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 Photo: Aaron Sammut
Scruffy locals Yves Klein Blue are the subject of significant hype, having played at Austin’s South By Southwest festival not too long ago, and seem to have the confidence (or maybe it’s cockiness) to go along with it. The band’s indie pop sound has beefed up considerably in recent times, and their set goes down well, particularly bouncy Triple J hit Polka.
Hailing from Louisville, Kentucky, new wave rockers VHS Or Beta have toured the world off the back of several excellent albums, but this is their first ever trip to Australia. The crowd at The Zoo is smaller than usual (perhaps owing to fatigue from the huge number of international gigs over the last few months) but appreciative. Opening with the squalling instrumental Irriversible, the closing track from Night On Fire, the band whip through favourites like Burn It All Down, You Got Me and Time Stands Still in quick succession. VHS Or Beta’s songs afford one the opportunity to dance or to quietly reflect on old times and old loves, and the crowd’s reaction seems roughly split down the middle. They sound as tight as hell – the bass and drums lock in together, finding that sweet spot just to the left of disco, and the guitars screech, drone and pulse – although at times, they seem a little wary. Vocalist Craig Pfunder has a sheet of black hair that covers his face almost entirely, and he only rarely comes out from behind it when talking to the audience or harmonising with bassist Mark Palgy. Things slow down towards the middle of the set – disco instrumental Solid Gold tumbles into Alive via a sheet of guitar worthy of My Bloody Valentine. The band close with Bring On The Comets, then, after a brief encore taking in Can’t Believe A Single Word and a noisy Night On Fire, it’s all over. Though it’s hard not to feel that, with a more vocally supportive crowd, this brief show could have gone on for a little longer, VHS Or Beta were great nonetheless.
ALASDAIR DUNCAN
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