Starky

Having known nothing of Starky, their origins, influences or sound before their performance, this really was an all knew experience for me. Local Adelaide band Move to Strike warmed up the less than interested crowd with their own blend of alternative hip rock (which seemed almost a little too good to be opening the night), the stage was made ready for Starky.

It’s fair to assume a fair bit about Starky from just their look. The instant lead man Beau Cassidy took to the stage with his blurred words of “HEY! How ya doin’?”, it was obvious that these guys were something else. Gone are the black shiny-shiny haircuts and stretched ears so often seen at Adelaide gigs, replaced instead with boots, jeans and unlabeled shirts, an original image that says it all – We’re here to rock.

Their set ran for a solid 35 minutes with few pauses in between, mixing songs from both their new EP Starky and their studio album Mirror, Signal, Manoeurve. It wasn’t until half way through their set was it that the boys truly began to find their feet with the Adelaide crowd however, building up slowly to a sweeping finale with songs such as Is this how it ends?, and of course Hey Bang Bang. It was during songs such as these the Starky boys were at their best, working the crowd up but distancing themselves at the same time, a great rock trademark. Despite their aforementioned distinctiveness, Starky’s greatest attribute is their sound. In place of screamy-emo ballads are fuzzy and powerful Elvis Costello-esque vocals, amazingly original for such a band on the Australian music scene.

Starky’s sound was consistently clear throughout the night, unusual for a performance at such a confined venue. Due entirely to Cassidy’s unique style of vocalizing, not once was he voice drowned out behind the blaring wash of frenzied guitars or a thunderous bass drum. The lighting as to be expected, was nothing out of the ordinary, though it was nice to see darkness used during the opening of “Hey Bang Bang” as a unique yet haunting intro.

As a whole, Starky weren’t given enough time to let their performance peak, due to the fact they were there as an opener for After The Fall. Given more time and perhaps a headlining tour, I’m positive Starky could come out of their shell a tad more, to show us more of their unique blend of alternative rock. Despite being subdued and a little apprehensive during the opening of their set, Starky rose to the challenge and presented an entertaining and compelling performance – a sound mixture of showcasing their wares, as well as preparing the crowd for the main event.

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