Five bands for $10 – darn good value for money!

Due to a few hiccups with arrangements I didn’t get to the venue in time for the start of the first set, which was a ‘surprise’ guest band, but I managed to catch most of it. The ‘surprise’ guests turned out to be Bluejuice, a Sydney-based band, pumped for their appearance at Splendour the next day. As stated on their MySpace, these guys are ‘an aggressive mix of pop, rock, hip hop, electro and disco’.

Bluejuice’s appearance at KBT couldn’t be announced, so there wasn’t much of a crowd for them, but they did an absolutely sterling job, performing like it was a full-house. The two vocalists both stripped to the waist and entertained the audience with their harmonies, energy and wit, drawing quite a group of appreciative fans keen to be up and dancing, including myself. The boys even dedicated a song to the older lady up the back ….. and NO, it wasn’t me, it was my 77 year old mum. She had come to support Locavore - her grandsons band - but was also rocking out to Bluejuice!! It was a great pleasure to be able to catch these guys at a local venue and I’m sure the crowd at Splendour got a real buzz out of them.

Next up was Soothsayer, hailing from Bundaberg. Much heavier sound with raw, powerful vocals. Mum decided they were a bit too loud for her tastes so we found ourselves outside for much of their set. From what I could see the locals were getting into it and having a good time. I particularly loved the fact Soothsayer had a great banner behind them. It’s always good to see bands advertise who they are.

Then came Locavore - progressive rock. Due to the possibility of bias on my part (being the mother of two members) I feel I should mention very little about the performance, but I can certainly state they got the attention of the audience and had quite a few folk come onto the dance floor and front of stage to get a better look. The KBT has a barrier between the stage and dance floor and fans seemed to like this as they can get up close without intruding on the band’s personal space. Similar to the bigger concerts, but without security guards! Singer B-J also used this gap as an opportunity to lean into the audience, giving brief eye-contact to some of the female fans up front. They loved it! All in all, these guys get better each time I see them and Locavore will definitely be a band to look out for. They are playing at Club Envy next Friday, Aug 6th with Never Plead Guilty, Minor Elite and Rivalry.

Templemount. Brisbane-based but from our own sunny shores. Love the uniqueness of these guys. Very different sound with radically distinctive vocals from their singer, Flynny. Hard to describe, but his tones and inflections can cut right through you and then he’ll gently soothe the wound with softened modulation whilst the accompanying music suddenly surges forward encouraging you back into the fray, and once there Flynny again changes his projection to a guttural forcefulness with dark undertones. Seriously, there’s something so different about Templemount that you just have to go see them for yourselves. I see on their MySpace that they are playing at Club Envy 30th Sept and 16th Oct, so if you’re local get down there and check them out.

Finally, Fire Driver took the stage. The audience seemed to have thinned out a fair bit by now, which I imagine would’ve been disappointing for the band. I have read decent reviews about these guys, but sadly, I was outside organising lifts for friends and family during most of their set, so cannot give any personal comments.

Georgina