Live Review: The Weapon Is Sound

The relaxed setting of The Moon provided the perfect vibe to enjoy the heavy reggae rhythms and dub-inspired sounds of local act The Weapon Is Sound.

Kicking off with Unknown Dub, lead singer and guitarist Tayo Snowball busted out a heavy wah intro alongside keyboardist Malcolm Clark's smooth electric piano and stabbing organ chords, while the rhythm section laid down a solid backline of intricate drum and bass work. The band displayed a great talent for being able to move effortlessly between freeform improvisation and jams into tight, dynamic riffs that kept both the energy and spontaneity of the performance up.

Bassist Dominic Pearce pumped out a thick, low-end sound throughout Stay Away, while Brendan Jay was there manning the mixing desk onstage to add hypnotic, spacey effects to the vocals and instruments of different members for an immersive, intricately layered sound. Snowball encountered some trouble with his amplifier at the tail end of This Love but managed to keep it functioning throughout the rest of the set.

Clark started Last Black Mohican by bashing away on parts of the drum kit alongside skinsman Jerome Turle before the band settled into a hazy, tripped-out groove that went down well with the audience. Songs like Praxis Du were given a heavier, rockier treatment and were compensated for by Clark's versatile playing across a range of keyboard sounds and Snowball's blistering, echo-laded guitar work, a highlight of the song and the set. The band then rounded out the performance with the mid-tempo Isolation, featuring a laidback groove by the band that showed that while they can experiment and create some pretty impressive musical ideas, they still know how to lock it all down. A great local live act.