Live Review

Born Joy Dead w/ WHALEHOUSE @ Heya Bar

 HeyWire is a new thing, but judging by the attendance on Friday night for WHALEHOUSE and Born Joy Dead, it's definitely gaining traction.

 Local 3-piece punk band WHALEHOUSE were first on the bill, bringing to the stage their brand of angsty food rock. They opened their set with new tune I Hate Fresh Bread, which paid homage to the latest single from Born Joy Dead, Sourdough. Whilst I don't know how anyone could possibly hate fresh bread, by the end of the fast paced punk banger, I had changed my opinion and believed I too hated fresh bread. This song made their uniforms of sports headbands and hand painted shirts with a 'no' logo over a picture of fresh bread make total sense.

The girls showcased their musical ability as they changed instruments periodically throughout the set, adding in auxiliary percussion such as cowbell and maracas to add even more of a drive to the tracks which were all short and sweet. Food (and their hatred of it) seemed to be a recurring theme, as did angry guitar tones and heavy drums.

Their stage presence was effortless - it was inspiring to watch how the girls interacted on stage, performing with such a glimmer of excitement in heir eyes that it looked like a fun practise in their garage at home, but also so commandeering of the audience that no one could look away or stand still. They closed out their set with a reprise of I Hate Fresh Bread before handing over the stage to Born Joy Dead.

 Taking to the stage with their four piece dude band aesthetic, the first chords of Simple Man brought the punters towards the front of the stage. Not as heavy as WHALEHOUSE (but just as loud), the funky jazzy sound was enticing bar goers, and the room was filling out (and not just from my Tinder dates). Chains On You and Stones In My Shoe followed, sticking to their pattern of loud rock, groovy riffs, strong drums and slightly grungy vocals. However, there were many times the vocals were quite low in the mix - whether this was due to the crappy acoustics, the sound guy or being slightly deafened by WHALEHOUSE, it was disappointing to not be able to experience the absolute bangers they were pumping out at maximum quality.

 Born Joy Dead carried the same effortless stage presence that WHALEHOUSE did. The guys seamlessly moved with each other on stage, making the art of performing look as simple as making Mi Goreng in the microwave (but with more elegance and less regret). Minimal banter complimented their professional performance, keeping their 'cool' and sophisticated artist dream very much alive. The dance floor was pumping, and the beers were flowing and the drummer had even pulled out a maraca from nowhere, (which reminded me of a very inappropriate cabaret I had once seen), which added a further level of energy we had not seen yet. Latest single Sourdough illicited a huge response, and despite still not being able to hear the vocalist very well, the band carried on and ended their set on a high.

It was really good to see such a varied selection of local music at a thriving venue on a Friday night, which is something I hope Brisbane picks up its game on.

-Olivia Shoesmith

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