It’s been a big year for Melbourne’s finest purveyors of indie disco dance jams, and the boys of World’s End Press are showing no signs of slowing down as they raised the roof off the Northcote Social Club on the first show of their national Faithful EP launch tour.
First on the billing was the bizarre electronic sampling machine known as Butcher Blades.The local three piece cranked out the big bass beats with their unique blend of tribal rhythms, harmonised chanting and disco that sounds like Jinja Safari on speed. Had it been 2am in a darkened room with a bunch of glow stick wearing revellers spastic dancing under the influence of illicit substances and youthful indifference, their set would’ve been amazing. However as it was 9:30pm on a Friday night in a half empty band room, watching the boys convulsing in front of their laptops and drum machine, with their dodgy pool boy mo’s and kitsch 80’s attire, didn’t make for an engaging live experience. If you’re a fan of dance then check out Butcher Blades, in the right setting their music has the potential to be awesome.
Next up was Sophia Brous and her band of misfits. Sophia put on an odd but entertaining show with her eccentric mannerisms and naughty librarian outfit; she’s a born entertainer who would benefit from a more unified backing band. They began the set with a few alt. country tunes that quickly changed into moody jazz infused pop that wouldn’t have been out of place in a smoky, dimly lit club in a seedy Parisian back alley. Her vocal work was average, but she gave her all to the performance and has a beguiling stage presence in spite of the strange aesthetic of the band. Whilst Sophia dazzled the audience with her quirky display, her band mates looked to be a bored ensemble of high school drop outs that lurked in the background listlessly providing the music for the star of the show that was busy making love to the microphone and ended every song with a strange vocal gargle that was peculiar, but entertaining. Sophia Brous is definitely one to watch with her intriguing performance that’ll leave you wondering if she’s inspired comedic genius or has just smoked one too many cones.
World’s End Press took to the stage in a blaze of white shirts, skinny ties and face paint and launched straight into a killer rendition of “Long Live All of the Nights to Come”. The boys know how to entertain and once again donned matching attire and jumped all over the stage hyping up the audience to dance and sing along with them. John Parkinson is a charismatic front man whose vocals are flawless live. His passion and energy is infectious as he got down on his knees and belted out the lyrics to “Only The Brave”, “Golden Child” and “Faithful”. A World’s End Press live show is like having a house party with a few hundred of your closest friends. The boys emit a friendly, chilled out vibe as they invite you to dance up a storm to their 80’s infused synth heavy extravaganza’s, with the only downside of the set being the notable absence of their Pet Shop Boys cover “West End Girls”, which has quickly become a fan favourite.
It’s great to see World’s End Press finally garnering the recognition they deserve as one of the best live acts in Melbourne, with the boys playing to a packed house, who were left exhausted, exhilarated and drenched in sweat as they danced their arses off to the gloriously happy disco pop tunes. Be sure to catch World’s End Press as they tour the nation this month ahead of a slew of summer festival appearances in preparation for the release of their highly anticipated debut record, due out on Love + Mercy records in early 2011.
