Friday night at the Zoo is serving two purposes this evening- giving the indie kids somewhere other than Ric’s to hang out, and raising money to get brilliant Brisbane band I Heart Hiroshima to the US to attend the South by South West festival in Austin, Texas. It also must be mentioned that all the bands playing had kindly donated their musical services free of charge to help the cause.
Opening the night is Do the Robot, a band who makes music that is probably best described as 80s influenced psychedelia, and for a group that only consists of three members they manage to create a powerful sound that commands the attention of the room. The guitar riffs are catchy and upbeat as well as more meandering and experimental, which when combined with the haunting vocals of singer Sera Mucha and the intense drumming of Derrin Cason makes for a mesmerising experience that would probably be only made more enjoyable if there were some bean bags to lay on in the room.
Next on stage is Shiver Like Timber aka solo artist Betony. She has the difficult job of grabbing the attention of the crowd who at this stage of the night seem more interested in playing pool or buying as many drinks as they can from the bar but she manages to charm those who are actually paying attention with the whimsical and pretty pop songs she plays accompanied by Cat Power-esque vocals, and made a definite impression on those members of the crowd discerning enough to listen.
It’s quite simple to describe Spod’s stage show- he is a one man sex/funk/rap/rock/disco machine. Tonight he is decked out in a suit with sequins and throughout the performance a jacket is removed, a bandanna is thrown and there is even a little intermission so Spod can distribute some lovely plastic roses and hugs to a few lucky people in the audience. His set tonight includes Totally Rad, Letz Dance and a very entertaining song that included a chorus of “everybody loves you just because you’re dead- Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards- because we all know he’s dead” as well as stretching musical boundaries with a towel solo on guitar. After jumping up on one of the tables and then hurling himself back onstage and somehow not managing to knock himself out he ends his performance by encouraging the crowd to buy his EP because ‘it’s got a picture of my mum in it’.
Del Toro are Brisbane’s answer to Queens of the Stone Age and Josh Homme’s side project The Desert Sessions, as, similarly to these two bands, they make involved music that could easily be the soundtrack to a very cool western movie. Del Toro’s music is purely instrumental and they create an intricate soundscape that has the vibe of sitting in on a jam session that makes you want to pick up a pistol and duel at sunset. The bass lines were dark and catchy, the guitar riffs were complex and the drumming was amazing, and most importantly it’s extremely refreshing to see a band in Brisbane that is doing something completely different and making music that is unlike anything else in the local scene.
I Heart Hiroshima takes the stage with drummer Susie asking ‘Are you dudes ready?’ before breaking into Neutron Popsong and from there deliver their usual high energy and fast-paced set including Red Hands and Candy Cuts. It’s usually Susie who takes centre stage and entertains the crowd with her thoughts and tonight is no exception. She informs the crowd that they can call her sheriff from now on as a result of her new accessory – a Blink 182 Dude Ranch badge – and also lets everyone in on her ultimate fantasy involving George Bush. However, guitarist Matthew also gets a chance for some stage banter, telling the story of how on the way to a gig he had to hold a trolley for someone who appeared to be a Mexican weight lifter, and then was yelled at for not holding this trolley in the right way. We are treated to a great new song tonight called Captain which is a little different from their usual short and dynamic tunes and shows that the band are definitely progressing musically. I Heart Hiroshima is an engaging band to watch not just for the entertaining banter but because of their infectious energy in every performance, and there’s no doubt they’ll take South By South West by storm when they head over in March.
