Sydneysiders Mere Women have been on my radar since the launch of their split 7” with Gold Class back in May. Naturally then, I was looking forward to their gig at The Evelyn last Friday and they didn’t disappoint.
The good thing about punk songs is that they generally range between 40 seconds and three minutes in length, so if you don’t like a certain song, it’s over pretty soon. It also means that you can fit heaps of songs into a pretty short set, which is what Ouch My Face did to great effect. The Milk! Records rockers mixed the perfect amount of sloppiness and tightness into their playing to leave it at times teetering on the point of destruction before bringing it right back in. Such was the calibre of their performance, that the start of the Mere Women set felt like it lacked a little…punk.
They are more synth and reverb heavy than Ouch My Face, but once the ringing of the punk trio in our ears subsided, Mere Women really were a treat. After a tentative first song, they launch into Heave Ho. Its guitar riff was complemented by the synth, rather than clashing with it, as it seemed to on some occasions throughout the night.
The band is lead powerfully by Amy Wilson, singer and keyboardist, who seemed to at times be imprisoned behind the keys. One can only imagine what her performance might amount to were she free of those black and white prison bars, as she is incredibly physical as is. Wilson introduced new track Drive, and it sounded tighter and more focused than the other songs that had come before it. It was punctuated with Stokes style guitar riffs, which I think is where the strength of the band lies; when each instrument has its own space. When the guitar failed to cut through, like it managed to in Drive and in Numb, the song off the split release with Gold Class, it tended to become less impactful. The band finished on a strong note with Our Streets, and the audience showed their appreciation.
BY ELIJAH HAWKINS
LOVED: Amy Wilson’s performance.
HATED: The comedown from Ouch My Face.
DRANK: Regretfully expensive beer.
