My Disco

After nursing a number of glasses of vino, the journey was made to the all-too-familiar Fortitude Valley and up the stairs into The Zoo. I was well overdue to indulge in the tight synchronicity and building repetition of My Disco, who were grateful enough to grace Brisbane with their presence on the eve of their album launch for Little Joy. Accompanying them in support tonight is the foreboding and grim stylings of Brisbane’s Slug Guts.

Five bodies draped in black take the stage of the already dim-light Zoo, delving into the dark, threatening and abrasive renditions of their new LP Downon the Meat, and a collection of older material. The bass guitar, comprised of all but two strings, ignites a shaking rhythm beneath the sharp and eerie stabs of the guitar. It is hard to take your eye off the drummer, Lee, whose force remains unsuppressed throughout even the slowest and sludgiest parts of their music. The band continues on in homage to their influences of The Birthday Party, Lubricated Goat and The Stabs. Their set is an ugly yet honest portrayal of the seedy underworld of this city called Brisbane and one to look out for if one has the chance.

And so the moment had arrived when Melbourne’s favourite math-rock trio, My Disco were to grace the stage again. This had been the first time I had seen them since the release of their second full length, Paradise, and a memorable performance at the well loved and sadly missed Valley Studios. So what will this be like, I wondered. Surely this will be a time for them to play an array of tracks spanning the course of their releases. It was not so.

They began by playing Closer, the opening track of their new offering, Little Joy. Then followed by the 8 plus minute, seemingly single chord Young, then followed by album highlight Turn. So now we can all see the obvious trend playing out. Rather than treat us to a wider range of their celebrated releases, they carried a flawlessly synchronised and high decibel, and intensity rendition of Little Joy.

It is sometimes hard for the audience to swallow dismissing the old and focusing only on the new as their performance material, but it stands as an excellent opportunity to highlight the band's continuous progression and talent. My Disco remain one of the more unique and tightly organised bands operating in today’s music scene. Be sure to get their releases and support them in the live arena because this music is still interesting and above all real.

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