Gold Class’ debut album It’s You (released last September) stood out for its sparse soundscapes. However, this was all thrown out live, and it was balls-to-the-wall for an hour. The band returned to the Northcote Social Club with a bang on Saturday night, and those who attended the sold out gig won’t have left disappointed. Launching their split 7” with Mere Women, who played before them, it was a triumphant return to their hometown after some recent overseas touring.
Kicking off with Bite Down, Gold Class wasted little time working into their set. They jumped from tune to tune with barely so much as a g’day for the first half of the set. They sounded tight and the longer the set lasted, the more the crowd seemed to get into it. While it actually did implode at one point and they had to restart a song, the tightness of the rhythm section and the hypnotic playing of drummer Mark Hewitt kept the band in check, driving them all night. You’ve probably never seen a bloke concentrating harder than Hewitt was behind the drums.
The band is very much post-punk, and vocalist Adam Curley channels the sound of Smiths-era Morrissey and Joy Division’s Ian Curtis. If he has greater range to his voice, it wasn’t on show, nor was it required. They continued to run through songs from their debut album, and Life As A Gun especially turned the crowd into a writhing jungle of bodies.
However, the feeling in the room changed when bassist Jon Shub announced that their set was dedicated to Adrian Slattery, the Melbourne muso and member of Major Major and Big Smoke, who recently passed away. The touching gesture was followed by Shingles (Stay A While), the slowest song in the band’s repertoire. Dedicating the set to Slattery was a class act, and Gold Class showed they’re not just a bunch of blokes thrashing around.
BY ELIJAH HAWKINS
Loved: The packed bandroom.
Hated: The tram running late afterwards.
Drank: The sweat of Adam Curley as he came and sang in the crowd right next to me.
