The Zoo - Fri Oct 16

I don’t envy The Mares as they open to (literally) a dozen people. Dousing tangled indie guitar lines with a healthy dose of gritty punk, The Mares find fuel in angst and paranoia – Jamie Hanson’s vocals alternating between a rounded bottle-of-whisky-drawl a-la Gareth Liddiard in CoPilot and an Electric Six-style shout in Biscuit Tin. Perhaps it’s not such a bad thing The Zoo is empty, as fans may find the repeated high energy screams of these live renditions a little grating.

Red Jezebel have a knack of delivering perfect packages of melodic layered rock, in a non-clichéd indie styling, making you marvel at how some other Perth bands (who shall remain nameless) can deliver a watered down equivalent and receive substantially more success. You’ll probably know Red Jez from such radio faves such as Kicking Deadly Sins (which they play brilliantly live), yet their set displays a depth of talent that transcends catchy pop-rock. Those unfamiliar with the extent of their new album are treated to Lost My Gun, Hollywood, the beautiful More Than You’ll Ever Know as well as the marvelous marching drums of Find Our Way Back Home, plus cracking older mainstays like Devil’s Advocate.

True to their name The Exploders waste no time with banter and drop some serious rock bombs to the excited, now slightly fuller venue. I’d venture TJ has one of the best rock voices in the country, and effortlessly nails guitar solos that come off as sizzling rather than self-indulgent. Through their set of big fat guitar-driven rock: Big Hair Revolution, the wah-wah infused Cola, ferocious strut of Straight Ahead, I Can’t Dance, My Country Brain and Nevil – the Exploders channel a bygone era (as if to prove this, the Beatles’ She Came In Through The Bathroom Window has a medley cameo), an era when rock was straight up and down, played well and big egos took a backseat to the music.

CAMILLA JONES

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