The Workers Club has this strange way of gathering crowds. Sparse people saunter in and out of the bandroom with everyone wanting to socialise while an ear was eagerly kept on alert for when the music will begin. It’s very strange, but this venue has a way of bringing in fascinating crowds, if previous gigs are any indication.
Bnash were wild as anyone could ever imagine. Their brash playing of tunes – like ‘You Start The Fight’ – got people get into the gig with a bang rather than seeping into it. There was plenty of movement and energy bandied around the room, which made for an exciting start.
A nice little bell curve came down for Brisbane young’uns Vancouver Sleep Clinic. The four piece is the musical thoughts of Brisbanite Tim Bettinson, and he gave us some real insight into how his voice can be manipulated via technology and naturally. The songs sparkled in a aurora borealis of sound that slowly spread through the room, in a counterpoint to Bnash’s set of jumpiness. The immersive nature of all the songs had a sweetness to it that can thoroughly be enjoyed. It was amazing to think the kids on stage were in high school.
For some reason I thought Battleships were an instrumental band which made things very surprising when honest songs with tonnes of major chords and bouncy riffs of a surprising nature were churned out. In many ways, they evoked a kind of combination of the two previous bands, playing soft sultry songs with shimmering guitars. Their piano-laden track “As You Begin” brought that aforementioned bounciness to the room, but at the same time Jordan’s vocals flies into falsetto and makes the song a special experience.
A lot of the songs played tonight had that wall-of-sound element to it too, but at the same time songs could be identified as such rather than some sort of meld of same melodies and chords. It certainly makes the experience of going to a show really worthwhile and Battleships a stand out band.
The band were celebrating the launch of their new single “Take Your Rest”, which continues around the country through December.
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