Live Review: Perfect Pussy, Low Life, Tanned Christ, Todd Anderson-Kunert

A venue change might explain the small crowd that turned out early to see Melbourne noise artist Todd Anderson-Kunert. Bleak, industrial soundscapes littered his solo set and punters seemed only vaguely interested. He’s skilled, but it all felt a little out of place for the night.

Sydney’s Tanned Christ were on next, changing the pace with intense hardcore cuts. Playing tunes from last year’s Edifice, the boys ripped through a quick set of stinging metal. They were the clear highlight of the support acts. Street Change and Provider were standouts.

Sydney’s Low Life came on with brutal feedback. The edges turned bitter and harsh, killing ears. Drummer Greg Alfaro held the songs together as they often stumbled under their own noise. Hammertime was a highlight though, as were some thrashing outros. Near the end singer Mitch Tolman threw up his fingers and spat at the crowd – a good metaphor for the show. A lot of the set hinged on being abrasive, but frequently lacked real substance.

That was in contrast to Perfect Pussy, who opened to a dark stage and an incessant drone before launching into Driver from last year’s excellent Say Yes To Love. The mix was off early, surprisingly, given the time keyboardist Shaun Sutkus spent with the sound engineer beforehand. The drums from Garrett Koloski were huge and pummelling – worth the admission alone – but swallowed the delayed vocals of frontwoman Meredith Graves. Worse was how lean the guitars started.

Regardless of sound, the band gave everything and the set quickly tightened up. By the time Interference Fits and Work rolled around everything was on point, with Graves writhing and her band frenetic behind her. The intent was clear. They tore up for another relentless quarter of an hour, ending in a confused quiet after all the rage. But the show was never oppressive., it’s wildness never exclusive. It was aggressive and personal, yet still violently open-hearted.