On Friday night the popular comedy and alternative music venue Rhino Room treated patrons to a double act of experimental, instrumental music. Adelaide bands Monkey Puzzle Tree and Delusions of Grandma played one after another to an almost full house, with both bands having been a little quiet on the scene lately due to overseas sojourns and injuries.
Up first, the dynamic quartet Monkey Puzzle Tree proved to be worth the wait. They played an hour long set including most of their crowd favourites. The mixture of dim lighting and the Post-Romantic style of ‘Reverie’ lulled all present in to a pleasant state of hypnosis early in the set, before the crowd was quickly snapped awake by the striking contrast of the next song, ‘Dorian Tango’. The sexy, dance style of the piece sent a ripple of excitement through the audience and even started some impromptu tango moves.
The hours of practise and dedication to their craft was obvious in the band’s almost psychic connection. The members seemed to instinctively communicate with each other through their music and managed to pull off an extremely tight set. The virtuoso violin playing of Miss Sophie was truly a highlight of the set. Her beautiful playing expressed the stunning melodies in a way no singer ever could. Possibly due to unavoidable acoustics, the drums were often simply too loud and drowned out most of the fine melodic work played on the violin, keys and guitar, which was truly a shame, particularly as many of the songs feature rhythmic unison to provide spice and dramatic tension, and the effect of this suffered by the levels being out.
From violins and classical fusion to mandolins and psychedelic prog-jazz: the six mismatched members of Delusion of Grandma impressed the audience from the start with their layered wall of noise. Saxophone player Joel McMillan (aka front man of The Beards, Johann Beardraven, in a rather different setting) created a unique and sometimes eerie atmosphere. The band launched an all-out sonic assault reminiscent of early Roxy Music, and then took a turn towards progressive jazz. This was not the simply ambient, ‘Music for Airports’ style as is featured on the band’s Myspace but something greater that spoke to the audience. The meandering themes ran into each other and held all present in a suspended state of wonder.
Hats off and glasses raised to the Rhino Room for showcasing two of Adelaide finest instrumental acts
-Britt Chatburn
