Live Review: Jambinai, Gold Class

It's the first time in Perth for Melbourne-based post-punkers Gold Class. Gold Class know what they're about; they keep it simple but effective with sharp, straight forward riffs and catchy vocal hooks. The rhythm section is tight although a little one-paced, but some of the new material on show suggests they are moving away from that. The crowd were a little muted to begin with, but by the time vocalist Adam Curley descended into the front row for their final number there was tangible enthusiasm. The wanton shouts of "more!" at the end of their set suggested that Gold Class gained some new fans.

A lot has been written about how Jambinai create a unique, uncompromisingly dark sound by augmenting the usual guitar, drums and bass with traditional Korean instruments. It doesn't matter whether the instruments are unusual or exotic, what matters is what the band does with them. Violins can sound weepy, electric guitars can pull histrionics, but nothing could come close to the heart-wrenching, tortured sound of Kim Bomi's haegeum: a strange two-string instrument that's played upright like a cello and sounds like a lost ghost at times (such as during eerily beautiful The Mountain).

The figure at the centre, Lee Il-woo, played a reed instrument called a taepyeongso, which, during Deus Benedicat Tibi, sounded like a flock of deranged desert birds. On the other side of the stage, Shim Eunyoung played a human-sized plucking instrument called a geomungo, sometimes caressing it like a lover, other times attacking it with a pick as if trying to hack it to death. Together they formed a visually and audibly stunning entity that nonetheless worked to connect with their audience. "Thank you for seeing strange band from strange country. More people than I thought, so I really, really happy," main man Il-woo blushed in between songs. 

After the unapologetically violent They Keep Silence, they closed with the beautiful, towering crescendo of Connection: the last track from their obscure first album that's sure to become a better-known favourite. Tonight confirmed that Jambinai are travelling through musical landscapes no one else has yet imagined. Next stop? No one knows.