Live Review: Twerps, Blank Realm, The Goon Sax

Young local trio The Goon Sax seem to grow in stature with every outing, their bookish indie-rock characterised by interesting worldviews housed in tentatively innovative song structures.

There’s a clear rapport between co-frontmen Louis Forster and James Harrison as they swap vocal reins, all held down by Riley Jones who keeps the beat with a detached elegance. They teeter on the tightrope between Jonathan Richman naivety and the warmth of homegrown mobs like Dick Diver and Bitch Prefect, and as the set concludes with the slightly downtrodden Ice Cream it’s hard not to see a lot of upside to this burgeoning new ensemble.

It’s almost tiring now throwing superlatives at local dynamos Blank Realm, but they somehow keep going from strength to strength and seem to get better with every outing. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the four-piece forever look like they’re having the time of their lives – especially livewire Sarah Spencer when she unleashes her secret weapon, the keytar – and the tight knit gang seem particularly enthused by progress in the current recording sessions for their much-awaited new album. The new tracks aired tonight give a thrilling glimpse to the future, nonetheless it’s old faves like Bulldozer Love, Go Easy and Falling Down The Stairs which ignite smiles aplenty and get people dancing up front (although it’s still difficult to tell who’s having the best time out of the band and the happy throng before them).

There’s an air of excitement in the room as everyone waits in anticipation for Melbourne slackers Twerps to hit the stage, partly due to this being the belated launch for their great second album Range Anxiety, but also because Brisbane headlining shows from this band have been as rare as hen’s teeth over the last few years. Naturally all is forgiven the moment they hit the stage with their laidback demeanour, oodles of charm and that songbook overflowing with cruisy, hook-laden goodness: indeed the mood in the room quickly turns to one of almost jubilation. New songs like Simple Feelings and the insistent I Don’t Mind sound wonderful in the live realm, nestling beautifully amidst the older tunes like the super catchy He’s In Stock and the defiant Work It Out. Frontman Marty Frawley is effortlessly charismatic and eschews airs and graces in favour of dagginess and fun – and it is so much fun – but Julia McFarlane brings a lot to the table when she takes over for tunes like Adrenaline, these strong moments proving the perfect counterpoint in every way. Bring Me Down fails to bring anyone down even in the slightest, and when they wander off stage throwing smiles to tumultuous applause the only possible qualm you could pick is that they didn’t play for longer. Tonight is their last local show before heading off on their very first European sojourn, and on the strength of tonight’s performance those Eurotrash types won’t know what hit ‘em. Bon voyage, Twerps!