Live Review: The Rosemary Beads

The earlycomers were immediately drawn in from the beer garden as Steve Joines, guitarist with The Kill Devil Hills, kicked off the evening with a set of heartfelt blues tunes. Starting off with a driven acoustic guitar before swapping to electric and slide, which proved hard to locate, Joines delivered a great, though sadly brief set that created a great tone for the rest of the evening. 

The crowd was steadily building as Maurice Flavel’s Intensive Care took to the stage and, as always, delivered a standout performance. A long time fixture on the Perth music scene, Flavel’s bluesy vocals are delivered with a brooding intensity that is seldom, if ever, matched and tonight’s set was a moody rollercoaster of old material and new songs which were eagerly lapped up by the swelling crowd.      

Next up were The Moonlight Wranglers. This band has been creating quite a buzz around town as they build up to their album launch on 13 January and tonight they showed exactly what all the hype is about. Their sound is unique and difficult to pigeonhole, although there are occasional nods to '80s bands such as Joy Division mixed in with swirls of Crazy Horse. Thumping goth-inspired bass lines from Adrian Mitchell matched with the often brutal sonic attack from guitarist Shane Osboine had everyone in attendance enthralled from the opening chords of Seed On A Wind to the final strains of Gold, both of which appear on their forthcoming album, Afraid, that is already proving to be one of the most anticipated releases of 2017.

The Rosemary Beads made a triumphant return to the Perth live music scene in 2015 following a 20-year hiatus and have proven themselves to be far more than just some nostalgia act, releasing their cracking first album, Shine, to much acclaim in November this year. Tonight’s punters were treated to a show highlighting the songs from the new album, most notably The Driving Song, as well as some of their older favourites. The addition of a second guitarist to the line-up has added a depth to their live sound that would appear to give guitarist Tim Underwood more space to weave his fuzz-laden riffs around Gretta Little’s driving bass and distinctive vocals. Obviously enjoying playing together again and with hints of another album in the works, The Rosemary Beads delivered a rocking performance that was both familiar and fresh.