Friday 11 February
The Level Spirits packed out The Tote at their album launch last Friday. The air was buzzing as punters lined up to buy the much anticipated debut album ‘Double Crosser’ from the Melbourne band, and rockabillies and psychobillies alike couldn’t have been happier risking their quiffs being destroyed by the rain in between acts as they went out for a smoke.
Supported by raw garage delights Wolfy & The Bat Cubs and the even rawer Exotics, the audience was treated to some pretty heavy stuff early on, and were left bloodthirsty for more once The Exotics were done with their electrifying set.
A few beers later, The Level Spirits cracked into their set like a cat-o-nine tails that had almost definitely spilt some blood in the past. Sound wise The Level Spirits aren’t the most original band, borrowing their sound from an endless list of 50’s and 60’s rock ’n’ roll heavyweights. They delivered each of their songs with such clarity that it hardly mattered though, and are almost definitely a band you have to see in the flesh to fully appreciate.
Singer Molly-Jean Morrison’s powerful vocals carried the songs with sass and guile, along with the rockin’ instrumentation you’d expect to hear in all music of the genre. The double bass could have been a bit louder, but that’s about the only problem you could pick with the overall sound, which was pretty darn good.
Single ‘Take It Out On Each Other’ was a standout track, and was almost reminiscent of Leon Payne’s ‘Psycho’ in the main hook. Alongside an abundance of soulful originals, they played a few covers, including ‘Swampland’ by The Scientists and ‘Psycho For Your Love’ by the Meteors, finishing up their set with a neat sounding rendition of punk favourite ‘Brand New Cadillac’, which had the crowd roaring with appreciation. For fans of the garage/soul genre, The Level Spirits are an intoxicating live proposition, and as they prepare to head to the States to play South by South West, their album is a fine distillation of their impressive live show.
– Ella Jackson
