Velociraptor @ The Club House, 18-09-10

First published on Collapse Board (21/09/2010).

The band that could well be Brisbane’s Next Big Thing, Velociraptor, are launching their début 7″ at The Club House tonight. Except manufacturing delays mean the vinyl isn’t ready so CDs are available with a voucher to exchange it when the records turn up. It was a shame that a prior engagement with Robert Forster’s ’15 Songs About Brisbane’ gets in the way as it’s a stellar line-up of Brisbane bands – Velociraptor, At Sea, The Sulphur Lights and Geese – with all four launching 7″s or EPs on the night. Don’t believe what Big Sound tells you; this is really what’s happening in Brisbane.

The tiny stage is so full and shrouded in darkness it’s hard to work out how many they’re playing with tonight. Eleven? Twelve maybe? Either way there isn’t enough room, with various guitarists jumping off stay to play on the floor in amongst the crowd at different times during their 14 song set.  However many of them there are on stage they just ooze vitality, vibrancy and energy. They have the whole ‘gang as a band’ vibe which is so lacking in so many bands but a crucial element of all the best bands. And they have the songs; two-minute pop gems that never outstay their welcome, interspersed with brief between-song pauses for everyone to get their breath back before launching straight back into it. They might teeter on the brink of shambolic at times, they might give the impression that it’s all going to fall apart and come crashing down but they always make it through to the other side.  It just feels so alive.

Velociraptor’s Myspace page says they’re playing at The Troubadour on 9 October, but I think they’ll be having to fight Smudge as they’re advertised to play there the same night. But wherever they’re playing next you should make sure you go and see them. If you’re feeling jaded with bands in general, bored with live bands, seeing the same old, same old and bands that either want to be Arcade Fire or Vampire Weekend then Velociraptor are the band you’ve been looking for.

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