Axe Girl/Moana/Mossy Fogg
PICA Bar
Friday, November 22, 2013
Raw, honest, and crammed into the corner of a vibrant PICA Bar, Rag N’ Bones took the next step in their upsurging careers, providing a night of body moving rock that sent an overwhelmingly sized and lively crowd home happy.
Mossy Fogg kick started the night, flaunting groovy bass riffs and solid song structures that built from mellow intros to killer choruses leaving early arrivals tapping their feet and applauding. Turin Robinsons’ incredible ability to flawlessly transition between deep and light vocals was a rare and unique experience, however it was Noah Skape playing the ‘chain in a bucket’ that was the highlight.
As the PICA Bar began to fill up, a solid circle began to form around the corner stage as the topic of conversation centred on endorsement for Moana, and boy did they live up to the hype. With a dark, atmospheric vibe, heavy bass and clangy contrasting guitar; Moana Lutton showed no restrain, intoxicating the crowd with a powerful and outstanding voice, filling the room with a gripping echo. It may have been psychedelic, but that didn’t contain their energy. Making the most of the space she had, Lutton exploded into frenzied head-banging and dance, owning the stage and threatening to steal the show.
Following their fiery performance, Axe Girl picked up the vibe again, supplying energetic, headshaking rock with aggression and charisma. The crowd began to fill up (almost on top of them) as their punchy, energetic choruses sent the crowd into a bopping, swaying and screaming craze. Warren Myers provided full-proof guitar solos and dynamic riffs, highlighted in their new single Give Me Your Tee Shirt, which flowed off Addison Axe’s defiant and relentless vocals. Ending strong, Myers provided an awesome intro riff that was hard not to air guitar too, these guys were fierce and fun.
Finally it was time for the main attraction. As we waited for Rag N’ Bone to finish their setup it became clear how far the quartet have come in over a year. PICA was loaded with eager listeners, with very little space to move or even exit. There were crowds forming at the windows outside listening in, and the beer line for the bar was oddly quiet. The crowd had pushed right up to a few centimetres in front of the band, with people constantly moving for a better view. As the feedback ringed out, the crowd was cheering in anticipation. Rag N’ Bones delivered a tight sound full of groovy bass, unapologetic backing growls and Kiera Owen’s versatile vocals. Guitarist Axel Carrington is one crazy individual on stage, and it’s incredibly entertaining to watch. The bands second song Rampant Alcoholism had to be the highlight of the set, in which Carrington tremolo’d so hard his cap fell off. The track received a huge ovation, and rightfully so, as the band seamlessly travelled between slow melodic guitar to punchy riffs within a dominating chorus. Drummer, Jamie Gallacher, showed flawlessness in his transitions between multiple rolls and fills, whilst bassist, Sara McPherson had her fair share of edgy drives. By the end of their set, nobody had exited and cheers were echoing long after the final song. If the attendance and crowd participation wasn’t enough, the merch sales from the night will prove that the future is looking bright for these guys.
AARON BRYANS
