Live Review: The Kill Devil Hills, Mei Saraswati, Flooded Palace

Any night’s a good night when it involves watching The Kill Devil Hills, but Thursday night was a bit more than just a showcase of one of Perth’s favourite bands.

On board were also two bands that have either found legs recently or taken on a new vitality and angle: it felt like a night of new directions.

Todd Picket’s new project Flooded Palace got things started with an evocative and eclectic set, drawing on Pickett and his band mates’ storied experiences and spots in other local bands. Pickett’s voice carves out a strong niche amongst the lilting country-folk and old-school rock of Flooded Palace. Yet another band for him to express his pretty unique virtuosity and voice, and having great supporting band members doesn’t hurt.

The Kill Devil Hills pulled in the crowd by 9.30pm, with the eyes and ears fixed to the stage in anticipation early on. Whether they’ve been all over the place or completely quiet in the ensuing weeks or months, there’s always a solid expectation at a Kill Devil set, as there was here. The band have taken on something of a new persona recently, thanks in part no doubt to Tim Nelson’s step-in on keys. Not that they needed much more melodic weight, but Nelson has definitely added another layer of balance to the band’s music.

One of the more entertaining aspects of The Kill Devil Hills is their ability to turn it on as soon as every track starts, turning from bantering jokesters in the gaps to maudlin and devoted once those soaring guitar and fiddle lines kick in. Todd Pickett, out once again for drumming duties, laid down a storm of percussion on tracks like Hydra, clearing space for the swampy, psych and blues-infused rock that has carried them far above just another Perth country act. Words From Robin To Batman was the extended highlight of a set that swam between new and old and never let up in intensity.

Sadly, the crowd went mass exodus right before Mei Saraswati’s set, which is a shame, because she was more than able to match the awesomeness of the previous acts. Long gone are the days of just Mei and a sample pad: this is the full, eight-piece Mei Sarawati experience. Her beautiful, border-crossing  R&B takes on so much dimension in a live setting. The crowd, around all 20 of them, could not help but dance. Yeah, it’s a Thursday and a late call-up, but a lot of people missed out on a great cap to the night.