Sydney pop rockers, Monks of Mellonwah, celebrated the end of their tour by supporting the ultra-indie pop rock outfit Number Station at Revolver on Saturday night.
The first band up was the high-energy garage rock band, Waverly. Playing to a room of just four people, the guys took the time to be more relaxed and laid back with their music and their presence.
While more people trickled in as the set went on, the guys seemed unfazed and continued pumping out their strong guitars and rattling vocals as if they were playing to a crowd of 1,000. They were a great start to the evening, it was a shame so few people were there to witness their stellar efforts.
Next was indie rock band Rain Party. The focus of the band was almost entirely on the two sisters Neige and O Koppes. Frontwoman Neige sang with beautiful and strong vocals, however for some reason faced away from the crowd at almost every chance she could.
While poor O seemed to be so uncomfortable and tense that her lack of confidence bled out off stage and infected the entire audience. In the end, whatever music they were making became irrelevant compared to their uncomfortable stage presence.
The moment Monks of Mellonwah stepped on stage they filled the room with effervescence and energy. Their first song attracted a reasonable dancing crowd right at the foot of the stage, and lasted until the end of their successful set.
It was obvious that they had drawn clear inspirations from an array of notable musical genres. From the complex and bluesy guitar solos which sent shivers down the spines of music devotees, to the harder pop-rock bass and drums that were both chest thumping and oddly soothing.
The blend of these two clear genres, along with the neat and crisp vocals created a fun and exciting unique sound, something Sydneysiders should grab onto and be proud of.
On top of their energizing presence and distinctive sound, the Monks were personable and seemingly down to earth. Towards the end of their set they announced that 18 of the audience members had followed them down from Sydney – including one poor bloke who had eaten some not-so-good Thai food beforehand – and in return, brought them each a shot of Tequila.
Number Station finally stepped on stage to a well animated audience. The five-piece Melbourne group who can be likened to both Foals and Mystery Jets played with pure skill and cleverness.
The vocals were initially weak and sounded like they were almost behind the instrumental, but as the band warmed up they became strong and captivating – it would be amazing to see these strong vocals from the very outset to snap peoples attention towards the music from the word go.
Frontman, Chris Andrews was indeed softly spoken between songs, but this wasn’t to the bands detriment. In fact, his meekness allowed for the room to feel smaller, and consequently the audience was allowed to feel as if they were part of the music.
Their set became, for the first time in the night, an illusory journey though music. While Monks of Mellonwah where talented and gave a great energy to the room, Number Station brought it home for the night and were ideal headliners.
-Tara Emily
