To celebrate the launch of the new Triple J Unearthed Digital radio station, free gigs featuring Triple J identities, DJ’s and bands discovered by Triple J Unearthed were simultaneously held around the country this evening. The new radio station will exclusively focus on independent Australian music. This is a big step forward in discovering new music in this country.
The Melbourne night of this free concert attracted a full house at The Corner this evening. Bands featured included Loon Lake, Big Scary and Strange Talk, all of which were discovered by Triple J Unearthed. The Unearthed initiative started roughly ten years ago, discovering bands such as Grinspoon, Killing Heidi and, more recently, acts such as Melbourne’s own Eagle & The Worm.
Tonight kicked off with a DJ set from the girls from the band Stonefield. Another act discovered by Triple J Unearthed, Stonefield have gone on to such heights as playing at the last Glastonbury festival in the United Kingdon, a world premier music festival. Tonight, the bands were interspersed with DJ sets from the likes of Tom Ballard, part of the Triple J breakfast team, and Deacon Rose, who played a dance music-based set afther the final live act of the evening, helping the night kick on wonderfully for the amassed crowd.
There was a wonderful vibe during these DJ sets. It reminded one of a charmingly daggy high school dance, complete with awkward and/or interpretive dancing. Having a look at the predominately younger crowd this evening, one got the feeling that, for the majority of them, this was their first time attending a real band venue such as The Corner. Apart from celebrating live music and the new Triple J station, it also served as a great introduction to some in regards to attending live music venues and discovering the rich and vibrant Melbourne live music scene.
After a great introduction from Triple J’s Tom & Alex, encouraging the assembled audience to participate in a group hug, Melbourne’s Loon Lake played a very enjoyable set. The five piece specialise in what could be best described as classic power pop. One can hear influences such as The Jam, Teenage Fanclub and The Strokes in their take on music. Song highlights included “Bad To Me”, “Week” and “I Loved You Then”. The biggest response from the crowd was saved for their final song of the set and probably their best known track, the very infectious “Summer”. A good set from a band with a great deal of promise to them.
After the next DJ set, this time from Tom Ballard, duo Big Scary took to the stage. Consisting of guitarit/pianist/vocalist Tom Iansek and drummer/vocalist Jo Syme, the duo proved to be wonderfully scizophrenic in their approach and style. Melodic and beautiful one minute, almost punk the next, the duo displayed a fantastic sense of loud/quiet/loud dynamics. Influenced by everything from Mazzy Star to Arcade Fire, “Cool Kids”, “Purple”, “Mixtape” and especially “Atrium” showcased a highly promising band with, hopefully, a big future ahead of them. Their new album is being released in the next few days.
Following on from another DJ set from the Stonefield girls, the final band of the evening performed, whipping the crowd into a frenzy, with plenty of moshing and crowd surfing. Strange Talk are a band that are a lot of fun to listen to and see on a live front. Heavily influenced by synth-infused 1980’s pop bands such as The Human League, New Order and especially Duran Duran, the four piece had a very likeable quality to them. Track highlights included “Cosmic Simplicity” and a new track, “Secret Weapon”. The final track of the evening, “Climbing Walls”, elicited the loudest response of the night from the assembled full house crowd.
A great night celebrating the rich music culture on offer in this country, and the birth of the new Triple J Unearthed digitial radia station, which will undoubtedly be a fantastic tool in discovering more great bands across the country in the future.
-Neil Evans.
