LANSTRUM w/ Friar Rush, Centred Self, 4th Street and Shot to Velvet
Playing their first interstate gigs, Melbourne’s Lanstrum hit the Lewisham hotel with four support bands; Shot to Velvet, 4th Street, Centred Self and Friar Rush. The night began with a fine number of punters ready to hear what was on offer, however ended with the headliners playing to only a handful of people.
Arriving at the venue, I was told that the gig was indeed running late. Again there was conflict of schedule with recreational strippers undermining a night of music. Undeniably a planned gig was viewed as less significant than scantily dressed women upon a stage and on show before a multitude of intoxicated men.
Finally hitting the stage after a late sound check, Shot to Velvet opened their set to a number of fans – of which most were irrefutably friends and family - standing before the stage and overtly having a brilliant time. Forming only this year, this quintet was very comfortable on stage, with a tight sound and a strong stage presence. It is always great seeing a band enjoy them self whilst doing what they surely love. Their alt metal sound seemed to be laced with punk influences, which worked great in juxtaposition of their pounding rhythms and solos, which were in abundance with great thanks to guitarist Trev!
Receiving a great response from the audience throughout their set, Shot to Velvet mixed clean vocals with harsh growls, blending further contrasts of opening a song with what can be described as a ballad and progressing further toward a heavy end. Their last offering - “Seclusion” - was catchy, well executed, and indeed the highlight of their set.
Newcastle’s rock outfit 4th Street was up next. Forming in 2002 under the moniker of AnaHatA, the four-piece did a good job with a melodic sound, which rested upon heavy riffs and a divergent vocal delivery on behalf of front-man Adam Little, who can not only sing but also has a rather strong growl within himself. I must admit that 4th Street are not a band that I would personally listen to, there seemed something missing; perhaps I was waiting for a climax that would erupt in ear splitting destruction, however conceivably I was at the wrong gig for that.
The heaviness and energy needed came from Sydney’s Centred Self! At times their mix left a lot to be desired, as unfortunately the dominance expected of solos seemed to have drowned away, and that didn’t capture the overall sound of the band who truly deliver brilliant melodious guitars. Their set was tight and distinct; with melodic motifs underlined by strong thrashing blasts, with intense bass lines and furthermore a vocalist who possessed great emotion throughout their delivery.
Aesthetically, front man Chris reminded me of a younger Robert Plant, who at times seemed dazed and confused, but still delivered an awesome set. The quartet underlines their diversity through offerings of “Strained” and “Now or Never”, played proficiently, with great technique and dominant energy. Having formed in late 2008, Centred Self will only grow as a band, and it will be something to see. Playing their last show for the year, Centred Self is definitely a band to check out.
Sydney’s five piece prog power metal outfit Friar Rush was the fourth band of the night. Bringing with them not only fantastic music, the quintet managed to revitalize those in the crowd who were beginning to feel the night creeping in; indeed this gig was running overwhelmingly late.
With beautiful keys on behalf of the talented Rob, Friar Rush played the sort of power metal that really strengthens the audience. The progressions came with amazing peaks, set off through constant pounding rhythms, layered by speedy guitars and changing melodic motifs. From the major to the minor tonalities, Friar Rush gave their audience an absolutely amazing set. With Justin’s harmonious and deep voice, the band also boasts the talents of drummer Seed, Troy on bass and rounding things off is Andrew [also of Switchblade] on guitar who underlined his talents with fast finger work and flawless delivery.
Friar Rush are a band that hold up their own, their music has distinct roots and influences of Nordic power bands, however still manages to shine through in their own unique right. Soft passages work brilliantly with down-tempo progressions, which build to overwhelming, weeping guitars setting forth to rhythmic evolutions with each instrument distinctively having its own dominant part within the ensemble. As their set came to an end, this write definitely wanted to hear a lot more!
A sound check that went surprisingly fast, headliners Lanstrum were ready to rip into their music. Starting their set at around one am, it was not surprising, however still disappointing to see that most of the attendees had indeed left for the night, leaving Lanstrum to play to perhaps ten people within the venue. Traveling from Melbourne this six-piece plays a mix of alternative rock, with nu-metal influences, which was executed well, with energy and emotion from all – and indeed predominantly from vocalist Joey Biro.
Even though Lanstrum is not a band that I would listen to personally, their music was miles away from my personal taste, as well as seemingly being repetitive, they did deliver a tight set despite the fact that the turn out was truly below par. Their breakdowns were highlighted through keys on behalf of John Chamberlain, which were not only fitting, but perhaps the only part of their music that I personally liked.
Notwithstanding the problems of the night, the line-up delivered a scope of genres, and indeed left this writer quite content with great thanks to Centred Self and Friar Rush!
