This was my first time visiting the new Kit & Kaboodle Thursday night gig-stravaganza, hosted by Filth, hitched above The Sugarmill at Kings Cross. I’ve got to say - I’m impressed both by the night itself, as well as by the venue. Draped in Enter the Dragon-esque attire, the venue has no equal in this city, and has certainly been designed by someone with a love of old Asian films, as well as live music. I highly recommend popping 'round and checking out any of the upcoming gigs the venue has to offer. And on tonight’s agenda – up-and-coming Sydney bands Dark Bells and Chicks Who Love Guns.

I'd heard a few murmurings around town of the opening band of this fine evening, so was quite excited to see Dark Bells hit the stage! They did so, launching into a killer bass line, shuffled closely behind with a beautiful dose of ambience - the 3 piece vocally draped in silence. It almost felt like we’d just experienced Decoder Ring, and this band had come along to finish where they had left off.

… but then, ho! What’s this? A bit of rock and roll! … and here are the vocals of Teniel Throssel! Brilliant! She brings quite a “folksy” voice to the table, with one punter commenting they sounded a bit like Elastica, at one point. Hmm, diverse indeed. Their track “Hollywood” is of particular mention, with an overdose of bass, a couple of maracas, and a bit of inspiration from Kim Deal. When you look at their overall set, it’s definitely the most out of place track, but somehow it works, and I loved it.

I’m not sure if this is a band that has yet to find their sound, or they’re simply enjoying attacking a wide variety of genres. It’s certainly polished enough to be the latter, and it seemed they were thus able to cater to everyone in the crowd, regardless of musical taste. A unique mixed bag of rock, roll, folk and ambience: this is a band to watch.

In what must have been only their 5th show together (we reviewed their first public gig HERE), Chicks Who Love Guns are sounding tighter than ever, while maintaining the simplicity of their music that makes them work. They’re not trying to sound or be any better than they are – they’re out to impress no one, but rather have a good time and play some sweet tunes along the way. Thankfully not all young bands “get this”, or else the marketplace would be flooded with talent! For the moment, we’ll leave it up to these guys.

They opened their set with a bit of tongue-and-cheek AC/DC inspired riffs, with their 2nd number going even deeper down the hard rock (even metal?) route. Meanwhile, a track called “Braindead” got the floor moving; although with the songs title being repeated over and over again throughout the song (and becoming damn catchy along the way), I don’t think lead singer Cass Navarro really needed to introduce it.

“Alopecia Cat Fish” was a new track of the night, and “I have a black belt in Tofu” was a song that definitely required an introduction. What a name! But nothing compares to their closing track “Vomit of the Dancefloor” – it’s easily their signature track, and best represents the direction this band is heading. A good dose of catchy, tongue-and-cheek rock and roll. And who would want anything else?

No matter when I’ve seen this band, they’ve always managed to pack out the room. Indeed, most are fans carried over from previous projects such as The Wahas, but it’s great to see such support providede to young local talent. Here’s hoping they keep it up in the New Year – and make sure you see them when they do!

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