Dallas Crane + Intercooler(Acoustic) @ Bar Soma,Brisbane, 17/07/2007

Fri 20th Jul, 2007 in Gig Reviews

Tuesday nights are rarely occasions for catching the big names in Aussie music strutting their stuff, but tonight is an exception. Dallas Crane are, of course, one of our perennial live rock acts, whose brand of pub rock has been entertaining crowds in Australia and worldwide for over a decade. With the release of God Damn Pride, the most recent single from 2006’s Factory Girls LP, the band are feverishly gigging once more, and tonight brings them to Brisbane’s intimate Bar Soma to perform a rare acoustic set.

Intercooler have been making waves on the local and national scene of late and look set to take the music world by storm with their brand of catchy guitar pop/rock, and further testament to their growing status is punctuated by the opening slot for tonight’s show. I was guessing that the band rarely, if ever, perform acoustically – power pop normally relying heavily on plenty of guitar effects, vibrant drumming and driving bass lines – so it would be interesting to see how they would approach their songs tonight.

From the offset it appeared many of the songs had been sensibly slowed down in their acoustic form, and numbers such as the normally rocking Carving Others lost nothing in translation. As they worked their way through a set combining songs from 2002’s debut release Old School is the New School and new LP Forever or Whatever, it was clear that these guys have star quality in the making. Darek Mudge may have been without his Telecaster, but he brought his effects pedals and managed to squeeze a myriad of colourful effects out of his curiously small acoustic guitar. Most impressive of all though was some lovely harmonising from Damon Cox – normally drums, but tambourine tonight – and reliable bass from Joel Potter; the latter choosing to stand semi-upright to play, using his bar stool more like a brace than a seat. These guys are evidently used to burning calories on stage!

After a brief interlude, Dave Larkin & Pete Satchell of Dallas Crane took to the stage and launch into some old and new gems from their extensive catalogue. The band’s principal vocalists, both playing acoustic guitar, are currently embarking on a national tour without the other members of Dallas Crane, and performed more than half of this set as a duo too. The remarkable thing about Dallas Crane is the quality of song writing, and for this reason more than any they can make their music work as well acoustically as when they’re plugged into a Marshall stack. Dave Larkin’s terrific rock voice filled the room as they belted out classics such as the Springsteen-esque Dirty Hearts, and the equally rocking Lovers and Sinners from last years Factory Girls LP. It seemed slightly odd to be listening to DC sat at a candlelit table sipping red wine, when their music would normally induce much stomping and moshing from an audience. The band’s new single, God Damn Pride, is the perfect example of how to write a rock ballad with balls. I had never heard this song before tonight but it has rock anthem written all over it, such to the extent that the chorus is still firmly lodged in my head as I write this review. Pete Satchell’s guitar playing should also get a special mention, and I’m always amazed to see lightening licks performed on an acoustic guitar without the need for surgery afterwards.

While Wolfmother and Jet are the poster boys for modern day Aussie rock music, Dallas Crane may go unnoticed to a younger generation of music listeners but are arguably among the finest live acts this country has to offer. And while younger, prettier bands tour the world with their pseudo-Zeppelin/ Oasis brand of music, it is good to know Aussie rock is in safe hands with these guys on the home front.