REVIEW: A Spinning Top New Year

SPINNING TOP MUSIC are the lucky ducks who manage the musical careers of psychedelic rock sensations Tame Impala. Their lesser known, but equally awesome bands bound together for New Years Eve 2011 to throw the ultimate live music bash, and I was lucky enough to grab a ticket. As I call Sydney my home town, this was a magnificent opportunity to see the lovely family of bands performing together, as they don't often venture to my part of the woods. So a hop, skip and a jump (plus or minus a four hour plane trip) and I found myself in Fremantle's Mojo's Bar.

Stepping into Mojo's, I felt like I'd travelled through some kind of time machine. It was in a zone of its own. The club is a dead ringer for a trucker stop in the middle of Texas, and it's as gritty as a dive bar. But even before the bands leapt on stage, the music oozing throughout was enough to transcend one to another time and place. Think underground bar transformation, with a bit of a 60's feel. It really felt like we were about to witness something amazing.

And that, we did...

Just a little disclaimer before I get into what you really want to hear... All photos taken on Instagram, (oh the perils of camera chargers!).

Opening the night were GUM, the baby band of the family. Gum is the brainchild of Tame Impala drummer, Jay Watson. As they only have a hand full of songs online, I didn't really know what to expect from these guys, but they definitely set the night off to a great start! No 2 songs sounded the same, and they managed to entertain the slowly growing crowd with ease. Gum's sound is riff-heavy, with some of the catchiest hooks I've heard in a while. Some of the tracks were gravelly-er than others, and at times Watson's voice was clearly distressing, but it was a pleasure to see him up front of the stage for once. He definitely has the talent and ability to be the frontman in his own right. Listen HERE.

We're no strangers to ALLBROOK/AVERY. You may remember we told you about them HERE. But as we'd never seen them live, we had no idea what to expect. Need never fear when it's a band from this uber talented family from Perth, they translated amazingly live - way less cutesy, with a gritter raw sound. By this point, the crowd was really starting to fill out, obviously their reputation precedes them. Frontmen Nick Allbrook and Cam Avery switched effortlessly on the mic, always keeping us guessing. With each switch of vocalist, they were able to change the mood from party to swoon, and right on back again. Nick was certainly the life of the show; if you've never seen him fronting a band: you must. His on-stage antics are a reason in themselves for seeing him perform, he becomes an individual far from the calm lone standing bassist for Tame Impala. Not even a broken guitar strap could stop him moving, he managed to keep on playing in positions normally deemed impossible.

They finished the set off by getting themselves into an obviously pre-ordained musical mess, managing to salvage out of it, and really create a party jam. Keep an eye on these guys, you won't regret it.

Next up was the sister in the Spinning Top family, FELICITY GROOM. She is an amazingly talented artist, if you've heard her album 'Gossamer', you'd have to agree. Though her image doesn't match her sound, I found myself being able to look past that and truly enjoy what I heard. Her voice is absolutely stunning, and she has such a delicate hold over all vocal techniques. She has mastered a wide use of instrumentation, and both her and her back up musicians were a treasure to behold. For their last tune, they called upon the whole Spinning Top family to provide the "oohs" and "ahhs" for her bountiful bouncy track.

Next up were MINK MUSSEL CREEK. Facebook describes their sound as 'funk', but I'd have to say they are the epitome of funk infused rock and roll, with a bit of groove thrown in. Their opening song was epically long, in a good "I don't want this to end" way. They truly are the masters of jam. Not the fruity kind. Their set was cut in two by the stroke of midnight, with frontman Nick vowing to the audience to "play you some some songs, and then hit you with some 2012". Mid song, Nick counted down the New Year, with a bit of a groovy jam keeping the paces, and then they picked up again after everyone had finished with their midnight pashes.

I don't want to oversell these guys, but I honestly think that they are so darn amazing they could bring a tear to a hard rocker's eye. I don't even need to mention how good they are on their respective instruments, cos we all know that. But the lyrics, are just one of a kind, managing to briefly confound and stun every single reveler. Plus, you've gotta love a band with a designated tambourine man.

My personal favourite of the night was THE GROWL. It wasn't the first, and won't be the last time my eyes and ears will lock on to a live performance of these guys. If you've not yet been witness to their onstage perfection, let me fill you in. They rock out like no other, with two drummers squeezing on the stage (one kitted out with a garbage can, no less). They are bluesy, garage-rock, with an appropriately growly texture. Cam (you may recognise him from earlier in the night... yes they all play in multiple bands) has a wonderful old school rock & roll voice that makes you feel like you're back in the 60's. Their tunes are filled with gravelly guitar riffs and thundering drums; I could listen to their drummer's and bassist jamming for hours.

The boys fittingly threw in a whole lotta swagger and growl into the night, with their dirty groove infused tunes. During the set it was obvious the crowd was tipping on the feminine register, with a lot of swooning going on left right and centre. Everyone was dirty dancing like the true underground; making the dive bar really come to life.

Their EP is great, but The Growl live are something to be beheld. They're a must-see next time they're in your town.

Last up were pop jam band, POND, providing everyone with the chance to get down and boogie. Nick stepped on to the stage, apologising ahead of time for spilling any drinks or injuring people, which gave us a little something of what to expect. He kicked off the set by couch surfing, so you know it's going to get interesting from there. Their sound is painstakingly put together, but they play so effortlessly it's obviously just second nature to them. You know these guys live for the music when they're in a handful of bands, they spend their lives jamming and the smiles never leave their faces.

Just when we thought the night couldn't be topped, Pond blow off the motherf*cking roof! The whole crowd swayed and grooved to their tunes, and it was obvious their fans are truly dedicated - they knew each and every word! Nick spent more time out in the crowd, surfing than on the stage; but it didn't effect his vocals one bit: he sounded brilliant. He managed to break all the rules (including curfew) but convinced the sound guy to keep the music pumping, with a small bribe of his favourite track.

Their new album 'Beard Wives Denim' will be released on March 2. Keep your ears peeled.

Overall, the night was magnificent, and definitely worth the long weekend I took to be there. Spinning Top have their finger on the pulse of all that's amazing over in Perth, so you should definitely keep a lookout for what they're next up to.