Joe Strummer once said, a band’s “only as good as its drummer.” In the case of Eves The Behavior, this estimation would indicate you’re in for something very special. Although the solo project of Brisbane-via-Sydney songwriter Hannah Karydas, the Eves live show was a united a three-person operation. Make no mistake, Karydas was the star of show – she stood front and centre, alternating between two vocal microphones (one for her belting lead vocals, the other utilised during intermittent outbreaks of impassioned rap-yelling) and moving with graceful purpose. Between songs, she endeared herself to the crowd, offering brief lyrical summations and revealing a positive nervous energy.
Meanwhile, Karydas’ two on-stage co-conspirators played a crucial role in giving this performance a towering impact. The early Eves recordings (before ‘The Behavior’ was added to her onstage moniker) revolved around the electric guitar, but Karydas has recently shifted into the realm of synthesised pop anthems. On stage left, Ross James attended to a broad panel of computers, sample pads and synthesisers in order to carry out the songs’ layered instrumental arrangements. On stage right, drummer Dave Jenkins manoeuvred between an acoustic kit and sample pad, often simultaneously, manually building a wall of robust percussion.
The input of her band members gave Karydas the freedom to lose herself in her songs – something that compounded the setlist’s dramatic effect. The curious paradox of Eves the Behavior is how Karydas’ literary inquisitiveness interacts with the populist tilt of her songs. Karydas preluded one song by explaining it was inspired by Shakespeare, while the recent single TV came with the disclaimer that using film and television as buffers for personal issues isn’t exactly healthy. Yet, for the most part, her songs reached for arena-pop heights; a somewhat incongruous match for the thematic subtext.
Karydas’ pop-song craft is well developed, and the band are more than equipped to wholeheartedly follow that path. On the other hand, when Karydas and co detoured into more experimental territory, a world of intriguing left-field possibilities reared its head. All the ingredients are there for something truly impressive, only time will tell which path Karydas chooses to pursue.
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
Loved: NSC sound.
Hated: All Sunday sessions must come to an end.
Drank: To the chagrin of my doctor.
