I arrived at the Foundry early, which in retrospect was a mistake. I've taken recently to going out alone to listen to music and trying to be comfortable and relaxed doing it. After experimenting with this for a while now, I can certainly say that it's better to be late than early, to avoid unnecessary awkward lingering. So, a glass of red wine was in order. I stood on the balcony looking over Wickham street, enjoying the perfect people watching opportunity that it framed. Inside, a few neo-grungers pre-emptively thrashed around the room, all seeming to know each other. The atmosphere began to build and hugs between friends became more frequent. It was a very small crowd, and it proved to stay that way for the whole of the night. 

The first band to play, Shep Dooley, were seemingly green to the stage, and upon further investigation it was revealed to me that this was were their first ever performance. The four musicians (usually just the lead guitarist and vocalist) set the tone of the night, with a grunge-y, purposely imperfect sound, true to the genre being explored. They played original songs, which was great to see from a young budding band. Occasionally the sound was jarring, but it was mostly a good performance from the young sound experimenters, who's vocalist chanelled a sort of smith-street band sound, with dollops of teenage angst. Shep Dooley showed room for lots of improvement in terms of stage presence and musical cohesion but enough gruffness to engage the small audience.

Doozy Daze were next on the awkwardly placed stage and played a terrific set. The lead vocalist and drummer oozed charisma and a quirky, likeable stage presence. They entertained, engaged and made use of the term 'fuck yeah' in multiple, wonderful ways. The lead vocalist strangely reminded me of the lead singer from Operator Please, with that melodic harshness that Australians seem to love. Unfortunately for FOAM, Doozy Daze was certainly the highlight of the evening and their performance could only be improved by a setting and audience big enough for their sound and energy. 

FOAM sauntered on stage next, the could- be crescendo of the evening, but didn't quite have the energy to engage and maintain the attention of the audience. They did have that wonderful, Cobain-esque sound that the Perth band are praised for, but it sounded flat and unexciting. They played their new single, 'I could milk myself', and I found myself thinking that it didn't really stand out to me during the set, which is disappointing as the single was the reason for FOAM's tour. Long instrumental pieces demonstrating their talent and precision were abundant, however it didn't incite any reaction from me in which I thought that I was enjoying the performance. I could definitely see that there was a whole lot of raw, gritty sound there that was so close to being fun, but I think the combination of a small audience, a slightly awkward stage, and head banging, sort of being the only appropriate response to the music (which no one was going to do on account of the fact that the crowd wasn't big), really dampened the performance.

In the end, I wouldn't say the evening was successful, but I would say it was important. I think every performer has to have nights like that Saturday evening, the 'in-between' shows; the ones that let you know what a great night is comparatively. And of course they're even more important for bands like Shep Dooley, the bands who are just dipping their toes into the live music pool. So, a night that was definitely not wasted. 

- Anna Heard