Saturday night at the Amplifier Bar in Perth was definitely a hit. Undeniably up there as one of the best nights of rock that I have been to in a while. 67 Special were very special indeed and Dallas Crane served up the best dish of rock I could have asked for. Like most gigs the night started out a little slow with patrons gradually entering the venue but a decent sized crowd were already positioned to watch the immense talent portrayed in 67 Special.
67 Special began their set with a funky Intro that went for a couple of minutes. I thought having this intro set up the band’s style quite nicely. When the vocals did enter the equation, the sound was not unlike James Reyne, while at times holding moments that were reminiscent of a Chris Cheney from The Living End. 67 Special have in many ways the ingredients that have baked up a superb live act which should see them reach great heights in the future. I mean if Jet can make it then these guys should have no quandaries because they definitely have a similar and better sound than that of Jet.
The one downfall of 67 Special is noted in the drumming. There is too much ‘Doof doof’ beats going on when it doesn’t really feel appropriate with the style of the rest of the band. Highlight songs were the effervescent Hey There Bomb and the song which they introduced to the crowd as an obvious “Pop song”, Princess Pie. The song held the catchiness of a good pop song without holding the annoying attributes that usually accompany the pop genre such as cheesy dancing or the miming of lyrics. The words, “Bye, bye, baby…” will definitely stay in my head for days to come.
67 Special’s set concluded with another funky outro solely compiled of music and this was a nice way to wrap up a great set. Overall I was quite taken aback by the performance of 67 Special because I often don’t expect to see such a pleasing act so early in the night.
The next act on show were The Pictures. Unlike 67 Special, these guys were definitely nothing special. I found they produced no original sounds and inspired nothing worth listening to. There sound was washed and didn’t hold any intriguing aspects. To me, they established themselves as the black sheep of the night, not meeting the standards set by their accompanying bands. The crowd seemed to agree, while the place was a lot more packed compared to when 67 Special were on, this increased capacity did not create as much cheering and noise as it had before, nor was it going to compare to the roar of the crowd when it was Dallas Crane’s turn to take the stage.
As an onlooker you would have thought that noone in the audience had ever witnessed a decent, live rock act before.
The vocals from all parties in Dallas Crane are to be widely applauded because it is always impressive to see a live act sound so good. The music from the guys can only be described as ‘Dallas Crane’. I can not think of any comparisons that would give the band any justice other than that which they have earned by establishing a sound of their own. Dallas Crane’s experience as a live act was comparably noticeable and I can’t wait to see more of these guys in the future.
As Dallas Crane left the stage after an amazing set the crowd would have none of it. They cheered and cheered until the guys came back out for a three song encore. Once again they blew away the joint with rocking tunes that could match any live act out there.
Overall the night was definitely a success with many satisfied patrons baring witness to great performances of Australian rock music.
