DartsJonesez' brand of energetic rock is an indie teen dream. It's an accessible start to the night. Next up, The McQueens' garage pop with soul is an engaging and eclectic mash-up that fluctuates between dreamy and driven. Their rock roots shine through with a rich mix of complex beats and a bit of fancy fingerwork on guitar. The McQueens teeters on the edge of cute at points, but never plummet as an underlying darkness and depth keeps them grounded. This solid grunge edge, powered by Harry Monaghan on drums, provides a driving undercurrent, overlaid with synth, soaring vocals and a few forays into electro interludes. Frontman Noah Harris' vocals are gorgeous, but they need more clarity and emphasis to draw us in.
Darts are more garage than pop – they've got grit, grunt and a hairy sound that raises your hackles and makes your feet beat and your ears sear. The band won triple j Unearthed in 2009 and there's a lot of potential coming to fruition here. Darts are fun, they're loud, they're brutal, they're driven and more people in the room probably would've meant guaranteed dancing too. It's pretty disappointing that not even the support acts have stuck around to see Darts play. Frankly, that's just bad manners.
The vocals would benefit from more clarity and emphasis, at some points they feel like a bit of an afterthought rather than complementing the tight instrumentals and acting as bait to hook their audience in further. Moreover, the vocals are good (and the occasional combined chorus is fun), they just need more space. The bass player's fringe deserves mention as well: Boy, oh boy! That boy can wave his hair around like nobody's business. Not to say that Darts should change what already comes across as a winning formula, but a clearer frontperson role to focus their energy wouldn't go astray, especially with such an intimate crowd.
To perform with gusto in front of an audience of six people is a feat in itself and we applaud Darts for it. With youthful vigour and a tight sound, it's confusing that there isn't an audience for this band of babes. Tonight's combination of Jonesez/The McQueens/Darts is punchy but, with the pews so poorly populated, the sparse crowd is left looking around, stunned that the joint is so empty. It's a residency! Go support them next week.
