Reviewed on Sunday August 7
Everything shoegaze-inspired carries about it a certain air of ‘cool’, a distance characteristic of introversion rather than arrogance. Newtown Social Club’s Sunday lineup fully embodied that sense of reservation, keeping banter to a strict minimum and expressing mostly through walls of fuzzy noise.
Openers Egoism (formerly Ego) played to a small, devoted crowd, but their dual vocals and lush guitar tones filled all empty space in the room. The trio made up for the absence of a drummer with ready-made beats on an iPod, though to the contrary to lead singer Scout’s announcement, the device was far from “better than a real drummer”. New bassist Pat brought the fuzz with a wonderfully fresh amp tone that beefed up the band’s more delicate sounds.
Bad Valley look as though they’ve seen one too many VHS rips of Nirvana back in the day: they’ve got the look down almost to a tee. The boys turned up the volume and postured more aggressively than their stagemates, but after a time, distortion alone couldn’t carry their extended jam sessions; their variations on theme were too much of a wash.
Bringing that distinct Melbourne vibe to the stage, Flyying Colours flooded the room with warmth. Yeah, they’re cooler than you, but they’re not rubbing it in your face; rather, they’re acknowledging their ever-present awkwardness and overcoming it with their huge, complete soundscape.
Incoming LP Mindfulness was well represented across the night, with single ‘Mellow’ leaving a distinct impression of the band toying with their established textures. Chucking in a few deep cuts to satisfy the fans, they may have also tapped into a new mode of performance for themselves: an enthusiastic flurry of yells from his bandmates saw frontman Brodie J Brümmer rename his outfit “The Flyying Colours Comedy Hour”. With perfect comic timing, they flubbed the next song opening; they enjoyed it as much as we did.
The Colours, like Bad Valley, enjoy variations on a theme, but the way in which they are entirely immersed in the thrill of play sets them apart. Gemma O’Connor’s crackling, static-drenched shimmer keeps it all in the mode of Sonic Youth – a nod to the band’s clearest influence – but they truly own their sound.
To watch ‘Leaks’ build and build and build is to be transported to the same psychological space as the musicians. Just when you think it can’t get any louder, or more complexly configured, the track steps up and delivers. And even if the whole music thing doesn’t work out for them, Flyying Colours will always have comedy to fall back on.
