In The Pines @ SomervilleAuditorium, Perth 24/04/11

Tue 26th Apr, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Two stages. Twenty bands. Ten hours of non-stop local music. It’s the 18th year of RTR.fm’s In The Pines every year, the line-up is a smorgasbord of Perth’s up and coming and established artists. Held in the lovely Somerville Auditorium in UWA, the on and off rain failed to tear music lovers from the stage.

There’s no easing into the day with Hootenanny. The duo thrashed around the stage wearing tribal headgear, producing a deliciously dirty rock sound. Following them, was an instrumental band proudly hand-picked by RTR.fm. The Silent World slowly worked towards big build-ups and people stood in silence lost in the grungy ambience. Roughing it up was the sludgy metal sounds of Atolah, fans swayed slowly, immersing themselves.

Insert pop culture reference here – there’s a Christmas tree, a Kevin07 shirt and a bunch of proud hipsters on the stage making up Seams. Bursting with infectious energy, it was hard not to like them as they bashed on drums and triangles and danced with trees. Hearts melted for the ladies of Simone and Girlfunkle. They offered chocolate eggs but nothing was sweeter than the lush harmonies and breezy pop melodies.

It started to drizzle but that wasn’t enough to deter people away from the spectacular experimental electro of Injured Ninja’s side project, Usurper of Modern Medicine. The sun shone on Timothy Nelson and The Infidels, as they played some folk pop. The stage was no restriction for Nelson as he jumped onto the dirt to rock out to Let Her Go. Once again punters drew out their umbrellas; not budging from their spots because they were getting lost in the dreamy, shoe gazer sounds of Wolves at the Door.

Absorbed by the ambience of Mogwai-ish, post-industrial instrumental, a cult-like following huddled around the stage for Tangled Thoughts of Leaving. With a slightly darker sound, more instrumental followed with Mental Powers, getting through a clean set without much chit-chat.

The Scotch of St James are like a rough Friday night at the pub, good fun but not really attracting the Sunday sesh of hipsters and indie folk of the day. The Growl seemed more to their taste, drawing in a huge gathering with their raw rock n roll sound.

One of the more notable acts of the day was The Brow Horn Orchestra, if you were unfazed by the mini brass orchestra, the mash of electric blues and modern hip hop or the insane juggling and rapping skills, you must have had your foamies too deep in your ears. Fall Electric had the misfortune of following The Brow, and in contrast their set was bland and the crowd was stagnant. Even joining forces with Felicity Groom didn’t make much of a difference, as her mic. was frustratingly down too low.

6’s and 7’s brightened up the stage, each member wearing a coloured t-shirt to make the colours of a rainbow. Yet they brought on the rain and some rowdy members of the crowd started chanting something random. The band was understandably annoyed, but continued to please fans with their country folk sound.

The Devil Rides Out rode in on blasphemous religious references, drawing out Perth’s metal fans – by this time it was dark enough to get messy with sweat without the judging eye, and punters moshed away. Umpire eased into their set with brand spanking new single Green Light District and finished off with Streamers, it was a wobbly beginning with the wrong guitar tuning, but it fans were more excited to hear it played. Sons of Rico make a splash with a handful of familiar singles, the feel good rock vibe had a mass of fans in a frenzy.

Local legends Red Jezebel smashed out a great set, without a hitch or pause for breath. Casually stepping out in a leopard print dress and leather jacket was the heavily anticipated Abbe May. It was well worth waiting for the soulful vocals and strong female persona. “Thank you, my name is Delta Goodrem” She joked, and the crowd cheered for the end of a spectacular show.

The annual festival for discovering a new local band came to an end. Be proud if you came prepared with picnic blankets, umbrellas or earmuffs for your small child… but you can’t compete with the nice stranger carrying around a camera bag filled with lollipops. Because all the cool kids take candy from strangers.