The torrential downpour on Saturday kept the crowds at bay, with only a handful of eager punters rocking up early to catch the supporting bands. Those who opted to turn up later for the headliners missed out on a mesmerising display from locals Love Migrate. The sound mix in the band room was atrocious, with their first few songs marred by distortion and washed out vocals. Their usual involved sound was lacking with the noticeable absence of Casey Harnett and Joe Walker, however, Eddie Alexander’s commanding presence shone through, and once the sound desk had lifted their game, the remainder of the set was good. Alexander is such an honest performer, and his impassioned vocal delivery made for an intimate, intense show. Their new material sounds amazing live, fingers crossed they’ll putting out an album in the not too distant future.
The crowd swelled as many patrons arrived just in time to push their way to the front of the band room to show their support for The Fearless Vampire Killers at their Batmania launch. With their bluesy, garage sound, they remind me a lot of The Vasco Era, with a live presence that was relaxed and fun. The boys kept the crowd dancing manically throughout the course of their set, highlights of which were nice renditions of “Tell Me What You’re Trying To Say” and “For You & Me”. They seemed quite laid back onstage, putting all of their energy into crafting their sound, with vocalist Sean Ainsworth barely pausing to take a breath as they powered through a short set.
Having read of their explosive live shows I was quite disappointed with the lack of intense energy in The Fearless Vampire Killers’ delivery. Their live sound barely deviated from their studio work, and while the band did their album justice, it would have been great to see them add something extra to the performance. As it was, I could’ve listened to the record at home to the same effect without being gouged $9 for a pint or being sweated on by random strangers. There was no room in their performance for spontaneity, it was a case of the band churning out their tunes exactly as they sound on record – without any of the creative magic that makes a live set worth paying for. For these reasons, I found their show to be pleasantly entertaining, but not remarkable.
