It’s the launch night for Stature::Statue’s debut album but also their last show. It seems to happen a lot in Brisbane that bands either make an album and either call it a day soon after (as recently done by The Rocketsmiths) or get most of the way through recording and don’t even get around to finishing it and releasing it before everyone goes there separate ways (Mean Streaks, I’m looking at you!).
But tonight isn’t about Stature::Statue. It’s not about Velocirpator, who put in the most ramshackle performance I’ve seen them play, or Horse Fight or Tape/Off. Tonight, for me, is about Dune Rats. Listening to the band for the first time, it’s hard to put a finger on influences. I’m loathe to compare them to bands like The View or The Libertines (as I’m no big fan of either band) but there’s something in there to make me thonk of these bands. It’s raw and unpolished, rough around the edges, but with instaneaously catchy hooks and plenty of “oooooohs” and “aaahhhhs” in the backing vocals. I’m really impressed and buy a copy of their EP, the atrociously named ‘Sexy Beach‘. Back home afterwards and checking out their myspace page and other websites where they’ve been mentioned I’m really surprised to find that it’s the singer from Villains of Wilheim and the drummer from The Cairos; two bands I’ve never really thought much of. It’s disappointing when a couple days later, reports from their Gold Coast show start filtering back via Facebook, with accusations of the band trashing the venue and making a less than impressive name for themselves, with further comments from other promoters that having heard the stories they would be remembering the band’s name to make sure that they didn’t book them in the future. I guess some people can’t help themselves from wanting to live out a true rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle and the clichéd bad behavior that goes with it. It’s a shame, they could do well for themselves but, if the stories are true, making a bad name for yourself in small scenes like Brisbane and the Gold Coast probably isn’t the best way to go about it.
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