Live Review: The Spitfires, The Novocaines, Faim, The Caballeros, Apache

There's something of an organised chaos to punk rock shows in Perth, like building a house of cards in front of a fan. The combined Teledex first birthday party and The Spitfires single launch show on at Amplifier Bar was no exception.

Apache were up first, shredding apart the stage with their riotous indie rock meets early '90s grunge sound. Vocalist Tim Gordon wailed and bellowed and growled out vocal bends as biting guitar riffs and an unparalleled bass tone ricocheted around the exposed brick room.

The Caballeros flooded onto the stage like a wild rock'n'roll river of black ties and white shirts, and it wasn't long before their sonic downpour broke the banks of the stage and overflowed into the audience. Now quite substantial, the crowd was coaxed forward as enthusiastic frontman Jake 'Dr Green' England swooned punters by screaming right into their faces while the other four band members held down a ruckus of swinging '60s rock.

FAIM erupted on to the Amplifier stage like a rocket breaking through low-earth orbit, and their dramatic cavalcade of powerful goth-punk beats superheated the very air. Frontman Noah Skape was resplendent in shiny black tights and a tiny crop top, which barely held his engorged vocal prowess in check throughout the theatrical set.

Never a band to be outdone, The Novocaines came down harder than a global-extinction event, smashing into their set in an incredible display of musical ferocity. The band ripped open their songs and devoured them raw; vocalist Corey Mariott screamed his fucking head off over ear (and amp) splitting punk-grunge riffs and the strongest rhythm section of the night. The Novocaines spit hot fire in audio format; harsh songs with dirty chords held together with the tight grip of years of experience.  

The Spitfires, by comparison, seemed ironically loose-lipped and hollow in the headline spot. The ex-local three-piece struggled to stay afloat in the sonic-wake left behind by The Novocaines, and their droning Brit-pop garage-rock songs sunk quickly. To their credit, clean, sharp drums cut through everything and provided a much needed edge to their sound, and a few upbeat and sing-along tracks allowed The Spitfires to swim back to the surface and send off the night successfully.