The basement of the Grace Darling Hotel, rumoured to have once been a whiskey room, is the perfect place to witness the rebirth of Toyota War, a local band whose reputation as a killer live act was growing more than steadily before an unfortunate year-long hiatus. The room in the bowels of the pub is intimate: dark wood, dark drinks and chaise longues, but big enough that the healthy crowd can mosh freely – albeit incongruously – which is exactly what happens from note number one.
Toyota War are now a four-piece, as opposed to their original incarnation as a trio, and their trademark jangly, discordant but always movable sound is now bigger than ever. Like bedroom pop suddenly finding itself in a stadium, there's a bass slightly more driving than it seems to know how to be, reaching for the stars, and we know it's going to get there. There's an immaculate beat backing it all up, and clever little guitar riffs constantly popping in and out as if to just say hello. And over and above it all – ever-present and, strangely, comforting – is frontman Conway Hyde's melodic singing/screaming. It's like a super-clever little re-imagining of all that's been good in music since The Sex Pistols came along and turned it on its head, filtered through a distinctly Melbourne-sounding distortion pedal. In short, it's post punk at its pure, joyous, but always edgy best.
The first version of this group was one of the most exciting young acts in Melbourne. After tonight, you could say that Toyota War 2.0 are the unsigned act of 2013 to watch out for.
