Live Review: Parquet Courts, Total Control, Bed Wettin' Bad Boys

Sydney band Bed Wettin' Bad Boys' best tunes are those that showcase their lead lines: songs like Bite My Tongue are full of Big Star-esque power-pop hooks and crunchy, refreshing guitar tones. However, a lot of their more garage-punk-noise stuff tends to bleed together, probably spurred on by the not-yet-enthusiastic crowd in a big room. Nonsensical stage banter (something about a bowling alley?) doesn't seem to help, however, the stand-out moments are undeniably impressive.

Total Control's captivating art-punk songs feature both droning breakdowns and fast-paced, '80s hardcore-style guitar-rock. It's a good mix, and there's clever, experimental songwriting on display. Frontman Mikey Young (also from Eddy Current Suppression Ring) oozes with conviction when he chants “Taking pills to remember to take pills to forget” on a darker number.

Brooklyn's Parquet Courts are definitely a band who are cooking with the same ingredients as punk-rock, but the result could rarely be described as such, or at least it doesn't go far enough to describe the wry knowledge, skill and wit that go into the crafting of each of their songs. Through a blisteringly fast set, the band explores up-tempo, jangly garage-rock as well as Pavement-esque slow-jams, fitting naturally into both styles with aptitude and attitude to match. The set, broken into chunks of four or five songs played back to back, barely leaves the audience time to breathe.

A mischievous interplay between the band's two guitarists underpins the jammier moments, as tracks like Stoned And Starving break into long solo sections, full of carefully placed moments of feedback and dissonance. Topping things off are the half sung, half spoken vocal parts, shared throughout the band, and featuring some of the best lyrics in modern indie-rock. The set ends, and the audience, dazed, can't seem to drum up the energy for an encore, although this reviewer wouldn't be surprised to hear the band had already played their entire back catalogue.