Screaming Females’ sharp songwriting, relentless work ethic, and flawless technical performance all come together in perfect harmony in their brand of guitar driven punk rock. After playing over 1000 shows in the US over the past 10 years, the band finally made the trek to Australia on the back of last year’s Rose Mountain LP. Headlining a sold-out show at The Curtin, Screaming Females cast no doubt on why the band has developed such a strong cult following and earned the ability to wipe the floor with everyone else.
Melbourne’s Two Steps on the Water opened the rapidly filling bandroom with their brand of dark acoustic folk/post punk, a refreshing counterpoint to the electric dominated sound of the evening. Local heroes Camp Copehad the band room immediately filled to capacity, unsurprising as they had sold out the same venue at their debut LP launch mere months earlier. With crossover success from strong radio play and word of mouth catching up with them, their live performance has quickly evolved to be as seamless and confident as possible. Launching their set straight with Done, the band’s energy and emotionally intelligent lyricism set the band apart from other acts of a similar nature. With a basic sound expanded upon with lead bass lines and emotionally charged energy, the band is acutely in control of dynamics and maintaining a sense of space in their songwriting, reminiscent of ‘90s emo innovators Sunny Day Real Estate and Cap’n Jazz.
Beginning their set with an impromptu line check and jam,Screaming Females began their phenomenal set with a level of intensity and power that was unbroken until the end. Focusing primarily on tracks from 2012’s Ugly and 2015’s Rose Mountain, the band’s sheer talent and experience was in full force. With between song banter kept to a minimum, frontwoman Marissa Paternoster preferred to channel all her energy and expression through her guitar. Equal parts J Mascis and Carrie Brownstein, with an extra level of flair and over-the-top bravado in her solos and technical leads, Paternoster knew when to lock in perfectly with the tight rhythm section, or when to derail the song completely and channel pure primal energy through her guitar. With many songs segueing into each other and jam sections extended and manipulated, particularly highlight Doom 84, the band’s command of their material and musicianship was masterful. Ending with early single Boyfriend, Marissa discarded her guitar to the crowd and took on the mic solo, breaking down the song into a chaotic crash and burn mess of rock ‘n’ roll.
WORDS BY JOE HANSEN
IMAGE BY ZO DAMAGE
Loved: Shred guitar solos in punk.
Hated: The stairwell in The Curtin band room. It just feels wrong.
Drank: Coopers and Grizz.
