Tazzie Beats, Melbourne Soul
The Scientists of Modern Music with Hot Little Hands
Revolver, Prahran, Melbourne
Saturday, May 31st 2008
It wasn’t exactly a part of my thinking when leaving for these shores to spend my Saturday nights watching two kids from Tasmania playing electro, but somehow the itch for some live music leads me to this rather hip and psychedelic venue in the middle of an otherwise unassuming Melbourne district. As the dramatic lighting shifts around, and the visuals keep our attention, I hope that this particular sample of Melbourne’s acclaimed live scene will keep me satisfied for a while.
First up are locals Hot Little Hands, a five piece with a lot of ideas and an eclectic selection of outfits, (try long brown overcoats in a typically stuffy room, plus a singer who seems to have nicked Luke Pritchard’s wardrobe). Anyway, the music is pretty good.
From a post-punk base of angular guitar riffs and somewhat minimalist drum beats, they paste over a number of pop music devices, including four-part vocal harmonies and a varied selection of keyboard sounds that take in both pub-rock pounding and sleazy 80’s synths to good effect. The result is an engaging set, with no two songs sounding anything alike, and it will be interesting to see how it comes out on record when they bring out an album soon.
Next up are The Scientists of Modern Music, tonight marking their debut release Electronic Sunset. In the live arena they provide a frenetic, euphoric and downright enjoyable 45 minutes of electro-pop, catching the attention of a highly appreciative crowd right from the off. The music is brilliantly simplistic, with typically floor-shuddering basslines getting the feet moving while insanely catchy melodies and stretched bleeps lift the roof. The odd injection of a guitar provides an occasional increase in texture and the whole thing just takes off.
What makes these guys particularly endearing is the sheer amount of enjoyment they’re getting out of their perfomrance, which they express in ways reminiscent of watching Manchester’s very own Star Fighter Pilot. Comparisons to Mr Bryant are somewhat compounded by some extremely offbeat lyrics, with lines such as "# I wanted you when I was sitting on the lavatory #" causing a chuckle or two amidst all the dancing.
By the end of all of this, I’m sure I’m not the only one that has been thoroughly entertained, and if all the small venues in Melbourne provide such a complete experience for the city’s music fans then my, they are a lucky bunch.
words: Steve Welch
Hot Little Hands' debut album, Dynamite in Black and White, is due for release in Australia on June 14th through Rubber Records, an independent Melbourne-based label. The Scientists of Modern Music's debut EP (six tracks plus two remixes and two live performances) is out now on re-release through the same label.
www.rubberrecords.com.au
www.myspace.com/thescientistsofmodernmusic
www.hotlittlehands.net
www.myspace.com/hotlittlehands
