January 21st 2011
There was still an hour or so of sunlight left when doors opened at The Tote on Friday night. The Priory Dolls had arranged more of a summer fiesta than your regular three band line up, with bands plucked from different genres, even different states. Unfortunately the oft heralded Taco Stand was not open. However, we were here for rock and roll, not for Collingwood-Mexican-Cuisine.
Whilst The Fearless Vampire Killers have been lying relatively dormant before they release their debut album, Sean Ainsworth has been giving vent to his creativity in new solo project, Brainsworth. Justin Olson (TFVK) and Jarryd Boath (The Demon Parade) round out the full band, however Justin wasn’t about so it were a more acoustic affair. Having Brainsworth open the evening while the sun was still up seemed apt, and whilst they suffered more technical problems and had to have their set cut short, they were still enjoyable. Sean’s voice seemed to move between his familiar twang and a much lighter, wafer-thin delivery reminiscent of Oh Mercy’s Alexander Gow. ‘Rattle Along’ was the highlight of the set, sounding like the introspective journal of a cowboy. Whilst this particular performance obviously wasn’t their best, Brainsworth have a lot to offer.
With sunset dimming the room, Francolin took to the stage for what was their second gig of the evening. Whilst missing their trumpeter, and obviously weary from their previous performance, the band still gave a rousing show. The band opened with handclaps, and followed with a set of friendly, infectious pop songs. It wasn’t long before the girls in the crowd were dancing, which is fair; that’s exactly what this music was built for. Stafan Guinane’s vocals are reminiscent of Brandon Flowers, with strong lyrics throughout the songs. The band referenced Jeff Tweedy at one point, and one can hear a strong Wilco influence in the song writing. The songs were performed well, the band tight throughout the whole set. Francolin are fun – friendly, blissful pop tunes which are a joy to dance to.
The Go Roll Your Bones, however, were not friendly. Their music was not fun. It was villainous, combative, abrasive and badass. These guys are from Sydney, and this was their first gig in Melbourne. They’ve been making a lot of waves up north, and after Friday night, it won’t be long before they’re invited back down to Melbourne. The room was starting to fill as they played, and they had all eyes glued to the stage for their set. The band writhed around the stage like men possessed; with Geordie Cargill spending the entire set singing like Jim Morrison during one of his LSD rants; sometimes through two mics at once. It’s rare to see someone fuck a microphone stand with their guitar – and for it to be cool. The Go Roll Your Bones get away with it. Equal amounts of The Birthday Party and The Stooges, with a cocky swagger and a reckless disregard for the audience made them utterly captivating.
The main support for the night was The Greasers. They’ve had a cult following around Melbourne for years, helped recently by the success of their members in both Little Red and Eagle and the Worm; two of the most popular young bands in the country. However, The Greasers were far from the sum of their parts. Whilst the band had very strong melodies, good riffs, solid song writing; something always felt a little off about The Greasers. Perhaps it was their misleading name? One might assume they’d dress in leather jackets and sing songs about racing cars. Perhaps it was due to Dominic Byrne appearing to be the most uncomfortable front man in Melbourne? Or perhaps it was their sound. If one were to associate their sound with any bands, it’d be U2 or Coldplay. It’s rare to find a local band with stadium sized melodies. The Greasers are clearly accomplished musicians, which showed; they always sounded tight, they crafted their songs well. They were good, but never great.
The Priory Dolls have been one of the most popular and memorable young Melbourne bands of the past couple years. While they’ve been gigging around the place since 2007, it’s only this year that they’re due to release their debut album. Their set on Friday drew predominantly from new material from that LP. Whilst James Payne was having trouble all night hearing his bass, the levels in the crowd were decent, with Jeremy Mair’s vocals being more audible than usual. The new material sounded raw but solid; the hooks sincere and many. The Priories are known for their compelling stage presence, and Friday was no exception. Rory Lampitt spent a large amount of time in the air, and new drummer Erin Taylor ended the night with blood streaming down her face. The band shied away from playing crowd favourites like ‘Jack of the Morning Sun’ and ‘Not One Second’, instead starting and ending the set with relatively unfamiliar material. However, with their album not too far away, make sure you become familiar with The Priory Dolls.
Alastair Matcott
