Goofang, Spun Rivals, Worlds End Press - Ding Dong, Melbourne

Ding Dong is sadly a little empty tonight, maybe everyone is at home performing some last minute research into the capabilities of their local party candidates. We hope.

Goofang are a perfect opening act, one of those slightly schizophrenic bands, with a set of songs that never quite stick to one genre or style but sharing a ‘sound’. Some songs take a strut down funky street, others taking the well-trodden Indie-ish route whilst others wander down several paths at once. The band are still finding their feet, but they’re solid, fun, play well and the variations between songs keeps the audiences attention, the perfect constituents to an opener.

Spun Rivals are rapidly rising through the ranks of Melbourne music, gigging hard, treading the boards, getting out and about and playing some damn good shows. The band concoct a blend of pop and pomposity so cleverly that frequently you don’t quite notice what they’re up to. A catchy and whistleable melody or chorus is hastily followed with a fat and thundering bass line or a guitar and pedal board workout that conjures a variety of ear splitting sounds. Spun Rivals admirably succeed at that toughest of tasks for a three piece, giving the impression that there’s more of them on stage. Despite no backing vocals the trio of Richey, Clayton and Matt produce enough noise to fill a room, even a slightly empty room like we have tonight. Richey also swears extraneously during his inter song ramblings, which always sounds so perfect in a Scottish accent.

Worlds End Press posses some great constituent parts in the make up of a band. A fascinating bandy-legged bass player who ceaselessly dances whilst effortlessly producing slick and laid back dub like lines. Three keyboards and two guitars produce a menagerie of beautiful, sinuous and enthralling melodies and counter melodies. Finally the band members to the right hand side of the stage seem to have all confirmed to an unofficial dress code (or sub consciously have the same dress sense) all decked out in similar red and white clothing. There is however one major problem with Worlds End Press, and a lot of bands of their ilk. Whilst they produce some beautiful sounds, that isn’t enough, the songs need to go somewhere and frequently they don’t. You’re constantly left waiting for something to happen, and generally all that does happen is that they start and finish, there’s very little dynamics in structure in between with all songs and the set merging into one long set of sounds. Perhaps that’s the band’s intention?

Published in InPress