Pikelet
with World's End Press and Love Connection
» Clones and Clones: Hobart + Melbourne - October 11, 2010
» Pikelet - Newtown Workers Club, Vic - April 10, 2010
» Pikelet - Polyester Records (City), VIC - February 17, 2010
» An Horse - June 4, 2011
» The Triple Rainbow Tour - March 19, 2011
It is the second night of Pikelet's Stem album launch at Northcote Social Club. The hometown response for pysch-pop Evelyn Morris and her band Pikelet has been wondrous. With a squishy and sold out 300 people on the Saturday, tonight is busy enough that I awkwardly touch the girl next to me every time I reach for my phone.
World's End Press kick off the night with their high energy 80s revival synth-pop kind of thing. They've got some super good singles like ‘Golden Child’ and the catchiest song in the world ‘Only The Brave’, but when they bring out my all-time childhood favourite song, Pet Shop Boys cover ‘Eastern Boys, West End Girls’ that's when I decide that I irrevocably love them in all their drum machine and synchronised-star jump glory.
The next support is psychedelic misfits Love Connection. Their set starts off with a few technical issues; "Has anybody got any drum sticks? Our drummer has forgotten his drum sticks" and continues with the loudest show I've ever seen. It's a pity because I think the really really really loud levels coming through the PA drown out many positive perceptions of the band for me...purely on the volume level only; because in all other aspects, they're good.
The songs are long and hypnotic with not many words and when the front-man sings he screams and wails and whispers with such crazy dynamics that he doesn't even need words because the emotions are as apparent as the buckets of dry ice sifting around the stage.
The curtains close and DJ Jens Lekman plays some more intermission disco tunes. When they open it feels like we're looking into Pikelet's lounge room with pot-plants-a-plenty and patterned table-clothes adorning the majority of the furniture.
From the second they start, I'm not listening to a band; I'm watching strange foreign films where the only thing I understand is the soundtrack. Every now and then I have to snap my mouth shut and stand up straight because I realise I've been in a stare-trance slowly falling onto the guy in front of me's back and forgetting to swallow or whatever it is that we do.
A friend leans over to me during the album opener ‘Toby Light’ and whispers "How much does this song remind you of the Zelda theme song!” True.
Pikelet never ever disappoints. I leave with an overwhelming sense of inspiration and a copy of the new album. Tonight was an all round good show; a rollercoaster of synths and succulents.
