Bit By Bats
Chris Chinchilla takes a hike Into the Melbourne night life
Operator Please, Treetops, Little Red East Brunswick Club
Operator Please tick all the right boxes, they're young, attractive
and every member falls into one of several 'kooky kid' categories, something
to appeal to everyone, they also appear to write very catchy songs.
All of which begs the question if the band are manufactured, or at least
some sort of stage school band. Their 'shtick' is very cutesy, toying
with that confusing late teens state of mind where you still want sweets
and concession fare on the bus, but you also want alcohol, parties and
sex. The band's biography is very vague and convenient, with members
just sort of coming together, new recruit Stephanie on Violin talks
of getting 'The Call' to join the band, and then after some 'DIY promotion'
and a trip to New York City (which of course every teenager can afford!)
the band sign to EMI
Hmm, Is the smell of a Rat in the air? Or
the smell of Big Management bucks? Probably, but for some reason and
for once, it's hard to care because Operator Please are so much damn
fun!
For such a Buzz band The East Brunswick club is not particularly busy,
possibly due to being over 18, and it looks like a few minors still
managed to blag and bluff their way in. The night opens with Little
Red, enough has been mentioned of them elsewhere, next are Treetops,
a band who apparently have quite a varied and chequered History, despite
possessing an amazing and youthful drummer the rest of the band seem
rather tired and lacking, both supports a peculiar choice for the pure
slice of saccharin soaked Pop rock to follow. These kids know how to
play, the drums may be slightly weak but Timmy's only got little arms,
so forgive him for now, Ashley's bass rumbles despite never seeing his
face beneath an ample fringe, Sarah's keyboard bloops and fizzes in
the modern way, and as well as producing a fine sound from her Rickenbacker
/ Vox combo, Amandah possesses a powerful and passionate voice, with
range and depth. The songs are generally bouncy, upbeat and light in
content, songs to scream along and dance to, not change the world with,
perhaps 'Get What You Want' showing some hints of song writing maturity
bubbling under the surface. Any self-respecting street press reading
music fan just shouldn't like Operator Please, they smack of contrivance,
of music career by numbers, of a fashionable gimmick. However with their
charm, energetic stage show, apparent talent and irritatingly catchy
tunes, the band will slowly be working their way on to many serious
muso's list of guilty pleasures.
Bit By Bats @ Roxanne Parlour
Bit by Bats are a great band, in 'it' for all the right reasons, whilst
a vast majority of bands in Melbourne posses some of the most fantastic
and expensive equipment but don't do anything with it, Bit by Bats take
their average guitars and amps and make some marvellous melodious music
with it. No pretension, no fashionable prancing or posturing, just talent,
tunes and exuberance. The music ticks all the right boxes to, solid
rumbling bass lines and drumming countered with fuzzy guitar lines and
Owen's unique fantastic barking vocal delivery, there's even some Theremin
thrown in for good measure, even if it's barely audible most of the
time. The crowd at Roxanne's are appreciative but not up for dancing,
the holiday weekend doesn't seem to have encouraged that many partygoers
out and those here are of the fashionable ilk that wouldn't do it anyway.
Bit by Bats don't mind though, they're doing it because they love music
and love playing their music, everything else is a bonus.
http://www.myspace.com/bitbybats
Little Red, Magnum Gumbo Detonator, Definite Article The Tote
Kicking off Little Red's second Tote Residency night is 'Definite Article'
with their first gig under a new name that is not much better than their
old, 'Squeaks & Squeals'. Vocalist Mark wears a silly hat and the
band have a drum machine so songs never quite get going, but contain
enough pleasant harmonies and melodies to maintain interest. As the
room fills 'Magnum Gumbo Detonator' take to the stage, vocalist Bernie's
slightly inane grin seemingly happy with the crowd. They're a funk band
without a lot of funk and a soul band without a lot of soul, unyet their
pots of charm and sense of fun carry the show, captivating the crowd,
a limbo contest during the last song winning all but the coldest of
hearts.
It's often said that music recycles and builds upon what's come before,
borrowing bits from here and bits from there, melding them into something
sort of recognisable but not quite discernable. What about those who
wear their musical hearts' on their sleeves, who are more obvious about
their influences and inspirations? It is clear from the outset of tonight's
gig that Little Red draw more than a modicum of inspiration from 60s
beat combos, with a slight dash of 70s rock thrown in for good measure.
Three singers share a tour of duty on lead vocals, with slick backing
vocals provided from those on the subs bench throughout. Dominic Byrne,
resplendent in a knitted tank top is reminiscent of a young and dangerous
(yes, he was once, a long time ago) Cliff Richard, his vocal strained
and full of passion, maybe even a little pain, think of John Lennon's
delivery on 'Twist & Shout'.
Next up is Tom Hartney, something of a young Paul Weller look-a-like,
decked in a glorious 80s style jacket, sleeves rolled up, frantically
bashing a tambourine and towering above his compadres, his lower register
voice booming through the rest of the band. Finally on lead duties is
Quang Dinh, sporting a suitable Beatles mop top, he handles the more
soulful material, his gentler voice sometimes lost in the mix, but his
mournful eyes telling all that needs to be known. Adrian Beltrame on
Guitar / Backing Vocals and Taka Honda complete the line up providing
an able bed of rhythm and harmony. The songs are primarily about girls,
loves won, loves lost, loves lamented, happy tales, sad tales and a
few unrelated tales thrown in for good measure. Not the most original
of subjects, but what else would you expect from a band taking the strains
of the first youth music when that's all it was about, weaving it into
something new and exciting for the youth of today to relate to all over
again.
Peabody, Intercooler East Brunswick Club
The recently expanded and invigorated Peabody have an unhealthy obsession
with their guitars. Swapping backwards and forwards after pretty much
every song, the band have a guitar tech beside the stage who does nothing
but tune their guitars for them, but the band still insist on double
checking tuning before commencing each song, putting the dampeners on
any inter song banter aside for the pleasantries. Initially it's amusing
and charming, as the set continues the habit becomes somewhat annoying
and the temptation to shout "Get on with it!" becomes very
strong indeed. So it's a good job the band have a set chocker full of
brilliant and finely crafted songs. Songs of incredible depth and texture,
clever and carefully constructed layers of melodies, interesting unyet
uplifting, deep unyet exciting and exhilarating. Full and rich guitars
set over solid bass lines, powerful drums and Bruno Brayovic's heartfelt
vocals searing through the mix. The band take the bold stance of playing
an entire set of new songs from their forthcoming album that frustrates
Peabody's old school fans in the crowd, but to new listeners it's an
emotionally charged set, full of dynamics and solid delivery. It's been
a tough year for the band, but they seem happy to be back and the crowd
are happy to have them back.
http://www.myspace.com/11676495
The East Brunswick club is fairly empty tonight, perhaps due to the
Holiday weekend, perhaps due to other gigs and events and after Peabody's
set the venue empties even further. Intercooler take to the stage looking
like a generic Indie-Rock band, and unsurprisingly they sound like one
to. You can tell where the songs are going from the second they start,
there are no surprises; it's all been done before. There's nothing being
said, no inventiveness, nothing new, the band don't even look that interested
in what they're doing, relying on Rock charm to carry them through their
set. Intercooler make little pretence at being anything more than a
Pop Rock band and it's gained them much commercial success and recognition,
it's just a shame that this style of bland rock with no presence or
character is always so bloody popular, or is it? The venue is not exactly
busy and as someone commented the day before the gig, "Are they
(Intercooler) still going?"
Chris Chinchilla
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