Photo: Matthew Palmer

The Paper & The Plane begin the night with a swell of synthesizers that signals the arrival of the smouldering My Dreams. There are few frontmen in Brisbane at the moment that can hold an audience like Dan with only the most minimal eye contact during songs. Think somewhere between Ian Curtis and…I dunno, someone that can sing. With high profile supports like this and Explosions In The Sky next week, 2008 will be a big year for these lads.

Two less people on stage allows The Nation Blue more room to move, a feature they certainly don’t waste. The tale of bassist Matt dislocating his knee and playing on while they supported The Foo Fighters in 2005 has become the stuff of legend, so their brutal punk assault while throwing themselves around The Zoo tonight shows their refusal to learn lessons. Whatever, lessons are for sissies, ie – people who don’t bleed from their forehead by the end of a performance.

The sunburnt figure of singer Jake Snider (you can always spot an American in Summer) seems supremely confident about Minus The Bear’s first sojourn to Australia, as they wow the crowd with frenetic and sweaty set that leans heavily on 2007’s Planet Of Ice. I won’t say they’re indefinable, because that would leave me prey to some genre douche who would love to sit down and detail what they are until I beat him/her over the head with a shoe… but I will say they’re hard to define, as they move seamlessly from dance-rock to power pop to hardcore punk, all with the knowing pop edge of a band who has seen styles come and go since their inception. Fittingly, the night ends as it begins in a mess of keyboards and feedback, as disorientating, yet engaging, as the band’s traditionally whacked-out videos

MITCH ALEXANDER

Comments (3)

Write Comment
Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Poster's IP addresses are logged.
Name:
Comment:
Code:*