I entered the Spectrum to the sweet sound of Melbourne duo Owl Eyes. Lead singer Brooke Addamo accompanied by the slick guitar moves of Geordie Hewitt proved a powerful combination. Unfortunately I only heard the final track, but it was a cracker. And having listened now to their debut EP, I have to say that Brooke’s voice is not only lovely live but it’s beautiful on record, too. A band worthy of your attention.
Spectrum slowly filled up as Metals took to the stage. The duo of Femme Metale and Digital Primate (who we interviewed here), become a true four piece band on the stage, bringing quite the unique blend of music for our listening pleasure. In spite of the average attendance and the small space that surrounded them, Metals could have easily been playing on any stage in the country – big or small. They had great presence and talent to boot. In her voice, Femme reminds me of Jill Scott – that soulful, yet totally danceable feel that can impress in any setting.
Meanwhile, the music was filled with so many influences, it’s hard to know where to begin. There’s reggae in there, R&B too, rock and roll – both classic and new wave – and of course dance and electronica. There’s even sci-fi influence thanks to the sampling of the Doctor Who theme during “Drop Your Guard”. It’s this smashing single that they were celebrating the release of tonight, and they brought along the Box Wars kids from the music video to celebrate:
During “I Am Not A Diva”, two guys dressed as cardboard astronauts, complete with cardboard guitars and keyboards, came to jump around on stage and in the audience – before smacking the shit out of each other until their outfits were completely destroyed. Firstly, I have to complement Box Wars on the pure craftmanship of their outfits. They clearly have too much time on their hands. And it was a pity I had to smash a keyboard over one of them, leaving them to crawn away, emerging later as a money with a banana (again made of cardboard – so impressive!) as the band played away at tracks like “Gossip”, “Super Size” and of course, “Drop Your Guard”
Some may consider the inclusion of Box Wars into their live performance a gimmick, but so what if it is? Sure, it took some of the attention away from the music, but it made the live show a memorable one – and with some much average entertainment on offer these days, it’s these sort of gimmicks that do set Metals apart from the rest. Hell, if Daft Punk are going to tour a glowing pyramid around the world, who’s to argue? It’s all part of the experience.
And the Metals experience is one you should all have the pleasure of enjoying.
