Dead Frenchmen, Fire! SantaRosa, FIre1, Antony of theFuture @ Rocket Bar, Adelaide,(09/03/07)

Sun 11th Mar, 2007 in Gig Reviews

First up straight from the Big Day Out Local Produce stage was Triple J
Unearthed winners
Antony of the Future. They played an unpretentious set of
charming pop filled with cowbells and jangly guitars. It was impossible not to
tap along and smile while these guys played. Hopefully big things will be
happening for these guys in the future with their release of their debut EP.



Next up was up and coming local dance punk wonders,
Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire!
It seems impossible to see an interstate act play in Adelaide with out these
guys turning up. They got the crowd moving with their infectious fusion of
the Rapture
and Interpol.
They played a mix of songs from their first EP   You Seize The City, I’ll
Seize The Sky (which is available for free on their website and produced by
Matt Hill of Wolf and
Cub fame) and new material. The highlights of their blistering
set were when they played their indie dance floorfillers Captain
Thunder Hearts Mistress Ice
and Fireworks.
Contrasting that they also played a more down tempo electronic ballad I’m
Here, Where Are You? where the lead singer, Dave replaces Art on the
synthesizer. Things have been going nowhere but upwards for these guys since
they played at Big Day Out and the Adelaide Uni O’ ball. With a new EP on the
horizon and a national tour soon I predict big things.



This was the first time seeing the
Dead Frenchmen
who I had been meaning to look into for some time. They played a sort
of Smiths-y,
Joy Division-y
angular guitar pop that is so in vogue at the moment. They are most comparable
with contemporary bands de jour such as
Editors,
Bloc Party
or fellow Australians the  Red
Riders. This two parts Adelaide trio played a very brooding and
atmospheric set. The single unchanging red stage light gave the whole affair a
very eerie and melancholy feel to it much like their music. The highlights of
their performance were
Supply and Demand and
Animal Behaviors
of their recently released album, Wonderland. Sadly the venue was probably less
than half filled due to Womadelaide being on at the same time. The crowds
reaction to them was less than stellar probably because many of them came to get
their groove on to the djs later on in the evening. Many people hung out away
from the stage by the bar.



After the band stopped playing the
Dropout Boogie djs
spun electro and indie remixes until the wee hours.



Photo
Galleries 1
and 2