Seiche @ Secret Warehouse Location
w/ Grunge Barbie, Black Antlers, Trebt, Experiential Lunar Glitchloop, c-bat, Miss B Savage, Lawsome, Doth
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Local electronic duo Seiche have only recently emerged on the Perth music scene, but they haven’t waited long to make everyone take notice. Their first-ever headline show was to celebrate the launch of their debut vinyl EP Arete, and they pulled out all the stops to create an event that was truly special.
The ‘secret’ location for the event appeared to be more than a marketing gimmick, with those who planned to attend still scrambling to find details even hours before the event. Upon arrival at the not-to-be-disclosed warehouse at the West Perth end of the CBD, patrons were informed that photos were not allowed, and to hammer the point home, stickers were put over the camera lense of their phones instead of a wrist stamp once they had entered.
The venue was something to behold. It was less of a ‘warehouse’ as it was an active local business that had cleared the floors to make way for a very extraordinary event. There were stacks of amps reaching to the rooftops, a DJ desk set up on the mezzanine, laser light shows and epic street art, but all in a dark and rustic aesthetic, making the place feel like some kind of gothic wonderland. The effort that went into decking out this one-time venue was really impressive.
There were a number of obscure, experimental and fascinating acts across an epic bill that spread from 8:30pm til 3am including Grunge Barbie, Black Antlers, Trebt, Experiential Lunar Glitchloop, c-bat, Miss B Savage, Lawsome and Doth.
With music set to go into the early hours, Seiche opted for the prime time slot rather than being the traditional headliner playing last. Their set kicked off at 10pm with singer Emma Lucia clearly appreciative of the size of the crowd and the level of support shown for the release. While typically a duo, they had special guest Chris Best from Tiny Beats on saxophone to compliment their tunes and the blend of dynamics it served for the songs went down a treat. Guitarist Tristan Dziga was also controlling the textured trip-hop inspired drum and bass backing tracks from his laptop in the mix. With such a passionate crowd (seriously it seemed like the loudest cheer decibels per person possible) it was hard not to get into the groove.
Following up was Grunge Barbie, the solo moniker of local singer-songwriter Shinead Ruby who was performing with a full band for the first time. Admittedly, this was as much of a drawcard for the evening as the headliners themselves. Accompanied by Kiera Owen from New Talk on bass and Germaine Jones from Trolley Boy on drums, the injection of a rhythm section gave the songs a greater sense of urgency and power than her previous solo performances. There was energy, attitude and more importantly, a revelation of a strong catalogue of songs.
After Grunge Barbie the night kicked on with DJs, a fire-breathing steel-grinding cabaret act, and with the BYO alcohol policy, people were getting well involved. Possibly, for the same reason (with their being no active bar) some patrons evidently ran out of booze and the crowds started to thin out around midnight.
Seiche and the weird and wonderful artists that supported during the night provided a memorable and entertaining experience for everyone who came. Their blend of performances along with a truly one-of-a-kind venue provided a feast for the senses worthy of the occasion. Check out the EP on vinyl, we recommend it.
BRAYDEN EDWARDS
