The Carlton was flowing, the sound guy was wearing a Scott & Charlene’s Wedding T-shirt and about 80 people were crammed into the Yarra Hotel for what promised to be the Melbourniest Melbourne gig in recent memory. Though billed mostly as a one-off reunion show for Panel of Judges, an early oughts post punk outfit with a cult following, the gig also served as the first local appearance in a while for scene stalwarts Twerps and a chance for Melbourne ‘supergroup’ Terry to air their new album. Maybe it was the small venue or the fact that half the crowd were recognisable from other Melbourne bands, but what could’ve been Woodstock for the jangle set felt more like a living room jam sesh for friends. The perfect setting for some low volume, high emotion guitar music.
The night started with cowpunk rabble rousers Terry playing a set comprised mostly of songs from their debut album Terry HQ. They were pure sloppy fun, speeding up and slowing down and swapping off on vocals, seemingly at random. Terry had the dual distinction of having one of the biggest hooks of the night (closing song Talk About Terry) and being the only band on the bill to use a distortion pedal (once, only briefly).
Next up were Twerps who, despite not having practiced lately (according to lead singer Marty), still sounded like the most polished act of the night. They drew heavily on tracks from their 2015 album Range Anxiety, turning out dolewave standards Back to You and I Don’t Mind for a crowd who’d definitely heard them played live before.
Panel of Judges were the headliners and they earned that distinction with a powerful career spanning set. Seeing them live five years after breaking up was a thrill for all assembled, small whoops emanating from different parts of the room as the first chords of a favourite song were played. Perhaps the coolest thing about their set was how easy it was to draw a line between their sound and that of the bands that played earlier; Panel being a spikier, tighter precursor to the contemporary Melbourne jangle scene. When Marty from Twerps joined them onstage there was an unmistakable feeling of things coming full circle.
BY TIERNAN MORRISON
Loved: The cosy vibe.
Hated: Nothing.
Drank: Stuck to water.
