A rainy/shitty/crap Perth afternoon. The kind of shit which breeds bad traffic like an incestuous rabbit couple. And this was a Friday, AKA peak hour happens from about 3 til 7, I was stuck in traffic; Praying that it would clear up in time to get to The Bakery nice and early to see the three local bands supporting The ‘USA conquering’ Growl for their What Would Christ Do?? album release gig.

I was excited.

So me and two buddies hopped in a taxi following some (weird) tequila/mother/powerade+ creations and sang Kanye with our cab driver; A sign of great things to come.

Mild Child opened up the night, with their throwback to Cali x DC 80’s hardcore punk resonating with a few of the early punters. I enjoyed their set, filled with slacker punk vibes and those atonal Black Flag solos; In fact, if The Minutemen and Black Flag had a child, this child would be Mild Child.

Next up, was a band that literally could not be any further from the previous; Rabbit Island. A three piece band comprised of a drummer, a guitarist and a frontwoman dabbling in keyboard-synths, strings (as far as I can recall both a bass guitar and a 6 stringer were present) and vocals. Makers of trippy transcendental synth-pop, Rabbit Island would be a terrifyingly beautiful place to go, if it were indeed a place, and not a band. It sucked me in, and I was immersed in a set of songs which basically contradicted most things I usually enjoy in music; yet I intently listened to every bar, as the bar started to fill up.

Shy Panther were an incredibly impressive band, blending elements of soul, trip-hop, indie rock and electro into a neat TV on the Radio-esque package. Their set was tight, and featured some amazing guitar feedback work from a friend of theirs from fellow Perth band The Chemist. The vocalists’ impressive range, from falsetto to low hum blended beautifully with the rest of the band; comprising of two men on synth/keys, a git, a bass and two drummers (what is it with this gig and having two drummers?). You should seriously check this band out!

Then, a few beers later, people started to fill in the crowd and The Growl came out onto stage. It’s an amazing aesthetic; You know a band is unique when the first thing you notice isn’t the two drummers on stage, or the fact that one of the toms was in fact a garbage bin, but the double bass. There is something beautiful about a bassist so precise in his movements that he sees no need for frets. The Growl ‘smashed the ball outta’ the park’ with a set including some re-visioning of their debut EP, as well as showcasing their newer material. Cam’s voice dancing between raucous blues-smith through to a Waits’y drawl, they have obviously honed right in on what audiences like, following their Tame Impala supporting slot around the states. Avery’s swagger, combined with the synchronised drumming and distorted guitar work provides a great visual to accompany the band’s musical chops.

Set highlights include WWCD?? opener, ‘Eleven’, a slowed down version of old fav’ ‘With the Sharp End of the Trowel’ and Cleaver Lever EP’s Cleaver Lever (if a wood chuck could chuck wood). The new noise component to their sound was very nicely incorporated into the set, and provided us all with a fresh perspective on what this band can be.

Everyone in attendance surely left well chuffed, considering we had just witnessed one of Perth’s up and coming blues (and the genres they dabble in list goes on and on) acts completely destroy the stage.

Be sure to pick up their album at any good Perth indie record store.