Live Review: Lurch & Chief, Moana, Apache

Local rock outfit Apache were the first act to kick off the night at the Mojo’s. They threw the crowd into a haze of grunge and piercing hard rock, with leader singer Timothy Gordon’s vocals flooding across the whole venue. One of the most impressive features of Apache was their rhythm, where in tracks like Creature a certain kind of grimy swing was added to their performance. In Salem the band arrived into familiar territory of conventional noise rock, with screaming vocals and excessive romp — taking the audience on a wild and jaunty ride. At times Apache’s mood was conveyed well, while at others it was lost in translation, leaving the audience either exhilarated by the journey or confused and befuddled in musical motion sickness.

Next was glammed up art-rock piece Moana, whose band wardrobe could be described as being from a F Scott Fitzgerald novel. Erratic and oddly charismatic in performance, Moana managed to pull the audience into a glam-rock haze of theatrics and sharply piercing vocals from lead singer Moana Lutton. Lutton, dressed in a black feathered cape resembling Game Of Thrones character Jon Snow, fuelled the band’s vivacity and belted out tracks like Echo and Golden Orb. 

Lurch & Chief’s appearance was met with an enthusiastic applause from the punters as they went straight into filling the venue with their unique blend of ‘60s garage and psychedelic. From the outset, the most standout feature from the group was the dynamics between lead singers Lili Hall and Hayden Somerville, whose vocals were so distinct from each other that they both simultaneously contrasted and complemented each other. Many of the tracks that were played during Lurch & Chief’s set included singles from their new Breathe EP and some old fan favourites such as Mother/Father and We Are The Same. While We Are The Same broke the crowd into a chirpy mood, Mother/Father made the band’s performance take a darker turn; with creepy lyrical content and intrepid wailing coming from Hall, the song allowed the band to prove their worth as a powerhouse. New tracks included Echo which encapsulated a sullen form of funk rock and Breathe Out which manifested as a concerned, psychedelic ballad. The standout track was Fading Out where the disco-infused beat left the punters to dwell on a sound that was both unique and addictive.