Alhambra Lounge - Thu Jul 31

Local electro-rock act Re:Enactment contribute a solid first set that sits comfortably amid the DIY aesthetic that the monthly Wolfgang nights have come to embody. The band play tracks from their Kittens EP, among newer creations; a few moments of inspired instrumental brilliance signify the band’s potential for future prosperity. Good songs, genuinely delivered. What more to ask for?

Sydney’s Traps play the sort of tidy indie rock that’d usually incite the Wolfgang crowd to dance, but it seems that something’s amiss tonight. Their rousing bass-fed, jangly guitar-led numbers are met with blank stares and sparse applause. What gives? The four-piece battle on regardless, though the girl sitting on the foot of the stage texting her friends must be off-putting. Tough crowd.

Perth-via-Sydney-via-London instrumentalists Pivot nonchalantly step onto the barely-raised stage and open with In The Blood, the mesmerising lead single from their new album. Gloomy bass overtones are accentuated by Laurence Pike’s inventive and varied drum fills; his brother Richard frequently jabs at his array of pedals, though his guitar is all but inaudible in the mix for the first couple of songs. Dave Miller contorts and gyrates to the rhythm, while constantly tweaking the laptop output that serves as the band’s electronic backbone. Much of their second album O Soundtrack My Heart is performed tonight: highlights include the jolting, chunky distortion of Didn’t I Furious, the ethereal vocals and palm-muted motif of Sing You Sinners, and a stunning rendition of the album’s strongest track, Sweet Memory. Having toured extensively overseas in past months, the band are understandably tight, though never to the point of boredom. Rather, Pivot’s passion for – and dedication to – their compelling brand of electronic rock is visible on each of their faces for the set’s duration. A powerful performance of the album’s title track ends the night on an appropriately high note. Our hearts are suitably soundtracked.

ANDREW MCMILLEN

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