Funeral Party, Boy In A Box @Amplifier, Perth (02/08/11)

Sat 6th Aug, 2011 in Gig Reviews

On Tuesday night, Funeral Party made their debut in Perth with the support of Boy In A Box. It was an early evening but this did not detract from the energy of both acts .

First of all Boy In A Box came onstage to a limited crowd. The lads were in uniforms of white t-shirts and black skinny jeans. Singer/guitarist Tobias Priddle had the rockabilly look down pat with his slicked hair and tattooed armsleeve giving more pizzazz to the outfit. Their first song was fun with the addition of Ben Huisman on keys giving an added depth to the sound. Drummer Athan Hewett got a bit too stuck in and broke his snare drum but luckily there was a spare snare out the back. From here they recovered perfectly by heading straight into current single Glitter, Gold, Ruin and from here the people started dancing.

The rest of their set included four new songs, of which one really stood out as a sweet poppy single with the chorus I Won’t Show Mercy that had great hooks and good potential for powerpunk singalongs. Moon Comes Up was another favorite with the guitar and drums riffs coming in first to entice people into its familiarity then the crowd reveled in the lovely cheeriness of the anthem. The crowd were left feeling like they’d been witness to a band in it’s developing phase – they’ve got some great catchy songs and a sweet attitude of gratitude for the attention they’ve received so far. And deservedly so, as their new songs showed promise. It’s nice to see a group of men unashamedly happy to be there.

Then along came Funeral Party with quite a different vibe. Singer Chad Elliot quite possibly has short man syndrome but his music is definitely the better for it. He appears fast and furious with a voice like no other. Drummer *Robert Shaffer * also stood out as an amazing musician that appeared just to take everything in his stride whilst putting down some amazing talent. Alongside bassist Kimo Kauhola they were definitely the conscientious backbone of the band allowing Elliot to take off in all directions. James Torres on guitar was definitely trying to ooze sex appeal, whether it translated to the audience is another question but he was giving it a red hot go with his indie mo, curly curls and man cleavage t-shirt.

The energy of this band is amazing and did not peter once throughout their set. Considering they probably just got off the redeye from LA they were quite spectacular in the oomph department. Elliot’s between song banter showed the jetlag with lame comments about Perth being backwards because it’s winter and in LA it’s hot right now. Ummm, ok, maybe just stick with the singing tonight. Golden Age of Knowhere, Carwars, New York City Moves to the Sound of LA, Youth and Poverty, Finale all made an appearance and won over the crowd.

They had apparently lost another member to Japan where he stayed on after Fuji Rock but the band didn’t seem to miss him, with Elliot doubling up on keys for some songs. The band exited stage right and didn’t have a choice but to come back and play an encore as the doors backstage were locked shut. Overall there was a sense that this band haven’t reached the level of popularity in Australia that they’re capable of, so the audience felt like we were in on some kind of secret that others haven’t cottoned onto yet. They obviously put their guts into any performance and to combine that with amazing musicianship and earnest lyrics can’t really be beaten. Just bring your earplugs, they don’t hold back.

The audience walked out with fuzzy ears but the sense they’d witnessed something quite great. Both bands were unafraid to be who they are, they belted out their emotions through the music without fear of anything.