In this modern world of Corey Worthington troublemakers, and as Sydney’s
live music scene looks set to drown in a sea of apathy as musical
institutions like The Hopetoun bite the dust, it’s heartening to know
that there are pioneers prepared to stick out their necks for a good
cause. Enter the Hardys, a family that identified an appalling lack of
live music in the suburbs and found the only way to overcome this was to
stage their own gigs in their backyard titled: The Gate Presents.
Having already staged a couple of gatherings since its inception in
July, this Saturday’s show was a meeting of musical minds between some
fine indie pop and electronica artists.

After entering The Gate, punters are greeted with an ample stage (actually a split across a small
fraction of the yard) plus a proper lighting and sound system (these
guys don’t do things by halves.) A nice touch was the fairy lights in
the bushes and the group of young kids running around, playing and
enjoying every minute of the music. The crowd were extremely well
behaved (many of them were under 18s so it was good to see the show also
helping overcome the lack of all-ages gigs). The oldies enjoyed a bevvy
or two and did so without going to extremes. Basically it was a surreal
and beautiful event that was more Woodstock than the ill-fated ’99
event.

The first act was electronica artist, Karoshi AKA Beres
Jackson on an apple Mac and backed by his two mates on drums and guitar.
His set was one for fans of Triple J’s The Sound Lab and in particular,
those who enjoy instrumentals and local creativity. “Rusty” had plenty
of ambient sounds and occasionally hinted at some of the synth-work that
made New Order famous while other elements were like glistening moon
drops.

There were moments filled with trippy, floating melodies
as a trumpet was dragged out to accompany sounds sampled from a
jack-in-the-box. Another track took on a somewhat darker edge and could
have been Sydney’s answer to Neu! or Can before proceedings drew to a
close with “Reanimate Me,” which boasted a digital synthesiser and
beef-like beats.

A quick dismantling of the equipment (without
the need for annoying roadies) and it was time for Alps, otherwise known
as Chris Hearn. He kept up with the ambient electronica sounds; opening
with a track that could’ve been played alongside almost any song lifted
from Radiohead’s Kid A album. Hearn used keys and a slew of effect
pedals and gizmos to trial a new song (one that brimmed with ramshackle
drums, grimy bass, plenty of reverb and a light, floaty exterior).

“Narwal”
was like Gotye on crack thanks to its heavier parts that at times
verged on the sinister. Hearn apologised for having a sore throat as he
felt this impacted on his performance. But there was a lot of love in
the backyard and the audience rewarded his good vocal efforts
nevertheless.

After some of the best between song music I’ve
heard at a gig in ages it was time for Guineafowl, a Sydney lad playing
guitar backed by a drummer, keyboardist, bassist and two other
guitarists. The group were an extremely enthusiastic bunch and all
seemed rather pleased to be there as Guineafowl asked the polite crowd
to stand up and get in close. From the first slice of infectious indie
pop music the audience were ready and raring to nod and bop along to the
excellent music.

The band proceeded with their very own
Splendour In The Backyard or Ryde’s answer to the Northern NSW festival
bender. The sextet played lots of shiny pop tunes, the kind of stuff for
fans of The Shins and The Boat People, among others. It’s the kind of
music that all listeners seemed to embrace due to its warmth and
optimism (regardless of whether they were familiar with it or not).

They
performed “Little Fingers” and everyone clapped along with gusto. There
is a richness and sincerity to the band’s sound; at times the songs
resemble the music of Incubus but with extra layers and flourishes. And
that’s not to mention the odd sprinkling of pixie dust that keeps things
truly magical.

There was a love song with a nostalgic sixties
surf vibe, one perhaps a little advanced for the littlies in attendance
(although to be fair, their parents were forewarned about the lyrical
content). The track was just a good piece of clean rock 'n' roll. “In Our
Circles” meanwhile, was an endearing dream that got everyone dance,
dance, dancing. With some sweet vocal interplay between Guineafowl and
Imi Harper (keys) it made this reviewer think it had a few things in
common with Cloud Control’s “Gold Canary” and certainly has the seeds to
be as popular as the latter’s single.

The optimism and gorgeous
riffs continued with “Botanist” and with that the set was declared over
as the guys had run out of songs. But when the crowd asked for “Just one
more” they kindly obliged with a rousing rendition of The Cure’s “Close
To Me”. The seventy or so people in attendance went ballistic during
what was a very true-to-the original version of the hit. We forgave
Guineafowl for being a bit too jolly to be Robert Smith, but he did
execute his vocals with great aplomb and inspired dance moves.

The
evening was perhaps best summed up by drummer, Matt Field who thanked
the owners for bringing music to the ‘burbs. It seems it wasn’t just a
privilege for the fans but also the musicians who had a ball playing in
God’s country. A big thank you should also be extended to the family’s
kind neighbours for allowing them to stage these things and to support
the upcoming shows.

For those of you that haven’t been to
something like this I suggest you give it a go. Sure the winter weather
meant that there were a few more scarfs and woollies than your standard
music venue; but I guarantee that once you experience something as novel
and fun as this you’ll never want to go back to the sticky carpets,
cavernous venues or dingy pubs that are synonymous with “typical” music
venues ever again.