The Powerhouse - Sun May 11

As I enter the comforting surrounds of the Powerhouse on a Sunday arvo - hungover in dark sunglasses, lusting for electrolytes – I feel that my mother is somewhere, proud of how I’m spending her special day. I’m slightly put off by Sarah-Jane Wentzki’s (one half of indie rockers Princess One Point Five) slow minor chord wanderings as she begins the set – it’s a little bit too appropriate for this setting, but when percussionist Richard Andrew walks onstage the excitement levels rise. The songs are charmingly sweet and disarming, even if the guitar is painfully out of tune (which Sarah-Jane characteristically apologises for), playing songs off previous releases and giving a few plugs to the group’s new album. Ronette’s End is a particularly joyous highlight, with the throbbing drums and crowd-assisted handclap illustrating an obvious nod to Phil Spector’s girl-powered wonder group. The up-tempo tracks are pulled off more convincingly today, as Something Good shows the duo full of smiles and jangly guitar chords.

And then predictability creeps in again. Local singer-songwriter Liam Griffin has been getting his name around the place in recent history, but this evening’s performance appears to be nothing more than the calm and calculated creations of Conservatorium of Music students. From the controlled climaxes of guitar feedback to the microphone hooked into a Kaoss Pad, we see a band that is clearly musically proficient, but their talents are wasted writing mid-tempo non-threatening alternarock, the bastard children of Eskimo Joe and The Wallflowers. The AM Blues picks things up by, ironically, slowing it all down with a tender waltz and Griffin’s rich baritone, but you still get the feeling that you’re listening to next seasons Grey’s Anatomy soundtrack. Oh, and painfully long gaps between songs so they can exchange tedious banter…can we get some more of that? We Can? Brilliant!

MITCH ALEXANDER

Comments (1)

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:*