Thursday night saw some good old fashioned rock unleashed upon the patrons of Fortitude Valley's "Ric's Cafe & Bar". Post Punk garage stalwarts "The Purgatories" kicked the night off with their Zeppelin drenched guitar and bass heavy dirges. Living up to their namesake, the band members evoke a sense of temporary torment, a reconciling punishment for lesser sins, thrashing and flailing their way through tracks such as "Julie", "The Night Swallowed (my Baby)" and upcoming single "Junk". Its often the pauses in the chaos, the rests, the space in between sounds that make "The Purgatories" such an effective band. Nowhere is this more effortlessly displayed than the epic, funereal set closer "Emily She Haunts". The raw, visceral energy that oozes from this song coalesces in the rests, almost becoming a 4th member of the band.
After allowing the audience's collective minds to settle a little bit, "Thirteen Seventy" launch into a set that transports you back to 1991. Well, back to 1991 in the Pacific Northwest of the US. An alt rock band heavily steeped in the Seattle Sound, the trio formerly known as "Soundcasters" have consolidated their identity and sound, and it works. Drawing from artists such as Sonic Youth, Temple Of The Dog, and those that shall never be named (the big Grunge name), there is just as much Rolling Stones in Thirteen Seventy's repertoire than there is Stone Temple Pilots. A rhythmic power trio, with more melody than noodly leads, Thirteen Seventy are an entertaining, and thoroughly needed addition to Brisbane's live music circuit.
I can still write.
That was from notes I was drunkenly typing into my phone on Thursday.
Its a bit obvious which band I enjoy more though, but I am ok with that, objectivity is subjective.