Stonefield, Glass Towers,Wherewolves @ The Zoo,Brisbane (17/09/2011)

Tue 20th Sep, 2011 in Gig Reviews

The talented young ladies of Stonefield can easily be described as the love children of Led Zeppelin and Iron Butterfly (with a healthy dose of Cream thrown in there). While the musical stylings of these women might not be incredibly diverse (they never steer far away from their seventies rock groove), what they achieved in their live set at The Zoo on Saturday night is something akin to a classic rock fan’s wet dream.

Glass Towers looked a little unenthused to be opening the night, but that’s probably because they were playing to all of three people (the rest of the crowd were gathered at the bar). Still, the band showed off an eclectic mix of what can only be described as trance-pop to one particularly avid fan who danced in front of the stage for the entire set (which was quite endearing really).

Wherewolves showed a bit more energy and the crowd responded enthusiastically. They could be described as a darker Evermore outfit, and everyone should listen to Out To Kill for heroic keyboard riffs and a wink to Brisbane’s Valley clubbing scene.

Stonefield’s first national tour saw the band cater to fans both in and out of high school – playing multiple shows per day for under 18s and over 18s. Straight away it was easy to sense that the band continues to work hard to sound the way they do. Lead vocalist/drummer Amy Findlay leads the psychedelic stampede with supercharged vocals, while Holly and Hannah Findlay thumped at lead guitar and bass guitar respectfully. Finally, keyboardist Sarah Findlay churned out ringing organ notes that gave the band’s sound a rare edge that most rock bands find elusive to capture.

Addictive Love and Move Out of My Shadow showcased some truly epic wah-wah pedal solos, where Holly wailed on her Gibson SG like Eric Clapton’s best work. Of course it’s songs like Black Water Rising (complete with an incredible keyboard solo from Sarah) that will prove terrific live staples for future sets.

Other highlights included Drowning with a brilliant Deep Purple-esque keyboard riff ringing alongside Hannah’s random screech (which was so rock and roll) and fan favourite Through the Clover – destined to be a Aussie Rock classic as the crowd started dancing crazy.

Despite the impressive array of original material, special mention has to be made of Stonefield’s covers. Halfway through their set the sisters launched into a favourite of theirs: none other then Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love. Page and Plant would be proud of Amy’s vocals (which shook the walls) while Holly’s guitar roared. The band’s showmanship should be commended, especially Hannah’s hair windmill which got more than a few crowd members going.

But the crowd truly went wild for Steppenwolf’s Magic Carpet Ride (recently covered on Triple J’s Like a Version) which was as electrified as a cover could get. The band didn’t lean on covers to get the audience going, but including them in their set really engaged everyone in the room.

Stonefield consists of four young sisters who joined together through a love of all things rock – and that passion is what will serve them well in the future, and their live sets are where they truly let loose.