.hinge album launch, Rook,Bushido & Superb Lyrebird @Prince Of Wales, Melbourne(13/07/2007)

Mon 23rd Jul, 2007 in Gig Reviews

The .hinge album launch was one of those events that I’d been genuinely excited about in the lead-up. It was the launch of their stellar new record The Rise And Fall Of Living Great , with a fantastic support line-up of local and interstate talent, and a great venue with a massive sound. So it doesn’t take a great deal of imagination to see why. Naturally, however, both Connex and fate had other ideas. We arrived at the station in the freezing drizzle to see our train take off as we sprinted down the ramp, right on time. I had thought we were actually early but, apparently, our clocks are five minutes out. After waiting half an hour for the next train in the inclement weather, we were forced to swap trains at Ringwood. As we disembarked, we were greeted by the infuriating sound of a Connex recorded announcement informing us the connecting train would be sixteen minutes late, leaving us with another wait in the icy rain and little chance of catching Superb Lyrebird , a tragedy of epic proportions. I had been chomping at the bit to catch them, and a big apology goes out to Dave and the guys for my part in this debacle. A mate of mine summed up the Connex experience pretty well as we headed back out of the city the following morning. In response to the beeping as the doors closed, he stirred himself from his drunken stupor and said “That’s Morse code for Connex is f-cked.” Summed it up beautifully.

We eventually made it to the Prince of Wales just as Bushido were taking to the stage. They served up another typically polished performance. Despite the relatively short set, with Alex delivering yet another near flawless set on the drums, and Guy and Jaymz giving a typically professional and entertaining performance. The crowd had also responded, especially during a powerhouse rendition of Romeo and the finale, Original . These guys never cease to amaze me with the full nature of the sound they produce, and the sound at the Prince was extraordinary, which really did add to the listening experience. Seriously, what can be said about Bushido that I haven’t mentioned already in previous reviews. Tight, professional, layered, melodic, intricate and powerful are all descriptions that I think sum up the Bushido experience fairly well.

Following Bushido were Melbourne four-piece Rook . This was the first chance I had to catch them live, although I had recently heard a fair bit of their recorded material and been impressed. The true indicator of a band, in my opinion, is how they play live and Rook certainly didn’t disappoint. With an energetic stage presence and tight, explosive heavy alternative rock songs that set the amps humming and stirred the crowd back into action, Rook impressed themselves upon the audience and left them wanting more. The stand-out for me was Desley , which really came to life – lifting a few cogs of intensity in the live environment. If you enjoy well-crafted heavy alternative music, as well as an energetic and entertaining stage show, Rook are definitely one chess piece that are worth checking out.

Finally, it was time for .hinge to kick of their album launch and tour. As a bit of a latecomer to the whole .hinge experience , I hadn’t seen their live show, although I had only heard rave reviews from their peers in the music industry. Add in the fact that this was their first live show in a while, and the first stop on their tour to launch The Rise And Fall Of Living Great , needless to say I was as keen as mustard to see them strut their stuff on stage. I had fallen in love with the new album in record time and .hinge didn’t disappoint live either, playing a swag of songs from the new album as well as a couple of older tracks that had a distinctly heavier feel to them. The new songs lost some of their intricacy through the PA, as the equipment simply couldn’t convey the multiple layers of sound. However, they gained more than enough energy and power to make up for the loss. The crowd was enthralled, but certainly not passive, as they danced with a reckless abandon; hair and arms flailing about wildly.

The band delivered a fantastic performance overall, with Disco , Just As , Mea Culpa and Infinite You really standing out and translating well into the live arena. Tomek proved himself a real revelation on the bass, the consummate performer, he played almost flawlessly as he served up an energetic performance featuring a vast array of rock moves and facial expressions. Vocalist *Glenn Johnstone * also delivered a stunning performance, with beautifully intricate vocals and an intriguing stage presence. He displayed great versatility as he moved seamlessly from an almost ballad-like melodic style to a more staccato, almost rap, vocal delivery and back again. The two guitarists, Brock and Rob , also gave polished performances – displaying an ability to blend intricate melodies with powerful rock riffs as well as an uncanny ability to wrench sounds from their banks of effects pedals. Their contributions didn’t particularly sound like guitar but still melded wonderfully into the intricate arrangement of the songs. Kristian was fantastic on the drums, laying a solid and technically challenging foundation for the rest of the band to build on. In short, .hinge delivered exactly what everyone had said they would, a stunning live performance, bursting at the seams with technical ability and creativity.

In summary, I was thoroughly impressed with all the bands that shared the stage that night, with Rook and .hinge proving themselves to be real revelations (to me anyway) and Bushido delivering yet another great set. And I am sure that .hinge, with a killer new album and a string of high profile live shows (the Annandale Hotel in Sydney is next), are a group with a very bright future. As the night drew to a close I prepared myself for a long night celebrating a good friend’s birthday, rugged up as well as I could, and ventured out into the frigid Melbourne air a content and happy man. Truly, this night was the pinnacle of living great.

A big thanks goes out to Damage for the use of two of the featured shots. Check out her gallery right here on fasterLouder to see more of her fantastic shots.