Regular cool kid hangout The Zoo was surprisingly busy for a Wednesday night, hosting a hard rock line-up topped by the not-so-underground Dave’s Pawn Shop. The gig was a special event with all bands raising funds for charity Act For Kids, supporting victims of child abuse.
Dead Zephyr opened the night with some groovy fast-paced rock. Christopher Marsh’s raw vocals clung to catchy rhythms as the duo belted out their repertoire.
Clearly a band who know how to warm up a room, they waxed lyrical about simple things and deserved a larger crowd.
The following Dameena then went from soundcheck to song in the blink of an eye.
Bassist Emma Friday in particular had a brilliant, confident stage presence. She showed off a powerful voice, and perhaps should have taken lead vocals in some songs because of her exciting timbre.
Third song ‘The Illusionist’ featured gritty metal guitars and dual vocals that packed a punch. The double-vocal aspect really set Dameena apart from the rest of the line-up – especially when it was just the two singers and an acoustic guitar.
On his own, singer Shane Jamieson sounded similar to Jon Bon Jovi, or John Rzeznik from Goo Goo Dolls, but without the power needed to make the songs truly awesome.
Musically, the band seemed to get stuck on where to go at times, and defaulted to louder playing to cover it.
Nonetheless, the four-piece became more comfortable towards the end of their set. Thundering bass and piercing guitar effects helped to sooth any qualms.
Youthful looking band Minus Nine were an eclectic bunch – a mix of button-up shirts, singlets, tees and a beanie.
Initially timid, their well-constructed songs were a massive hit with the audience. Within three songs they were bouncing and thrashing around the stage.
Their set was punctuated with cool bass slides, a wall of sound from three guitars and a lead guitarist unafraid to shred it. Vocalist Matt Jamez was able to effortlessly flick his voice from soft to screaming.
The crowd were often encouraged to push towards the stage and the enjoyment radiating from the band was infectious. “Good boy,” Jamez said of an obedient patron during a shuffle forward.
Songs like ‘You & I’ had heavy, obvious Nirvana influences, from the slick power chord changes to the gruff anguish of the singer’s voice. Another song kicked in with a four-four beat, the crowd enthusiastically clapping to raw power chords and wailing guitar lines.
Sometimes they broke into unnecessary sections of noise, interrupting the flow and drowning out Jamez (which was irritating if you wanted to hear the words being screamed out).
Overall, however, Minus Nine were great at keeping the guitars punchy and the set dynamic and engaging.
A bit dishearteningly, some of the crowd dispersed before Dave’s Pawn Shop even took the stage.
The three-piece gave the impression of being supported by a cult following. Judging by the cheers throughout the set, a loyal gaggle was present and absolutely soaking it up.
‘Fast’ and ‘precise’ are the two best words to describe their performance. It was barely a microsecond in before energy was pouring from the stage, long hair flying everywhere.
The emphasis was definitely on the mash-up of massive sound that the band belted out – the vocals weren’t the thrust. It was more about absorbing the timbre and tone of Jake Roderique’s voice rather than revelling in any lyrical merit.
Not that the three-piece weren’t clever. A particular mid-set song started calmer and quieter than those before it. A couple of pauses were slipped in where the song seemed as if it was going to break into heavy distorted rock, and the anticipation of that moment was tangible.
The lead singer’s anthem-like voice sailed over the audience. Spacious guitar riffs created an almost trance-like feel, making people sway.
It also took no time at all for drummer James Dimick to lose his shirt – but it did make for a handy towel. He nearly lost a crash cymbal too, hitting it so hard that the whole stand constantly teetered.
Watching the bassist’s fingers fly over the fretboard was a visual pleasure. Referred to by Roderique as “Redbeard,” he changed the texture of his bass for one song intro – its syrupy, synth-like sound creating a sci-fi feel alongside some cool vocal effects.
They weren’t really big talkers: “I love you too” responded Roderique to an excited fan, which was the bulk of the audience banter for the evening. Perhaps he was in the zone, but his demeanour seemed a bit disinterested for a band who played Big Day Out just months before.
“This is our last song. This is possibly our last gig.” Roderique’s blunt final words were met with indignant shouts from the gathered, the band giving it their all for the last song and thrashing it out to the very end.
According to their Facebook page, the band is on indefinite hiatus from performing to concentrate on other projects.
It’s a fitting, touching thing that their last foreseeable gig was an effort to raise money for an organisation tackling child abuse. Heavy rock bands aren’t all about satanic rituals after all.
