Live Review: MATES Mini-Festival

Curated by Sydney’s much-loved Palms, MATES boasted a packed line-up of Australia’s finest indie-rock guitar bands. Each set overlapped slightly, but if you were comfortable rushing around all day you could catch every single band on the bill – pretty sweet.

Tempura Nights sounded beefier than ever, their energy bolstered by a warm reception from fans familiar with their confident debut EP. That bravado paid off when the band took to some looser arrangements, bringing lush feedback to a few jam segments.

Taking a moodier tone were Low Lux, beginning their set with a slow-builder, driven by thumping Grizzly Bear-esque drums. Guitarist Bligh Twyford-Moore stared out the window overlooking Broadway, eyes on the horizon, as his band swelled behind him, smooth without being gentle, and with plenty of fire where it was needed.

Speaking of fire, it was hard to argue with the raucous, punk-rock energy of Woodboot. Enormous splashy drums and more power chords than you could shake a stick at, there regrettably seemed to be not quite enough melody for the crowd to really fall in love, but the band’s ability to nonetheless play so hard in 36 degree heat was commendable.

The Fabergettes brought the energy back with their old-time garage-pop, replete with super catchy melodies that begged to be bopped along to. Palms bassist Brendan Walsh had a chance to bust out a few nifty guitar parts but the real star was singer Bec Allen, whose cheeky, cheerful energy cut through the mid-afternoon energy slump. It’s always so nice to see a band unashamedly own the joy of playing.

Being a duo, Hockey Dad can turn out a polished tune pretty quickly, so when the Wollongong boys played a set half full of new stuff, it didn’t seem to bother the crowd at all. The duo refused to let the soaring temperatures keep them down, though, after a parade of favourites, the crowd were a little worse for wear. Beach House was especially raucous, and featured a little more depth than usual with the help of a new Octaver pedal.

Babaganouj started their set with a rip-roaring rendition of Advance Australia Fair in the style of Jimi Hendrix’s Star-Spangled Banner, and proceeded to absolutely shake the walls of the upstairs stage. One featured “speak-sung” vocals from the whole band, which regrettably caused some feedback issues, but the post-chorus bridge was a great chance for the drums to flood in and clean up the mess. Topping things off with the sugary pop of I Can’t Stop Thinking About You and the bloody perfect Too Late For Love, the quartet stuck the landing with aplomb.

SPOD, with three “security guards” blocking the stage, began his set with an ode to “fuckin’ deadshits”, titled Deadshits (the only lyrics you can probably guess). The guards were the only ones who could keep a straight face as SPOD brought out a triumphant, career-spanning set full of songs about dogs, partying and “where milk comes from”, all sung with so much passion and conviction that the absurdity was almost stripped away. Almost.

Bloods brought their finest mega-catchy pop-punk tunes and were on fine form. Penelope, a highlight from the band’s recently-released debut LP, stood out here as well, bursting with riot-grrl edge, as did Into My Arms with its lightning-pace drumming and rousing chorus. As usual, the outdo of Nothin’ But Time did it.

Palms, the masterminds behind MATES, were sheer and total crowd-pleasers, all macho guitars and catchy choruses. Actually playing a set was like their victory lap! The overcrowded room meant that the sticky masses clung to the daytime heat, but it seemed the perfect canvas for summer bangers like Love and The Summer Is Done With Us. However, most seemed to have gotten what they needed before Palms’ set ended, and many flocked upstairs early to catch the next act.

Maybe the best part of MATES festival was watching a handful of seated oldies trying desperately to “get” Newcastle’s The Gooch Palms, whose lo-fi, shouty pub-rock isn’t exactly for everybody. However, the duo excited the packed room with their charisma, joy and copious handfuls of confetti. Album opener, We Get By’s catchy refrain of “me and you” was irresistible to the room full of punters, as was the hyperactive pop-punk of Hungry.

Bad//Dreems have been quietly working away on some pretty bloody excellent tunes for the past couple of years, and they really shine playing to a crowd that’s on their side. Blending a high-energy grungy sound reminiscent of early Silverchair with a handful of memorable, singable choruses like on their Caroline and Hoping For, the Adelaide four-piece have rarely sounded better. Here’s to an exciting 2015 for these promising lads.

Fresh from supporting the touring Black Lips, Sydney’s Straight Arrows were in good shape to impress the crowd. Luckily the latter didn’t need much convincing, as the band tore into a set full of tunes that were already crowd favourites. Spirits were high on stage as the band ripped into bratty surf-punk and garage-rock. A particular favourite was the rowdy Make Up Your Mind, which paired well with a cover of The Tempos’ Two Timer.

What better way to cap off a day of excess than with a set from DZ Deathrays? The Brisbane dance-punk duo has certainly made a habit of stealing the show wherever they turn up, and their set at MATES was no exception. Turning heads with their unique brutal guitar tones and intense drumming, their set was packed full of memorable tracks from the band’s two albums, making their set feel like the ultimate summation of ten straight hours of innovative rock.