Live Review: Skullcave, Pat Chow, Aborted Tortoise, Sprawl

For a band that’d only played five gigs before Saturday night, the turnout for Skullcave’s debut EP launch was a solid one, and there’s always something special about putting it on at as intimate a place as The Bird.

The good vibes around the venue were infectious – everyone seemed to know everyone, and Sprawl received plenty of matesy cheer while up on stage. Their first songs were a little bizarre, the vocalist switching it up between almost-spoken monologues and shriekish singing, but they seemed to produce consistently better tunes as the set went on. The last track, Wishbone, is quite honestly one of the most fun tracks this reviewer’s heard from a local band in some time.

Aborted Tortoise always pull in a strong crowd and kept the attention of everyone in the bar for the entirety of their set, even when one of the guitarists had to replace their instrument. Having three guitarists makes for quite a dynamic sound, each of their tracks sounding fresh while still managing to maintain their well-defined sound, fronted by the distinct drawl of vocalist Connor Lane.

Pat Chow are made to perform on The Bird’s stage. Their catchy guitar hooks combined with the confined area made the three-piece sound even more explosive than usual in their gutsy, grunge-rock approach. This reviewer’s seen the band play on three occasions within the last month and a half, and they definitely sounded their best here.

Skullcave packed out the room when they took to the stage right on 11 o’clock and from the get-go they had the room shaking with some thick, distorted guitar noise that sounded, dare it be said, even stronger in the live setting than on record. The entire set was worthy of headbanging to, and the punters towards the front diligently did so, particularly when the band showcased the tracks from their aforementioned new EP. The reverb on Liam Young’s vocals complemented Jay Marriott’s heavy bass tones perfectly, particularly on Hesitate and frontrunning single, Acid Tone. They finished off with Flesh, the final track from the new record, and it was obvious just how proud they were of their effort, and rightly so. It’s early days for the lads, but with a performance like that, the future’s looking very promising.