Anyone with a soft spot for straight up rock 'n' roll, or a curiosity to have a crack at tinnitus, got themselves a chubby at the prospect of seeing The M-16's, Fourstroke and The Volcanics on the one bill. After all, it's been a long time since such a lineup was an option in Perth, and will probably be longer still until it happens again, so the Light The Fuse CD launch was, more or less, a treat.
In true M-16's fashion, the night opened with a bang. The
musical equivalent of wearing two fighter jet engines as
earplugs, The M-16's exceed both the decibel and intensity
thresholds of the human body, and do so with some serious
moves. Ken Watt has to have one of the most exciting voices
in rock 'n' roll at the moment, and with a band that is made
up of some exceptional musicians, The M-16's' mark is well
and truly potent. Though he is undeniably the frontman,
Watt's bandmates are certainly not off in the shadows, and
on this night in particular, where spirits were soaring and
everyone in the band at some point made it to the front of
the stage, they were a solid, unshakable unit. The guest
appearance by James Baker on drums for Television Addict
was, shall we say, a little plagued, but memorable and a
great gesture nonetheless, and showed just how well (and in
such good humour) The M-16's can keep things together.
Surprisingly, though of course not unfortunately, Fourstroke
were to be slotted in the middle spot, from which they put
on the performance of the evening. Sporting a new drummer
who looks frighteningly like Nick Oliveri, Fourstroke were
absolutely brutal sounding, and have their 'no bass'
compensation so wired between both guitarists that a blind
man would not have been able to tell the difference. Further
adding to how impressive they were, Fourstroke's mix was
crystal clear, so that every little guitar harmony, vocal
aspiration and drum hit was present and striking. With some
super duper Iommi-style riffs, a distinctly 'stoner' tone,
and balls-out choruses, it was very hard not to feel a
little jipped that Fourstroke no longer reside in these here
parts, because their presence is sorely missed.
The Volcanics pride themselves on being true to rock 'n'
roll (to the degree where they don't even refer to
themselves as a 'rock' band) and this very by-numbers
approach is what, ironically, makes them distinct. With
seemingly no desire to morph or evolve rock 'n' roll, The
Volcanics provide authenticity in place of experimentalism,
and regardless of whether such an ideology floats your boat
or not, it is one that comes with a lot of power. Frontman
John Phatouros could quite easily have been plucked out of
an epoch not seen in three decades, and on stage he lives
and breathes the role as the classic rock 'n' roll singer.
It's always a relief when bands actually work up a sweat on
stage, and The Volcanics - every member included - give off
an energy that can turn a still crowd into a dancing one...
not as easy a feat as it sounds.
Closer linked to The M-16's than to Fourstroke, The
Volcanics have helped usher in a new echelon of Perth rock
'n' roll that the likes of Screwtop Detonators have
developed from, and as a source of inspiration, one could do
a lot worse than to have any of these three bands as a
model.
The Light The Fuse also launch illustrated an interesting
point about the Perth rock 'n' roll scene that has been a
slow evolution in the making; the audience is starting to
get younger. This is a sure sign of outreaching influence.
Whereas early on the majority of attendees for M-16's and
Volcanics shows were people old enough to remember what
Perth rock 'n' roll used to sound like, now there is an
almost even mix of the veterans and the rookies, who are
embracing the traditional as the contemporary.
Between The M-16's and The Volcanics there is also an
amazing camaraderie, made particularly special on an
occasion such as this one, and a DIY ethic that salutes
independence, and extends a middle finger to the complacent.
Musically this spirit translates into raw, yet honed,
energy, of which these bands have a seemingly limitless
supply. The eventual size of the audience indicated that the
appeal of this approach is growing exponentially, and
graciously the bands gave their all to confirm why so many
people have faith in these acts. It's not too bloated to say
that there is a certain level of pride Perth punters feel
for bands that actually seem to give a fuck, and with the
homage that is Light The Fuse, the pride felt by the bands
for their home town is more than obvious. As it always has
been, the lure for both Perth punters and bands to shift to
the larger metropolises is significant, but tonight's
performance really did stress the dismissive-ness in the
rhetoric of 'why would you want to live anywhere else?'
MIKE WAFER