Sunday, November 26, 2006
Thursday night, on the other side of town...
The Gaelic Club, Sydney
AM Eyewear threw a delightful end of year bash at the Gaelic Club for all who could bear to line up for an hour (and this was a fashion party so "ugh. Let's go. I don't do queues" was pretty much the catch-cry of the evening.)
The night began with the hot hot hooks of NZ fourpiece Shaky Hands who showed off their EP, and let loose on a couple of new tracks too. Their music is always fun, accessible and thoroughly delectable, and the boys never fail to offer a tight live sound. Yet in front of such a small and nonchalant crowd still warming up, the overexcited antics characteristic of frontman Nick Johnston seemed a little out of place. Bounding from speakers to the balcony and landing on the loft above the stage, he hurled down the mic (was he aiming for the drummer?) after only a few songs, breaking it and leaving the bassist without a voice for the rest of the set. An engaging lead singer is great, but over-the-top stage crashing kinda only works on Craig Nicholls - and even then it can get a little irritating.
MP3: Shaky Hands - You And I
Still, the music had an infectious energy, and by the time the Temper Trap came on the party goers were more than ready for a dance - and the Melbournians didn
't disappoint. The EP they launched last week is a fun-packed mix of genre- defying goodness, but heavily tipped towards the toe-tapping pop rock that's all the rage with kids these days. Their live set showed off their other side that, rather than clean and catchy hooks, revels in a heavier, deeper and almost experimental sound. It's a sound which, thanks in no small part to Dougie's gripping vocals, has far more to do with Arcade Fire or Mars Volta than their EP suggests. It's this well-executed genre leaping that's sure to take these guys further than the rest.
Had Temper Trap headlined, the night would have ended on a supurb note - but the party was closed instead by electroclash duo The Death Set who released a pretty quality EP in 2005, but live seemed to be trying to do too much with too little. The result was a messy concoction that failed to captivate most of the crowd, despite their being plied with the disturbingly-flavoured free drinks on offer throughout the evening.
Photo Gallery
AM Eyewear threw a delightful end of year bash at the Gaelic Club for all who could bear to line up for an hour (and this was a fashion party so "ugh. Let's go. I don't do queues" was pretty much the catch-cry of the evening.)
The night began with the hot hot hooks of NZ fourpiece Shaky Hands who showed off their EP, and let loose on a couple of new tracks too. Their music is always fun, accessible and thoroughly delectable, and the boys never fail to offer a tight live sound. Yet in front of such a small and nonchalant crowd still warming up, the overexcited antics characteristic of frontman Nick Johnston seemed a little out of place. Bounding from speakers to the balcony and landing on the loft above the stage, he hurled down the mic (was he aiming for the drummer?) after only a few songs, breaking it and leaving the bassist without a voice for the rest of the set. An engaging lead singer is great, but over-the-top stage crashing kinda only works on Craig Nicholls - and even then it can get a little irritating.MP3: Shaky Hands - You And I
Still, the music had an infectious energy, and by the time the Temper Trap came on the party goers were more than ready for a dance - and the Melbournians didn
't disappoint. The EP they launched last week is a fun-packed mix of genre- defying goodness, but heavily tipped towards the toe-tapping pop rock that's all the rage with kids these days. Their live set showed off their other side that, rather than clean and catchy hooks, revels in a heavier, deeper and almost experimental sound. It's a sound which, thanks in no small part to Dougie's gripping vocals, has far more to do with Arcade Fire or Mars Volta than their EP suggests. It's this well-executed genre leaping that's sure to take these guys further than the rest. 
Had Temper Trap headlined, the night would have ended on a supurb note - but the party was closed instead by electroclash duo The Death Set who released a pretty quality EP in 2005, but live seemed to be trying to do too much with too little. The result was a messy concoction that failed to captivate most of the crowd, despite their being plied with the disturbingly-flavoured free drinks on offer throughout the evening.
Photo Gallery
Labels: Cut Off Your Hands, NZ, The Death Set, The Temper Trap
3 Comments:
All hail miss stephbot. Welcome! Was glad to meet you the other night. Sorry I didnt get to talk more. So what tasty flavoured sambos did your mum make you when you where a kid?
commented by 
stuey, 6:01 pm
stuey, 6:01 pm
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Ola! Thanks for the hospitality :) I left earlier than intended on Thursday - the obligatory 2am meal beckoned.
And because I know you're wondering: It was a gourmet toasted chicken schnitzel sandwich on foccacia with swiss cheese, egg, tomato and jalepenos - purchased and devoured at the deli next to the seedy kebab shop, on the corner of bayswater and darlinghurst road. It was pretty special.
And because I know you're wondering: It was a gourmet toasted chicken schnitzel sandwich on foccacia with swiss cheese, egg, tomato and jalepenos - purchased and devoured at the deli next to the seedy kebab shop, on the corner of bayswater and darlinghurst road. It was pretty special.