As much an institution as a record label, Chapter Music’s 22nd birthday is a milestone worth celebrating. Over the last couple of decades, Guy Blackman’s brainchild has nourished a cunningly selected roster of uncompromising, uniquely Australian artists. Bringing in another year for Chapter, today’s lineup featured a bunch of defiantly original and mostly female performers.
Melbourne-based singer/songwriter Laura Jean’s one of the best we’ve got. Her songs are sometimes so unassuming they could be mistaken as simply pleasant. But tune in a little closer and Jean’s off-centre artistry becomes mighty apparent. Today, as Jean niftily picked her nylon string guitar, a three-piece band added keys, viola/ bass, drums and emphatic backing vocals. The setlist focused on Jean’s recent self-titled LP, which meant a number of keenly perceptive tales, such as the self-aware ode to new love, First Love Song, and the detailed account of coping with family dysfunction, A Mirror on the Earth.
Last seen on stage back in 2011, ‘90s punk rock outcasts Little Ugly Girls have lost none of their knife-wielding danger. Fronted by the indomitable Linda Johnston, the four-piece wiped clear any notion of sanitised rock’n’roll. Their songs were fast and often brief, but every howled vocal utterance, phrase of delinquently distorted guitar, blasted technical drum beat and filthy bass groove was absolutely vital.
Today’s deserved headliners were Melbourne shoegaze, pysch rockers Beaches. Shoegaze and pysch-rock are two regularly misapplied – and just about outmoded – genre tags, but they seem apt for describing the Beaches sensation. This wasn’t a display of showy rock’n’roll. Rather, the all-woman quintet used pert rhythms and washes of guitar noise to establish an atmosphere that evoked Polaroid-shaped images of lost youth. Vocals don’t exactly lead the way through Beaches songs, but there’s certainly a strong melodic presence. Accordingly, sparks never flew, but the setlist journeyed through high after high and you couldn’t help but be impressed by the distinction this band brings to seemingly muddy and restricted rock sub-types.
Thanks Chapter music, who “fucking saved” Jean’s life, got Little Ugly Girls back on stage and knew a good thing when they heard it with Beaches, Pikelet and stacks more. Here’s to 22 more years of loving excellent music.
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
Loved: The number of Chapter artists strewn through the crowd.
Hated: QVM woolshed-cum-heat chamber.
Drank: To me, drank to my health.
