The Bats, Alabaster Theatre, Thought Creature & Pacific Bass Culture
27th of February, Union Hall
Free concert. Interesting crowd.
For most of the evening, the audience sat in anticipation for Flying Nun legends: the Bats. Some scant few daring to brave verticality for Alabaster Theatre.
Thought Creature vomited up some moments of interest, but spent the majority of their set catering to their lead singer’s eccentricities. His pseudo-Cobain tantrums didn’t win him any new friends and a detour into reciting the chorus of New Order’s Blue Monday was more comical than entertaining. Should they ever choose to write a song though, watch out. In their more vicious moments of feedback, they did momentarily touch upon rock bliss, ‘nirvana’ even.
Alabaster Theatre recaptured the audiences’ attention with a melodramatic blend of far-too-loud ‘keytar’ and progressive guitar riffs. Though young, their inspiring blend of surging rock and classical composition definitely won me over. They even managed to summon an apocalyptic air for a song describing ‘two children lost in the woods’. Any local Muse fan should definitely head their way; they’re a band with success firmly set within their ornately decorated sights. Epic stuff.
The Bats promised something far more professional and delivered tenfold. Seasoned road warriors Robert Scott and Kaye Woodward switching bass and guitar duties halfway through with only a casual shrug between them. Finally the sleeping audience managed to get up off the floor and slouched into nonchalant hipster slam-dancing positions. Each song was a perfectly crafted jangly-guitar pop gem. Awesomeness prevailed. You didn’t go? Shame.
