Live Review: The Gametes, Whalehouse, Disco Indians

It's not very often that a band comes along in Brisbane that goes so far left of what everyone else is doing yet manages to garner a fanbase bigger than most. Yet, with their wild antics, concept-heavy punk band The Gametes are doing just that. Launching their debut album at The Foundry as part of their "last hurrah" before inevitably turning to space technology as their next business venture, the four young specimens took to the stage for a night of fun with a sea of ravenous consumers.

Of course, at a show with such high levels of "weird", you have to have supporting bands that are confident to challenge what you expect of music in Brisbane. Opening are Disco Indians, a band full of surprises, including most noticeably a cover of Robot Stop by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Members of the band are dressed in hodgepodge attire, ranging from Maleficient-esque looks all the way through to the singer looking like what can only be described as a "space wizard". Their music channels elements of Rush and Peter Frampton mixed with the kind of fuzzy punk you'd expect from The Misfits.

Out with the dreamy punk of Disco Indians and in with the in-your-face power of Whalehouse. One of the most promising punk bands in Brisbane, and confidently the most fun, Whalehouse are a three-piece femme punk powerhouse. In a haze of dance moves, headbanging, and the best costumes this side of The Beat, Whalehouse hit the stage dressed as if they had been subject to the poisonous Gametes material known as SPUM. Highlights of their set are the ferocious screams of Fresh Bread and the crowd-fuelled mayhem of Sexy Whale Beach Party. Channelling the fun, tongue-in-cheek sound of The B-52s, as well as elements of Devo, Whalehouse moves from strength to strength as they force the crowd to dance with their infectious energy. If you haven't seen Whalehouse yet, do yourself a favour - don the loudest colours you have and head to their next gig.

Finally, the Takiyama Corporation takes over The Foundry for the potentially final show of experimental punk band The Gametes, whose debut album The Astronomical Calamities Of Comet Jones was one of the most anticipated albums of the year for Brisbane music scene aficionados. Wearing safety goggles and the official Gametes-issued uniform, the four-piece hit the stage with eight-minute album opener The Colour Out Of Space; a wild musical exploration that dives headfirst into the world of The Gametes before the audience can put on their seatbelts. Immediately, the near sold-out crowd are moshing in unison, not an easy feat considering the various turns the track takes.

As the spectacle of the opener comes to a close, the driving bass of The Hive, Pt 1 forces our feet to start trembling and our body to start convulsing. The mosh begins as a hive of jumping bodies, and as the crowd transitions from jumping to gyrating you would think there was a rabies outbreak. Dipping into the back catalogue with 2017 hit Stuck In A Turnstile, The Gametes refuse to let their crazed fans breathe. One of the few breaks in the set comes during the end of The Hive, Pt 2 when a seemingly crazed old man runs on stage playing the flute. Could this be a random man off the street or a brilliant actor? We will never know.

Having only released an EP and album thus far, there is not a huge selection of tracks for The Gametes to throw into their set. However, punters get the creme de la creme of their catalogue with favourites such as The Shower Spider and Megalopolis releasing the inner maniacs in the crowd. A Gametes show is not all about the music, however, and their performance art and onstage antics are integral to why the band are on so many people's lips right now. In the past, The Gametes have featured men on exercise bikes on stage, but for this gig, the boys kept it clean. However, the between song banter and mandatory awkwardness was definitely a highlight.

While the band are taking an extended hiatus as of now, their show at The Foundry cements The Gametes as a force to be reckoned with when they hopefully return to the stage in 2019. Big things are on the horizon and we can only hope for album number two or at least a national tour.