The Great Dividing Range
w/ Baby Koresh
» Mammal - venue, Fri, November 28
» Mountain Goats, The - venue, Sat, December 6
» Gorilla Biscuits - venue, Tue, December 9
» Reptiles - venue, Wed, December 10
» Bleeding Through - venue, Sun, January 18
» Little Red - August 21, 2008
» The Getaway Plan - July 16, 2008
After having one of the most diabolical Saturdays on record (don’t worry you won’t be bored with the mundane details), I needed a pick-me-up – a musical panacea as it were.
Hearing some pleasant indie-rock sounds emanating from the Cambridge Hotel, I decided that this might well be the place to redeem my weekend.
Walking into the sparsely populated ‘back room’ (and after purchasing a domestic beer for the better part of five bucks) I was pleasantly surprised to see ex-Smudge impresario and sometime Lemonheads collaborator, Tom Morgan taking up bass duties for the oddly-named but decidedly refreshing Baby Koresh. To make things even better, they opened with a lo-fi version of George Michael’s very hi-fi Careless Whisper.
A three-piece with Mr. Morgan’s better half on vocals and guitar, Baby Koresh are definitely flying the mid-90’s indie rock flag. Reminiscent of a less poppy Breeders, they played a solid set littered with memorable hooks that had me wondering why I hadn’t heard of this band before. They also passed the “two drunk guys moshing like Peter Garrett on morphine to a band they’ve obviously never heard before” litmus test, which is always a good thing.
Feeling a little better about my Saturday, I purchased another domestic beer as The Great Dividing Range (henceforth known as GDR) took to the stage. I was a little disappointed at the absence of keyboardist/mad scientist, Chris Alford whose musical gymnastics are a sight to be seen live.
My disappointment was soon allayed however, as GDR ripped into an eclectic set that glistened with rock-and-roll intensity and was peppered with moments of laconic sincerity.
Despite the lack of patronage (which did slowly increase during the set) GDR played as if it were a full house, and even managed to get a sizeable dance-floor happening.
It’s obvious that GDR are a band that loves playing live. Especially the bass player who had a look on his face after each song that said “that was the best song I’ve heard this week”. This love of playing manifested also itself in a seemingly effortless set of songs from their new album, Persona Vista – stand outs being The Band-inspired Grow, the four-on the floor Into the Light and the delightfully cheesy Ju-Ju Ride.
The band were let down somewhat by a muddy mix, but thanks to an insistence on turning up their amps as loud as possible and just getting on with the job at hand, this wasn’t a big problem.
They left the stage amid ‘thank you’s’ and applause and I left the gig feeling decidedly better about my Saturday. The Great Dividing Range are definitely a band to catch live - they’re good for what ails ya’!
