Warpaint, Jack Ladder @ TheCorner, Melbourne (27/07/2011)

Sat 30th Jul, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Jack Ladder is part of a host of bands I thought had all but died off- posing indie bands content to imitate depressed English new wave acts from the eighties. I love the Smiths and Joy Division as much as the next geezer, but there is a reason those bands were so short lived. To his credit, Jack Ladder does mix in a bit of Emerson Lake and Palmer style prog. They just seem a tad hung up on the squealing guitars and Morrisey meets Ian Curtis vocals; all of which coming off more often than not like watered down Echo and the Bunnymen.

When Warpaint begin, we are only semi-aware that they have done so, as they jam instrumentally behind drawn curtains before emerging to launch properly in with the self titled Warpaint. Swirling melodies from the two guitarists are drawn through movements by the pulsating bass hooks of Jenny Lee Lindberg, whilst the act capitalise on their feminine presence with undulating and overlapping harmonies.

Stars, from the band’s much vaunted debut EP Exquisite Corpse, brings the already mellow mood down a notch with vocalists Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman reminiscent of Elizabeth Fraser and PJ Harvey’s latest minimalist effort Let England Shake, with its catch cry of, “oh wonderful one.” While the rest of the band seem eager to find a groove and gently rest there, Stella Mozgawa looks keen to take things in the other direction, bringing a veracity to her drumming that keeps the audience on its toes. Rather than not suiting the mood, she actually provides an integral interplay between the differing elements. Composure, with its sudden change in tempo from school yard chant to dark groove, gets Lindberg moving from side to side while it is the irresistible Billie Holiday that gets my money for best song of the night. It succeeds in getting the crowd to slowly chant along to the catch call of, “B-I-L-L-I-E-H-O-L-I-D-A-Y” before descending into a round structure between the three singers.

Other highlights from the debut album The Fool include Undertow, in which someone in the front row has Lindberg struggling to stop laughing and maintain composure and Majesty, with its vocal distortion echoing the Cocteau Twins. Set your Arms Down sees Wayman take over drums and Mozgawa move to guitar. The petite Americans seem genuinely humbled by the response at The Corner often looking out with expressions of bemused joy.

Closing with Elephants, there is only a very short interval before Kokal returns to give a solo rendition of the lilting folk ballad Baby. She is joined shortly after by the remaining members for Beetles which divulges into an almost Kyuss like jam before returning to its core structure.

If you’re looking for an energetic rock gig then you probably steer clear of Warpaint, but for the rest of us who like to wet our toes on the mellower side of the pond, it doesn’t get much better than what was presented at The Corner.