Scarborough was the place to be on Saturday 6th April, as Perth rock n’ roll quartet Legs Electric premiered the video to accompany their new single release ‘Tuesday Girl’ to a packed house at the revamped Indian Ocean Hotel (formerly the Indi Bar). The video pays plenty of homage to Tarentino and this was evident also with the line-up of bands that Leg Electric selected for the bill and it worked fantastically.
Blues guitarist & travelling one man band Lightnin’ Jack kicked off the night with his wonderful dirty, gritty blues infused set list. There is something spellbinding about a lone guitar player and a stomp box creating such incredible music and Lightnin’ Jack certainly captured the attention of the growing crowd, with many arriving early to catch his set. Husky vocals & raw slide guitar go hand in hand and Lightnin’ Jack certainly set the bar high for the acts that were to follow with a solid & mesmerising set.
Next up and equally impressive were four-piece indie rockers The Limbs. Their punk-infused rock with almost brit-pop undertones (think Nirvana meets Oasis & Blur) kept everyone’s fingers firmly on the pulse as the guys played a solid & lively eight-song set. The band, comprising of James Redman (guitar & vocals), Michael Hay (bass), David Jensen (drums) & Clayton Brown (guitar) connected well with the crowd throughout and even when dreaded ‘technical difficulties’ struck during one of the opening songs, the band ploughed on professionally (and comically with an ‘intermission’) with their entertaining & creative set.
Set List: Here, Do Not Help Me, Don’t Sell Me Out, Bodies, Caught Me At A Bad Time, Elephant, Death Defy, Swim
Well, where do I start with the next act? I’d heard a lot about The Caballeros but for one reason or another had never been able to catch them live before now. To say I was blown away and left speechless (a rarity, I know) is an understatement. The first issue was how a six-piece band was going to fit on such a small stage. This problem was then magnified as the first notes of their set rang out, when I suddenly realised this is not a band to stand still and calmly plod through their set. With lead vocalist Jake England leaping from the stage at every opportunity and serenading almost every audience member in the room, The Caballeros) were high-octane, full-blooded rock n roll & debauchery at its finest. Joining England are Jason Mirosevic, Paul Bovenkerk, Nick Dudman, Lukas Murphy & Dylan Hooper. The music is fast, frantic & furious and you just don’t know who to keep your eyes on as the whole band just launch themselves into their set with complete conviction & vigour. Think Pulp Fiction with a dash of ADHD and you get somewhere close to what this band brought to the proceedings. I most certainly will be looking to catch these guys again.
Set List: Gimme Love, (I Got) The Blues, Want Me To Go, Tranquilise, On Loan, Last Chance, Love Potion Number 9 (Cover), Keys To The City, The Caballeros Twist
As we caught our breath and the projector screen was lowered for the premiere screening of ‘Tuesday Girl’, Legs Electric must have been pretty damn pleased with how well the three bands had warmed everyone up nicely. The video rolled and ‘Tuesday Girl’ was shown to the extremely appreciative crowd – and what a wonderful job Perth film director Victor Lim has done – think Tarantino, bar room rock n’ roll and vintage muscle cars with glamourous girls and a rippa of a track and you have ‘Tuesday Girl’.
The screen lifted to reveal the girls ready to end the night with a set of hard rock & blues infused music from their collection of tunes from their EPs ‘Maximum Rock n Roll’ & ‘Two Sides’. Opening with ‘Roadtrippin’ the girls showed just why they command large crowds wherever they play, with tight, solid performances time and again. ‘Dark Paradise’, ‘Shine Right Through’ & ‘Black Magic’ were up next as vocalist Ama Quinsee worked the crowd with ease. Drummer Kylie Soanes always captures the eye with her full throttle, hair flaying drum work complimented perfectly by guitarist Elana Haynes & bass player Erin Gooden.
Tonight was as good as I’ve seen the girls and they were certainly at the top of their game, possibly due to the quality of the acts that had been on previously. ‘Dangerous Thing’, ‘I Wanna Riot’, ‘Sold Ya Soul’ & ‘Strange Addiction’ were fired off in quick succession as the girls raced through their twelve-song set. A blistering cover of Creedence Clearwater Revivals ‘Proud Mary’ was followed by ‘Kingdom’ before the girls treated us to a live version of ‘Tuesday Girl’ – a track that’s a little bit different to their previous material, but a cracking song all the same (I for one am looking forward to where they go next musically). With calls for an encore the girls came back out to end the night with ‘Trigger’ before leaving the stage to rapturous applause.
Set List: Road Trippin’, Dark Paradise, Shine Right Through, Black Magic, Dangerous Thing, I Wanna Riot, Sold Ya Soul, Strange Addiction, Proud Mary (cover), Kingdom, Tuesday Girl, Trigger
I say it often here at The Rockpit, but please get down and support these acts & venues wherever you are in the world – presale tickets for this were just $10 and for that we were treated to almost 4 hours of high quality, original material from four fantastic acts. Keep live music local & alive.