Pictured: Tired Lion
The WA music scene is without question among the finest in this country. I dare say it gives Melbourne a run for its money, winning out with its vast and eclectic nature. From experimental electronic to psychedelic rock, pop grooves and indie beats, there is something to be found for everyone here. It’s what makes this list so difficult – no two bands were the same. But that said, there were a few favourites that stuck out from my weekend in Perth. Here are the WA bands you need to check out:
Tired Lion
Playing the WAM Opening Party on Thursday night at The Bakery, Tired Lion remained a stand out for the entire weekend, with a well polished performance. Featuring killer riffs – simple but performed with bravado – excellent stage presence and a growing repertoire, Tired Lion are an act to keep your eye on. There’s plenty of 90s rock vibes here – citing influences from the Pumpkins to the Jebediahs (and comparisons to bands like Garbage and artists like PJ Harvey will be hard to avoid) – and they do it with style. Here’s hoping they maintain the grungy, underground vibe they’ve got going for them and doing get pushed down a “too produced” road… the former should treat them very well indeed.
Timothy Nelson and The Infidels
Hitting the stage as part of the WA Music Awards on Friday night – and winning a slew of vinyl trophies along the way – Timothy Nelson proved to be well worth the acclaim with spellbinding tracks and a beautiful falsetto. As the fro’d singer/songwriter jumped between the keys and the guitar, Nelson and his band performed with indie pop flair, all proving themselves stellar musicians in their own right. The guitarist was phenomenal, while the violinist added charm to the already hypnotizing performance. “Mary Lou” was a stunner, taking things to a psychedelic level, and “All The People”, their latest single, ended the set, bringing forth memories of Hard-Fi. A must see band.
Jacob Diamond
Jacob Diamond is a local singer/songwriter who performed as part of the Saturday Spectacular, standing with an electric guitar, backed by a drummer/percussionist. A simple set up that served his excellent tracks well. There was some impressive writing on display, though ultimately you’re left with what is a phenomenal voice, with excellent control and impressive range.
He jumped between tracks like “Who Do We Fight For?”, which would do John Mayer proud, while the country laden “If and When I Die” was a stand out, featuring Diamond solo on the guitar. He also added some loop pedal in the mix for a cover of ELO’s “Turn To Stone”. Though I didn’t quite hear a breakthrough track – and his mix of genres proves him to be an artist still finding his feet – the performance definitely promised the young talent to be an artist worth paying attention to.
Our Man in Berlin
With diverse elements of Foals, Sigur Ros, James Blake, Radiohead and a pile of others, Our Man in Berlin have carved up a sound that is uniquely their own with their EP is it right? released earlier this year. The five piece, fronted by the stunning falsetto of Haydn Mansell, are without question a tight, professional band, who are producing music that’s not only unique to the local Perth scene, but adding something which I believe is one of a kind to the national scene, too. The set ended with the single “Flight”, a highlight of the night.
Coin Banks
And finally, Coin Banks delivered one of the best received sets at the Saturday Spectacular Block Party; an impressive hip hop performance supported by an excellent brass ensemble. It was like something straight out of New Orleans, with stand out stage presence to boot. He also joined Slumberjack later in the night to add some live rhymes to their excellent DJ set.
…and the best of the rest…
Now of course, this barely scratches the surface of the amazing music on offer over the last 3 days at WAM. In light of this, I want to make a special mention to a couple of other performances that just missed this list – the soulful, funk laden vibes of The Armani Consort, who are destined to play at Bluesfest, Pat Chow, another band who started the festival off right at the opening party, The Weapon is Sound with megaphones, a pile of jams and Reggae beats, Slumberjack for a stand out DJ set and Kucka for putting together some of the most interesting electronic music in the country right now.
Photos by Johnny Au. See more reviews and photos in the WAM Festival Hub
