The Zoo - Sun Oct 30

For a rainy Sunday a pretty decent crowd has turned up at The Zoo to see Gold Coast sons Woe &Flutter open the night. Singers Adam Schneider and Dusty Anastassiou have markedly different voices, Adam’s is all clear-voiced indie-rock longing while Dusty’s laconic growl is punctuated by yelps and shouts, and this makes for slightly jarring listening. The songs are a mix of sweetly rollicking rock & roll and heavier hard rock – and they do both very well, though occasionally some songs feel a little incomplete, or overstay their welcome.

Next The Vasco Era come out to show us how this ‘70s hard-rocking blues thing is done. Opener Rock And Roll Is The Only Thing That Makes Me Feel Good has Singer Sid O’Neil mumbling through the verses and screaming through the choruses until the song builds to a frantic peak of wailing guitars and crashing percussion. Obviously not ones for starting out slow, The Vasco Era come out so hard that by the second song drummer Michael Fitzgerald has broken his drums prompting a fix-up while the rest of the band carry on with an impromptu jam.

O’Neil is an extremely engaging frontman; alternating between fevered mumbles, wide-eyed declarations and frenzied shrieks while shredding out strong rock songs grounded by brother Ted’s thundering bass. The banter from the stage is fairly hilarious, ranging from detailed explanations of exactly how each song will play out, to a debate on the appropriate situation for a wolf-whistle. Singles Oh Sam and Child Bearing Hips are played back-to-back without too much drama, showcasing the band’s straight-up blues-rockin’ chops.

Papa Vs Pretty make such acclaimed accomplished music that it’s easy to forget how young they are until they’re on stage in front of you, all fresh faced and grinning. Accompanying the sophisticated, mature songwriting are some adorably teenage lyrics, but this only makes the band more charming. Heavy Harm adds a bit of lightness to the start of their set after the coming out strong with One Of The Animals and Life’s Got A Hold On Me.

Tom Rawle’s voice is powerful and vulnerable, and probably the most obvious reason for the band’s frequent likening to early early-Radiohead. Its sweetness is most affecting in Bitter Pill and Look For Me, comparatively sad songs of longing and hope that come before the confident stomp of Wrecking Ball. The Muse comparisons are also evident, but Papa Vs Pretty offer more light and shade, making for more interesting listening. They also never go too heavy with the guitar noodling theatrics, a credit to Rawle – a very talented guitarist illustrating welcome restraint. The band make an unusual move in ending the set with a new song, but after such a strong and dynamic performance, no one is complaining.

MADELEINE LAING

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