Live Review: Loobs, Jarrow, Pinch Points, CB Radio

The night at Howler opens with newcomers CB Radio, who right from the get-go give off the impression that you’re in for something odd yet fun. Each member of the band is wearing bright colours that don’t match, which is probably the best metaphor for their music; it’s weird, beats come out of nowhere and the lyrics include bizarre lines like, "I used to be a taxi now I’m just an ugly yellow car/I used to be Siam now I am Thailand/I used to be a suburb now I’m a part of a city." It’s completely unconventional and that’s what made the fans get into it. There were more than a few laughs and grins from the audience and CB Radio seemed happy to keep everyone amused and confused.

Pinch Points go the opposite route; they have a formula and they stick to it the entire performance. Their songs keep a steady, loud beat and they make use of three vocalists to make absolutely sure you’re not missing out. The only drawback is that they don’t so much as sing, as yell; it’s not loud enough to be passionate and not melodic enough to be harmonious with the music they’re playing, feeling like their lyrics were added after their music. Still, their drive for consistency means by the end of their last song, everyone is on their feet for the beat.

Somewhat breaking expectations is Jarrow, with Dan Oke using a lighter vocal range that hits some pretty impressive high notes at times. Their music is also atypical for a rock band, with many of their earlier songs having an almost psychedelic feel to them, and the ones in the middle sounding almost like ballads, before finishing off with a few more recognisable rocking beats, all in Oke's fascinating vocal range. 'Higher pitched' is the MO with their music too; their instruments and sound match the singing, octave for octave. This perhaps causes some stress to their equipment, as they have more than one technical malfunction mid-performance, often tuning during breaks in the music. But they keep to it like professionals and give us all their unique brand of squeaky-high music.

Loobs come to end our night with a bang and deliver a powerhouse of a performance, with some truly epic guitar riffs and clear, defined beats. Lead vocalist Alex Pink's powerful yet melodic voice lulls you into thinking you’re in for a soft ballad, before immediately kicking into some pounding rock, showing impressive range. The band cleverly make use of volume, playing generally loud but quietening at the lyrics, going back and forth often with only a few seconds in between. The only drawback is occasionally the band overuse cymbals, especially in their early songs, which sometimes drowns out the rest of the music. All that is still overshadowed by the band's pure skill at keeping to various tempos at rapid pace and are definitely one worth seeing.