A dash of guitar grunt, a sprinkle of exquisite harmony, a few deft lines of lolling bass, all topped with some hit-squad homey humour … this year’s campus band competition ran the full gauntlet. And after experiencing simply a smidgin of the WA contingient, I’ll wager a barrel of pickled fish on each and all of these folk dominating finals for more years to come.
But that’s just the band competition. Taking a quick look at Sasquatch’s agenda for the evening also proved that the work is out there – their opening spot in the lineup was followed by a dash to PICA and The Grosvenor. Thus they eased into the evening’s programme with bass player Ian Hope taking on more of the vocal work and Paul Chocko English switching perfectly from the reserves bench to whip out his awesome rock bellow. But the twenty-minute limit took its toll on Sasquatch – the name of the game is blitzkrieg in the final: the meek get pinched, the bold survive!
In comparison, Freud’s Pillow obviously had a couple of games of rugger before tumbling onto the stage. The pogoing Simon Leach, wrestling mid air with his bass guitar for the full stretch, catapulted the relatively overlooked FP to sudden crowd faves. Their funk metal and Casio interludes demanded the attention they forthrightly received, their damn whacky slap bass rhythms wringing-out certifiable pop gems. Serious contenders indeed.
And now for the moment that about half of the crowd were waiting for and the sane other half dreaded. Domination. Domination. Domination Theory. With the 700-strong crowd pressed against the orange Police lines, MC Harsh Reality, a gold-painted single hanging around his neck and a six-pack holder stuck to his stomach, Col. McRhinestone, MC Orsini … oh, nuh, you had to be there.
The music? Some would say it was Dystonia’s last shot at the campus crown and no-one could argue that the Ice T/Bodycount sound was phenomenal, but the music mattered little with such brilliant satire and eye candy on display. An example of successful “undergrad humour” and manufactured vibe, Domination Theory will blitz their marketing and sociology exams.
Any semblance of nerves that Sugarchild may have felt were totally absent as their glorous muse brought the Dominated, frantic crowd to a sway – Katie Atwell’s exquisite rendition of The Problem being a highlight of the entire evening. Standing solid and strong under the slowly undulating spotlights, they set a new standard immediately with a nod to the empowering icon of Delores O’Riordan and some simple, thoughtful delivery. Magic.
The four guys in Flashing Tablet ARE rock and roll, their amps smoked as they chased some bloody monsterous 70s rock beast around the stage to thunderous, adrenalin-surged crowd foot-stomping. As songs like Plush Tranny and the epic Green Dress drew to their violent endings, out came their small snippets of on-stage insight and stunningly philosophical rock ponderings. I think The Tablet scared many people, hard-belting rock’n’rollers are seldom allowed to have brains.
It had to be good, and it was. Humbug played a blinder, leaving nothing to chance as they strode on stage wearing their own stage lighting (in the form of little pocket-worn LED flashing things) and Reuben Acciano’s “I lost a bet” hair colour. But beyond the condiments, their music grabbed every single person in the room with its interlacing of perfect harmony, searing twin guitars and the perpetually excitable Tim Jewel Drum Show up the back.
Through the finishing, falsetto stages of Humbug’s First Flight it was obvious that they were indeed about to depart for Canberra, the first step on their way to winning the national final (Pickled fish?). Humbug first, Freud’s Pillow second and Domination Theory third, with under ten points separating second, third and fourth (Sugarchild). A powerhouse competition.
Adam Connors
