Lionizer Bridges Burned / Stone Single Launch w/ The Caballeros, Being Beta, Lina Sleeps
So, I arrived late for the show as I didn't know it was on until it had already started.
While I was only able to catch the last two acts, boy was I glad I did!
The Caballeros were only setting up as I walked in so I had time to sit down and enjoy the venue. Babushka in Leederville is really quite nice, upstairs from a bar and grill and a bit hard to find thanks to the construction work going on outside. But once inside, the venue is small without being cramped and has a spacious bar and a number of booths that people were hapilly sitting in waiting for the band to play.
(Apologies for not having a set list to give the name of all the songs, i'm a noob)
When they finally began to play though, The Caballeros were amazing.
I'll admit, I went to see the show just because i'd quickly listened to the latest Lionizer track, (which is excellent, click and listen!). But The Caballeros blew my mind in a way that only Hideous Sun Demon had done before.
The Caballeros are a 5 Piece Rock and Roll Rhythm and Blues band from Perth, Western Australia, and while their music playing ability is amazing on it's own (go listen), their live performance is what will truly capture your heart and mind.
Jake "Dr Green" England provides a truly astounding performance as a front man. From the first song he was throwing the microphone around, collapsing to his knees and laying his face into the amplifiers. That alone would have been noteworthy, but as each song progressed so did his performance. By the end of the show I was convinced he spent more time out amongst the crowd than he did near the stage. Dancing with the dancers, head banging with the sitters, and generally pulling people into the performance more than the music alone ever could.
He started the third song (if memory serves) standing on the bar which became a recurring theme. Lying on the bar later having a drink tipped into his mouth which he nearly chocked on and sprayed nonchalantly over the crowd, later still he took a short nap on the bar while the band played only to slide his way across to drink from the tap.
Those antics followed by a cocky strut around the room had obvious echoes of a Jagger-esque performance.
He wasn't the only member of the band getting into it though, the guitarists were frequently just off stage in the front of the crowd, with each song interposed by short banter from multiple members of the troupe.
The music itself should not be understated, fun and raunchy with a whole lot of cheek to it, it carries the essence of the Rock and Blues it's drawn from and it's impossible to listen without bopping your head and having a cheeky smile spread across your face.
Can not recommend them more. Go have a listen, and by all means see a live show, you won't regret it.
The Main Event, Lionizer.
Lionizer was the main event of the night, celebrating the launch of their new singles, and are the reason I made it there at all.
After the passion of the previous performance, which even Lionizer took a moment to echo everyones sentiments of "Holy Shit!", it would be hard to captivate the audience to that extent again. Despite that, Lionizer managed to pull everyone up to the stage.
Lionizer is a 3 piece Indie Punk band from Perth, Western Australia, with a plethora of influences, which you can really feel coming through a lot of their tracks.
The first song seemed a bit dull to my ears, which I will hapilly attribute to the sudden genre change, but by the end of the song it had worked into a solid jam and I was ready to buy what they were selling.
The second song suffered from a low vocal mix, which is a shame because the singer - Vez Litten, is fully equipped to belt out the words, but that is more a problem with live venues in general and I'd rather not have that problem attributed to the band.
Fortunately that problem was rectified during a short break for some technical issues, and by the time the fourth song started Lionizer had really warmed up and was ready to show us what they had.
The fourth song of the set 'Bleeding Out and Shutting Down' is in my mind the best song in their set.
Starting with some classic 90's sounding pop punk guitar riffs, which rapidly arched up, sucking you right in before the hook slams you down with amazing backed up vocals. I just wish there was a link for this one. You'll just have to go see them play to hear it I guess.
The great tracks continued with a boppy number with hints of paramore that vanished during the chorus, the use of dual vocals on this song was especially delicious.
Lionizer finished their set with their latest single Bridges Burned, and it was a really strong finish. The crowd responded well to this one and within moments everyone was crowded around the stage stomping and head nodding.
All in all, two excellent shows. The Caballeros delivered an unexpected performance as I had no idea who or what they are, but now I'll definitely be seeing them again. Lionizer gave me a hot blast of fast indie punk, which was exactly what I wanted from the evening and more than merits a repeat viewing.
Have a listen to the bands, and if you can, try to catch them live, you won't regret it!