Gyroscope

I have a long running theory that you can guarantee how well a gig will go by the first punter you encounter. In my case, it was a girl with dyed-black hair, black nail polish, arms out-stretched in a jesus-like pose, slurring “hhhheeeeeyyy baaaabyyyy, what are you dressing up as for halloweeeen tomorrow?”

“Erm, Ryan Adams,” I replied, but judging by her blank expression, she didn’t get my joke, or even know who Ryan Adams was.

Unfortunately, due to the early start of the gig, I missed local rockers Lakoda, but by all reports they were great. They are one of the mysteries of the Hobart scene, in that they seem to appear and disappear into oblivion only to reappear some years later again. Weird.

When Melbourne emo-core band, Behind Crimson Eyes came onstage at 10pm, it soon became obvious that they’re fan base was well established, as I became engulfed by emo kids in Atticus t-shirts, and thick black glasses. BCE came across as one of those “I hate my rich parents for driving me to college in their new BMW” type of bands. That’s not to say they were bad, but they’re stage moves and dress sense were so cliche and obviously well rehearsed that it became hard to notice the music at all. Is Welcome to My Nightmare an Alice Cooper reference? Their polished sound also showed signs that they could easily be played on Triple J, or perhaps commercial radio. Hey, no $hame in that.

Gyroscope were completely different altogether. It’s so obvious they don’t want to be lumped into any ‘punk’ sub-genre, that it’s not even funny, and that makes them all the more stronger. For instance, their new songs have completely lost the distinct smell of their early influences and they have brilliantly turned into a rock band unto their own right. That’s not to say future albums will be a Kid A-esque experiment in wank, but they will definitely become more interesting and appeal to a broader audience. Playing perhaps the perfect “best of” set (that is to say, songs from early ep’s, and both albums) was wise considering they had never been to Tassie before. They also pulled off a brilliant live show with seemingly unending energy but without coming across as ‘trying too hard,’ and showing they are one of the better live bands in the country. Ending with current single Fast Girl, and an encore that included Safe Forever Gyroscope had the entire sold-out crowd in complete awe, including this sceptical reviewer.

“We’ll be back real soon,” shouted drummer, Rob Nasif, enthralled at the crowd response.

Let’s hope so.

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