The Vasco Era, Grand Atlantic,Blackwater Fever @ The Zoo,01/12/2006

Wed 6th Dec, 2006 in Gig Reviews

The Vasco Era are just beginning to make a name for themselves with their stunning live shows, and with their debut album rumoured for next year, it looks like this is just the beginning for the exciting three-piece.  They sailed into The Zoo last Friday night, and delivered another striking performance.

There’s nothing novel about a two piece rock band any more, but Blackwater Fever have much more going for them than just novelty value. Front man Shane Hicks might not look like much as he approaches the mic, but from the rough and raw tones of the very first note, he delivers a superb and confident vocal performance. His voice has the scratchiness of a Joe Cocker, which makes his perfectly normal speaking voice all the more welcome and surprising. He’s no slouch on guitar either, riffing through a variety of blues, rock and even ballad styles. Drummer Andrew Walter doesnt get left behind, and delivers some solid beats, but the show belongs to Hicks. The only disappointment is a lack of energy on stage; theres not a lot of movement going on up there. But as they go through tracks from their Abused Blues EP, the crowd grows louder and louder, till everyone is cheering in admiration at the conclusion of the set.

Grand Atlantic, on the other hand, fill the stage with their four members, and a firey energy that takes hold from the first bold riff from frontman Phil Usher’s guitar. Grand Atlantic play solid rock songs, without ever coming close to losing control. They appear relaxed and comfortable on stage, like veterans of the live arena, which is not surprising for a band born from the ashes of Tonjip, another band which had a solid reputation for live performances. Usher banters with the small crowd like a pro, and his fellow musicians all put in solid performances, especially Scott Mullane on the drums. However, although there’s a bit of variety in the beginning of the set, by the end, a lot of the songs are beginning to run together, with little to distinguish them. Grand Atlantic close with a couple of excellent rock songs, two of their best, and if they continue to develop their live skills, they will certainly be a band to keep an eye on in the future.

The Vasco Era frontman Sid O’Neil takes the stage solo for his now-traditional performance of Elvis’ I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You. It showcases the best of O’Neil; it begins with a slow delicate melody, and then takes off after the first chorus into a wailing crashing train wreck of a song, reimagining the romantic original as a bluesy, despair-laden tearjerker. After that, Sid’s brother and bass player Ted O’Neil and drummer Michael Fitzgerald take the stage, and the show begins in earnest. The Vasco Era play loud, dirty rock and roll, with powerfully earnest vocals. Some musicians might get overshadowed by Sid’s brilliant guitar work, especially when his fingers become little more than a blur during an extremely special lap steel guitar song) but Ted rocks out with his bass, providing plenty of on-stage energy, and Fitzgerald smashes the guitar with ruthless abandon. The Vasco Era is the conflux of three musicians who are masters of their crafts, and they deliver the goods on song after song.

Unfortunately, the Zoo is less than a third full, as The Vasco Era only have one recording to their name, The Miles EP. Kingswood from that EP is a crowd favourite, but the Vasco Era is surviving purely on word of mouth at this stage, which explains the small crowd. But the boys take that in stride, flying through lots of new songs, some of which are beginning to become familiar to the crowd of dedicated fans. They round out their set with some more lap steel, and a spectacular crashing number (possibly called Honey Bee?). And they also get respect for NOT returning for the obligatory encore; The Vasco Era have left it all on the stage tonight, and the crowd has lapped it up.

Too many bands are content to just go through the motions with their live shows, but The Vasco Era consistently deliver incredibly intense performances, the likes of which are unmatched in the Australian music scene. They connect with the crowd like a punch to the gut, and if there’s any justice in the music industry, 2007 will surely be the year they get the massive attention they so richly deserve.