Review: (Artificial) Nights at Four5Nine Bar
(Artificial) Nights at Four5Nine Bar
w/ Lake Mammoth, Stacks of Bible, Indi Steedman
Friday, June 26, 2026
It was a festive affair from the start, with the small bar bustling with friends and curious punters alike to check out this new band comprised of veteran Perth musos Themba Pitts, Jimmy Swift, Ben Leevers, Patrick Cavalli, and Oli Nelson from various previous bands, including The Tigers, Electric Limousine, Druid Lee Roth and Extended Summer Surgery.
To help them make the night a grand affair, they brought with them a swag of great supports. Local singer-songwriter Indi Steedman kicked off the night, before Stack of Bibles got things rocking. The five-piece filled the stage and room with their laid-back rock ‘n’ roll with a folky, alt-country, acoustic twang, complete with a banjo and some great lead guitar work. At times reminiscent of Tim Rogers & the Twin Set, they even have a song about him, Oh Timmy. Finishing with their rollicking tune Lucky, they proved to be a great band that went down smooth like an easy-drinking ale with a whisky chaser.
Next up was Lake Mammoth, who took things up a notch with their big sound. More of a groove-based instrumental psychedelic rock band, with some cool retro movie visuals playing on the screen behind them. Some tracks had a heavier sound and some great guitar riffs, with a touch of funk and bluesy, swamp rock riffs reminiscent of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.
But the men of the hour were (Artificial) Nights, and they took the stage to cheers from the packed room. With quite a different sound to the bands before them, their songs are all quite epic in scope—a crystalline edge from the layered synth over Jimmy Swift’s sharp guitar riffs, locked down by the tight rhythm section and Patrick Cavalli’s solid, thumping bass lines.
There’s a depth and layered post-punk, post-rock sound to their songs, and vocalist Themba Pitts adds a dynamic edge and flair with his performance, arms flailing, immersed in the music.
His confidence and charisma making up for any new-band nerves or shortcomings. They’re a band with great songs, experience and potential that sees them destined for bigger stages where their sound and stage presence would be fully realised.
One track had a sound reminiscent of The Cure, and then soon after, to confirm their influences, they capably covered one of The Cure’s greatest early tracks, A Forest, getting hollers from the crowd as the ominous bassline thundered in.
Other tracks had a bigger wall of sound, drenched with reverb, distortion and heavy melodic bass, giving a darker edge that was reminiscent of Tool at times.
The band seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as the crowd, relishing the opportunity to finally perform these songs they have crafted for a live audience. There’s a chemistry between the group and a unique edge to their sound, and whatever minor glitches popped up during the night will undoubtedly be ironed out as they play more.
There was a lot of love and contagious enthusiasm in the room to see these guys on stage again. A definite band to watch, it will be exciting to see where the future takes (Artificial) Nights.
ALFRED GORMAN
Photos by Alfred Gorman
