Live Review: SLAM Day: Joseph Paul & Naked Bodies

In 2009, Ground Components and Little Red toured nationally. In the years following there have been shambolic separations, splintered side projects and now, convincingly, something substantial created from the ashes.

Spearheaded by Quang Dinh, former Little Red bassist, Naked Bodies have drawn early comparisons to Nick Cave. While warranted, it's perhaps Cave's bandmate Warren Ellis and his Dirty Three that suits best. With a raw sound commanded by a violin and an urgent vocal delivery, it's the antithesis of Dinh's previous band and all the better for it.

The closing track on Ground Components' only album – An Eye For A Brow, A Tooth For A Pick (2006) – saw Joseph McGuigan take on the role of a rambling Bob Dylan. The beat poetry remains in his new role as Joseph Paul, as his manic interpretation of world music lifts from Jamaican reggae, US hip hop and British punk, with one foot firmly planted in commercial dance music. Still in an early incarnation it's fleeting, but it's the live energy that compels, as unrestricted by an instrument; McGuigan charges about the stage as if he were a boxer defending his title. Perhaps the greatest way of supporting live Australian music lies in the art of producing it. For that, both front men are seasoned and passionate campaigners.