Lions At Your Door
w/ The Gingers, Zebras Can't Be Tigers, Damn Terran
Foul temptress! How am I to possibly assuage my beer inclination when the offer of $2.50 pots is on the table?? I’m guessing that’s what brought most others to Miss Lib’s tonight, but I deduce the fine bands on offer weren’t too much of an irk to bear, either.
The night began with the explosive indie rock of Damn Terran. Dark yet feisty, DT, with a little spit and polish, could very well become the next Triple J sweetheart (although The Dwarf is really more of a RRR establishment). Frontman Lach- who seems to only own but one t-shirt- can be heard ranging from a rough snarl to a deep blue drawl. Bassman Tim and drummer Leigh seem more than content to stand back and let Lach fill the indie kid’s attention tanks while they wile away their craft in side-car. Seems to suit this crowd just dandy, time for a drink…
Zebras Can’t Be Tigers. Well, obviously. Oh, it’s an ironic name? No? So, it’s a euphemism? No? Social comment? In-joke? Simpsons reference? No? So it’s just a stupid name? It would appear so! Apart from not facing the audience, which really only worked to any advantage if you were Jim Morrison because, well, he’s Jim Morrison, and you’re not, ZCBT had the kind of screamy-loud- dirty haired hardcore thing one might’ve heard during the Emo-lution of last year. I didn’t like it then, and I don’t like it now. Time for a bevy? Why, yes!
Although I probably would’ve considered The Gingers the largest scale band on show tonight, the crowd mass was thinner than expected. Jokes were made, we all had a bit of awkward laugh, and the band played. And how. Albeit their on-stage in-jokes between each other made me slightly uncomfortable, like being the only straight girl on Gay Night at Bar Called Barry’s, they’re a great rock/punk band with a blasting, deafening sound. Bassist/frontwoman Chelsea has vox like cold steel, easily rivaling, say, Jemina of Be Your Own PET or Hayley of Paramore. (Just a side, for those interested, other local bands battling the “boy bands” out for rock supremacy include The Trips, Crackwhore, Trash Ivory and CC Martini…thanks Lisa- you’re welcome, reader!) The Dwarf personally prefers The Gingers, but do the public? Time will tell, watch this space. Pot of Carlton, thanks.
Lions at Your Door emerge with more quasi-chick rock (two-fifths, to be exact), but perhaps indie-ied up slightly. I reckon LAYD (hey, LAYD! Laid! That’s funny!) don’t possess as much of the muscle and raw punk dance-along power The Gingers do, but we shan’t hold that against them, because they rock out, have fun, make the kids dance and don’t vomit on their audience, which all I, personally, ever ask for. I can’t particularly think of more to write on the band, not because I didn’t enjoy them, but simply because I have seen them before. In different incarnations, always tolerable, enjoyable even, but still the same band with a different haircut. It makes me wonder what the next phase will be; emo jazz? Be-bop trance? Ambient gangsta rap? Only the rock and roll heavens know. Let’s go, man, finish your drink, I’m starving.
