor to get interactive with the jangly, brisk tunes being jammed out. Songs like the swaggered Got Out and the incessant pounding of Old Tree were delivered with impressive precision for a group who’d be easily forgiven for being rusty. A few forgotten lyrics and a single mistimed snare hit aside, the trio were mightily impressive in how easily they were able to keep things together throughout their set.

The gaps in-between songs were even entertaining, filled with wryly funny banter about changing their name to “Rousy Recepton” in order to get more of a reaction; as well as gently ribbing fans calling out for the ever-popular Punks, which they end up finishing with anyway, creating the standout track of the entire evening while they were at it. Fun, loose and rocking – albeit all too brief an encounter – it was an absolute pleasure to welcome Patten, Somers and Hawes back to the fold. Make no mistake, boys and girls – I Heart Hiroshima are back.