The Zoo - Wed Feb 24

Unfairly and inaccurately judged in my jumping-to-conclusions brain as a joke band, Hazards Of Swimming Naked soon show they are not here tonight to crack wise. Instead, their harrowing instrumentals are heavy on weeping delayed notes and minor chords, simultaneously achieving expansiveness and claustrophobia. Everyone should listen to a little more Mogwai, this North Queensland quintet are certainly helping with that crusade. Made up from former members of Carrs Park and tonight’s headliners, We Set Sail are an exciting new prospect that is difficult to bed down in a few flimsy descriptors. Their songs delve further into the droning chords and guitar walls of post-rock, but with a more pronounced snarl and a penchant for sampling notable speeches and film dialogue. The four vocalists, while having similar singing ranges (and lyrics which are incomprehensible for the first half of their set), create a similarly engaging visual effect. As the eyes of the audience cagily focus on the latest incarnation of The Paper & The Plane as they enter from the wings, shared questions are pondered in silence. Can the band’s intensity be maintained, moving from a five to a four piece? Can vocalist/rhythm guitarist Luke Dalton match the peculiar presence and delivery of former frontman Dan van Zutphen. The answer to both of these and other concerns is: well, yes…but why try in the first place? Despite a clutch of gut-wrenching songs that few would dare to part with (played tonight with the vibrancy and spark of first-time performances), would there be any harm in starting afresh with a new band name? Brisbane is hard enough on its own bands, trying to progress by either remaining faithful to, or shaking off, a legacy seems needlessly difficult. But if tonight was The Paper & The Plane making a plea for continued existence, then this new development may be their biggest yet.

MITCH ALEXANDER

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