It was a bumper double headliner down at The Curtin on Saturday, with Scott & Charlene’s Wedding taking the stage alongside Twerps for the slacker-fest of the year. Of all the bars in town, The Curtin has to be one of the noisiest – there’s more speakers at the front of the stage than any other similarly sized venue in town.
Twerps’ tunes range from bouncy pop to bummer-indie, and there’s a real warm vibe to their music. Cute organ lines, carefully plucked guitar notes and outstandingly busy bass riffs bring on an upbeat comfort. But with a section of speakers violently forcing a calming noise on the crowd, a lot of the delicate intricacies got lost in translation.
Regardless, Twerps are a damn fine band and the show still proved that. Recently nabbing a nomination for Best Band in The Age Music Victoria Awards, tonight was a good showcase of their music, which is calm, layered and airy, but still retains a semblance of focus.
In the gap between Twerps and Scott & Charlene’s Wedding, the venue was bustling with people. Many clustered out front for cigarettes, periodically venturing back inside to check if the show was ready to continue.
Scott & Charlene’s Wedding then took to the stage, sating the crowd’s anticipating gaze. Their set, riddled with high twangy riffs and speak-sung lyrics about their hometown of Melbourne (especially in tracks such as Epping Line), was a perfect match to Twerps’, while also containing a lo-fi grunge based edge.
Scott & Charlene’s Wedding played a very loose, fun set. Their music has an inherently Australian feel, be it from cadence, looseness or lyrics relating to huffin’ durries and hanging out in Melbourne suburbs. As far as technical ability goes, they didn’t come off nearly as focused or polished as Twerps, but the difference between the two bands made for a well-rounded show.
BY THOMAS BRAND
Loved: Catching up with old pals behind the bar.
Hated: The massive sound check.
Drank: A bottle of red to myself. Got to get them antioxidants mate.
