Live Review: Wild Honey, Planet, Sunscreen

However you slice it, Wild Honey were average.

They played a bland set of guitar pop that was fed through a subpar system, making it sound like a stereo with a pillow over the speakers.

Was the night a success? Yes, by a certain metric, it was. The bar was full (of uni students, throwing themselves at their last weekend before semester two with impressive verve), the beer was cold and the taps raised eyebrows (Yulli's swung for the fences with a delicious 6.2% heavy-hitting "Slick Rick" Red Ale), the pizzas were excellent (a light and doughy deep dish Shroom pizza will sort you out, no dramas), and the bar staff are a really great bunch. Support outfits Planet and Sunscreen were good to have on side (Planet in particular snagged the crown on the night, with no-frills indie going down easy), and the punters weren't shy.

So why the bum review?

Wild Honey seemed happy enough, skipping through harmony-driven melodies and derivative jangly hooks, but even on stage, which usually adds a few pounds of muscle and charisma (and goes a long way in smothering song writing weak spots), the band couldn't raise a pulse. Pedestrian arrangements that sounded like the equivalent of weak coffee were de rigueur, and a shitty mix didn't help. The drummer sounded like he was in the next room.

Happily, the group report that they had a ball, and showered the crowd with gratitude. That's kinda the point, isn't it? This so-so review of a bland show is blatantly powerless in the face of a young group willing to risk it for the biscuit. Just maybe play some better stuff? Please?