JapandroidsMelbourne's hard-rocking five-piece Drunk Mums open the bill this evening minus one band member. Apparently this is something the group are famous for and when the latecomer eventually appears onstage he blames commuting from Footscray. This high-octane outfit play hairy, Aussie punk rock, often shouting in unison throughout their performance. Their set consists of ballsy, no-nonsense tunes about topics as classy as “Adam [Ritchie, bass] puking his guts out”. Subject matter aside, this band impress with clear mastery of their instruments and frequently alternate between three vocalists, each demonstrating vastly different vocal styles.
Bouncy and potentially anaemic tambourine/maracas player Isaac Forsyth is an entertaining addition to the group. He wavers between wild moshing, exhausted puffing and aggressively staring down the crowd while slapping his tambourine roughly against his thigh. All of these things make Forsyth thoroughly enjoyable to behold. The Mums round off their set with the melodic, ragged garage tune Big Titty Trippin', but when this song's vocalist, Dean Whitby, realises there's still ten minutes to go, he announces, “Fuck! I'm going nowhere. Who wants to hear some Paul Kelly or Cat Stevens?” Unfortunately, the band walk unceremoniously off stage shortly after this comment.
Tonight is Japandroids' first Melbourne show, but the second to go on sale. It's utterly packed with fans, excited grins plastered on their faces from the get-go. Frontman Brian King informs us that his recent show in Adelaide was one of their best and is the one to match, which leaves the crowd eager to rise to the challenge. The Canada-based duo treads that middle ground between straight-edged punk and indie rock to great effect and their set is split evenly to include material from both of their albums. However hit songs The Nights Of Wine And Roses and Evil Sway, performed in a tight and rigorous fashion, receive the biggest crowd reactions.
King sets his guitar tone and distortion at the beginning of each song and generally makes no adjustment throughout. Without a bass player, there's a lack of dynamics and each song has a samey feel. While Japandroids lack that extra edge that defines a truly exceptional live rock band, they make up for this in charm. King and drummer David Prowse exert massive amounts of physical and emotional energy onstage. The pair make a serious effort to get over their obvious fatigue and it's a delight to watch them take real pleasure in interacting with the crowd.
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