The Panda Band, Beth n Ben,Paryce @ ANU Bar, Canberra(17/8/11)

Fri 19th Aug, 2011 in Gig Reviews

A very rainy and cold evening in the nation’s capital on Wednesday night kept most residents indoors. But the few crazy punters willing to brave the rain to dance and feel merry could be found at ANU Bar awaiting a three act lineup that would shock and amaze.

Dani Paryce had the misfortune of opening to a crowd of approximately ten audience members. It seemed as though the rest of the bar’s patrons were drying off while playing pool. Paryce is a singer-songwriter from Canberra, who released her debut self-titled EP late last year. While the girl definitely has talent, with vocal chords most people can only wish for, the young musician has a long way to go. There is no doubt that she could showcase what talent she has a whole lot better. Her song writing skills are probably her biggest let down; her lyrics are so literal that she leaves nothing to the imagination and she doesn’t paint the prettiest pictures with her words. Whilst her vocals are standout she has a tendency to over sing at every opportunity. Paryce may just need to relax and enjoy her moment on stage; it would all be a lot more joyous if she didn’t seem to be trying so hard.

The next act to grace the stage was Beth n Ben, a singer-songwriter duo from Canberra. The foot-tapping and hip-shaking stepped up as the crowd quickly doubled; then tripled; then quadrupled. Beth n Ben comprise of two seriously talented, uber cool, vocalists and guitarists, Beth Monzo and Ben Drysdale. Monzo can be seen around these parts in various bands, including Dub Dub Goose and Big Score. Whilst Drysdale is best known as the founder of Canberra based music company, Cardboard Charlie.

These two musicians are both very connected and have the ability to play with just about any musician in the region but they have definitely found their musical matches. They each contain the ability to be both raw and perfected. They complement each other’s musical ability to unbelievable lengths. Their witty lyrics and obscure view on everyday life makes for solid entertainment and when dropped in front of a beat you can move to, what more could you ask for?

Playing over the storm next was The Panda Band, a genre swinging indie-pop group from Perth. After recently releasing their first recording in four years, Charisma Weapon, the band is currently on their Annual Sail tour around the country. Unfortunately for TPB they were outshone by their support, Beth n Ben. TPB were cursed with sounds that were too loud; the longer they played the harder it was to listen and the small venue did their busy music no favours, although not all patrons seemed to agree. There was a definite split of “likers” versus “non-likers”. The “likers” danced around like they were in their living rooms and no one else was home. Eyes were just about taken out and lyrics were shouted through rooftops. Whilst “non-likers” formed a row of bodies at the back of the room, arms folded and barely batted an eyelid for the entire set.

Whether you are into fresh singer-songwriters who are still finding their way or veterans to the Canberra music scene, or even a band you can debate about with your mates, ANU Bar hosted a little bit of everything.