Wednesday 14th August 2010- Review by Ashleigh Scaife

Hypnotizing to behold, Perth newcomers THE LOVE JUNKIES have swept in under the radar to become one of the Perth music scene’s hottest local talents. Young, fresh and gifted with as much physical energy as musical, the Junkies are quickly making a name for themselves. Despite no past album releases under its belt, the band has earned respect in the music industry for impressive results in the One Movement Festival and The Next Big Thing over the past six months.

First single ‘Need a Light’ was launched on at Mojo’s Bar in Fremantle to an eager crowd. The venue was warm and welcoming despite the cold winter night outside and everyone was given a free copy of the single on entry. People awaited The Love Junkies with great anticipation, slowly drinking along the darkened halls as the gig was kicked off with pervading sounds from young band SEAMS. It was a casual set that relaxed the audience as they began their nights with drinks and laughter.

Seams showed what it is to try and break out of the usual ‘Perth band’ music stigma by providing light hearted tunes that strayed nicely from the screaming guitar dominated sets of too many local bands. People nodded their heads along, and the band provided solid beats, entertaining, and encouraging the audience to embrace the night ahead.

SUGARPUSS followed with interesting music that collided the 70s with indie guitar tunes and drawling drum beats.  The band caught the eye of many chattering crowd members who had become distracted in between sets. People watched on in delight, and the audience began dancing as the inspiring electricity of the band radiated throughout. Whether it was due to the casual drunkenness in the air, or the band’s similarity to the headlining band, Sugarpuss was a majority success and talked about in impressed tones long afterwards.

Finally, the much anticipated Junkies took to the stage confidently in a mass of messy hair and erratic energy. They didn’t fail to impress the excited audience, falling into a comfortable swagger of melodies immediately. They shared with listeners their flawless drum beats and pulsating guitar riffs and verified inspirations from bands such as WHITE STRIPES and THE BLACK KEYS.

Songs ‘Now Now Now’ and ‘New Slide’ got people twirling in circles and jumping up and down, and frontman Mitch McDonald sang with a smile on his face as he watched front audience members spill beer over each other as they moved in hectic time to the music. Music ranged from melancholy components which made the hearts skip beats, to the more rock ‘n’ roll screeching of early nineties grunge. With an average age of nineteen, the band took care of their crowd like professionals, and were a tribute to the powerful talent that Perth’s music scene has to offer.