Future of the Left, Turnpike,Tape/Off @ The Zoo (06/12/11)

Mon 12th Dec, 2011 in Gig Reviews

With no evidence of the drunken carnage Mudhoney left in their wake the night before, The Zoo is primed and ready for action as Future of the Left have made their second journey down to Oz for the year and are greeted by a crowd that feel like they have been tormented by their absence.

An early highlight in the day is offered up by tonight’s headliners Future of the Left as they take to local institution Tym’s guitars before tonight’s headlining set. In the steam filled guitar shop the band play a brief, yet enthralling set including the likes of the apparent Limp Bizkit sound-a-like Small Bones, Small Bodies with frontman Andy “Falco” Falkous giving us a taste of his Welsh wit and previewing the night ahead as a night to remember.

Starting at the early time of 7:40 locals Tape/Off have had a heavy run of shows in the past week including supports with Harmony and Brisbane institution, Screamfeeder. Despite this, the band show no signs of fatigue playing a heavy set despite a few technical difficulties. Lead guitarist Luke Zahnleiter plays like a pro whilst modestly fronting the show. Banter between guitarist Nathan Pickels and bassist Brenton Maybury is generally witty and inviting despite bass issues. Backseat proves an early highlight whilst drummer Branko Cosic led History feels as hard hitting and confronting as tonight’s headliners. A highlight pack of locals, Tape/Off show that they are worthy of tonight’s support and back up their industry led high praises despite their early billing and small crowd.

Having also had a strong run of shows over the weekend, Fellow Brisbaneites Turnpike are met with a legion of punters who are met with welcome arms by the band. The three piece are impressive to the point of the bill being misleading with them not headlining as all three members are tight to the ‘T’. Leader of the pack, Chris Bryant lays down some impressive guitar lines ranging from well constructed noise to solo sections spanning the fret board. Another great local highlight deserving of their position on tonight’s bill.

If this band were prescribed Ritalin as children, it obviously didn’t work. Future of the Left are on fire from the first strums of Arming Inertia and covered in sweat from the pushing two minute opener.

The sound is ear bleedingly loud from the start, with the guitars and drums screeching down the ear canal. A notable mention has to go to the sound of Julia Ruzika ’s bass with it not only moving The Zoo’s foundations but hitting you in the face with an eerie static electricity feeling due to the intense frequencies being thrown at the audience. This is especially true during numbers like Chin Music and Manchasm.

The band are intensely tight for the entire set with not a fault to be found. Small Bones Small Bodies makes an early appearance and erupts the venue into a frenzy. The title track from recent EP Polymers Are Forever sees the analogue organ at the center of the stage get a serious workout.

Frontman Andy ‘Falco’ Falkous ’s banter is something of a marvel on its own as he leaves no subject untouched including the comparison of Perth’s tattooing from the real world to the inner personal secrets of Margaret Thatcher. A cover of Falkous and drummer Jack Egglestone ’s former band McLusky, To Hell With Good Intentions sends the crowd into a frenzy while Without MSG I Am Nothing takes it one step further.

Not wasting time with encores, the band finish with another brief McLusky track Lightsabre Cock Sucking Blues. With a punter preempting the track it was nearly the last one. But the honours went to the epic Lapsed Catholics. The track is literally a journey through musical headspace as the track stops, starts, speeds up and slows down. It is delicate, then vicious and amazing. By far the longest track of the night, the drum kit is dismantled and members of the audience are invited on stage by the band to take over the kit. Another punter has a beer duct-taped to his head by guitarist Jimmy Watkins who then pours it in to various band and audience members’ mouths in what will no doubt be a new craze in party beer drinking. Amidst the chaos, the humble bass darling Ruzika was standing to the side of the stage enjoying the chaos from her fellow band members. With the stage destroyed and beer soaked into the carpet the band leave the stage whilst doing an improvised cover of the pink panther theme to the audiences deafening cheer.

Future of the Left encompass the insane but plausible elements of Spinal Tap and then throw in elements of punk, a bit of darkness and the wit of a Welsh version of Ricky Gervais. While tonight’s set list is similar to the bands performance at the Zoo earlier in the year, the group are a true spectacle on stage and they back up the acclaim from fans and critics alike with one frenzied guitar line at a time.