The Hi-Fi - Sat Apr 9

I’m not sure why this is the case, but every time I go to a gig lately, the support band seems to outshine the headliner, and that’s the case again tonight. Brisbane locals The Videomatics are playing an early slot, but there’s something really compelling about them; they play dreamy, synth-y rock and wear their influences pretty heavily, but while you can hear bits and pieces of The Cure, My Bloody Valentine and especially M83, the young band carry themselves with confidence, and are clearly accumulating a decent collection of hooks. They’re not there yet, but with some more touring and more time to find a voice that’s a little more theirs and a little less of a throwback to various British indie bands of the 1980s, The Videomatics could definitely be playing a lot higher up the bill.

Fellow locals Hunz follow, and I’m going to go out on a limb and say they might well be big Radiohead fans; they play a set of dense, dark electronica, and singer/composer Hans van Vliet’s voice even sounds like Thom Yorke’s. They’re pretty good if you like dense, dark electronica that sounds quite a bit like the aforementioned Radiohead, although seem content to let their laptop do most of the heavy lifting.

All that leaves is headliners Edge Of Colour, who put on a spirited electro-pop show. The Hi-Fi’s stage is small, but they treat it like an arena; their show features backing singers, interpretive dance interludes, and several costume changes, as singer Michelle Xen whips in and out of a series of D.I.Y. Lady Gaga outfits. Gaga is just one of the band’s influences, and their music touches on all sorts of areas, from contemporaries like Roisin Murphy and Goldfrapp to the cheesier side of early ‘90s pop.

ALASDAIR DUNCAN

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