Paper Scissors

A full house greeted me this evening as I stepped across the threshold of the EBC to witness Bluejuice already onstage. The way the bill appeared in street press I had assumed that Bluejuice were to be the headline act. A slight moment of panic crossed my being as I wondered if I had altogether missed The Paper Scissors by arriving just late enough to miss the support act. In the door and I’m spotted by an old friend, who coincidentally enough turns out to be the publicist for The Paper Scissors. I grill him for some information. I hadn’t really heard of either band til a couple of months ago, and even then, that’s only because a friend at work has a song or two from each band on her iPod which I have hammered into me most days. Both acts, Bluejuice more so, struck me as having a Cat Empire-ish party vibe to them, and thought it’d most likely create a rather enjoyable gig-going atmosphere. Spurred on by the chance to come along with me to the show, over the weeks leading up to tonight I was introduced to more tunes from both acts. Her excited nature made up for my lack thereof.

Turns out we hadn’t missed the one song most people knew, Vitriol. This was a good thing, because it is a rather catchy little number. This is where the Cat Empire similarities come into play for me. But it’s also a lazy comparison because I have little else to draw from to compare it to. Despite Jay from the Paper Scissors playing guitar on a couple of songs, Bluejuice consist of Bass, Drums, Keyboard, and two Vocalists, rapping, rhyming and harmonising together reasonably well. The musicianship was fantastic, and I found myself lamenting about knowing someone who plays keyboards that well. Can’t go wrong with a good keys player. The bassist, besides having some pretty sweet riffs, made interesting use of several effects; an Octave pedal to go one higher and provide some “guitar riffs”, or a nice Synthesized sound to double the funkiness of the keyboards. My companion for the evening turned to me at one point and question whether the drummer was blind, which I found hilarious. “But he’s not looking directly at anyone! He just stares up into space.” I saw him make eye contact with the bassist right… then. Musicians don’t need to watch what they’re doing maaaaannn,they’re feeling it, in the moment. He’s grooving along, his little curly mop flopping about. He ain’t no Stevie Wonder, but then, who is?

Energetically, both front men of Bluejuice were nonstop practically the whole performance. Climbing on the drumkit, surfing atop the crowd’s sweaty palms, shirtless, microphone in their right hand, microphone cable in their left with a bit of slack as to not rip out their lead mid-song. Pulling some stances not unlike those of Maynard James Keenan, minus the Maynardulations. They worked well together, never overshadowing each other, both rising and falling to offer their pieces in betwixt the previous and approaching line. The crowd is lapping it up, and the whole front half of the venue, now well and truly full, is one giant movement of dance revolution. I can practically feel the ground moving, and I see flailing arms up above the audience heads and the people moving know all the words. Those that don’t, stand still, drink in hand, looking on in envy – all except me. I don’t dance.

I rest my legs between acts after I spend an eternity at the bar waiting for service. Half the room empties between bands, as always happens since the new smoking laws came in last year. Once I have a drink in hand I await The Paper Scissors. Word has it this double bill has sold out every capital city on the tour thus far. While it isn’t suffocatingly full, I learn that tonight too is sold out. For these two acts I think touring together was a very smart decision. Different enough to bring a bit of their own crowd and similar enough to win over the rest. Touring together also has its advantages when it comes to getting support from street press and radio, especially Triple J, which I’ve learnt in the past. I’m sure it also helps that both bands have had their current singles, Bluejuice’s Vitriol, and The Paper Scissors’ We Don’t Walk, being flogged across several radio stations. There’s a bit of a buzz that’s been growing about both acts over the last 6 months. This isn’t the usual show I’d be attending or music I’d be listening to, yet continually, and more and more, have I heard both names as time has progressed. That stirs curiosity, and curiosity with music can only be a good thing when trying to win over new fans and build a following, which both Bluejuice and The Paper Scissors seem to be doing quite well.

Now, the only disappointment when The Paper Scissors hit the stage is the fact that the crowd has thinned quite dramatically. Maybe all those smokers who went out between acts for a quick fag died from lung cancer on the curbs of the East Brunswick Club. If that were the case, I applaud the local shire’s street cleaners for not being a body in sight when I left the venue an hour later. Initially it’s only the very back of the venue that seems a little lacking, but as more songs are sung, more people leave. I have to admit here that The Paper Scissors lack the stage presence and charm of Bluejuice, and immediately appear to me as a band onstage playing a set, instead of performers onstage performing. Though I won’t be that quick as to write them off just yet.

The Paper Scissors’ line-up consists of your usual bass, drums and two guitars, though one of the guitarists also whips out a Saxophone on a couple of tunes. This livens things up a little. The guitar playing is mostly percussive, and I find you’re relying on the vocals to create and hold the entire melody of the song. The vocalist gets a bit Bobcat Goldthwait-ish at times with his vocal contortions, and on several occasions I draw comparison to Modest Mouse. This pleases me enough to keep me interested, though I still feel they’re lacking something. The vocals are unique enough to give the band their own sound, and some clever rhythms manage to spice up what would otherwise be rather dull songs melodically. They keep the crowd waiting their entire set for the song everyone wants to hear, We Don’t Walk. Their set ends and they walk offstage without playing it, and the crowd aren’t happy. My +1 isn’t happy either. We’re both tired and have been waiting for this song specifically to appease our lack of attention span this evening. The roar comes up from the crowd. The band have only been offstage seconds when the audience begins singing We Don’t Walk, complete with Oh Oh Oh Oh’s. It was to be expected. No encore is spontaneous in this day and age. The ‘Encore’ has lost its appeal. The band return to stage, one of its members on the microphone, “What song is that? Did you guys write that? You must be fucking awesome to have written that song!” Gets a few laughs. I chuckle. For the last song of the evening, The Paper Scissors launch into the song most people know them for, We Don’t Walk, and it gets what must be 2/3rds of the remaining crowd (at best) left in the venue moving once again. It’s a catchy tune, but I still find myself thinking that perhaps Bluejuice should have headlined. Still, I think both of these bands will do fine, perhaps Bluejuice a little better. For someone not a usual fan of this style of music, I think I survived ok and managed to remain objective in my view of both acts – which I think helped in the actual appreciation and recognising of the elements that makes people see the potential in a new act. If you like a party vibe, a bit of a dance, a bit of a groove, these fellas are for you.

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