Gigs like this are the best reason to keep going out and seeing local bands. Although the three acts on offer tonight are all quite different, and will have different levels of appeal to different people, they are all linked in one way: you’re unlikely to hear music like this anywhere else. So let’s start at the beginning with Bang!Bang!Aids! Or at least the crash of cymbals loud enough to be heard from the front bar which meant it was probably time to move to the band room. To be honest, the name should give you some indication of what to expect from this band. A lot of energy, a lot of noise, and almost as much time spent on tasteless humour and in-jokes between songs as playing music. This is probably a sign that the ADD kids are now old enough to get into pubs and start forming bands of their own.
All three members sang at various stages, with a guitarist, drummer and a third member who’s role seemed to be playing a floor tom, tambourine and occasionally a trumpet. Not that these “roles” stopped any one of them from dancing around and picking up another instrument, or leaving stage, as they saw fit. The addition of “blues dog”, (supposedly a hitch-hiker from country Victoria they’d invited on stage) added to the non-musical element, as he sat there drinking, then swearing and asking if anyone wanted to share their medication between songs. Luckily the band showed enough creativity that when they did play a song, it was usually pretty enjoyable. They threw themselves and their instruments into the music with full force. The long gaps between songs seemed to be getting to a few punters, but the extended banter seemed a natural part of the Bang!Bang!Aids! experience, putting the music in context and giving a more enjoyable show overall.
Next was Kes. About as far from Bang!Bang!Aids! as you could get. Softly spoken and intensely melodic, this was some kind of alternative/gypsy/cabaret/pop band… or maybe it wasn’t. I really don’t know what genre you’d put any of their sounds into, or really enough about those genres to classify any band into them, they were just words and ideas that popped into my head while watching them. More importantly, it was good. On top of the guitar/bass/drums foundation was laid beautiful vocal harmonies, keyboards, violin, recorder (three recorders at once!) and a saw. Harmonies and melodies seemed to be the main focus of Kes, and they do a very fine job with them.
Baseball have just returned from a 14 country European tour and by the time they took the stage, there was a large crowd eager to welcome them back. One of my favourite Melbourne bands, the best way to describe Baseball is “intense”. But unlike the introversion of Kes, Baseball’s is quite a confrontational intensity. Frontman Cameron stares wild eyed into the faces of the crowd as he howls his way through songs and brings out a distortion and violence from his violin most people wouldn’t think the instrument was capable of. Evelyn’s drumming keeps the songs together, but also pushes them along at quite a pace. And her voice is a nice contrast with Cameron’s when she sings. The middle ground is occupied by Ben on guitar who does well not to compete with the driving violin. The interplay between the two instruments on songs like ‘Soft Boy Factory’ is really impressive. Then there’s the bass lines, which really help to make the songs complete. Bobbing away in time bassist Monika seems like the calm, reliable part of the band, until she swapped instruments with Evelyn for the encore, and the same wild look came over her face.
The first time I saw Baseball it was this intensity and the unique sound this combination of instruments made which impressed me most. But the more I see them, the more I realise songs such as ‘Faith Like a Cross, Trust Like a Flag’, ‘The Wedding at Susa’and ‘It’s Gonna be Hard and It’s Gonna Hurt’ are just really good tunes. They would still be really good tunes no matter how they were played, but there is a magic which comes out watching these four people play them through their chosen instruments. There should be an album soon, and like many people, I can’t wait.
Gigs like this are the best reason to keep going out and seeing local bands. Although the three acts on offer tonight are all quite different, and will have different levels of appeal to different people, they are all linked in one way: you’re unlikely to hear music like this anywhere else.
So let’s start at the beginning with Bang!Bang!Aids! Or at least the crash of cymbals loud enough to be heard from the front bar which meant it was probably time to move to the band room. To be honest, the name should give you some indication of what to expect from this band. A lot of energy, a lot of noise, and almost as much time spent on tasteless humour and in-jokes between songs as playing music. This is probably a sign that the ADD kids are now old enough to get into pubs and start forming bands of their own.
All three members sang at various stages, with a guitarist, drummer and a third member who’s role seemed to be playing a floor tom, tambourine and occasionally a trumpet. Not that these “roles” stopped any one of them from dancing around and picking up another instrument, or leaving stage, as they saw fit. The addition of “blues dog”, (supposedly a hitch-hiker from country Victoria they’d invited on stage) added to the non-musical element, as he sat there drinking, then swearing and asking if anyone wanted to share their medication between songs. Luckily the band showed enough creativity that when they did play a song, it was usually pretty enjoyable. They threw themselves and their instruments into the music with full force. The long gaps between songs seemed to be getting to a few punters, but the extended banter seemed a natural part of the Bang!Bang!Aids! experience, putting the music in context and giving a more enjoyable show overall.
Next was Kes. About as far from Bang!Bang!Aids! as you could get. Softly spoken and intensely melodic, this was some kind of alternative/gypsy/cabaret/pop band… or maybe it wasn’t. I really don’t know what genre you’d put any of their sounds into, or really enough about those genres to classify any band into them, they were just words and ideas that popped into my head while watching them. More importantly, it was good. On top of the guitar/bass/drums foundation was laid beautiful vocal harmonies, keyboards, violin, recorder (three recorders at once!) and a saw. Harmonies and melodies seemed to be the main focus of Kes, and they do a very fine job with them.
Baseball have just returned from a 14 country European tour and by the time they took the stage, there was a large crowd eager to welcome them back. One of my favourite Melbourne bands, the best way to describe Baseball is “intense”. But unlike the introversion of Kes, Baseball’s is quite a confrontational intensity. Frontman Cameron stares wild eyed into the faces of the crowd as he howls his way through songs and brings out a distortion and violence from his violin most people wouldn’t think the instrument was capable of. Evelyn’s drumming keeps the songs together, but also pushes them along at quite a pace. And her voice is a nice contrast with Cameron’s when she sings. The middle ground is occupied by Ben on guitar who does well not to compete with the driving violin. The interplay between the two instruments on songs like ‘Soft Boy Factory’ is really impressive. Then there’s the bass lines, which really help to make the songs complete. Bobbing away in time bassist Monika seems like the calm, reliable part of the band, until she swapped instruments with Evelyn for the encore, and the same wild look came over her face.
The first time I saw Baseball it was this intensity and the unique sound this combination of instruments made which impressed me most. But the more I see them, the more I realise songs such as ‘Faith Like a Cross, Trust Like a Flag’, ‘The Wedding at Susa’and ‘It’s Gonna be Hard and It’s Gonna Hurt’ are just really good tunes. They would still be really good tunes no matter how they were played, but there is a magic which comes out watching these four people play them through their chosen instruments. There should be an album soon, and like many people, I can’t wait.
(Originally Published on FasterLouder)
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