The Zoo - Thurs March 15

Three bands on a Thursday night launching three EPs is a just cause for alliteration and a good ol’ time. With around 200 local fans turning up, the Zoo is comfortably full and yet still intimate enough to allow all present an easy view and an uninterrupted aural experience. Kicking off proceedings for the evening are indie four-piece Arrows, who after adding another guitarist recently fill the venue with their signature, clean as a whistle melodies and crushing crescendos. Sounding like a cross between Mineral, Explosions In The Sky and early Jimmy Eat World, the band play passionately and professionally to the joy of the head-nodding fans.

Following act Hanabi are definitely a strange animal, yet infinitely enjoyable. Seamlessly blending standard rock instrumentation with saxophones, trumpet, xylophone and keys, the female-fronted group play a set full of jazz, folk and indie elements, keeping fans enthralled. The rather diminutive lead singer Anita belts out the songs with abundant enthusiasm, smiling non-stop throughout the entire set. With acoustic rock touches in the vein of Sarah Blasko combined with indie sensibilities, dual female/male vocals a la Straylight Run and a cute and innocent factor reminiscent of Architecture in Helsinki, Hanabi hit so many right notes that their performance marks them as a band to keep a close watch on.

The launch is for three bands, but the most captivating of the night is definitely The Paper & The Plane. After a quick tune and sound check, the headliners throw everything they have at the audience packed closely in front of the stage. Opening with the beautiful My Dreams, they play a mix of older songs like All That I Have and In the City (all from the mini-EP, An Introduction), and some brand new songs. Delay-driven and atmospheric introductions akin to mewithoutyou subside to energetic post-hardcore, with urgency comparable to contemporary heavyweights Thursday and Saoisin. This in turn gives way to intricate, almost pop melodies similar to Knapsack and Benton Falls and back again. While musically compelling, it is the vocals of Dan van Zutphen that take the band to a whole other level. From heart-breaking plaintiveness and purity – quite becoming the slight lead man – to swelling choruses, the vocal transitions are achieved with breathtaking effortlessness. Spiraling keyboards – a new addition to the sound – end the final song with a loop continuing after the band members leave the stage.

At the end of the night’s three diverse yet ultimately impressive sets, one would be hard pressed to leave without a smile and a few new songs stuck in your head. Indeed, a notable showcase of some of Brisbane’s best new talent, and a job well done.

PATRICK PERRIER, KATH POLLOCK

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