The wheels of the well-oiled Melbourne music machine never seem to slow down, churning out more acts than a Shakespearian tragedy, and Thursday night at The Toff saw Kitchen Knife Wife take the stage to show why. After some early success in 2008, which included a European tour with indie marsupial favourites The Wombats after only forming a few months earlier, these guys seemed to be in the express lane to success. But then they disappeared from our airwaves and band rooms, taking an unexpected hiatus – until now. Luckily though, it seems like the band must have run off somewhere in the interim with a note-pad, keyboard and four track recorder, and have managed to come back with some pretty damn infectious material.
It was apparent almost before the first chord was struck that this was going to be a lighthearted, entertaining set, as lead vocalist Bernard confidently pranced around the stage, chatting to band members and bantering with the crowd. The early numbers had an undeniable Brit Pop feel, with punchy staccato rock chords followed by those rolling melodies that can’t help but get the hips moving. What was impressive right from the outset was the keyboard genius running through almost all the songs; the man behind this, James, surely knows how to tickle the ivories, with several songs featuring keyboard solos far eclipsing what would normally expect from your typical indie band.
Unless you grew up in a vacuum it’s impossible not to have musical influences and other artists with an adjacent sound – but what was particularly striking about the Wives was that nearly every song mirrored a different band. Early on it was the Brit pop sounds of the Beatles and Stones (and not to mention a Gallagher brother or two), later morphing into a fuller sound similar to the likes of current acts the Kaiser Chiefs and Arctic Monkeys. But just when you had put your finger on who exactly a particular number sounded like, the next song would side step, and the name game starts again. Somehow, about an hour later, the sound had transformed from Jet to Queen via Supergrass; an interesting phenomenon.
For all the comparisons however, there’s no doubt that these guys are brimming with talent. The fact that they managed to sound like so many different pop acts was not a bad thing; the vibe in the room was energetic and fun, even during a few technical difficulties midway through the set no one was contemplating leaving, with the band taking it easily in their stride. What the Wives also seem to have down is the art of writing a good pop song, something that isn’t easy but worth its weight in triple-platinum-selling gold. Happy, the single being launched on the night, drew boisterous applause from the audience, but what was even more encouraging was the equally rowdy cheer for relatively unknown songs; if this band can attract and captivate an audience on the back of limited shows and touring, imagine the popularity they could be capable of with the release of their debut album later in 2011. Stay tuned, you’ll be hearing them on the radio near you soon.
– Dannika Bonser
