Holly Doll/Cavalier/Silver Foxes
Bar Four5Nine
Friday, January 30, 2015
The weather was warm on Friday, and the dark little bar that is Four5Nine was even warmer. An array of punters hung around drinking and laughing while DJ Holly Doll played some classic punk tunes in the background. The Order Of The Black Werewolf are firm favourites in the rock scene and a number of Perth’s best musicians were out in support of them.
Opening the night was Cavalier, one of the dirtiest, grunge bands this side of 1994. Led by the shrieking vocals of guitarist Jarrad ‘Shitbird’ Carr, the band obliterated our eardrums with a set of bass-heavy rock songs. Jarrad is a frontman that reeks of presence. There’s a certain amount of menace he brings to the stage, something dark and cynical that flirts with humour. It takes what could be a light-hearted performance and makes it something mischievous. Realising late that they were totally blowing over their allotted set time they finished up quickly, but still somehow left the room wanting more.
The Order Of The Black Werewolf took to the stage with the room packed to the very back. It seemed a huge number of people had turned up to check them out and support the release of their debut album, Cilla Black.
They hit the stage and played through some of their classics such as Death Came Quicker Than He Thought It Would, which has been a crowd favourite for a while now. The well known songs had the crowd dancing and moving all the way through the room.
These guys kind of feel like the love child of Black Sabbath and Agent Orange, a deafening mix of hard rock and surf with a hint modernity. Being the launch of their debut album, they played an assortment of new tunes in amongst the favourites. Though unfamiliar, the new songs carried beautifully, characterised by their signature sound and energy. Vocalist Mike Wafer’s voice soars over everything; he has an amazingly powerful voice. Anyway, if you haven’t already bought a copy of Cilla Black, make sure that you do!
Last up were melodic upstarts Silver Foxes – the bona fide supergroup of Perth punk. The numbers had started to dwindle a little, which was disappointing because Silver Foxes have got to be one of the best bands in town. These guys perfectly capture that ‘90s style sound, the pitch-perfect harmonies and simple progressions performed with absolute precision. The songs were short and they wasted no time in bouncing from one to another. There were a few people bouncing and bopping at the front of the stage, showing their appreciation for the huge dose of fun that Silver Foxes deliver.
Definitely a great way to close out the night. Next time I hope to see more people in the crowd for these boys!
DAVE MULLINS
