Leaving eased us into a night of sonically diverse performances with his take on minimalist ambient electronics, surrounded by a proverbial wall of synthesisers, laptops and all manner of cables. Completely engrossed in his art, Leaving barely noticed the arriving crowd’s eclectic reactions to his set. Some were ambivalent, some equally as engrossed and some were just puzzled as to what was going on. Regardless, it was a welcome addition to the night that served to prepare us for a myriad of juxtaposing sets.
After a brief interlude, a small army of bodies took to The Bird’s relatively small stage. The band was called Spaceman. It was a conflicting set. When the band wasn't hell-bent on using every single effect they had at their disposal, it was really really good. However, when the band couldn't refrain from making the drums sound just a little too contrived, or having an inaudible amount of delay on everything, it was just a mess. I know Spaceman are a very talented band, however a little bit more of a vanilla approach their sound would go a long way. Anyway, the songs that I did like, I really liked. The songs I didn’t like, I really didn’t like. It’s evident that the band is trying new things; maybe they just need a little more time to refine. My heart went out to the poor bassist that was pushed to the back corner of the stage, yet conversely he was the most prominent performer in the mix, slicing through a haze of washy delay with some punchy bass. Got some strong King Gizzard vibes from these boys, which isn’t a terrible comparison.
Hideous Sun Demon is always a pleasure to watch and Wednesday was no exception. After being a little too under the influence to recall their WAM set, I thought I had better jog my memory as to what their new songs sounded like. Bloody good, as it turns out. Roaring into Oscillate, the Hideous boys were completely relentless for about three songs, until we had a Jazzmaster malfunction. After a brief problem solving interlude, the boys regained traction treating us to Cul-De-Sac Vision. As fate would have it, an enthusiastic member of the crowd decided the singer’s pedal board needed a yeasty bath, thus putting a prompt end to his guitar too. What would have shaken many an experienced band, Hideous didn’t let it get them down, dealing with these minor set-backs like absolute fucking pros, finishing their set in glorious, albeit slightly hindered, fashion. Speaking of glorious things, have a gander of the bassist’s glorious mullet. What a treat.
Slow burners Mt. Mountain closed out the night. Each time you get a chance to hear these guys, you notice some kind of intricacy that hadn't been prevalent to you previously. They’re great, they’re huge and they can sonically take you places. Mt. Mountain grew and grew, taking hold of The Bird one set of ears at a time. From a relatively simple riff or tone, waves upon layers upon waves of sound are compounded until a song would hit critical mass, at which point the band would slowly unravel the puzzle they had created. I really can’t speak higher of these boys. My only reservation is that when compared to the pace of Spaceman and Hideous, they seemed a little slow. They’re definitely an act best enjoyed through headphones or with comparative acts.
also, how good are $5 Sly Foxes.
