The Vasco Era

My friend has a beautiful velvet clutch that she refers to as the “Brass Monkey”, it reminds her of the very same venue that I find myself at…A quiet Thursday night in The Shire, front table of the Brass Monkey live music venue, experiencing an amazing night of music and outstanding Australian indie talent.

There are the rich red velvet curtains (a large version of said clutch), and trimmings, attentive wait staff, warm acoustics, all adding to the charisma of this quaint little venue in Cronulla which hosted Vasco Era on this night, with support of local outfit Dead Letter Chorus.

And suddenly, there appears the gorgeous Dead Letter Chorus – all cute, modest and welcoming to the small audience that had gathered early. They absolutely blew me away – from the minute Dead Letter Chorus waltzed onto the stage to the minute they strolled off – they were magically enchanting and captivating.

I was impressed by their great 70’s-style, country-inspired, matching outfits, the boys in unique cowboy shirts and vintage shoes and Gabrielle Huber (vocals/keys/acoustic guitar) in a great necktie and pencil skirt.

Dead Letter Chorus kicked off their profound storytelling journey with the brilliant “Wait All Night”. Cameron Potts (lead vocals/guitar) featured prominently, a fine little Ryan Adams, to set the tone for a breathtaking set.

Huber took over vocals on the third song and I was speechless – she has an amazing voice and melancholically enthralling stage presence, much like that of Sarah Blasko.

Highlights were aplenty – the new song “Winter Solace”, complete with flute and clarinet was delightful, “Fathers And Daughters”, a heartbreaking tribute to Potts’ Mum was raw and piercing and the tandem Potts/Huber effort on “Sweet Carolina” was very alt/country which in my books, was perfect for this outfit.

So now we are all chilled out…Sid O’Neill (lead vocals/guitar) from The Vasco Era ambles onto the stage to begin Elvis’s “(I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You” and the audience settles in. That is, until the other two thirds of this crazy, rock/blues outfit from Melbourne fill the stage with the first few thrashing bars of their own song.

This is dirty, indie, blues, rock ‘n’ roll at its finest. And I’m hooked.

Sid O’Neill is a lovely blend of Caleb Followill (Kings Of Leon lead singer/rhythm guitar) and Kurt Cobain, as he croons noisily through song after song of madness.

Michael Fitzgerald (drums) looks as though he is going to snap his drum kit at any given moment, as he thrashes around through his long locks and keeps the band in line. Ted O’Neill (bass) is playing so furiously that his sweat is almost landing in my drink, as the close-knit trio rock out to “I’m With Your Man”.

I love the rawness that characterises The Vasco Era – the ferocity and hunger of their stage performance and the passion for their craft is apparent through the presence on the encompassing stage.

The catchy single “When They All Lost It” is a standout, that is until Sid disrupts it for a swig out of his water bottle!

But all in a day’s work I’d say – this 3-piece outfit have a warm, relaxed approach to their music – even as they’re rocking out and performing wild drum duos (with Sid on timbales at the front combining with Fitzgerald).

I especially enjoyed the cover of The White Stripes’ “Ain’t That Lonely Yet”, which was so Jack White it wasn’t funny. Also, “Kingswood” (highly recognisable from previous rotation on JJJ) was punchy and almost sing-along and the finale incorporating “Sweet Little Honey Bee” and “When He Started Writing You Weird Love Songs” made me never went to leave The Vasco Era’s cocoon that seemed to hold the whole room.

The Vasco Era is a fascinating live act; although I do think they could have filled a larger venue, I am sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of this outfit in the future. As the boys themselves say, they’ll be “Yours til the end”…

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