 Sad
Breakfast
Like the first meal of the day, Sad Breakfast were first
up on the quadruple bill of so called emo rock – essentially
punkish melodic melancholy. A fourpiece with an Eddie Vedder-ish
singer, they rocked competently. But mere competence is not enough
in the world of rock n roll. Despite having two guitars they didn’t
seem to make the most of the sonic possibilities available to them,
and their pedestrian angst-rock failed to make much of an impression.
Hummer Squeal
Next up were Hummer Squeal, another fourpiece, from DF.
Despite being dogged by guitar and amp problems for the first 3
or 4 songs, HS played a powerful set. The combination of singing
drummer and singing guitarist gives their songs diversity, and HS
know how to mix it up, varying tempos, rhythms, volume. Some tunes
headed into duelling, spikey-guitar Franz Ferdinand territory, others
explored the harmonic possibilities of 2 voices. This light and
shade, matched with undeniable charisma, made HS a thunderous success.
Austin TV
All the kids with their black t-shirts, pink logos, white
belts and blue jeans were really here to see Austin TV. This young
band from DF have been earning themselves quite a reputation. The
ship-like, wooden interior of the club was packed with people who
had already been turned on to Austin’s charms. Having been
featured in Rolling Stone and Mosca magazines and, more importantly,
having released several albums of their glacial hard rock, the passion
and expectation in the air was tangible. Sporting ties and sad clown
masks, Austin led the frenzied crowd through a pounding set of instrumental
pandemonium. Austin have a couple of tricks that elevate their aural
arsenal. Firstly, they use samples from tv and movies to pep up
their heavy instrumental rock, an idea that gets a little lost live,
but works well on record. Secondly, and critically, the inclusion
of a keyboard in their line up adds sonic depth and diversity. The
multi-headed, black-clad crowd pushed their fists into the air,
punching every crunching note back at the band. The sometimes elegant,
sometimes plain h e a v y, music worked its spell. My arms rose
of their own accord, thrashing the air as drummer Xna Yer smashed
the bass drum pedal. Their music really soars with squelching synths
taking them into the space rock stratosphere. The final tune crashed
into something like a free jazz-heavy metal freak out, with guitarist
Isachar diving/being pulled into the adoring audience while the
band built up an amazingly intense wall of sound. With the final
note the band collapsed to the floor, shattered after all they had
given.
Tristeza
The audience thinned out a little after Austin TV, and
really San Diego’s Tristeza had a tough act to follow. Ultimately,
they didn’t succeed. Instrumental rock really needs some variety
and spice to keep it interesting, and Tristeza lacked the sonic
range of Austin and Hummer Squeal. Perhaps their music might work
better coming from my CD player as I drove through the mist of some
Australian hills, but at a live show give me Austin or Hummer.
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