Breaking Punk IV
July 3
Four5Nine, Rosemount Hotel
It was subtitled ‘An
acoustic folky punky thingy,’ and the line-up said it all. Performers from a
broad range of Perth punk bands – some more folky than others – showcased the
diverse range of punk-style bands we have here. Entering the room, regular
revellers who may have been ready for a night of swaying and spilling lager
froth had a sense that tonight was going to be low-key and loungey. In the
half-renovated Four5Nine bar, Breaking Punk organiser Leigh F Sterne had brought in
tables, stools and a couch. He arranged floating candles in whiskey glasses of
water.
A substantial crowd
had gathered to watch Noah Skape (Total Waste): a spectacle in his torn black
jeans, polkadot suspenders, chain-and-padlock collar. His acoustic guitar had a
bassy resonance that fittingly accompanied his theatrical voice, which both
soothed and screeched as the crowd watched, aghast.
The dramatic tension
was broken as larrikins Blonde Spit (Aaron and Ben from Blindspot) took over.
The audience was settled and comfortable with Blonde Spit’s beer-jug-full of
Aussie bloke charm. They both played guitar, with Ben leading vocals and Aaron
harmonising, and playfully bantered with each other and the room.
Members of recently
retired Grim Fandango joined the soiree and vocalist Tom Ware rose to the
stage. The performance included a mix of Grim Fandango songs and Tom’s own new
songs, with the same gravelly, growly voice, bounciness and jingly-jangly
guitar that we’re used to from Grim. He seemed a little lost without the cocoon
of the band, revealing self un-assuredness through comments like “I’ve never
played any of these songs live. I feel so incredibly awkward,” and “I’m
terrible at talking.”
Continuing the evening’s unbroken streak
of excellent entertainment, Ben Elliott (The Decline, House Arrest) sung
through a collection of fast-paced, jaunty folk punk songs. His open and clear
voice carried well; his lyrics painted pictures and told stories like chapters
in a book about his life. Delighted by the novelty of the setup, Ben remarked,
“One of the best things about tonight is, if I fuck up, I fuck up by
candlelight.” There was nothing to worry about – he had garnered the most
enthusiastic applause thus far.
What a week for Dan
Cribb (Dan Cribb & The Isolated). Street press mag The Music (of which he
is the editor) printed its last edition before merging with Xpress. He probably
appreciated this acoustic gig – a wind down of sorts. Accompanied by bandmate
Scott Connor who added harmonies, Dan sung through a string of songs, mostly
from The Memories Last EP. The pair
had solid technical elements – pleasant voices and well-synchronised guitars –
but lacked energy or emotion. Maybe the ambience of the room was a little too relaxing. Their finale, It Never Ends, had some spark with its
catchy riff.
Self-proclaimed as
‘Australia’s Punk Rock Troubadour’ (see his business cards!), Benny Mayhem was
lively and jovial with a well-projected voice. A Perth local who spends much of
his time living in Europe, he has a core fan base who responded eagerly to his
invitation for requests. He gave some background for Mornings Birds, which was “written on [his] mate’s back porch on
the back of a pizza box.” It was a warm, friendly affair, and a sing-a-long,
and requests were called out from the bar stools and longue chair until the
last floating candle burned out.
Review by Rrocklobster of Perth.