Here Comes The Rooster @ Lucy’s Love Shack
w/ Ella Munro, Filth Wizard, Seiche
Friday, October 11, 2019
Launching music off your back is no mean feat, with a lot of bands falling down after the release of their first EP. Money and countless hours are spent and poured into their love of writing, producing and playing music often with little monetary rewards, and this can leave musos feeling jaded. But, that is what separates the wheat from the chaff and that is the place where real musicians are forged. Veterans in their own right, Here Comes The Rooster have just finished the arduous, but ultimately rewarding experience of completing and releasing their second, self-titled EP, and Friday night they were ready to party to celebrate its release with a fantastic line up in support.
The duo of Seiche started off the night’s live music and welcomed the crowd in with their cool and sophisticated beats. The sweet jazz vocals of Emma Lucia backed by guitarist and Abelton’ist Tris Dziga created a sweet ambience that served as the perfect prelude to the night of rock that followed. I couldn’t help thinking that Kimbra must be a big influence on Seiche from their use of electronic beats, voice effects and jazz-styled vocals. Being a big fan of Kimbra I was taken in and loved their set.
Local live pro’s Filth Wizard kicked it up a notch and brought the grunge/garage rock vibes. It’s always a treat to watch the rhythm section team of Jenna Hardie and Jess June as they punch and bounce through the set with cheerful vigour. Special mention goes to lead guitarist Clayton Brown for his face-melting solo in Lone Sun closing out their set.
This was my first experience taking in an Ella Munro set and wow, what a powerhouse. Ella blew the roof off with her energetic stage presence and massive vocal energy. Feeding off her energy was the bassist, absolutely nailing the groove and backing vocals. A brief mid-bridge interlude into Gotye’s Heart’s A Mess was a highlight.
Then it was time for Here Comes The Rooster. Now a band that wears rooster masks on stage can leave you scratching your head as to the motivations behind such a gimmick, are they taking the piss? Is this cock-rock? Aren’t they going to get sweaty under there? After taking to the stage donned in said rooster masks and some rooster strutting by lead singer John Sears, they punched out their first song 543, finishing by removing the masks and revealing the faces of the musos that were ready to lay down some serious tunes, all gimmicks gone.
The set was chocked (chooked? -Ed) with tunes from the new EP, some old favourites thrown in from the previous release and some brand new tunes peppered in. Oh No was an early highlight, featuring 70s surf punk vibes with super-fast drumming and tight basslines. The newly titled and unreleased Costanza is a melodic joy, with the only vocal line “Ooooh Costanza”. Only time will tell if this tune will flesh out or remain an ode to our favourite master of his domain.
Icthing upped the tempo into the stratosphere and really displayed the tightness of the band, drummer Chris Dudley is visibly focussed and precise in his delivery while bass player Chris Casella is cool, composed and sitting right in the pocket – a great combination.
Opening EP track Sway highlighted lead singer John Sears’ vocal versatility and guitarist Tris Dziga’s (yes! from Seiche) surf guitar riffery and ability to use his instrument to create sounds that are unconventional for guitar.
The five-minute epic Height finished out the set and the night, going from the mellow beginnings and building into an epic journey. Dziga really shined here as he shredded into the guitar solo crescendo.
All in all a great night of Perth live music in what’s becoming the hottest live venue in town. If you haven’t checked out a band at Lucy’s yet, get down there. And if you haven’t listened to Here Comes The Rooster’s EP yet, do yourself a favour.
ANTHONY JACKSON
