Gentle Ben & His SensitiveSide, The Devastations,Rowland S Howard, Ghost Ships@ The Zoo, 07/10/05

Mon 10th Oct, 2005 in Gig Reviews

I would consider Ben Corbett himself to be one of the current icons of the Brisbane music scene, but here I am standing in line with perhaps 10 other people. I wonder to myself what else is going on tonight in Brisbane that would be more enjoyable; I can’t think of anything.

The Zoo is one of those great venues that allows non-smokers like me the chance to grab a window seat within close proximity to the stage and, for this, I love it. The stage is framed in what appears to be red velvet, reminiscent of a vaudeville show. A bit seedy, a bit sexy. The warm up music is a combination of ‘60s grunge and ‘50s aloha. Perfect.

The first act to attempt to wake up the dozing crowd is Ghost Ship. They comment that this is their first gig and it shows. The band lacks the confidence to really engage the crowd and slips into an introspective performance. Although talented musicians, with some quality material, the band needs to develop some confidence in their performance and, hopefully, this will come with experience. If their final number was an indication of what they can do once they warm up, this band has potential. At times they remind me of The Stranglers, at others of Echo and the Bunnymen. Their melancholic cover of Superstar by Jamelia is a definite favourite of mine.

By now, there are at least 50 people in the venue and the noise level is growing. What is it about people that even though there is no excessive background noise they feel they must talk the eardrums off everybody around them? Enter Rowland S. Howard. Now, it’s obvious by the amount of people who begin to move toward the stage that this man has a strong following and, from the opening chords of his first song, his extraordinary talent is conspicuous. Howard, best know perhaps for his involvement with Nick Cave and The Birthday Party, has a strong presence intertwined with complex musicianship. The fact that he can sit on stage, alone with his guitar, and entrance people is evidence of this talent. Interspersing his music with witty anecdotes – “Is everyone looking forward to 39 degrees on Sunday? I know I am. I’ll be in Melbourne.” – he is a seasoned musician who is greatly respected by his fans.

It’s 10:30pm and, although the first two sets have been enjoyable I am, frankly, feeling a little depressed and, dare I say it, bored. Enter The Devastations, a band who in the past have collaborated with Howard on Autoluminiscent. Now, the obvious statement to make here is that singer / bassist Conrad Standish looks extremely similar to a younger Nick Cave. The elongated neck, the height, the hair. The presence. So now that comment is out of the way, I can describe exactly how riveting this band is. From Melbourne, The Devastations have spent some time in Berlin since 2003 recording their latest release, Coal, and collaborating with Einsturzende Neubauten in yet another Cave connection. Seems Cave is here tonight, despite his absence! With Tom Carlyon on guitar and vocals and Hugo Cran on drums, this band is impressing the crowd here tonight for certain. As their thumping, grinding sound fills the room, people drift toward the stage to witness this display of musical prowess and – something rare these days with many musicians – charisma. Conrad in particular has such an incredible onstage presence it is difficult to take your eyes off him. I am getting a Phil Spector vibration, that great wall of sound that The Shangri-Las had in the 1960s. During Sex and Mayhem, every so often what sounds like a Hammond organ belts out a raunchy beat. With Conrad’s voice sounding at times similar to David Bowie in his Berlin days and at others like Bryan Ferry, I am entranced. When Tom sings he sounds like he is channeling Tom Petty. Other stand out songs from this set include I Don’t Want to Lose You Tonight and Take You Home, as well as the single Coal from their new release of the same name. Such a well paced set, with professional performances from all members, this band is definitely one to watch out for in the near future. The members of this band are cool and calm sex gods, no doubt about it.

I cannot believe how many punters are not paying any attention to the bands and are just standing near the front of the stage talking. Why are they here? Around midnight, Gentle Ben and His Sensitive Side come on stage. The prevalence of young girls with shiny ponytails and clutchbags becomes obvious as they swarm en masse toward the stage, yelling, “Ben’s SO cute!” and squealing outrageously. And then it clicks: radio airplay, new fans. Ben Corbett, the lead singer, stands on stage, all chiselled cheekbones and chiaruscuro lighting. All in black, surrounded by his angels in white, Ben definitely increases the energy levels of this venue, menacingly stalking the stage like a caged panther and sporadically screaming like a banshee. The other members of the band, Dylan McCormack, Trevor Ludlow, and Nick Naughton bring the perfect juxtaposition to Ben’s energy with their lack of movement and placidity. All of a sudden, a fantastic light show appears like a sparkling constellation above the band and Ben changes direction, becoming a romantic poet with Falling.

When the band plays the opening chords to their single, The Dogs of Valparaiso, the previously mentioned shiny ponytails get all excited and start bopping along, desperately trying to make eye contact with Ben while, at the same time, staying aloof. It doesn’t work and to my joy, Ben actually tells someone in the audience to stop talking so loudly… although perhaps not that politely. They deserved it and I’m happy to see a band member be so proactive! At the end of the set, Ben thanks the support bands, saying “It’s always good to headline over people much better than you”. All in all, I find this performance a little too over the top, with Ben’s vocals and performance too similar to his ‘persona’ in SixFtHick. I think Gentle Ben and his Sensitive Side is still finding their equilibrium and independence from other bands with which the members have been involved. I can see this band producing great work in years to come if they can concentrate more on the music and a little less on the drama.

I leave the venue extremely satisfied. Solid performances all round and an absolute discovery in The Devastations. Moments like this are what going to gigs is all about. A band you might never have heard of can rock your world and make you desperate for more, make you understand what music is all about: making you feel something, dream a little, even fantasise. It’s the best drug and there’s nothing else comes close to it.