Review: The Vasco Era – Amplifier Bar

Reviews — 04 May 2010

Friday 30th April, 2010. Review by DARIELLE ASCH.

A rainy Friday evening. THE VASCO ERA hit Amplifier Bar for the Perth leg of its national tour promoting latest album ‘Lucille’. With only three bands on the bill for the evening, the first act BIG SCARY kicked off at 9pm. The late start allowed the venue to fill right up, with an impressive amount of people there for the first support.

Big Scary, a two piece act from Melbourne, truly shocked the crowd by making an ironically, ‘big, scary’ start to the set: with Jo Syme (drums/backing vocals) noisily banging the drums, and huge guitar twangs hitting the air on behalf of Tom Iansek (vocals/guitar). The first half of the set consisted of some upbeat old school rock ’n’ roll tunes that punters couldn’t help but bop their heads along to. A crowd favourite of the set was the tune, ‘Lullably’ off the ‘At the Mercy of the Elements’ EP. The second half of the act’s set was slightly mellower. Iansek hopped onto the keyboard for a few songs, which allowed his vocals to be heard a lot more clearly, showing off an awesome husky tone and impressive control. The act was certainly a breath of fresh air for the Perth crowd, with both members cranking some pretty huge smiles throughout the whole performance. Although the set wasn’t 100% tight musically, it was really awesome to see a band enjoying what it’s doing.

Next up on the bill, were home-grown heroes, THE NOVOCAINES. The Perth band is very well known for its energetic live shows, and this evening was certainly no exception for the boys. From the get-go, front-man Corey Marriot, displayed an overwhelming amount of enthusiasm and a rather dramatic demeanour. Marriot’s somewhat South American influenced vocals and use of tambourine and harmonica are a step out of the box when compared with many bands occupying the Perth music scene. The set consisted of a few new songs from the band’s forthcoming album ‘Courtesy Eventually’, as well as some older tunes from the ‘Ragdoll’ EP, (the newer material a lot heavier and more energetic than the old).

This band has been compared to The Velvet Underground and The Stooges, and these comparisons are very fitting, with their old rock style riffs, and grungy vocals. Steven Turnock (bass/backing vocals), was filled with energy, jumping around the stage creating some awesome stage presence. There was a slight interruption in the set, due to technical difficulties, but this was something easily ignored by Marriot. The band’s ability to handle whatever the night threw at it, makes it apparent that these up and comers aren’t just awesome musicians but are ready to tackle the international scene. A crowd favourite was the first song written for the EP, ‘Ragdoll Blues’, consisting of some pretty three-way-harmonies, some tight drumming, a catchy riff and a bucket load of energy. The only disappointment of the set was the slight repetitiveness brought about by Marriot’s vocal range. This said the band sure does know how to win over a crowd.

Finally, the three gentlemen the crowd had been waiting for stepped onto the stage with big smiles on their faces. The Vasco Era consisting of Sid O’Neil (vocals/guitar), brother Ted O’Neil (bass/backing vocals) and Michael Fitzgerald (drums). The trio opened up with ‘Not Stuck Here’ from the group’s latest album ‘Lucille’. It was a perfect opener, with an anticipating build-up of vocals and instruments. The second tune really got the crowd into the set, with a Beatle’s cover, ‘Why Don’t We Do It In the Road’. Sid O’Neil was feeding off the crowd’s response, resulting in an even more energy-filled performance. The next few songs were newies, as well as ones taken from the debut album ‘Oh We Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside’. The older songs definitely had more punch to them, and were a lot more energy-filled. Another crowd favourite was a Smith’s cover, ‘I Know It’s Over’, the cracking of O’Neil’s vocals, was somewhat soothing in accompanying the mellow love song.

O’Neil’s use of a cigarette lighter provided by the crowd, made for some interesting, twangy sounds on his guitar, sounds that the crowd appreciated. His reputation of being a character on stage, was certainly apparent when he claimed that “Every band needs to wear a halter-neck at some point”, then proceeded to twist his singlet over his head to create some sort of tribute to that item of clothing.

The closing song ‘Honey Bee (When It Was Making Weird Love Songs)’ was by far the biggest sing-a-long of the evening. The band truly went all-out for the tune. Fitzgerald jumped around whacking his drumsticks, and was soon joined on stage by Big Scary’s drummer Syme. The two drummers produced one massive, and suprisingly in-time, beat. Toward the end of the song Novocaines’ vocalist, Corey Marriot hopped on stage and decided to join in on the fun.