Don’t let the stage setup fool you. While the stage at tonight’s Trash! fundraiser is decorated with hay bales, plastic flamingos a cardboard cutout caravan and trashy lingerie dangling from clothes lines strung above the band members’ heads, there’s a lot more to the bands than you might think. Often dismissed as a gimmick band, Sex Panther are about to head off to the UK for the first time, proving there might just be some good tunes under all the riot grrl getup.
Cypher got the evening off to an impressive start and, though they seemed at odds with their surrounds, put on a show that promised a lot more in future. Like fellow locals Hooper’s Store and Radarmaker, they draw inspiration from the calculated noise of Mogwai and Godspeed You! Black Emperor but when compared to their contemporaries they offer a more direct and engaging sound. While some instrumental bands sound like the singer never bothered to show up, Cypher’s 20-or-so minutes of music sounded as though adding vocals was something that never crossed the members’ minds.
Following Cypher, The Jacknives were the polar opposite. Dressed for the party, the Jacknives boys and girls fit right in with the trailer park theme. And even without the flannel shirts, slicked-back hair and denim overalls, the band would have had no problems feeling at home – their old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll with a hint of rockabilly going down a treat. Though Krystal (guitars) suffered a minor setback with a broken string during the latter stages of their performance, vocalist Kylie managed to buy some time while her six-stringed counterpart found a replacement.
The Dee Dee Dums appeared just as the crowds began to thicken and put on the type of performance WA crowds have become accustomed to of late: bluesy and psychedelic but with a hint of classic rock. But while the band’s sound is impressive, their songs are nowhere near as strong and their set quickly turned into a lesson in how not to win fans. Jamming the same song (albeit in different keys and slightly different rhythms), for what seemed like an eternity, The Dee Dee Dums showed that while they’ve improved a great deal since expanding to a three-piece, they still have a fair way to go.
The Dee Dee Dums should sit down and take a lesson from The Silents. While The Silents never shy away from an excuse to jam their songs out, it’s never at the expense of a strong melody. Playing their final show before heading into the studio to record their debut album, the four-piece played a set heavy on new material. While comparisons to The Beatles are still pouring in, the The Silents sound less and less like the Fab Four with every new song they unveil. Vocalist Lloyd Stowe’s style sounds more like a less temperamental Craig Nicholls than Lennon or McCartney, guitarist Jamie Terry and drummer Alex Board’s musicianship reminds us that 40 years have passed since Let it Be and Sam Ford’s rolling bass owes more to The Who’s Ox than he does to Sir Paul. After opening with See the Future, The Silents eased through 45 minutes of material that we’re all going to be hearing a lot more of. While they’ve always got time for their ‘hit’ ( Nightcrawl), more recent tracks like Little Girl Lost, Generation Space and Tune for a Nymph are fast becoming live favourites. And there’s plenty more where that came from.
But while The Silents seemed a touch too sophisticated for the theme of the night, Sex Panther had no adjusting to do as they took to the stage. Now this is no cheap dig, but Sex Panther are right at home when surrounded by the cheap novelties of a fake trailer park. The four ladies opened up with Pretty Boys and Heartbreaker, both from last year’s Killer Pink EP and didn’t take long to connect with their audience. Though the crowd was largely made up of family and friends, Sex Panther have quickly built a strong fanbase, who were out in force.
While the band’s songs are the audio equivalent of their image (the word ‘trash’ isn’t at all inappropriate) it’s always wrapped around a solid song structure and fleshed out with plenty of hooks. And where there’s a hook, it’s never long before the people find their dancing shoes. As the girls raced through their three-quarters of an hour set (with no less than 11 songs on the setlist), the Panther fan club moved in to get a piece of the action and, testament to the band’s ability to convert the curious onlookers, plenty of guests from the private functions upstairs and in the front bar barged through to join the fun. But while Sex Panther are all about the good times, it would be easy to ignore their talents. Though she’d probably belt you form suggesting it, frontperson Storm’s vocals echoed the kind of range and delivery style you’d expect from Ms Blasko. To her left, bassist Ainslie Heinous had no trouble holding down the rhtyhm as well as chipping in with the occasional vocal (she swaps spots with Storm for the vicious Cuntstruck), while The Mouth must take her name for non-musical reasons, as she appeared to dictate proceedings through her guitar without uttering a word. While the naysayers will still rubbish Sex Panther for being a one-trick pony, the band’s successes in a relatively short period speak for themselves. Good luck and god speed.
