SHE REX: SHE REX EP

She Rex are rock’n’roll and rap in its supreme form. Fusing hip-hop, soul, rock and synth, this Sydney four-piece have crafted an innovative sound, igniting a breath of fresh air among the Australian music scene.

Their debut self-titled EP ‘She Rex’ is a 17-minute collection of dirty drums, strong fierce vocals, blistering guitar riffs and viscous bass drenched in girl P.O.W.E.R attitude.

First taste is ‘Prologue’ the slowest and shortest track of the five. It starts off with Nikkita Rast spitting powerful lyrics building a perfect platform for a slow heavy drum thump to follow.

The second track, ‘P.O.W.E.R’ is if I may say the most ambitious ‘power’ track of the lot. It begins with pounding beats from Tash Adams on drums, setting the vibe for what makes the song to be outright infectious. The addition of cloudy guitar (Darcie Irwin-Simpson) heavy use of synth (Sarah Jullienne) and the swish blend of vocal harmonies with hip-hop rhythms add strength and remain on point across the record.

‘The Heist’ and ‘Get Yours’ are another two more up-tempo tracks, showcasing Nikkita’s slick vocals as they soar over great guitar riffs with the build into a percussion beat.

Closer and final track ‘Red Alert’ comes at a slower pace yet maintains the same energy and power as the other songs. In this number Miss Rast takes a firm hold on rapping whilst the addition of bass, synth and backing vocals sees the EP make a shift toward a slightly moodier vibe – great blended balance to draw an ending to the set.

As a whole the EP proves to go against the grain – in the best of ways. Not just a rock group, She Rex manages to mixture all their influences together, which can be strongly felt throughout each track, making themselves main contenders as the fiercest girl group since Destiny’s Child.

THE PAPER KITES @ THE METRO | 31-08-13

A warm winters Saturday night, I stood alone as part of a sold-out crowd at The Metro Theatre to see the notable talent before me which were The Paper Kites. The lights were dim; the anticipation was high and not long after the band took to the stage – the crowd was utterly enamoured.

This Melbourne 5 piece outfit consisting of Sam Bentley, Christina Lacy, Dave Powys, Sam Rasmussen and Josh Bentley make music that conveys honesty and earnest storytelling, while making you feel like you’re floating on a cloud. You know them bands that just sound so darn pretty? Well yeah, they’re one of those.

Not wasting any time they opened with a new track full of whitewash percussion, smooth guitar riffs and heaven like vocals – which together gave a blistering performance.

In succession came songs old and new, the crowd clapping along to ‘A Maker Of Time’ followed by soft intricate guitar picking, use of synths and plush melodies in ‘Young’ a track off their new album States.

Throughout the set also saw the switching and addition of various instruments; the tambourine, harmonica, double bass, banjo, violin and horns – all merged catering to their ethereal, moody soundscape.

A personal highlight came during the delivery of ‘Arms,’ where Sam Bentley’s vocals propelled a complete hush over the audience, sending shivers right down my spine. It came more dominant in their slow numbers the emotional elation, to the feeling that I was the only one there.

But there was no doubt that it was ‘Bloom’ that took the claim of being the crowd pleaser of the night. From start to finish, the room saw punters rejoicing in song along with the band, displaying a real tender moment of unity.

Mention must be made however where is deserved to Christina Lacy. Her accompanying hypnotic delicate vocals captured the beauty of the tracks perfectly, revealing Lacy as a talented artist in her own right.

The set came to a close on encore with Christina on vocals, doing a rendition of Feist’s ‘Comfort Me.’

For the majority of the night’s show the audience displayed a remarkable level of respect; completely engrossed in the music performed. There is definitely something about this bunch of musicians that just solely and effortlessly wins over a live audience. It isn’t every gig that the artist before you can churn your emotions, but on that rare and raw occasion this does occur – well it really is no wonder to why the show was sold out.

DUNE RATS @ BEACH RD, BONDI | 28-08-13

Photo: Aleksandar Jason Photography

Beers, bongs, bucket hats and a whole lot of bangin’ babes really all there is to sum up the ruckus which Beach Rd saw Wednesday night from the Dunies.

Having arrived mid way through the set, I managed to squeeze through an insane mass, while spilling my beer along the way. But with no surprise these three mad dogs (Danny, BC and Brett, just for anyone at home) as always were in for a good time, making sure they brought in a good time as well.

Smashing out the faves like ‘Fuck It’ and ‘Colour Television’ the real dolo moment came during ‘Red Light, Green Light,’ with the seccy boys to the rescue when everyone completely swamped the stage to what can only be defined as an absolute dunie riot.

P.S shout out to Danny’s mum who moshed right beside me. Legend.

VIOLENT SOHO: HUNGRY GHOST

Violent Soho are Luke Boerdam, James Tidswell, Luke Henery and Michael Richards. Residing from Brisbane, the band formed in 2004. Since then they have put out four EPs, two whole studio records, gone on to play national and international festivals, toured around with Arctic Monkeys, been compared to the likes of Nirvana and The Pixies and most recently to add to their list of accomplishments, been signed to Melbourne based record label I Oh You. These guys certainly know how to pull out the goods, with their latest LP Hungry Ghost being no exception.

Being hit with the good ole case of artist mental block may just have been the best thing to happen to these boys, with this most recent material possibly being some of their best work to date.

The album is a collective of 11 tracks and begins with ‘Dope Calypso,’ a head-banging rock tune from start to finish, consistent of pulsated drumming while Boerdam’s vocals soar over blistering guitar riffs. It’s a solid opening track that sets the mood for the rest of the record.

In succession comes track ‘Lowbrow’ also driven by stirring guitar riffage with a screeching vocal potency to match. Conjunction with the rest of the album come tracks ‘Saramonia Said,’ ‘OK Cathedral’ and ‘Fur Eyes’ with the drums and bass more prominent and the vocals a lot smoother – providing some good contrast while still having head bopping songs to go crazy to.

The album finishes with self-titled track ‘Hungry Ghost.’ They show some diversity in this track with the lyrics more distinct and Luke’s voice a lot clearer, accompanied with light percussion and chords that don’t over power the vocals.

As a whole the record is chock full of side splitting guitars and smashing drums, with ‘Gold Coast’ and ‘In The Aisle’ being further standout tracks. You get a real evocative vibe of Sonic Youth meets The Smashing Pumpkins when listening to it, with the bands early 90s grunge influences notably present.

LYALL MOLONEY AND BOOTLEG RASCAL @ THE STANDARD | 23-08-13

Hitting Taylor Square’s The Standard as a part of his “Before The End Of Time” tour, Lyall Moloney played to an enthusiastic crowd of onlookers.

Having only known a few songs, I went into the gig relatively blind. That said it did not take long for the boys to win me over.

Perfectly placed on the bill and who got the crowd standing were Sydney/Gold Coast based four-piece Bootleg Rascal, a solid act that were definitely fitting for the overall ambiance of the night – pretty impressive for a group who only formed earlier this year. A definite highlight was their rendition of Ginuwine’s ‘Pony’. In this performance accompanied by Moloney, it was as if we were watching the boys in their true jam style habitat. It’s always a delight to see when artists really engage in what they do – while being pretty dam good at it.

When the time came, with the incorporation of beat boxing, guitar, loops, percussion and the harmonica, Lyall let his voice completely infiltrate the atmosphere. The set encompassed tracks new and old, with the artist effortlessly moving from song to song.

Laid back psyche/surfy melodies fused with smooth hip-hop beats and lightly applied percussion; catered to the perfect soundscape generating considerable good vibes into a summery haze.

Proved to be crowd pleaser was track ‘Go That Low’ where Lyall stacked up layers of guitar with loop pedals whilst spreading his voice over some slick beats.

Mention must be made to drummer Court Luzmiller whose addition particularly enhanced in songs. This was especially noticeable in ‘Hands’ where the pair played off each other in an impressive fashion, while exhibiting great control.

The show was an unfurling of chilled-out vibes and really gave a flavour of the musical versatility brewing. Alongside supports, Moloney made for a set that never dragged and only left the crowd wanting more.

Put simply, these two acts are on the cusp of something great. If this was anything to go by, we have certainly haven’t seen the last of them.