Live Review: Repressed Records Birthday Show

The second iteration of the big celebration! A healthy collective of Sunday punters were in attendance at the Newtown Social Club marking the12th birthday of Sydney vinyl institution Repressed Records (long may they live). The bill was a veritable honour roll of top-shelf local groups.

There are few voices as beautifully haunting as Ela Stiles (Songs/Bushwalking). With vocal range control that appears almost cheekily effortless, the accomplished vocalist needed naught but guitar accompaniment to melt hearts and bless the collective consciousness of the room. Let’s have absolute clarity – the lady is a goddess put down on this earth in order to raise the standard.

Dead Farmers brought their signature injection of energy to break the Stiles spell and liven up the room. Bluesy rock greased with punk sentiments delivered with the right amount of honesty was met by a crowd ready to dance. This is a group that stands out from the fatigued Sydney lo-fi-I-record-everything-to-tape-in-my-garage aesthetic, mainly due to the quality and subtle variation of their songwriting. Wanting to appear like you don’t give a shit is completely acceptable as long as you bother to learn to play and write decent songs first. Dead Farmers put on a clinic for their cohorts.

Proving yet again that they are Sydney’s true go-to collaborators, The Holy Soul delivered some of their signature tunes in their signature fashion, before being joined on stage by psych-folk troubadour Robyn Hitchcock (The Soft Boys).

What truly stood out was the mutual respect flowing around that stage throughout the performance. Hitchcock regularly took time to introduce and praise the local group around him; vocalist Trent Marden sang along to every lyric and provided backing harmony; percussionist Kate Wilson could barely hide the grin on her face. Those who were present were treated to something special, and a rather fitting tribute to the Repressed crew.