The Blackchords,The BatteryKids,The Leitmotif,Semi-Normal, Tracksuit, @Jive, Adelaide (15/02/11)

Sat 19th Feb, 2011 in Gig Reviews

On a Wednesday night the Fuse West Showcase burst into the West End and answered the mid-week blues, dragging couch hermits out of their trackie co-ordinates and keeping gig-goers up past their working week bedtimes.

Jive offered up its portion of the showcase, delivering five bands. The Leitmotif kicked off the proceedings with the challenge of not only being the opener, but also being the opening act on a Wednesday while daylight still shone outside Jive’s doors. The band rose to the challenge, energising a respectable number of standing punters and pausing only to entice the front row further forward with the temptation of air conditioning. Included in their set was the riff-heavy The Night and danceable pop pleasures. Semi-Normal took to the stage next, their tunes harking back to the rock of days gone by. Possessing the novelty of a broken-armed drummer, the band powered through a set of Brit-rock influenced tunes such as I’ll Be There, eliciting foot tapping from the punters. The crowd was a revolving door of punters shuttling in and out during the night, clutching Fuse Showcase timetables and keeping tight schedules.

The filling in the night’s musical sandwich came in the form of Tracksuit. Taking to the stage, their front man displayed his crazed dance moves and showed the punters how it should be done. The Perth band kicked off with explosive energy and disco-ready rock. They showcased the catchy Mr Mower, knuckling down to a classic chorus line for She’s Damaged and, for the closing track, crafting a slow build from minimalist guitar warbles. Tracksuit showed that like their namesake they are indeed suitable for sport, leisure, and dance floors.

The Battery Kids followed up with an eerie electro offering worthy of a 80s horror flick. With over 1000 watts of energy between them, the band sped through rollicking riff-chasing tunes and fit in an appropriate zombie dance track. Included on the musical menu was a ballad cover of Roy Orbison’s Crying, segueing into heavy backing. Last but certainly not least were Melbournians The Blackchords, who drew the crowd to the standing dance-ready position. The band launched into a set sprinkled with acoustic and dreamy undertones, as well as punchy sounds. There was swaying and there was jiving amongst members of the audience. Signing off by midnight, The Blackchords drove away the mid-week blues with a repertoire that included the haunting and quietly anthemic Broken Bones and At World’s End.