Live Review: Apes, Singles, Jakarta Criers

Jakarta Criers kick off our Saturday night shenanigans with some very decent indie-rock.

Singles are nothing but cheeky, fun and completely endearing and their buzzing performance wins many a new fan. Lead singer Joel Fenton randomly dedicates songs such as Johnny Wanker to “that guy over there” and “myself”, while Jed Belousoff grins more gleefully than most bass players throughout their set. Singles pop with personality and deliver a fast, frenetic and impressive performance. They up the energy all ‘round, especially among the footy drunks who dance badly, still dressed in their beanies and scarves.

With a Band Of Skulls support slot under their belt and some recent airtime on BBC Radio 1, APES are well worth the attention. The bandroom is full of punters already on the bandwagon getting set to rock the Pull The Trigger single launch. Pumping garage-rock tracks such as Helluva Time and Seven get some beer-spilling head banging going on early thanks to the driving beats.

"The stage is invaded by about six diehards providing drunk dancing, tambourine playing and unauthorised back-up vocals."

Lead singer Ben Dowd keeps his lips close to the mic, eyes closed, concentrating hard on belting his rich and varied vocals throughout the mayhem. Cheatin’ gets some hips swinging with its bluesy, mid-tempo vibe while the mesmerising slow-burner Goin’ On displays the depth and versatility of their songwriting chops even further. Things get ridiculous during the debut of rocking new single Pull The Trigger thanks to one dude beginning a wave of very amusing crowd-surfing attempts, while the stage is invaded by about six diehards providing drunk dancing, tambourine playing and unauthorised back-up vocals.

Chanting “Napalm! Napalm! Napalm!” the crowd will not allow APES to finish without performing said track (Napalm). The lead guitarist and bass player make forced retreats to the sides of the packed stage to continue providing the requested entertainment. A tall, grey-suited punter executing a low-flying stage dive marks the end of a very triumphant performance from APES – a band who are definitely worthy of all this evening’s death-defying stunts.