Live Review: A Not So Silent Night

Renowned for his active musicianship as a local and international busker, Benny Mayhem shares his passionate enthusiasm for bringing underground folk/punk into the lime light of Perth scene.

Mayhem’s candid personality and knowledge of the world gives him unique lyrical edge. He is one of the catchiest solo folk-punk writers in Perth along with the likes of Noah Skape.

The skilful art of merging elements of punk, grunge and psychedelic blues is three-piece The Drools. Their riffs are spanky and raw with a high-end wailing vocal. Their tunes are formidably loud, sporting the Fender Deluxe amp and their heavy handed drummer Jake. 

The four-piece fronted by left-handed guitarist Jenna Pozzi, going under the name Gold Suns, projected their alt-rock to the individuals in the four5nine bar. Only their fourth gig, their sound tonight recalls Weezer’s early stuff.

The lo-fi, psychedelic blues, four-piece Segue Safari produce some of the most relaxing and ambient music there is in Perth. Their smooth synth swells and lead shoegazer effected guitars take you to another galaxy with their spaced-out grooves.

The fun lyrics, the punk, the trumpets, the fuzz, the burgers… Burgers Of Beef are a happy-go-lucky bunch of adult children. Of course, these guys still mean business, playing really uplifting shows with pure comic value, including songs like Monkeys Stole My Eggs.

Local Perth supergroup The Long Lost Brothers comprised of band members from Adam Said Galore, The Love Junkies and more. Quaint riffs and sombre basslines over the unruly, articulate drum measures make for one of those must-see rarities.

Rag ’N’ Bone bust out an elegant style of roaring basslines, a hyperactive guitar and the deep, anticipating vocals of frontperson Kiera Owen — her voice reminiscent of Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries.

The mosh was ready, the three lads were ready — ready to head bang to the indulgent wall of sound that is PUCK. Their dirty, slothy, doomy-sludge riffs created a great atmosphere, the floor of the four5nine bar stained with sweat. Their new split album has gotten some great recognition and has all eyes watching as they prepare for the forthcoming second EP.

It is no surprise to see the likes of Pat Chow on a festival line-up as smokin’ hot as the pre-Xmas A Not So Silent Night after the airplay they’ve received for their latest track Bad Thoughts. The recent release of their debut album Are You Okay has driven them into a much more pragmatic musical direction with the same heaviness and energy in their gigs and songs, but more dynamic changes that make the lyrics of Ben Protasiewicz more noticeable to the keen listener.

The solo career of Regurgitator Ben Ely has led the singer down a much more folky road. His realistic lyrics, on topics like death, and clear singing easily remind of Australian folk legend Paul Kelly. Ely performs in raw form and conveys pragmatic songs of wisdom and truth.

The fuzz-driven guitars and playful organic synth leads are unmistakably the sound of '90s alt-rockers Turnstyle. They have been working hard on a new album titled Time = Function and chose to take this opportunity to test out some of their new material on the festival crowd. The rolling tom beats and the low-end riffs blend well with the classic soft-sung '90s punk vocal so beloved of this genre's fans.

The final headliners of the night, The Love Junkies ripped up the Rosemount main room with their massive intro before melding into Chemical Motivation. They continued on to play Television and frontman Mitch McDonald passed off a funny comment about someone knocking his beer over. stating “don’t worry, I brought some extras… who do you think I am, huh?” The Junkies played their new hit You’re The Pins In My Ears, You’re The Salt In My Eyes.