British India, BLVD Tavern,Joondalup, 07/12/11

Mon 19th Dec, 2011 in Gig Reviews

It feels as though it was only yesterday that British India were playing our local pub, but the non-stop touring band are back and powering through a four date tour (Not including a secret show) of Western Australia.

Not many venues in the Northern Suburbs host live original music, so music lovers that live a decent drive north of the city will be pleased to know that the BLVD Tavern in Joondalup has opened its doors to music other than cover bands.

A surprisingly large number of punters packed themselves into the tiny room for a mid-week gig. The wait between doors open to the first band was ridiculously long. It would have been a better to announce a later start time on the tickets to avoid punters losing their patience.

Perth band Emperors kicked off the night and managed to attract back inside many of the punters who had left the room to entertain themselves. Harmonies between lead vocalist Adam Livingston and Bassist Zoe James are a stand out feature of Emperors’ 90s garage rock tunes. While they have a solid sound, it all begins to sound the same when every song follows the exact same structure. Though, this did not seem to bother many in the crowd who nodded their way through the set.

The British India boys casually waded through the sea of fans to take their positions on the stage. This band are just there to play no bullshit rock and roll, which became clear as they ripped into Black and White Radio. Older hits This Dance is Loaded and Tie up my Hands kept the fans moving on a lazy Wednesday night.

Declan Melia may be pint sized, but he is a fiery front man with a lot of attitude.
While the band played well, there wasn’t a lot of energy to draw from the audience; which affected the intensity at which they played. It was clear that the boys were enjoying themselves on stage, with smiles all round, but the audience energy has an impact on performance levels: If the audience give more, so too will the band.

New single, and name of the current tour, She Prefers Older Men had the crowd bouncing in a short, fast, loud, flurry of energy for the classic punk sound. The mood toned down a little with God is Dead, Meet the Kids which showed a softer side of the band, but it didn’t take long to raise the energy levels once again with obvious favourite Run the Red Light giving punters’ vocal chords a workout and Teenage Mother which showcased drummer *Matt O’Gorman*’s skills.

Merely mentioning the inclusion of Harvey Danger’s Flagpole Sitta in the set was enough to attract multiple squeals, so you can just imagine the chaos that ensued. Matt gave his kit such a pounding that the cymbals were knocked right off the stand. This reaction was topped during final song March Into The Ocean during which a violent circle pit opened up, catching many punters off guard. Aside from the passionate fans in the front row the crowd had been rather subdued throughout the night. Way to end the show with a bang!

Judging by the amount of broken glass littered all over the floor at the end of the night, it would be safe to conclude that punters had a great night. It would not be surprising if many in attendance called in sick for work the next day.