Did someone say garage revolution? No, it’s not the sixties, but there is definitely an insurgence once again of garage-inspired rock ‘n’ roll going on in the suburbs of Melbourne. The new/old candidate of this particular evening was home-grown troupe Dirt Farmer, who are currently hopping around the live circuit in preparation for the release of their new EP Gladstone Street Circus. Yes, they sound like a few small bands who invented garage rock (Rolling Stones anyone?), and of course there are obvious comparisons to The Velvet Underground, but to put it simply, these guys just do their thing well.
Lead singer and guitarist Stuart Barlow, and Christ Wright (bass/vocals) had a confident, laid-back front on, with a tight live performance by the whole band (maybe only a 6.5 for outward enthusiasm though), and confident vocals by both singers. The latest givings of Dirt Farmer are more low-fi than the band’s earlier material, however towards the end of the set the early birds were definitely starting to loosen those shoulders and bend their knees. Final song Johnny Marble received a hearty response, an indication that this could be the tune that rolls out the red carpet for these (Albury) boys.
Box In A Box have being touring hard in recent times, and Tobias ‘Tij’ Priddle knocked out a set of his typical sweaty, Springsteen-esque rock that never seems to fail in expanding the chest with that patriotic feeling. As the crowd steadily expanded, songs Moon Comes Up, Glitter, Gold, Ruin, and American Slang – all of which have been thick in the airwaves recently – drew applause from the crowd. Tij’s performance was solid – lacking some shine around the edges, but compensating in enthusiasm. With droplets of sweat flying from the stage, the crowd was well warmed for the headliners of the night.
As the small NSC band room swelled to almost full capacity, there was just enough room left to breath in the atmosphere as the headliners took the stage. And the question may be begged: are Alpine one of the more hyped acts to come out of Melbourne recently, or are they really interior decorators? The answer is both (at least they gave the decorations a crack), with streamers and fairy lights entwined around the microphones to enhance the dreamy feeling. Coming off the back of the successful single Heartlove, the release of debut EP Zurich has prompted many whisperings around the musical community, even managing to receive some international attention.
Overall the performance was very ‘polished’, with a great balance of bass, drums and vocals (kudos to the sound guy); the set essentially had foundations in the ambient genre, but was sharp and punchy where it needed to be. The combination of dual leads Lou James and Phoebe Baker were obviously doing things for the audience (even the women), as their dreamy harmonies ebbed up and down, each singer knowing instinctively where the other was going.
What this set lacked, however, was spontaneity; while the live performance was almost perfect, rarely did the band venture from the boundaries of their recorded material to explore the live, interactive side of performance. That said, Alpine were definitely enjoying the warmth of the spotlight, with an upbeat rendition of ‘Words’ getting the crowd moving, in preparation for latest single ‘Villages’, which was that great balance of dreamy light and punchy shade, also rousing a great reception. Those deep basslines and hazy synths hit the mark that they were aiming for, but with no shortage of acts in the dreamy indie-pop scene, watch with bated breath to see if Alpine can rise to the top of their game.
– Dannika Bonser
