Three things in life are certain: death, taxes and Saskwatch’s frontwoman Nkechi Anele mesmorisingly dancing nonstop in every gig. In this case it was especially impressive, with the John Curtin Hotel being excessively hot and humid.
First up was Saskwatch lead guitarist Robert Muinos’ solo project. His down tempo rock, with a tight band featuring some dependably loud drums, excellent guitar solos, well-layered synths and Muinos’ beautiful voice was highly enjoyable. Run My Mind was undoubtedly the best track, with a superb jam at the end.
Melbourne synth-pop duo GL had the front rows dancing harder than drunk mums at an ABBA-themed primary school trivia night. GL are everything ‘80s: shameless pop hooks and electric drums at a frenetic pace. The only thing missing was a grainy, lo-fi MTV film clip with excessive amounts of Lycra and hip thrusting. Madonna fans should watch this space.
Saskwatch started strongly with Give Me a Reason and Born to Break Your Heart, exciting the crowd. Left Me To Die was up next with a sexy guitar and dramatic, bassy horn riff. The nine-piece band were instrumentally flawless throughout, still, frontwoman Nkechi Anele is the absolute star of the group. Her powerful vocals and fantastic dancing captivated the audience.
After their impressive opening, Saskwatch seriously dropped off with a collection of rather average songs. Many in the audience were seemingly underwhelmed, with loud chatter in a couple of these songs. As can be expected, the audience was less involved in the unreleased songs, with most largely failing to capture the crowd. I’m Not Ready For Love Without You was easily the pick of the bunch to be recorded on the next album. After playing this “new shit” Saskwatch promised to play some “old shit” and the crowd was subsequently reawakened. Sadly, only Hands really satisfied the audience. Thankfully, the encore of Jagwar Ma’s Let Her Go was brilliant. The original version of this is excellent in itself, but Saskwatch have adapted it and made it their own. The horn section in this cover version are great.
Ultimately, Saskwatch failed to bring their usual high standard to this performance, with too many disappointing songs between the start and end.
BY JOSH THORBURN
Loved: A lot of drunk people.
Hated: A lot of drunk people falling into me.
Drank: Water.
