Live Review: Bearhug, Step Panther, Hound, Taoe//Off

Locals Tape//Off are way too good to be opening this, or most, shows, but it’s great for us that they do, bringing the exact amount of low-key but heavy and confident garage rock to let the crowd know they’re in safe hands tonight. The riffs and the fuzz and the hectic drumming are all there, but one of the coolest things about these songs is the sneaky bit of melancholy that hits you when you least expect it – you’re rocking out and then suddenly you’re having an emotion and it’s great.

A great drummer can make you forgive a lot from a band, and Hound’s is doing his darndest to keep this set in the aggressive, hectic rock category when the rest of the band dawdle around way too much with over-long solos and cock-rock bullshit. There’re definitely some cool melodies going on underneath; they just need to get rid of all the histrionics. They end on a high note though, projecting and playing along to the video clip they’re launching tonight, which is pretty charming and taps into the previously-undiscovered market of Auscore-goth (think black-hooded robes and backyard cricket).

Step Panther have always been a band who really nailed raucous garage rock singles and solid live shows, but struggled a bit with focusing their energy and attention in their songwriting.  This set shows that that period might well be behind them, with a tight and direct set of new tracks. There’s not a shitload of people here, and it’s hot as hell, so the band keep the vibe shred-heavy and fun but relaxed. The more kind of heartfelt and stripped-back songs, like most recent single, It Came From The Heart and Something Must Be Done, off new record, Strange But Nice, are highlights and Steve Bourke’s nasal, boyish vocals and wide-eyed stage presence are very endearing. An extra guitar part could really do wonders for some of these tracks, which don’t have quite enough going on in the verses, but it’s a small complaint from an otherwise rad set.

It’s a testament to how good Bearhug’s songwriting is that even on a line-up full of other white guys playing guitar music, they stand out from the very first song, the insistent, fuzzily sweet instrumental, Borderlines, and don’t (perceivably) put a foot wrong for the rest of their set. Bearhug’s first record, Bill, Dance, Shiner, was one of the most underrated albums of the past decade, but from this set it looks like they’ve still managed to top it with second album, So Gone, some of the dreamy sheen of that record swapped out for more pointed ‘90s alternative rock where nothing gets in the way of their knack terrific melodies and relatable lyrics.