Starky + Pony Up @ TheAnnandale Hotel, Sydney(22/09/06)

Wed 27th Sep, 2006 in Gig Reviews

Starky (not to be confused with Starkey) released a self titled album this year that demonstrated a change in musical direction. They’ve left the short, poppy songs behind and created tunes that are multilayered with some synth and a lot of guitar. The lyrics are interesting and engaging, and are far away from ‘Girl talk, girl talk, girl talk’. Fans are divided with the new sound, some cry, ‘I like their old stuff better than their new stuff’ or say that the music is derivative of Interpol-esque bands. Other people have been won over by their new sound and direction. I hadn’t seen them play since February (when they supported the Cribs) and was interested to see how they would work it onstage.

The Annandale Hotel had sold out well in advance and the ticketless punters were being turned away at the door. The crowd was still quite sparse when Pony Up! took to the stage. The all girl group are young, fresh and play tunes that are really sweet. A punter beside me muttered about ‘hype’ but honestly, the only thing I’ve heard about this band is their song on Triple J. That’s not hype, all the excitement over this group comes from their tunes. Although they weren’t tearing up the stage, the banter between the band members was fun and cute. They played a soulful and touching version of The Bravery’s Honest Mistake and finished the set with their much-played song, The Truth About Cats and Gods is That They Die’. It’s a depressing title, but a really fun song to sing along to. It’s the one that goes, ‘Parade me around, down let me let you down’.

According to Lisa, Pony Up!’s bassist, all their songs receive regular airplay in Canada, so it was weird to have a ‘hit song’. She thought it was great the way people sung along to their tune, even though the true meaning of the lyrics was still hidden to her.

Starky came on to a full house. They were received well and kept up a fast pace through their whole set. They played their familiar song ‘Saturday Night, Sunday Morning’ halfway through their set and then kicked it up a notch in maturity with the first single from their new album, ‘Hey Bang Bang’, which was reproduced live with more energy and intensity than the recorded version. They’ve created their own sound and given their music more depth. And they look great in stovepipe jeans.

Sad to say, I didn’t stick around to see if there was an encore because I hot-footed it to another venue to check out Pony Up!’s DJ set, which rocked the night away. After all, Starky are a local band that will probably be on the festival circuit this summer, but when else will I get to see Pony Up!?

Check out the pics from the gig, here