A lot of fuss is made about the quality of garage bands that we have floating around in Australia at the moment, though most of that focus is directed specifically toward Melbourne. In recent years some of our local acts have done reasonably well in foreign garage markets, notably The UV Race, Total Control, Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Bits Of Shit. Though, with that said, there is a healthy and often overlooked circle of top shelf groups coming out of NSW at the moment. At the very tippy top of that pile is Straight Arrows, who launched a new single last Thursday at Shebeen in the CBD with local synth punk legends Ausmuteants.
Though this was a Straight Arrows show first and foremost, I’d have to say I was just as excited for seeing Ausmuteants, and they didn’t disappoint. There’s something to be said about the simplicity of Ausmuteants, and more broadly punk music in general. It seems to me that sometimes a revivalist movement in music will give a clear nod to certain elements of the genre it’s resurrecting, but will entirely miss other elements. So many garage and punk bands these days are so wrapped up in the sonic intricacies of the music, particularly guitar tones that they miss the point of the music all together. Ausmuteants are one of the few local acts that swing the other way entirely. The song structures are simple, brutal and raw. They are one of the most ‘punk’ local outfits in the truest sense of the word. There’s a core and a theme to it all. It’s so clearly defeated, depraved, bleak and in bad taste. Their music and their live performances are so comprehensible and to the point that they are impossible to ignore.
Headliners Straight Arrows were also on point. They aren’t the same type of band as Ausmuteants. I can see why they play together and why fans of one would be fans of the other, but they draw on entirely different garage elements when writing their stuff. Straight Arrows are hardly a band with a bleak sound. They’re lively, with a fuller and faster swing to their sound is reminiscent of an older take on garage rock. Again, the simplicity of their song structure is something that I admire. Putting together a record full of songs that don’t require a couple of hours and half a packet of mylanta to digest is a talent. You can be simple and remain interesting. It’s not in the guitar tones and it’s not by going out of your way to have a diverse range of tracks on the record just for diversities sake. It’s all in the subtle movements in the arrangement and structure. Straight Arrows nail this, both live and recorded. They have their tone, they have their style of playing and it’s straight down the line. It reeks of confidence and it’s why they’re so adored in the Australian garage community.
There’s not much to say about the performance itself. Both bands brought the energy to their sets that you’d expect from such well travelled acts. They executed what they needed to do in front of a supportive and enthusiastic crowd of punters and it was great to be a part of. These are the bands that you need to see and support, because bands like this are the lifeblood of Australian music. Raw, honest, confident and to the point.
BY KEATS MULLIGAN
Loved: The band room. It was my first time at Shebeen and the room is a pretty good size with bleacher-like seating at the back. The sound was good too.
Hated: My bike broke on the way to the show. That’s the only thing that sucked.
Drank: Tecate – there’s no tap beer and when there’s no tap beer I only drink cheap tins.
