This Ain't no Funky Reggae Party!
Josivak D, Honourable Enemies,
Brainhorn, Kudos Infant

Upstairs @ Rosie O'Grady's South Perth
Saturday 20th October 2001
by shmuv

Rosie's South Perth on Saturday night (20th) gave new hope to the Perth local music scene. Four bands, great new sounds, versatile musicians, decent length sets dissolving into a funky free-jam after midnight. Phew.

Josivak D, in their first Saturday night gig, wrung amazing sounds out of only one guitar, a set of bongos and two voices. Both Novak and Jodie are vocal talents to watch, especially as they both struggled (un-noticeably) through the set with head-colds. Their harmonies are spookily reminiscent of Sydney¹s now defunct Clouds ­ right down to the calls of "we love you, Jodie" from the crowd.

It¹s a compelling mix and their voices complement each other well ­ mixing sub-melodies into the band¹s uncomplicated driving groove. Guitars, drums, percussion, even a xylophone were passed around in "swopsies" throughout the set ­ in fact, throughout the rest of the gig!

The crowd started to fill in for an abridged Honourable Enemies (missing: 1 guitarist), who also got a fabulous sound out of a guitar, one voice and a drum kit. The sitting guitarist ­ usually the bass player ­ coped incredibly well with the reduced line-up, improvising "everything including the set-list."

They pulled off an awesome two-person rendition of "Everyday People", with an impromptu appearance from D (of Josivak D) on the bongos. Half-way through original "This is my dream" the guitar was laid down for some phenomenal vocal impro and scat over the drums. Lauren¹s voice is strong, true and incredibly melodic voice, but even more entertaining are the stories he churns out between each song.

Gig organisers, Brainhorn, is a band making itself known around the local scene. Louder and heavier than their predecessors, they raised a big crowd response with Martin¹s great bass riffs, brother Paulo¹s souring lyrics and the antics of the jumping guitarist.

The sound is solid, going from a frenzy to relaxed and funky between and within songs. There¹s reggae, sca and even Australian Crawl references in their many layered music, with great off-beat guitar sounds and tight vocal harmonies.

D makes another appearance ­ invited on stage this time ­ for their single "Narcalepsy Sunset". I like a band that can take the piss out of themselves and Brainhorn have a lot of fun on stage.

Then it was shoes off for Kudos Infant. Themselves dancing around, they¹re the first to get the crowd on their feet. With so much energy, the complicated layers and changeable beats dissolve into an oh-so-funky groove and back again.

"Tell me that you love me or I'll kill all of your friends" is hilarious in its timing that the utter confusion of the now omnipresent (and exhausted) D. Kudos' range of styles is impressive, the sound is deep and funky groove, with beautifully crazy rhythms. Guitarist Ben's voice is raw strength, and great coupled with the poignant harmonies of bassist Tim.

The influence of Sublime is obvious. After midnight the formal gig transforms into an all-star jam with members of all the bands running over the stage. It was electric ­ guitars and drum sticks swopping hands, up to three microphones on the go at a time, churning out Sublime covers for the now up-and-jumping audience.

Upstairs @ Rosie's was an interesting choice of venue ­ perhaps explained by Brainhorn's recent residency there. Though it started off a little cold, as the bands got into it the room mellowed into the feel of a private party. The lack of a mixer, poor lighting and ongoing foldback problems were a disappointment of the venue and the otherwise shmick performers were at times disorientated.

The emerging music scene is so supportive ­ bit of a mutual-admiration society ­ without the cynicism or ego of more established groups. It¹s great to see young muso¹s celebrating the music they¹re making, supporting each other, and having a lot of fun on stage. The audience was laughing out loud!

END