The Shallows @ Manhattan's,Perth (18/03/11)

Mon 21st Mar, 2011 in Gig Reviews

The size of Manhattan’s didn’t deter the vast number of devout followers and curious punters from squeezing in to see The Shallows launch of their EP Nostalgia Ain’t What it Used to Be.

Opening act Lucy Peach was once told by an old organ-player in Leederville that she would never be able to sing, so she gave it up until two years ago when a baritone ukulele (buke) was given to her as a present. Proving that man so very, very wrong, she opened the night humbly and commanded the attention of everyone who turned up early enough. The pop-folk catchiness that is A Million Ways was a great start to a set that she was proud of, being able to play all of her songs with violin (played by The Shallows’ Hayley-Jane Ayres ) and bass for the first time. For a band that was playing on stage together for the first time they were tight and looked as though they’d been together for years. Sometimes simple is best, and Lucy Peach proved that you don’t have to be a buke virtuoso to be able to make music that people like.

With each band-mate clad in black and red (shirts, ties, vests), The Witches were set to turn expectations on their head with their mixed-bag brand of art-rock. Featuring members from The Panda Band and Eye Spy, it started off sounding somewhat like The Strokes, The Arctic Monkeys, and Gatsby’s American Dream with a pinch of Coheed and Cambria’s guitar solos and ended sounding like they had been influenced by Cog. The lights were turned off and the growing crowd seemed perplexed by the complicated riffs, timing changes and energy, particularly one long-haired fan who danced alone with a beer in his hand – a rare show of dedication. Interestingly, three out of four band members could sing and filled up vocal space that is sometimes left empty. With epic guitar solos, long-winded bridges, harmonies and catchy choruses, this is a band to keep an eye on.

Adding to the night’s diversity was Cat Black, a fiery four-piece with an interesting combination of sexy, sultry, soaring vocals and straight-up rock n roll. Emma Heath’s voice seemed to ooze over Ryan Nash’s grungy guitar, Ash Wheeler’s rolling bass and Leyla Chaka’s snappy drumming. Without saying anything to the audience apart from a brief introduction of the band, she seemed to be simply going through the motions of their set without much enthusiasm. The band’s chemistry was undeniable and it became clear that they have been playing for quite some time before the release of Love is Gone in 2009. Evidently, the title track of their debut release was a highlight of their set and received some very noteworthy head-bopping from both the crowd and the band. Suddenly Heath abruptly sauntered off-stage for good, having said very little, and left the band to its own devices. As they finished up with an incredibly cool and well done instrumental number, you couldn’t help feeling it could have been so much more.

Manhattan’s suddenly became very busy as all eleven members of The Shallows slowly filed onto the small stage for the release of Nostalgia Ain’t What it Used to Be. Looking slightly cramped with the instruments taking up a lot of the space, lead singer Adam Tatana could barely keep his excitement under wraps as he greeted the crowd and opened with Next Time Thing. Sounding something like Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, and Spiritualised, it was a musical feast even the most hardcore metal head couldn’t deny. Violins, cello and the harp made for interesting listening as Adam’s Jeff Buckley and Antony Hegarty-style vocals soulfully drove the tunes. Most notable, however, was the trombone parts played by James Cross, which went above and beyond all expectations.

Surprisingly, for such a large and diverse group, each had their own moment in the spotlight. Covering Modest Mouse’s Spitting Venom proved to be a good idea and, of course, The Shallows added their own spin to it. Ayers added a nice element to the dynamic of the vocals but sadly, her microphone wasn’t loud enough for the crowd to be able to experience the full effect of the two voices. Quite simply, such diverse instruments all playing in time is magical. The band itself has so much personality that it can barely be contained on stage with a mix of chilled-out vibes and theatrical performance. Ending with Death to Mankind, they played their final epic outro to extended cheering.

Being one of the most intriguing and original acts in Perth at the moment seems to come easily to this symphonic folk–pop super group who left many patrons in awe.