Ghostwood

Walking through the double doors that usher you into Miss Libertines, there was a change in the air; and no it wasn't a malfunction of the air conditioning system or a colony of bats nesting in the bar, it was actually the result of party starters Can't Say, who had transformed Miss Libertines from after work watering hole for office types, into a funky indie dance party.

This metamorphosis has been occurring every fortnight recently when Can't Say host a range of hip and happening DJ's, performers and bands from all around Australia.

Lashing out the decks tonight in the DJ booth at the front bar was Indian Summers DJs, preceded by Airwolf, Swick and Glass Mirrors; all of whom were spinning a plethora of alternative rock and dance tunes that were all pretty irresistible dance floor beats, ones that had the young hipster/alternative crowd up and dancing, right from the word go.

Take a step out though, to the restaurant cum bandroom at the rear of the venue, and you entered the enchanted world of Ghostwood, one of the current Sydney buzz bands who have been making waves recently, in large part due to their recent singles Sunset Mirage and Cutlass, both of which have picked up for high rotation on Triple J.

After a delayed start to their set Ghostwood finally took to the stage to much applause, as the crowd was comprised of fans aplenty, for this was their only Melbourne show on their national tour.

Delving into tracks from their self titled 2007 debut EP and most recent EP release I Am Overcast, Ghostwood have developed a sound that is best alluded to as a mixture of ambient shoegaze grunge, and as any patron of these genres will tell you, sometimes this can be hit and sometimes a miss. With this in mind i suspect that for those who came along expecting to see a set full of the refined post-rock sounds of Sunset Mirage may have been somewhat underwhelmed, for although there was nothing inherently bad or wrong with their performance, Ghostwood did not seem to be playing up to their full potential, and as much as I was willing them to step it up a notch, I didn't feel they successfully communicated their full ability in the end.

As it is with any band, I predict that with more time to develop a cohesive stage presence that Ghostwood will be a definite force to be reckoned with.

Having said that the tracks Sunset Mirage and Cutlass were performed admirably, and were my highlights of the nights, moments that definitely showcased the true refined nature of Ghostwood's style.

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