Reviewed onSaturday February 13
Fresh from their Laneway Festival debut, buzzy Sydney quartet A.D.K.O.B dutifully worked the stage. With brief but charming chat (which is humorously mirrored on their social media accounts, FYI) between songs, the group delivered of an ear-pricking array of sounds and solid tunes from their debut EP, A Different Kind Of Busy, including a knee-smashing effort by drummer Harry Simpson. Wrapping with ‘Glue’, a vibrant and catchy breakout effort, the band is set to have a soaring 2016.
Take two mics, two guitars, bass, drums, keyboards and a sax, and you get the all-encompassing production Gideon Bensen had in store for his audience at the unveiling of his first solo effort Cold Cold Heart. A relatively low-key introduction for what was ahead, static analogue visuals fuzzed behind Bensen and his band before they set the pace – quick, sharp and electric – with screaming guitar and a crescendo of ’80s sci-fi synths taking off. It wasn’t long before Bensen had attentive crowd members matching his sleek and expressive moves.
If there was ever any question of whether this performance would be anything but slick, that notion was quickly diminished. With clean drums, theatrical vocals and smooth switches between mics, Bensen kept things “short and snappy” both in performance and duration, in part due to the “11 o’clock curfew” imposed on us all. Second single ‘Talk Talk’ saw Bensen’s excel in playing the energetic frontman, although his energy unfortunately went unmatched by a noisy audience. Regardless, whether Bensen and co. heard the chatter didn’t show, and as Bensen thanked his Preatures bandmates for letting him embark on his solo project, guitarist Jack Moffitt took to the stage to lend a hand for ‘All New Low’.
Despite an audience paying less attention than he deserved, Bensen nonchalantly and impressively preserved, giving the impression he had figured out exactly what he wanted to do. A bit of background noise wasn’t going to stop him from executing that.
