Live Review: Spencer P Jones & The Escape Committee, Shifting Sands, Alex & The Shy Lashlies

Alex & The Shy Lashlies are first up tonight and, with the exception of their closing song, which stands out for all the wrong reasons, there isn't anything particularly memorable about their set. The band's final number, however, is a dull, drawn-out affair that causes any interest their previous songs may have aroused to dissipate. Their brand of generic indie pop isn't bad, but it does lack any substantial hooks.

Brisbane's Shifting Sands have taken their time to get to our fair city. Sadly, their first visit to Melbourne is without guitarist Dan Baebler (SixFtHick, The Tremors), but that doesn't stop them. Sitting on a chair in a pose that pays homage to true dive bar style, Geoff Corbett (SixFtHick, The Tremors) croons, “If you really love her, you'll keep her airway clear.” This opening line sets the bar with regards to what Shifting Sands are all about. The guitar accompaniment of Dylan McCormack (Gentle Ben & His Sensitive Side/The Polaroids) helps concrete the band's unsettling, off-kilter songs about love and other such things. The restrained keyboard and backing vocal interjections, courtesy of Danielle Golding, combined with Alex Dunlop's equally restrained drumming, offset Corbett and McCormack to the right extent. Just as you wonder if the tone may improve, the next song is introduced as, “A song about surfing and stabbing to death the performer Jack Johnson in an alleyway in Surfer's Paradise.” This draws a rousing round of applause before Corbett adds, “It's a dream I had.” While it may be a surprise to see Corbett in this light (as opposed to his usual crazed, injury-inducing antics as co-frontman – alongside his brother, Ben – of SixFtHick), it shows that he is not a one-trick pony. The whole thing is the ultimate musical interpretation of happy hour. Wonderfully disturbing.

The original bill for tonight's show included the Spencer P Jones and Kim Salmon Band. This, however, was changed to Spencer P Jones & The Escape Committee due to personal reasons. Jones relays Salmon's apologies to the crowd, informing us that Salmon was forced to return to WA due to a death in the family. Jones and his band then kicked off their powerful set with When I'm No Longer Poor, taken from the band's album, Fugitive Songs. The fact that Shifting Sands are so stripped back certainly helps make The Escape Committee sound even fuller than normal. Throughout their hour-and-a-half long set, Jones shows why he is such an important figure in Australian Music.