It’s a busy month for Brisbane as international artists from all over the world visit our city, but if you don’t buy into the hype of music giants like The Arctic Monkeys or you're simply just broke and don't want to pay a hefty entry fee, here are some alternative gigs you might like to check out in May.
The Bacchanales Debut EP Launch @ Black Bear Lodge, Thursday, May 9
It’s usually a good idea to catch a band during their EP launch; the band is fresh, new and excited about what they’re doing, and they’ve got a lot to prove, which hopefully means they will do their best to put on a good show. You can listen to the EP in advance to get a taste of The Bacchanales’ sunkissed indie pop style that interweaves just enough garage edge to keep things interesting.
Gang of Youths @ Alhambra Lounge, Thursday, May 15
If you’re fan of sweeping emotional indie rock then Gang of Youths will probably tick all the boxes. The group have supported various indie royalty from Vampire Weekend to The Jezebels and Frightened Rabbit, which is a good reference point for their sound. Equally evocative, but far more mellow cinematic rock n roll group MT Warning will join the Sydney band on May 15 at Alhambra Lounge.
Karl Stefanovic’s Dog, Statler and Waldorf @ The Southside Tea Room, Saturday, May 16
These two bands are back to basics at its best, with songs running at under a minute and songs that boast explicit, but genius lyrics such as Statler and Waldorf’s hit song ‘I Hate You and I Want to Die’. Statler and Waldorf features three parts of local garage group Horris, whilst Karl Stefanovic’s Dog is one part Ethan Kernaghan from The Kramers and one part Alex Cambolvitch of Gunk. If you’ve listened to any of these bands before then you know exactly what to expect: angry, angsty rock n roll with heart. If you haven’t heard of any of these bands, well, that gives you two good reasons to check them out at The Southside Tea Room.
East of Ely, Morning Harvey, The Jensens @ The Brightside, Friday, May 23
The Brightside is Brisbane’s latest music venue and to insure that it doesn’t suffer the unfortunate fate of many an optimistic live house pitted against Fortitude Valley’s tyrannic club culture, we should all give the place a warm welcome. Morning Harvey have been creating some buzz lately with the release of their single ‘Girl Euphoria (Come Back to Me)’ that nicely showcases the group’s catchy indie pop style with an interesting psych-rock influence. The Jensens have also recently arrived on the Brisbane music scene with a fresh take on indie rock, abandoning the more popular sounds of minimalist electronica and mellow folk for classic guitar rock that recalls the sounds of The Beatles more than any of the indie darlings in the spotlight at the moment claiming the title of true blue rock n rollers. Sydney’s East of Ely provide a more subdued take on the indie rock genre, as well as incorporating some mellow dancey beats.
Naked Maja, Keep On Dancin’s, No Sister, Ultra Material @ The Underdog, Thursday, May 22
With Naked Maja, Keep On Dancin’s and Ultra Material featured on the lineup, this is a gig that will no doubt require a high tolerance for reverb-soaked dreampop with just the right bite of garage. No Sister, on the other-hand, will provide some more upbeat garage-pop jams to balance out the night’s intensity. Naked Maja have just released a new video featuring some killer interpretive dancing, whilst Keep On Dancin's have released their second album 'Hunter': meaning this show will be a great chance to catch some new Keep On Dancin's tunes and practise your own interpretive dancing to Naked Maja's tunes if you feel inspired by the video.
Gazar Strips @ The Hideaway, Friday, May 23
Gazar Strips’ latest EP marks a notable shift for the group as they veer more toward a dark post punk aesthetic as opposed to their prior psych rock sound. They’ll be showing off their EP Friday, May 23, following a tour across the country. The intimate atmosphere of The Hideaway, with all its vintage décor and cosy armchairs, seems like the perfect fit for Gazar Strip’s music: an experience that veers between mellow and subdued, and harrowing and howling, without a moment’s notice.
Salvadarlings @ Black Bear Lodge, Saturday, May 24
The word ‘psychedelic’ is getting tossed around a lot these days as a catch-all-phrase to describe any band using fuzz guitar and reverb (I just used it myself to describe Gazar Strips and Morning Harvey). Salvadarlings are one such band who defy the traditional definition of psychedelia, with a much wider range of influences from dreampop, indie rock, blues and even the sounds of circus theme music. The band embark on their ‘Primary Feels’ EP tour this May, with support from similarly tagged psychedelic rock n roll blues outfit ‘The Furrs’ and jangly garage group ‘Cassette Cathedral’.
DMAs @ Black Bear Lodge, Friday, May 30
If you’ve been keeping an eye on the Australian music scene, this is one gig you may have heard of. If you have managed to miss the buzz surrounding Britpop throwback band DMAs take note of what you read next. DMA’s are one of those bands that seemingly came out of nowhere; within a matter of weeks of uploading a video to Youtube the band were signed to I OH YOU, planning an EP release and an accompanying tour. Remarkably, both Sydney and Melbourne shows sold out, so if any of this interests you in the slightest, you better act fast to secure your door spot. The tour hits Brisbane’s Black Bear Lodge on May 30.
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