Lyric Lane is celebrating its second birthday this weekend with two nights of music from some of Perth’s hottest live acts. Friday, November 12 is dedicated to Lyric’s Underground with sets from The Volcanics, Huge Magnet, Paige McNaught Experience, Lonesome Dove and The Little Lord Street Band. On Saturday, November 13 Lyric’s Bar will be host to the Laneway Party, back for its fourth edition with The Community Chest, Dolce Blue, Wayward Johnson & The Adjustment and Axel Carrington plus DJ Holly Doll spinning tunes into the night. BRAYDEN EDWARDS caught up with some of the acts playing across the weekend to find out what we can look forward to from their performance, their favourite Lyric’s memories and who else they can’t wait to catch live at the Weekender.
PAIGE MCNAUGHT EXPERIENCE (Answered by singer/guitarist/songwriter Paige McNaught)
How long have you been playing for and what’s the biggest difference between now and when you started?
We’ve been howling and hollering since we came out of the womb! Alex Chapman and I have been performing as PMX for over four years now. Our current line-up (joined by Cissi Guitar Demon and Flick Dear) has seen us broaden our sound and allowed a diversity within the songwriting to a less aggressive, more empowered place.
When people come and watch you play, what words are commonly used to describe you?
Powerful, present, captivating presence, a unique unit, hard to pigeon-hole, dynamic, exciting.
What’s been a highlight from the shows you have been to at Lyric’s since it opened?
The highlight for me has to be singing Paul McCarthy’s Everyone I Know is Going Dancing with Steve Tallis, his band and members of Circus, as a tribute to Paul who was too unwell, given he was terminally ill, to play at Steve’s launch. I was asked to do backing vocals on the night and though I didn’t know the song very well, it was a very special moment honouring an incredible man and songwriter. Actually now I come to think of it The Volcanics and LLSB also paid their respects to Paul McCarthy by each covering one of his songs.
Lyric’s being a purpose built music venue honours live music the way it should and everyone involved in running it, like Rinnaz and Rosie, are super supportive. Audiences are there to share in the magical connection of watching live music together. Being in a basement it feels like you could be anywhere in the world but it’s Maylands Western Australia and we have the opportunity to see world-class local bands. It was one our first gigs after lockdown and venue restrictions and it felt incredible to be able to perform live again. Performing to an engaged audience always feels like an absolute privilege to me.
What other acts are you looking forward to catching at Lyric’s Weekender and why?
We’ve had some fantastic gigs at Lyric’s supporting The Volcanics and The Little Lord Street Band so we’re really looking forward to seeing them play again plus we’re excited to see Huge Magnet and Lonesome Dove for the first time! What a line-up!
THE VOLCANICS (Answered by guitarist Tommy Hopkins)
How long have you been playing for and what’s the biggest difference between now and when you started?
I’ve been playing with the band for about 13 years and probably the biggest difference between now and then is the current resurgence of people coming to local original music shows. This is likely because there are currently little national or international touring acts so it is great for local bands!
When people come and watch you play, what words are commonly used to describe you?
Rock and roll, high-energy, fast-paced, firing.
What’s been a highlight from the shows you have been to at Lyric’s since it opened?
We played a great sold out show at Lyric’s in January this year with The Secret Buttons and PMX. We love playing Lyric’s as it has a brilliant stage and sound and all the people involved in the venue are great to work with.
What other acts are you looking forward to catching at Lyric’s Weekender and why?
Our drummer, Alex Megaw, also plays in The Little Lord Street Band so we are definitely looking forward to playing on the same bill as those guys.
THE COMMUNITY CHEST (Answered by vocalist/guitarist Adem K)
How long have you been playing for and what’s the biggest difference between now and when you started?
I first stepped on a stage in 1994 but started played proper original gigs in 1995. Technology and social media are the big ones – this essentially means the world has gotten smaller so global reach and resources are more easily accessible, so bands can be “Australian” instead of “from the northern suburbs of Perth” which globally doesn’t mean anything.
Another change which is the negative is that with streaming and YouTube etc, people can listen, play and entertain without paying for it. So there’s a bit of an imbalance there where music still costs money to record but you’re essentially giving it away for free. So bands are relying on live gigs – which in itself presents a problem where a great “studio band” may come across green and clunky in a live setting. My overall thought though is things are neither better nor worse.
When people come and watch you play, what words are commonly used to describe you?
“You guys sound like Stereolab.”
What’s been a highlight from the shows you have been to at Lyric’s since it opened?
I like the room a lot – it has a warm sound and friendly vibe. It’s a progression from cavernous beer barns which always sound bad and have zero vibe. I don’t really have a highlight, I enjoy myself every time I go there.
What other acts are you looking forward to catching at Lyric’s Weekender and why?
Lonesome Dove – they remind me of Juliana Hatfield, Veruca Salt etc and also because they are coming out on my label Igloo Records in a couple weeks!
WAYWARD JOHNSON AND THE ADJUSTMENT (Answered by singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Phil Barry)
How long have you been playing for and what’s the biggest difference between now and when you started?
The band have been on the scene for about five years, with all members playing in bands for 20 odd years. A big difference between now and when I started is how you promote your music. Spotify has changed how people listen to music and this affects how you market merchandise. Why buy an album when you can stream it for free? Also, I feel that promotional options are becoming less valuable with Facebook and Instagram being the most popular vices making it easy to overlook or scroll past.
When people come and watch you play, what words are commonly used to describe you?
People often say that we must be fans of Wilco which I personally am happy to wear with pride. We have also been flattered to hear how tight the band is and that we should be bigger than we are.
What’s been a highlight from the shows you have been to at Lyric’s since it opened?
We’ve played a number of shows at Lyric Lane and attended other shows in support of local original bands. Every show that I’ve been to has sounded excellent and been well attended. I personally enjoyed playing in the lane on a beautiful sunny day with a large responsive crowd. An old school Sunday session vibe.
What other acts are you looking forward to catching at Lyric’s Weekender and why?
I’m looking forward to all the other acts on the bill. It’ll be nice to catch up with our friends from The Community Chest.
DOLCE BLUE (Answered by singer/songwriter/guitarist Veronica Zurzolo)
How long have you been playing for and what’s the biggest difference between now and when you started?
We’ve been performing live as a group from mid-2018, and since then our biggest difference has been growth. Growth in support, which has allowed us to expand our network to learn and work alongside some great people, and growth as human beings which has influenced our songwriting, our abilities as musicians, and our confidence and presence on stage.
When people come and watch you play, what words are commonly used to describe you?
“Nice set man” is a classic one, and a lot of “I really liked x song, is it on spotify?” The words “chill” “dreamy” or a variation of them are also often thrown our way.
What’s been a highlight from the shows you have been to at Lyric’s since it opened?
We were lucky enough to play the opening night of Lyric’s, which was incredible playing alongside acts like Big Orange, The Money War, and a personal favourite of mine Lucy Peach. Since then we’ve done two near sell-out headline shows, the bar naming one of their blue cocktails after us! While these have all been right up there in the highlights, I think my favourite would have to be our Nobody Asked single launch, when we came back on stage for the encore and everyone was screaming and dancing along to our song New White Sneakers…it’s something I would have never pictured when I was 15 years old writing that song.
What other acts are you looking forward to catching at Lyric’s Weekender and why?
On the Friday I’m looking forward to catching Lonesome Dove because they have some great songs that really hit that nostalgic 90s craving. I cannot miss Axel Carrington on the Saturday because no one plays the banjo better than that man, and fingers crossed he’ll be wearing his cowboy hat! And on the Sunday Queency will be making me laugh, cry, and stand there in complete awe of that voice of his! All in all, a great weekend.
