Reviewed on Wednesday October 30
Goodgod’s notorious Danceteria was transformed into an indie rock den for a night as UK darlings Veronica Falls swept in with the unseasonal northern breeze.
Supporting them were Brisbane’s Go Violets. OK you guys, pretty sure Lea Michele ran away from Glee, dyed her hair blonde and decided to front an indie girl band. If you don’t believe me, go YouTube search their latest single ‘Wanted’. It’s the sweetest ‘fuck you’ break-up song I’ve ever heard. Listening to this band is like being transported to a world of teenage lust, angst and rebellion. They could easily soundtrack an entire Diablo Cody movie, or five.
Eyes firmly planted on their converse sneakers, Go Violets took shoegazing to a whole new level… and it kinda worked for them. Mumbled onstage banter and ‘shy girl’ personas aside, these women owned the stage in their own special way. Alternating vocals and instruments, this multi-talented group won the room over with super fun, grungy rock tunes underpinned by a distinctively youthful surf guitar twang, handclaps and plenty of harmonised ‘oooh’s.
Now to the main act, Veronica Falls. These guys ’n’ gals are a bit of a big deal in their native England and have an underground but blog-heavy presence pretty much everywhere else in the world. I recently caught them play a massive festival set at Latitude in the UK and it seemed a little sad to see this unassuming alt-pop powerhouse group in such a minimal atmosphere. It just goes to show how firmly chained to the radio Australian music fans are. Sigh.
That said, it is about time they visited our shores. Their brand of jangly, pop-infused rock’n’roll is so timeless and transcends all genres. It is just good music. Dreamy vocal and guitar melodies were to-and-froed between boy and girl band mates, conjuring a playfully romantic scene throughout the set while a strong rhythm section kept it tight as can be.
Touring off the back of their latest album, Waiting For Something To Happen, there was plenty of new material on show. Adolescent anthem ‘Teenage’ won hearts with lyrics like, “Driving late at night, I let you listen to the music you like,” while the up-tempo ‘If You Still Want Me’ got some feet moving amongst the small crowd.
The deliciously haunting 2010 single ‘Found Love In A Graveyard’ was befitting on the eve of Halloween and proved exactly why so many people around the world freaking love this band. They also fitted in a touching ode to Lou Reed before closing the night off to an infectious stream of applause.
BY CLAIRE KNIGHT
