Sosueme's 4th Birthday PartyExtravaganza @ Oxford ArtFactory, Sydney (28/05/11)

Tue 31st May, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Brotherly duo Mrs. Bishop seemed like an odd choice to be Sosueme’s official party-starters – their serene, placid style of electronica seemed more suited to the haze of the morning after than anything. Regardless, the group were a fine way to begin the proceedings, bringing a unique atmosphere to the venue with their reverberating keys and unmistakable harmonies that has been proven time after time to result from the same bloodline. A drummer rounded out the sibling’s sound, although did not seem to add anything that wasn’t already provided by the sequencer; and the similarity of the songs became slightly overbearing somewhere in the middle of the set. The Bishops brought it home, however, with a smart, jazzy cover of Ou Est Le Swimming Pool’s Dance the Way I Feel and their piece de resistance original, Where the River Flows. Songs like the latter are the results of what twentysomething musicians can do with a non-ironic appreciation for all aspects of 80s pop without sounding like… well, Gypsy and the Cat. In other words, it’s beautiful stuff. Watch this space, as it appears to be rapidly developing.

Aside from a few cracker pop tunes playing over the P.A., not a great deal seemed to be happening in the other room of the Oxford Art Factory, the Gallery Bar. One thing that was noticed, however, was a stage full of instruments – including two drum kits. Enter The Growl, a Perth four-piece making their first ever appearance in Sydney, who subsequently went ahead and gave one of the stand-out performances of the entire night. Where to begin describing this ferocious, electric-blues sound? Imagine Wolf & Cub, Cold War Kids and The Black Keys having themselves a blood orgy – now you’re halfway there. As the double-team drummers made as much racket as humanly possible up the back, their vocalist/guitarist was howling like a double shot of a nail through the foot and a woman who done did him wrong. It was mesmerising, not to mention downright exciting, to see such a nasty style of music get such a strong response from a quickly-gathering audience. Top it all off with a righteous rendition of John the Revelator, and you can hardly put a foot wrong, can you? Absolutely fantastic.

The Findlay sisters have created a very strong buzz about them in a very short amount of time, and it’s sets like the one they give to a fairly-packed room tonight that validates it all. Although half of Stonefield wouldn’t normally be allowed into the venue, they gave a performance that would put rock bands twice their age to shame. The drums are loud, the guitar is even louder and their collective energy is essentially unshakable – and that’s just within the first couple of songs. The bulk of the set is a jam through a series of new songs they have been busily recording all week in Sydney, as drummer/vocalist Amy happily informs us. Highlights include the slithering Move Out of My Shadow and the incessant groove of Drowning, which featured the littlest Findlay – bassist Holly – letting out a shocking screech that had more than a few jaws agape. The girls play like pros but never make it feel forced or insincere – they’re just some lucky kids who love to play, and their summer-lovin’ style of rock & roll is one to be embraced. Forget any School of Rock-esque gimmicks and let age simply be a number – all you need to know about Stonefield is that they freakin’ rule, dude.

Anyone who’s well-versed within theatre will be familiar with the concept of the “triple threat” – someone who can sing, dance and act. If that’s the case, Joyride has more threats than a mafia boss. He can sing, he can play guitar, he can rap, he can play keys, he DJs later on in the evening – is there anything this guy can’t do? Why not add some more while we’re at it – he can front a band, Joyride and the Accidents, and do a damn-fine job of it. It’s a smooth mix of soulful grooves and smartly-arranged funk, with Joyride’s booming baritone at the centre of it all. Tight jams from a ridiculously talented dude, let’s hope we see more out of these Accidents very soon. The big fella wrapped it up just in time to catch the tailend of Guineafowl, who were playing to a packed room and clearly getting their stadium-rock on. Their live shows can occasionally come across an overindulgence – do they really need three guitars; and did that bass player do anything in that last song? – but, at the very least, they have a solid set of tunes to back it up. Amongst the best are Botanist and In Our Circles, both lifted from their Hello Anxiety EP and a clear indication that the six-piece have great potential to go above and beyond into headlining territory.

What can you say about Parades that hasn’t already been said about them in the past twelve months? Whether they’re opening for Two Door Cinema Club or headlining in their own respect, the band have been consistently drawing people in to their passionate, intricate live performances. Despite heckles from some of the bigger tools of the evening (“Play some dubstep!” amongst their finest work), Parades simply got down to business and showcased from last year’s Foreign Tapes with a few twists. Past Lives built from a simple melody into a soaring extension of the original chord progression backed by the flying crashes of drummer Jonathan Boulet. Meanwhile, the seldom-played Tripping Over Her Eyes was transformed from a simple piano number to a layered full-band number, and the overlooked Springboarder stood out as a major set highlight, becoming a booming electronica jam. Inspired, exciting and invariably excellent – just another day at the office for Parades.

The party raged on in the venue until the ungodliest of hours, with practically everyone in the venue having a blast. Highlights included Joyride fulfilling the dreams of Saboo from The Mighty Boosh by playing Would I Lie to You? by Charles and Eddie during his DJ set, Zia McCabe from the Dandy Warhols getting absolutely baked while spinning Missy Elliott and Survivor; and the coolest cover band on the block, Furnace and the Fundamentals, bringing the house down with slick renditions of everything from You Can Call Me Al to Somebody to Love Me to keep the audience dancing like maniacs. Needless to say, this wasn’t your average 4th birthday party – and it certainly turned into a night to remember. Blow out the candles and rave to the grave.