Loon Lake, Emperors, YoungMaverick @ The Grace Darling,Melbourne (15/04/2011)

Mon 18th Apr, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Alright, so first things first: Loon Lake is a great name for a band. ‘Body of water’ bands are taking over from ‘The’ bands, and should-be-a-‘The’-but-there-isn’t-one bands – Battles, Parades, Cabins – as the naming format du jour, and I, for one, am into it. Okkervil River? Grand. Bum Creek? Terrific. The Ocean Party? Mmmm… evocative. Furthermore, Loon Lake is a great novel, so these guys must have taste, right? Things looked promising on entering the Grace Darling, home of the fanciest wallpaper.

Young Maverick, a relatively new local band, were charged with opening proceedings. Showing a distinct preference for propulsive beats and straight-ahead, trebly strumming, Young Maverick share the dominant stylistic traits of indie pop’s last decade. They are a band with a knack for uncluttered arrangements and simple, direct songwriting, which is no small thing. What was missing, however, was the sort of energy and conviction required to sell such an approach. Their cautious performance ensured that over the course of their set, their lack of variation became an issue, and their strengths were diluted through repetition.

Next on were the Perth-based Emperors, who were using the evening as an opportunity to launch their debut EP Sam. From the first fuzzed-out chords of their set, they set about channelling the spirit of Lollapalooza for those in the audience too young to remember. Conviction was no problem for these guys (and gal), and in taking their cues from bands of the calibre of Smashing Pumpkins and the Pixies, there was a lot to like. Frontman Adam Livingston’s impassioned vocals and the tight harmonies of Zoe James in particular were a feature of their set. Yet in providing a much-needed change of pace, Emperors veered out of their Alt-Rock sweet spot and into soft-centred, Triple M purgatory. Fortunately these excursions were brief, but not brief enough.

It was with a minimum of pretence that Loon Lake clambered onstage and commenced their set, bouncing straight into Easy Chairs, with its Walking On Sunshine-type groove, overlaid with buzzing, chiming guitar riffs. This opening was to serve as a mission statement, typifying their Strokes-indebted garage/power-pop hybrid. Bands that line up with three guitarists always run the risk of overcrowding, both sonically and spatially, but Loon Lake were able to utilize their barrage of strings to great effect, supplying melodic counterpoint or busted-radio abrasiveness as required, whilst allowing plenty of room for the strong rhythm section to fizz and bounce underneath.

With a vocal style sitting between Shane MacGowan, Rod Stewart, and every other singer that ever gargled whiskey before breakfast, singer and head Loon Sam delivered his wry, observational lyrics with an easy, ingratiating if not somewhat incongruous swagger. Indeed, it was slightly jarring to hear one of their slick, Steely Dan-esque twin guitar breaks give way to his choked, rasping verses. Also, this rough-hewn style obscured some key lyrics, and robbed choruses of their melodic impact, though not their visceral impact. This is typical of the band’s conundrum; their energy comes at the cost of precision, and creates the sense that they are almost apologetic for the sophistication of their arrangements, despite this standing as possibly their strongest feature.

But the sheer unselfconsciousness of it all demonstrated that these guys aren’t really paying attention to generic concerns such as these. After all, a more self-conscious band wouldn’t dream of whipping out a lighters-in-the-air cover of Brian Adams’ Heaven – a WTF moment, despite being delivered with tongue firmly in cheek – and their rapidly developing reputation is proof that their idiosyncrasies make them no harder to love. Still, the sense persists that their rough edges are a hindrance, not a help. Having said this, with sandpaper and some elbow grease, good things may be in the offing for Loon Lake.