Live Review: Usurper Of Modern Medicine, Maids, Bare Grillz - Oxford Art Factory

Perth sci-fi rock project Usurper Of Modern Medicine (UOMM) blasted the small crowd of the OAF Gallery Bar with help from an eclectic group of misfits that explored a range of fringe sounds.

Newcastle three-piece Bare Grillz' noise rock maintained a nice tension, and through their dense textural layers they still managed to push through some simple yet sublime chord patterns, whose lushness offset the screeching mechanics of the rhythm section. Their explosive build-ups and breakdowns belied their subtlety and it was a shame the set was so short. This material sounded great in the half-empty room.

MAIDS – another Newcastle outfit – combined the dropped-tuned desert riffing of late-era Kyuss and the post-hardcore melodic tension of Helmet with the glitchy math-rock of HEALTH and Battles. They wrung some pretty effective low-end juice from their bass player, and it gave the sometimes abrasive, angular fretwork some groove.

UOMM have a much more cosmic bent and, armed with a Kermit-green bass, they pushed out some industrial-strength psych-rock. Glittering synths quivered in and out of the central melodies and the vocals (spotty at times) were helped by some neat effects that added depth and stability. The set was good, but it lacked the punch the others had had, and they may have been better off preceding MAIDS. That's on relative terms though. This is a band unlike most other bands (and it was good to see something other than garage for once – nothing like some actual musicianship to get the juices flowing) and they more than deserve some attention. Give them a go and let your freak flag fly.