You know, at every gig there's always some strange older guy sitting on his own at one of the tables drinking a Jimmy and Coke, and the rest of the punters try to keep their distance from this "weirdo". Well, tonight, that's me.

I have to admit, this isn't the type of scene I normally hang around. I would most likely to be seen at a heavy rock/metal gig, or a roots gig, hell, even some Ausse Hip-hop, but the Indie Rock scene I've always never been that interested in. Also, I do belive I was one of the only punters to be wearing a Black T-shirt. Weird.

The main reason for me being "the strange older guy" is to witness The Marsden Lees and The Vagrant City Scandal support Grand Atlantic.

I've only discovered The Marsden Lees in the last few weeks, so I was very interested to see what they could pull off live, compared to the recordings.

It's a late start (I've already had a few Corona's and a turn on the Pokies...damn evil machines, but had a lucky streak and it's paid for my entry and beers), and we're in the back room at the Sands again. The security have informed me that the main room still isn't quite ready yet, despite having the Uni night run in there on Thursday night (it was split between the two rooms apparently). It's a smallish crowd to start, but heads start turning up as soon as the young lads of The Marsden Lees hit the stage.

These guys are a very tight Indie Rock band considering how long they've been together. They've already landed slots at the Caloundra Music Festival, so they're definitely impressing the right people. The opening song gets straight into a sunny, boppy feeling and makes for a great introduction for the set. They go straight into "Pretty Girls" ( I think that's the name of the song, apologies if I got that wrong), which is a very neat example of straight our Triple J Indie Rock. If they keep to this formula, these boys could easily be seen among the J's faves in the coming future.

I've been meaning to catch The Vagrant City Scandal live for quite some time, but have always managed to miss out somehow. I have to say, these guys are one of the Coast's most truly original bands. Why these guys don't have a massive following here is beyond me (I even told them this after their performance). Watching these guys live, if you muted the sound, the way they attack their instruments with such intensity, you'd swear you're witnessing some post-punk or metal band. These guys take plenty (and obvious) influences from the 80's new wave bands and twist and morph them into their own sound by adding more grunt and rock to them.

The opening track (which was released onto Myspace a few months back) and the trancey rock feel to it, and made for a great opener. It's when they hit their second song of the set that the 80's influences really kick in, with the song sounding very reminiscent of The Swinger's Counting The Beat (you know that song that the Kmart ads use...la da de da la da de da). With their rock dance sounds, these guys could easily slot in amongst the likes of Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party.

You really need to see these guys live to truly appreciate their sound. They finished the set with fave, Hypochondriac, including full rockstar ending with Vocalist/Guitarist Elliot throwing his guitar around on stage. Awesome.

The main band on the night was Grand Atlantic, and to be honest, I'd never heard of these guys before tonight. The visiting band put on a hell of a show though, with a very tight, impressive performance. I would liken them to something with a heavy You Am I jam with a rockier Ryan Adams or Wilco. Basically, a big sound, big melodies, and solid harmonies and all the stylings of a Indie Rock/Alt Country band.

Wicked.

 

 

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