Is it wrong to fawn over a band’s debut when they’ve just returned with their first album in 20 years? We’re still ashamed to admit that we gave New Jersey’s, The Feelies a wide berth for the last few decades purely because of their name. It sounded like a something straight from the heart of twee Americana, and what a shock it was when their 1980 debut Crazy Rhythms revealed itself to be the missing link between post-punk and new-wave. Stylistically, the sound of the band changed considerably throughout the 80′s, but their latest album Here Before (Popfrenzy) picks up where they left off, with that melodic jangle-pop/college rock sound in abundance.

The Feelies – Should Be Gone by Popfrenzy

In complete contrast to a month ago when it was “precipitation nation” at Sunset Sounds, Brisbane’s fourth St. Jerome’s Laneway festival could’ve been subtitled “Boiling Brisvegas”. We predict that in twenty years local dermatologists will be doing a roaring trade based on the day’s UV damage. While at the same location as the previous two Laneways, in the industrial area of Fortitude Valley, the layout had been substantially rearranged since our last excursion which proved confusing initially. Unlike many festivals who fill their bills with a series of mediocre acts and a couple of heavy hitting headliners, Laneway 2011 had a remarkably consistent quality, in fact it was almost too jam packed with “must sees”, so regardless of the weather it was always destined to be a scorcher.

Rat Vs Possum are the first act to break in the Car Park Stage; a daunting task when you realize people are possibly only here so they can be shaded from the raging afternoon sun. Pint-sized Daphne Shum immediately proves to be completely engaging to watch, complimented by the bizarrely ‘80s clad Matt Kulesza. Together their vocals are backed by the ambient blips and harmonies the Melbourne band is fast becoming known for. “Animals”, a highlight of the set, sees each band member madly thrashing synchronized rhythms on their respective sets of drums. The atmosphere this creates is euphorically intense and although it’s a shame there aren’t more people around to appreciate it, it gives those who are a taste of what the band is capable of.

Beach House has the unenviable position of playing with the afternoon sun beating down on both the crowd and straight onto Victoria Legrand and Alex Scully (the touring drummer is spared). The wistful organ of “Walk in the Park” washes over the crowd, and along with Victoria’s gravelly Christie McVie like vocals, sets the tone for the rest of the Teen Dream heavy set. Legrand may have the prerequisite cool leopard style shades but with a thick white coat, possibly borrowed from Bryan Ferry, on top of a black collared shirt, I can’t help think she must be absolutely baking. Maybe ice bricks have been sewn into the seams though because Victoria maintains her cool and barely breaks into a sweat. I leave after Scully’s slide guitar during “Silver Soul” sends much needed shivers down my spine, and head for a more shaded space as for Hot House, er Beach House, it’s a case of right band, wrong time.

That’s not to say I wasn’t intending to watch The Antlers, it was always on the cards as their beautiful if slightly disturbing Hospice rates highly at Webcuts. Peter Silberman slings his guitar over his neck like an oversized necklace due to its only periodic use, instead he chooses to use his arms and hands for more important activities such as emoting (a.k.a. mincing) throughout the set. Luckily he’s got a sonorous falsetto, imagine Conor Oberst repeatedly whacked in the testicles, but it means a lot of the musical heavy lifting is left for the drummer and keyboardist who can only fill so much space. A new song is aired which places more emphasis on groove but it’s the quiet/loud histrionics of “Sylvia” (“Sylvia, get your head out of the oven” rings throughout the baking arena rather ironically) and the infectious indie-folk of “Two” that hit home. Emote away Peter but pack a bassist and extra guitarist next time perhaps.

A quick 200 metre stroll later I catch the latter half of Warpaint’s set and it’s amazing what a difference having two guitarists and a bassist makes in a large festival space. Unlike Beach House these ladies are working up a visible sweat, with the last vestiges of the afternoon sun still having an almighty kick in its tail. They’re from LA though so they’re prepared and dressed accordingly, and don’t really give a damn anyway, as each member of the group are in their own little world spending more time with their eyes closed than open. The layered guitar lines and shared vocals are compelling but it’s Jenny Lee Lindberg’s brooding bass (and hip swaying) and Stella Mozgawa’s complex drumming that prove to be the focal point. Drawing on The Fool for most of the set including a sparse “Majesty” and Exquisite Corpse‘s more rousing “Elephants” to end, their laidback ambient take on post-punk is beguiling but I’m left wishing I’d was seeing them in a club with great lighting design. Oh, and air conditioning, that’d be nice too.

Group consensus is to ditch Blonde Redhead to see Ariel Pink, mainly due to the Redhead’s last album Penny Sparkle being widely panned but I dissent, having never seen the band in concert, and the gamble pays off from the get-go. Blonde Redhead, along with Les Savy Fav are the elder statesmen/women of the festival, having been at this for close to twenty years and they’ve honed their live performance to a fine art. Retina burning lighting, and the most expansive sound of the festival with the three piece New Yorkers augmented by a bassist and keyboardist, they hit all the right buttons. Even the two songs from Penny Sparkle which bookend the set are beefed up and sound better than on record. It’s the songs from 23 and Misery is a Butterfly though, such as the trance like “Dr Strangluv”, the reedy “Falling Man”, and aptly titled “Melody” which has co-lead vocalist Kazu Makino and the audience shaking their bodies in rapture.

Over on the Car Park Stage watching Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti is like the adult version of the Emperor’s New Clothes. A sizeable crowd has accumulated to watch the abomination of a waste of a tea time slot. Ariel Pink are the epitome of scenester cool, the new kooky band that you must love somehow ‘cause they’re doing something different. What they actually give us is their lesson in how simply dressing up and acting a little craaazy should be enough. Sadly it’s not. The tunes feel like unfinished jams, recorded at an acid peak before the comedown realisation, forgetting that time signatures and singing in tune are sometimes a good idea. If they were an art installation it would be understandable but really I just wander off bored and uninterested.

If I told you the highlight of the day was watching a chubby bald man wandering through a crowd wearing only tiny jean shorts and pink tights, while painted silver and singing noise rock in people’s faces you would be within your rights for wondering what the fuck happened. Well Les Savy Fav and frontman Tim Harrington happened. Never have a band been more apt for a festival than this Brooklyn five piece. The band consist simply of blistering indie rock punctuated by Harrington’s at times barely audible vocals, but that’s understandable because he’s busy multi-tasking as he climbs poles and rummages in his props bag for his next low rent fix. The set is mostly drawn from recent album Root for Ruin, although “Patty Lee”, “What Would Wolves Do?” and the rather appropriate “Let the Sweat Descend” also get an airing. Even without the on and off stage antics the band sound great but while they play the tightest of concerts, never dropping a beat, you are left transfixed by Harrington for what he’s going to do next. Ending the set hoisted aloft on a crowd barrier like an indie messiah, while screaming “Let’s Get Out of Here!”, Les Savy Fav leave us with the biggest grin and for half the crowd silver hand prints on random body parts to wear for the rest of the evening.

Popping out of the Inner Sanctum, yeah it’s a stage name, to grab a drink and some food it’s time to kick back and catch some of Cloud Control. On the day’s smallest stage and down a side street from the rest of the action the place is packed, and unsurprisingly so. Hailed by some as Australia’s next big thing Cloud Control don’t disappoint. Their blissed out folk rock is the perfect foil to the indie and electronica elsewhere on the bill. They have everyone eating out of the palm of their hand and look completely assured for a band who has only recently released their debut. Who’ll take bets next year they are higher up on the bill?

You will perhaps remember that Foals snuck into this year’s Triple J hottest 100 at number 98. This low position doesn’t seem to correlate at all with the amount of crowd buzz before they take to the Alexandria Street stage. As soon as the first chord is struck, the lush and distinctive sound of Foals’ guitar effects cut through the wash of red lights and fog, all the while frontman Yannis Philippakis struts about the stage to spur the crowd on. Tracks from their debut Antidotes, “Olympic Airways” and “Cassius”, are instantly recognizable and serve to generate a solid response and momentum amongst the audience. The expectation for “Spanish Sahara” is high, the negative space of its opening filled with chants to the lyric “it’s future rust and then it’s future dust”, only for the song to later swell to its zenith with Philippakis’ vocals erupting against Jack Bevan’s thunderous drum backing. At the close of the Foals set there is a mass departure through the adjacent exit gates despite there still being several bands to come, proving that at least for some, Foals would’ve been a worthy headliner for Laneway 2011.

Heading back in the Inner Sanctum, Canada’s Holy Fuck show that with electronica you don’t necessarily need expensive visuals to keep a crowd interested. Stripped down to simply a drummer, bass player and two guys on every weird and wonderful electronic instrument you can think of, and some you haven’t, Holy Fuck play like a proper live band should. Leaving a trail of fuzzy bass and feedback their scatterbrain noise seems almost discordant at times but considering their name is unsurprisingly apt. Machine gun drums go off and is joined by complex soundscapes from keyboards that resemble kids toys. Whatever, it sounds great. The energy given off by these guys is intense and half way through the set even the most cynical watchers near me have been won over. It’s not supposed to be pretty but they show that even the most experimental of music can be danceable. Heck even Tim Harrington is pulling shapes in front of me.

Ending the day with Cut Copy seems like a bit of a letdown. Recently released album Zonoscope seems to be well received from a mini straw poll of three people we speak to, but translating this to a headlining slot may take some work. Confession time: I’ve never been the most overt fan of the band, but they are an Australian headliner at an Australian festival which is increasingly rare these days so deserve some support. Unfortunately they come across like a danceable Coldplay, a bit too safe and bland. If Cut Copy were a colour they would definitely be beige and neutral, like Switzerland. Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with that per se but what I want from music is something that will kick me up the arse, make me take notice, change my mood, lose my pants… you get the picture. From the cheesy lit up door they walk through to come on stage, to the hackneyed pub singer hand gestures of frontman Dan Whitford it does seem like they have put a lot of thought into their performance, it’s just when it comes down to it their music just doesn’t cut it. They tell us it’s the first night of their world tour. Hopefully by the next time they roll round the show will be a bit more risqué and the setlist more compelling.

It’s nearing midnight and while it’s cooled down the humidity clings to us like silver paint so we trudge through the gates, past the irritated police officers trying to control the thousands of jaywalkers (hey, good luck with that officers) and reflect on the indie dream bill of the day and come to the only logical conclusion that for Laneway next year Les Savy Fav have to headline. And the year after that and the year after that…

Full Photo Gallery on facebook

Text: Lee Gwyn (Rat Vs Possum, Foals), Garry Thompson (Ariel Pink, Les Savy Fav, Cloud Control, Holy Fuck, Cut Copy), Caleb Rudd (All others)

Photos: Lee Gwyn

You know how it is every New Years Eve, it all looks depressingly quiet until the day of NYE itself when all of a sudden from seemingly thin air there is a clusterfuck of parties, gigs and clubs to go to and now you have the rather frustrating, albeit satisfying, dilemma of picking the best, most bitching one to attend. At the top of the bitchin’ heap this year in Brisbane is No Years at the Powerhouse. Stockholm’s indie-pop supremos Shout Out Louds, last spied in Brisbane in 2007 where they rocked The Zoo Swedish style (and were one of Webcuts’ first ever interviews, ah bless), are set to headline along with Texan electronic wizards Neon Indian. Joining them will be an A-Z (or B-V actually) of local and interstate acts including the much lauded John Steel Singers fresh from the launch of debut album Tangalooma, local siren Seja, co-ed four piece Little Scout, Love Connection, Parades, Oh Ye Denver Birds and Mr. Maps and Lion Island whose live wares we raved about back in August, among others. It’ll be a suitably epic way to bring in the new year where hopefully 2011 = heaven.

Details and tickets at noyears.com

Shout Out Louds southern dates

29 Dec 2010 (Wed) – Peats Ridge Festival – Glenworth Valley, NSW
30 Dec 2010 (Thu) – Pyramid Rock Festival – Phillip Island, VIC
02 Jan 2011 (Sun) – Annandale Hotel – Sydney (w/Seabellies)
03 Jan 2011 (Mon) – East Brunswick Club – Melbourne (w/ Owl Eyes)
05 Jan 2011 (Wed) – Grace Darling – Melbourne (Intimate Show)

More details Handsome Tours

Neon Indian southern dates

29 Dec 2010 (Wed) – Revolver – Melbourne (w/ Casio Kids)
30 Dec 2010 (Thu) – Pyramid Rock Festival – Phillip Island, VIC
01 Jan 2011 (Sat) – Field Day Festival – Domian, Sydney
03 Jan 2011 (Mon) – Level 7 Curtin House, Melbourne

Need convincing, then spare just over four minutes and fall hard, real hard, for the lead single from Shout Out Louds’ third epic LP Work:

On the tail end of an Australian tour which took in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, and included a last minute Atlas Sound show, Deerhunter’s willowy singer-guitarist and stand-up comic in the making Bradford Cox entered the 2ser studios to trade words with Static’s Chris Berkley about all things in the Deerhunter-verse including forgetting lyrics, screaming at his family, the art of the first take, a possible chat show and more. (Bradford would front Deerhunter for a gig in Sydney later that evening rounding off a wildly successful couple of weeks for the band.)

And joining us in the studio on Static this evening it is a pleasure and a privilege to have Bradford Cox from Deerhunter. Welcome to Sydney!

Hi, the privilege is all mine. (deep voice)

Nice radio voice Bradford.

Oh, thank you.

You’ve been filling in your days pretty well on this Australian Tour haven’t you? Atlas Sound shows, Deerhunter shows, there hasn’t been a moment to breathe.

No, but breathing is overrated. (laughs)

Was that how you built the Deerhunter reputation at home — really touring a lot and playing wherever you could? It seemed especially when Cryptograms came out you guys were on tour forever, it was a real word of mouth thing.

That’s been the case, yeah, and it’s been really rewarding. There’s more and more people there and the audiences are really responsive and it’s a pleasure to meet everyone and play for people that are excited and stuff. That’s something I never take for granted, because when you’re starting out in a band – I’m sure it’s like this everywhere all over the world – there’s so much time spent playing in these tiny rooms to nobody and they don’t know who you are and they don’t care. And when you first start playing shows where people actually know your songs and they recognize your music or they know the words or something, it’s really unusual, it’s hard to describe, but it’s really rewarding.

It must be a weird thing as well where it’s got to the stage now for the Atlas Sound solo show, people know your songs better than you do and you can’t remember the names of some of your songs…

It’s really funny: I didn’t mention it last night, but before I played that show I had to go on the Internet and look at guitar tab websites to get the chords because I couldn’t remember the chords to the songs and so I decided to look up where people had — it’s site where people put chords on the Internet.

It’s a big help for the artist himself, let alone the fans.

Well a lot of people do that, I read that Michael Stipe has to google his lyrics.

Yeah well he writes the lyrics in his hand on stage because he can’t remember them…

Really…? Well he has a lot of wordy words so…

Shaun Ryder from The Happy Mondays when he was here used a teleprompter…

Are you serious?

…and freaked out when the teleprompter cut out .

Oh wow, that’s embarrassing.

It must be hard to remember some of those Happy Mondays lyrics.

A lot of times with Deerhunter and with Atlas Sound though, I improvise.

Do people notice?

Oh yeah. Like I just change the words sort of, it’s something I guess I always admired about Stephen Malkmus, he used to do that in Pavement, he would change the words.

Yeah, and you can get away with gibberish as well sometimes I guess.

Yeah, sometimes it’s better than the real words.

Well I mean on the recorded front with Deerhunter it seems to be equally in the studio that you’ve built a pretty impressive legacy. When you started out did the band stem out of your own home recording? Is that what you were doing before the rest of the band fell into place?

Yeah it’s where a lot of it came from, but everybody’s contributed equally to Deerhunter, it’s not just like me or my home recording, like Lockett [Pundt] — some recordings have a lot to do with it too, and Josh and Moses, they both write a lot of stuff.

It’s not like you’re forced to delegate or anything like that?

No no no, we all kind of come together on it. That’s why Atlas Sound’s liberating to me because I have total control. I don’t need it with Deerhunter, there’s no power plays.

Well it definitely seemed to fall into place after the first record as well when Lockett came into the band — it seemed that things solidified a lot more?

Yeah definitely, Lockett and I shared a lot of the same influences and we grew up together finding out about the same stuff, growing up. So it [was] natural for him to join up.

It seems that with the sound of the band, you’ve always retained a lot of effects on your songs even with the band setup. There’s reverb on the vocals and guitars and those sound collages of film dialogue and stuff on tracks like “Saved By Old Times” — is creating music in the studio for you a way of making something otherworldly Bradford? Is that the way you look at it?

I do appreciate the ability you have to stretch time and create artificial environments just with reverb and stuff like that.

It takes you out of your own environment?

Well it sounds more like you expect, you can do more. Live it’s more like: that’s what it really sounds like. Whereas recording in the studio can make it sound like what you want it to sound like — you have more control, obviously. Live you try and achieve something different.

Well you still record pretty quickly though in Deerhunter and prolifically as well, do you know in your head when a song’s done? Or could you agonize over things forever?

Oh we don’t agonize over anything, we all just leave the mistakes in. But I think the mistakes add to the charm, and I’m really bad at overdubbing vocals — like double-tracking them.

You get them out of time or something?

Yeah always, and people notice it, but I think it wouldn’t sound the same if it was perfect. I think it would sound artificial.

So let’s pray you never get it together then Bradford! (laughs)

Yeah! If I did nail it perfectly I wouldn’t make it less perfect. It’s kind of the whole idea of honouring the first take.

That’s the rule that you keep to?

I’m trying to think, I’m pretty sure almost every song we’ve ever recorded has been a first take.

Are you becoming more interested in succinctness, or for want of a better expression, sort of simpler pop structures? I mean Microcastle seemed to take you in that direction and the latest EP: the songs on Rainwater Cassette Exchange are for the most part very concise.

Yeah but I don’t think it’s any indication of the future, I mean if our first album — the untitled one — if that was an indication of the future it would be in bad shape. You know what I mean? We’re always kind of changing it up, I mean after Cryptograms and touring that album, it was always really ambient and kind of droney, so I was ready for something less affected, and then after Microcastle, now I’m missing the dronier weird parts.

The pendulum’s swinging back?

Yeah, but I mean the EP is just songs we had, y’know?

Is there going to be a point where you feel any pressure then for Deerhunter?

No.

I mean as the band becomes more popular?

No, no pressure.

No mess, no fuss?

Yeah I mean I don’t think we really ever expected a wider audience and I don’t think that anybody gains a wider audience by fretting over it. I think the least interesting thing a band can do is start paying attention to what people expect of them.

And I like the idea of keeping people guessing as well, you mentioned a great thing when the Animal Collective album leaked, about if people want to think about how anyone’s next record sounds they should make their own. Is that what you used to do as a kid?

Yeah I used to do that all the time, and it’s interesting, because it’s nice to get proven wrong when you make a record that sounds like what you want. When a record comes out and it’s truly surprising, what comes to mind is — I’m not like the world’s biggest fan — Radiohead. When Kid A came out I think every teenager in the world was — I mean everybody was — but as a teenager who was still developing a sense of style or taste or whatever, it was pretty mind blowing.

It’s good to confound people.

It was completely confounding — it’s a good word. Completely, yeah we were all just scratching our heads.

Well here’s to plenty of head-scratching from future Deerhunter releases, Bradford.

I hope so, yeah.

It was great to have you here of course. It’s been too brief so now you’re going to have to come back.

We’ll definitely come back, maybe next time I can bring the rest of the guys and they can sit and not say anything.

(Laughs) Is that what they normally do?

They don’t like talking, I think I talk way too much.

Look, after seeing your shows here I’m hoping there’s a future in stand-up comedy on the side, because you got it nailed.

It’s funny, it’s just how I grew up: silence meant awkwardness. My family is really loud, we’re a loud family. My mom and dad and sister are always yelling at each other. When my sister got married and my brother-in-law came into the family I think he was pretty confounded — you got me into that word now — because we just scream and scream! We’ll be so hateful but then afterwards it’s all jokes, it’s all in good humour. I just don’t like awkward spaces where people are just standing there, I’d rather just talk or make a joke or something.

Maybe a Bradford Cox chat show at the least would be great idea?

I don’t have a good voice.

Well, we’ll work on it, okay?

Yeah maybe if I could just have a deeper [voice]. Like something more like this.

On that note Bradford I’ll say thank you.

Thank you.

First broadcast on Static on 25/06/09. Static can be heard on Sydney’s 2SER (107.3 FM) and via the Internet (www.2ser.com) every Thursday evening (AEST).

Transcription: Chris Butler

Deerhunter
Annandale Hotel, Sydney
20th June 2009

The final show of the tour took place the next night at the Annandale Hotel in Sydney, a small pub type venue worthy of ‘intimate show’ sold-out status. Having caught them a few weeks earlier in London, it was like witnessing an entirely different band in the throes of conquering new territory and playing to new audiences. Regular show opener “Cryptograms” set the controls for the heart of the sun, its shifting kraut-drone soaring. For the faithful it was a dream setlist that covered all points on the Deerhunter compass, the band trying out rarely played songs like “Backspace Century” (“only the second time ever played”) for those who saw them last week. Only a pedant like yours truly would decry the absence of  “Octet” or “Fluorescent Grey”, but it was an otherwise flawless selection.

Introducing a rare outing of Turn It Up Faggot opening track “N. Animal”, Cox played the ringing opening chord, confessing that he lifted it from the Birthday Party’s “Nick The Stripper”, unnecessarily endearing himself to the already spellbound crowd. Aware of the fact they were flying back to Atlanta the next morning, they wound up their Australian tour with an intense version of “Microcastle” that segued into “Twilight at Carbon Lake”, Cox and Pundt playing out the lullaby-esque slow waltz melodies to match Cox’s own doo-wop harmonies. The smoke filled stage was encased in bright white light as the track wound up into a noisy, tumultuous climax that would end a phenomenal show and a phenomenal tour.

Atlas Sound – Sydney – 19 June 2009
Deerhunter - Brisbane – 13 June 2009

Atlas Sound
Black and Blue Gallery, Sydney
19th June 2009

Due to arrive back in Sydney towards the end of the week for their final show, it was rumoured or perhaps hoped that Bradford Cox would perform an Atlas Sound show  in support of ailing Sydney radio station, FBi, and indeed there was a very late announcement just a few days before confirming said show in an art gallery. A considerable line greeted newcomers from early on in the day; hardcore fans who’d arrived early and others aware of something interesting afoot. One hundred and fifty souls were shoehorned inside the Black and Blue Gallery and waited while drummer Moses Archuleta laptop DJed some ’80s classics.

Bradford Cox looked cheerful but nervous, lit by a sole table lamp and surrounded by a semi-circle of pedals and effects and random instruments, he appeared as if backed into a corner. While admitting only hours earlier that he’d searched the Internet for tabs of his songs to refresh his memory, he put that setback aside as he began with “Cold As Ice” taken from 2008′s Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel. Tapping out the basic rhythm into his Line 6 Delay Modeler, Cox built the song from the ground up, sampling rhythms and guitar figures until they took the required shape.

This same ritual continued on, interspersed with tracks from the forthcoming follow-up to Let The Blind… entitled Logos as well as apologetic discourse for confusing the radio station he was actually doing this benefit for and the joy of New Zealand accents. Cox retold a hilarious story about being reprimanded for swearing on the radio, imitating the New Zealand radio DJ who told him “you cunt say ‘cunt’ on the radio”. I’d be surprised if the majority in attendance were familiar at all with Atlas Sound, but the crammed in masses of which Webcuts was one of the last to make the cut, were calling out requests that even Cox felt too obscure and unplayable. The final track, an elongated jam entitled “Requiem for Myspace” tested the endurance, as Cox seemed reluctant to let things finish, bouncing from pedal to pedal pursuing the ultimate drone.

Deerhunter – Sydney – 20 June 2009
Deerhunter – Brisbane – 13 June 2009

For any Australian with even a passing interest in alternative rock, June 2009 will surely go down in history as Deerhunter month. Riding a wave of unanimous critical praise for their third album Microcastle, singer and lead guitarist Bradford Cox, rhythm guitarist Lockett Pundt, drummer Moses Archuleta and bassist Josh Fauver landed in Australia for what was initially a three show, three city run but due to demand added shows in Melbourne and Sydney. A welcome bonus was an unscheduled concert by Bradford Cox’s solo project Atlas Sound whilst in Sydney, a benefit for community broadcaster FBi radio. In a rare case of good fortune and splendid timing both of Webcut’s editorial team were in the country at the same time and were able to cover Deerhunter in Brisbane and Sydney and also managed to squeeze into the sardine tin-esque venue that Atlas Sound were playing at. First let’s see how the Atlanta (animal) collective survive at the Zoo…

Deerhunter
The Zoo, Brisbane
13th June 2009

Despite the full capacity we’re actually able to swim against the tide and position ourselves close to the front. The band stake out their territories and Cox opts for stage right. The frontman not being centre is a little unorthodox but that’s par for the course with Deerhunter. Fauver takes the central position and is the most animated doing a little forward-backward gyration all through the set whereas Pundt, who looks like a schoolboy taking a break from his year twelve finals, keeps a low profile obviously taking cues from the shoegaze class of ’91. But all eyes are on the tall, thin frame of Cox, with a shaggy mop-top and dressed in a green parka he looks like a mod who’s gone a few rounds on the rack. But it’s for the songs we’ve come for (although maybe not for the mini-Bradford in the front row, look at that love connection) and from the opening bars of the Bunnymen stylings of “Cryptograms” Deerhunter deliver.

In a tight, well paced set, the band cover most bases including “Nothing Ever Happens” with its nod towards Sonic Youth, if that band discovered Krautrock and the ability to craft a tune, to “Cover Me’s” lush retro pop. Cox’s troubled past is detailed in “Operation” which sees him spitting out “I Hate You” atop disco-punk and slow brooding rock, his bamboo shoot fingers adept at play intricate guitar fills. Melody and dissonance are served in equal measure, with Deerhunter knowing exactly when to add the noise or retract it. An hour later the final notes are played and a gracious band say their farewells to the gratified crowd. A friend later wonders why the fickle finger of hype has rested on the skinny shoulders of Deerhunter rather than a hundred other indie bands, and admittedly he has a point, but the blog/Pitchfork sphere is rarely fair and one would be hard pressed to find a more deserving act who has been able to assimilate and build upon their influences — post-punk, ’60s, shoegaze — so adroitly as Cox and company. Sometimes the hipsters get it right.

Atlas Sound – Sydney – 19 June 2009
Deerhunter - Sydney – 20 June 2009

Deerhunter
Scala, London
18th May 2009

Palpable expectation, a sold out crowd, a critically received album, a loud northerner standing beside me naively exclaiming “I hope they play something off Turn It Up, Faggot” and an unlikely intro tape of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run”. This is how it begins. Four boys from Atlanta, Georgia casually stroll across the smoke-filled stage, visibly weary from a weekend of excess at All Tomorrow’s Parties, Bradford Cox, his lanky frame encased in a “Cats London” tshirt looks like your average American on holiday who’s just gotten over his jetlag.

Starting with a trio of tracks from their second album Cryptograms, the room shakes as if one huge reverb pedal has been stepped on, Bradford confiding in the audience “my greatest fear, I fantasized…” as the rhythm section of Moses Archuleta and Josh Fauver lock into a tight pattern, the guitars washing over in waves. The title track segues into “Spring Hall Convert”, with its haunting refrain of “too much radiation” is riveting stuff. The band are incredibly focussed, and it’s not until the end of the Cryptograms trilogy that Bradford stops for a moment to engage with the audience with a broad grin and enquire “are you all on drugs?”.

The tracks extend on significantly from their album incarnations. There’s more exploration, more repetition, more tension. Guitars linger over and over on the same chord, walls of sound build and vocals reverberate. The influence of the old shoegaze guard is readily apparent, but Deerhunter push the envelope further and at times it’s like watching the counter-melodies of Sonic Youth and Pavement being reinterpreted by the next generation of gangly discordants. The Pavement effect is most notable on “Nothing Ever Happens” is the set lynchpin, the most surging track in the Deerhunter songbook, second only to that of the hypnotic Southern-spun psychedelia of “Fluorescent Grey” that follows it.

Their flawless set architecture began to show some weakness in the middle and the momentum begins to slow down. Guitarist Lockett Pundt drifts back and forth in the wings, taking a backseat in much of the proceedings, barely breaking into a smile at Cox’s attempts at humour when a broken string becomes a comedy moment, Bradford relating a pre-tour decision not to bring an extra guitar since they don’t usually break strings (at that point both he and Lockett had broken one each). A new track from the forthcoming Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP is introduced, hinting at a further stream-lined percussive sound.

Coming back for an encore of Microcastle‘s instrumental opener “Cover Me” that shifts neatly into “Agoraphobia” as on the album, Deerhunter are clearly capable of writing succinct pop songs and despite the noted absence of the almost-single “Never Stops”, probably their most sublime three minutes yet, the band edge closer to the periphery of a mainstream audience. An extended “Calvary Scars” closes the set that includes the band coming back on to request some awkward audience participation birthday well-wishing. Due to arrive back in the next few months to play the much larger Koko, it seems the mainstream is just around the corner.

Dear Deerhunter,

Hey, you guys read our off-hand plea for you to tour Down Under!

Well, naturally we’re thrilled to bits and it’s refreshing to think that even since the whole Deerhunter thing (including your Atlas Sound and Lotus Plaza off-shoots) blew up, which in a small way we hope we contributed to, you still take notice of grass roots zines and blogs. You guys are awesome.

Although, you’re only doing three shows?

Presented by Popfrenzy — Deerhunter’s first Australian tour hits the following cities :

Jun 11 – Sydney – Manning Bar
(tickets www.moshtix.com.au)

Jun 12 – Melbourne – Corner Hotel
(tickets www.cornerhotel.com)

Jun 13 – Brisbane – The Zoo
(tickets zoo.oztix.com.au)

(Tickets on sale Fri 3 April)

Fans who can make it to those cities can expect a pretty amazing show, full of ambient pop, myriad guitar effects and fuzzy melodies. Right? We thought so.

We really can’t wait. No, really. Can’t you make it sooner?

Yours truly, Webcuts

PS We like your Deerhunter live at Noisepop (57min, YouTube) gig, even despite the fact that it takes longer to download than to actually watch.

PPS Is Bradford bringing any dresses on the trip? We think he’d look good in a black one.

of Montreal
The Zoo, Brisbane
4 March 2009

It’s just before the encore that things start getting really weird: Two guys in animal masks start playing — Mr Fish is on drums while Mr Lion roars into the microphone, garnering the requisite response from the crowd necessary in encore type situations — leading me to glance around at my fellow concert-goers and telepathically communicate “I’m okay with strange… but this is messed up.” During the past hour The Zoo stage had already witnessed male entertainers perform cartwheels, balance on each others shoulders, and mock fight each other while wearing various masks and costumes including the devil, a priest and a ninja. The main guy, six feet tall and full of muscle, posed several times in various positions, once in a snug green dress, wig and make-up while eating apples and throwing glitter onto the audience. A homoerotic Statue of Liberty perhaps? We’re not entirely sure, yet throughout the shenanigans Kevin Barnes led the musical element of of Montreal on, less pied piper or ring master, more bemused bystander, but one with a knowing grin.

It all started normally enough, normal being a relative term of course. Barnes strode onto the stage in a fetching blue and green dress, with garish lipstick and eye shadow, handbag, necklaces and guitar before the breakbeat drum loop and funky bass riff signalled the start of “We Were Born the Mutants Again With Leafling”. This segued into the Stuart Murdoch goes electro-pop moment “Bunny Ain’t No Kind of Rider” from 2007′s breakthrough Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? That album informed most of the set although last year’s dense, stylistically schizophrenic Skeletal Lamping naturally got a decent airing, be it via The Stones/Velvets shuffle of “I’ve Seen a Bloody Shadow” or the trilogy of songs mid-set. These narrated Barnes’ alter-ego, the polymorphously perverse George Fruit’s, predilections in gory detail and as they lurched from one melody or bass line to another the soul-meets-indie tracks brimmed with memorable lines such as “He has some serious predatory domination issues” or “He’s the sort of guy who would leave you in a k-hole to go and play Halo in the other room” and “We can do it soft-core if you want, but you should I take it both ways”. While you could almost see the sleaze drip from the microphone stand it all seemed congruent with the whole ’70s vibe the band had going on.

But it was the harmony rich blend of disco, psychedelia and pop that made Hissing Fauna… and The Sunlandic Twins surprise alternative pop classics that had The Zoo crowd dancing into the groove. Finishing tri-umphantly with the disco bliss of “The Party’s Crashing Us” and the band’s best distillation of their trademark synth-pop and glam mix “Suffer for Fashion”, before …Twin’s restrained, piano centric “The Repudiated Immortals” finished the evening on a mellow note.

With a mixture of bemusement and satisfaction Webcuts left the venue wondering whether what we just witnessed was surreal pop or pantomime. The irony is that of Montreal don’t need all the window dressing — the outfits, the performance art, the cartoon projections — their songs hold up on their own but Barnes wants to have his cake and wear it too. Most of the time he succeeds but sometimes you wish he’d just go “Fuck art, let’s dance!”.