Live Review: Moaning Lisa, Porpoise Spit

It is sweet that bands are beginning to name themselves after fictional Aussie locations, but give us a ring when some synth-pop band called Fountain Gates pops up would ya? Porpoise Spit are here tonight at The Old Bar in Fitzroy, hot off the release of their latest EP, God Yeah! 

They're heavy on both the accents and the heartstrings, with songs like Milk Teeth using Australiana as the backdrop for some bittersweet millennial tales. One song even takes aim at Karl Stefanovic's drunken antics at the 2009 Logies. Scott & Charlene's Wedding are obviously a huge influence, but that's hardly a bad thing for such a blatantly Aussie band as this. Big ups should be given to lead guitarist and vocalist Mill O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan's exceptional abilities are just another example of why the world of rock music needs more finger-style lead guitarists.

All the way from dear old Canberra, Moaning Lisa have stopped by as the headline act of the night to promote the release of their latest single, Good. With their huge Big Muff guitar tones, it's clear that the sonic vision of '90s producers like Butch Vig and bands such as Garbage, Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins have had a big impact on this lot. For anyone who might not be as devoted to that Ken Andrews type sound as they are, luckily the sweet and honest voices of both the band's excellent vocalists will win over those listeners who are on the fence anyway.

At one point in their set, the band commands the audience to get down on their knees for a quiet dip halfway through the tune. And, like some kind of strange grunge cult, preparing to drink the potion and board the spaceship to salvation, we all happily do it.

Carrie (I Want A Girl) is probably the highlight of the night, with singer and guitarist Charlotte Versegi inviting all the girls ("especially the queer ones") up to the front of the stage to really experience the lyrical punch of such a song. And speaking of lyrics, do our ears deceive us? Or did Versegi really drop a reference to Canberra's crustiest nightclub, Mooseheads, into one of these songs? If so, that's some mighty fine hometown pride.

What do you say about a band like Moaning Lisa? Other than that they rock, and we hope that a debut album is just around the corner.