Live Review: Jebediah, Adalita

It gives everyone time to reflect on how much simpler and in some ways easier the music industry was back then.

There are mohawks, sporadic fist pumps, there are inebriated men and women getting told to ‘settle down mate’ by security. There is the sweat of nineties teenagers flying off adult bodies everywhere you look.

It has been 20 years since the inception of Jebediah, but the energy and fandom is still alive and well. They thank everyone for coming out to their birthday to reflect on all the truly shocking haircuts that 20 years has treated us to. From the softer Leaving Home to the visceral Jerks of Attention, Kevin Mitchell’s yelling, screaming and serenading carries us all through our angst and joy just like the first time. Vanessa Thornton swaps her beer for coconut water, but the bass is still the same, and she spends most of both sets jumping and smiling. Solos and improv by Chris Daymond on guitar and the drumming of Brett Mitchell bring maturity to the sound that can only come with two decades of experience.

Feet Touch The Ground and Animal in the first set get everyone going and take me back to getting driven to school back in 1999, fighting over playing Jebediah or Nirvana with my teenage brother. The up-tempo Animal is particularly impressive with the guitar solo from Daymond. In between sets we watch a slideshow of pictures from 1995 up until the present day of all four in various stages in their careers, and indeed, many haircuts. There are some shockers. It gives everyone time to reflect on how much simpler and in some ways easier the music industry was back then. It puts into perspective how hard all four of them must have worked to stay current and successful in an industry that has changed so much.

They’ve sold out all three shows at The Corner, so I can safely say there are still some avid fans of the indie-rock from Perth with modest beginnings. Maybe they just aren’t satisfied by watching VHS recordings of those weird, wonderful clips on Rage or playing their worn out CDs. Jeb are still as energetic, grunge and raw as they ever were with a bit more polish.

Support act Adalita, aside from being arrestingly beautiful and intimidating, is hot property at the moment, supporting and headlining all over town. Her lyrics are uncomplicated, but her intensity kind of makes her an indie-rock version of artist Marina Abromovic. Her music is intense, unignorable and contemplative, much like Abromovic’s.

Jebediah showcase some of their best from Twenty, which is a compilation over two albums of their best songs to date which was released in May.