With three of Australia’s loudest and fastest rock n’ punk bands on the bill, this was not going to be your average university cafe eve. The cavernous fast food grotto that by day is the UWA refectory, was this night transformed into a sonic sweat pit as the majority of Perth’s student skegs fogged up the vast window frontage in anticipation of three Oz heavyweights.
With their tracksuited leg stance of spread, flannelette glory, speed merchants Bodyjar combined blindingly fast musicianship with complimentary choruses from three different throats, giving their punk-ish assault a unique and melodic flavour. Guitarist and lead vocalist Ben Petterson, with shards of plastic flying from his flailing plectrum, surveyed the airbourne antics of the youthful crowd who were being pummelled with the sheer speed of Bodyjar’s delivery. With scant regard for variation, or time restrictions, their Perth touring debut will undoubtedly win over a few more human torpedos if they return soon.
Three-piece Spiderbait, on the other hand, had a bagful of neat timing tricks and false starts which just oozed cool. They were not the mechanised killing machine of Bodyjar, instead opting for a lot more light and dark with bassist Janet’s yelps and high notes contrasting with even harder and faster playing than the ‘Jar. By the time their own infamous interpretation of The Goodies’ Run was aired, the diving crowd had been won over with the combined antics and rapport of Spiderbait’s chubby singing drummer and Janet’s effortless ability to brutally thrash her instrument (of torture?). Remember this, aspiring musos, false starts can be made to look fun if you laugh with the crowd.
Tumbleweed, flanked by the huge sound system that threatened to launch the band through the roof of the rocket silo shaped building, opened with Daddy Long Legs and the heaviest gutteral guitar barrage on the continent. Gone were their predecessors’ range of spiffy effects pedals, these longhairs plugged straight into the AC socket. Sure, Tumbleweed are caught in a mid ’70s timewarp, but their bludgeoning rock is the kind that anthems are borne from. With the very topical Atomic, to Sundial, to their current crop of paced, power chord glory from Galactaphonic, Tumbleweed could do no wrong until … Helter Skelter. Yesiree, someone had better inform these guests that Perth is not a cover band city. The look in a lot of people’s eyes mirrored this, a great original band suddenly became another bunch of well-quiffed bludgers. Some would rather have had the night topped with a cherry rather than a reminder of our now-dead infamy.
Adam Connors
