Festa El Cheapo
The Retreat, Brunswick, Melbourne, AUS, 5.3.05

You gotta love the music scene in Melbourne. Where else would you be able to see five bands in an afternoon for $15?

Headlined by Machine Translations, closely followed by Sodastream and Disaster Plan, the real draw for me was the two other bands, on early in the afternoon: Because of Ghosts and Grand Salvo.

I saw Because of Ghosts supporting Tortoise and felt that their music showed massive promise. Tense, weighty instrumental rock in the Mogwai vein, but prettier and with more variation, Because of Ghosts are a talented three piece, all brothers. However, they were clearly unimpressed by their performance at the Retreat. They played better at the Tortoise gig, and they weren't disturbed by malfunctioning equipment. It's hard for a band to excel in the early afternoon, with daylight streaming in on them and only a handful of punters to wow. But they made it through, and gave the distinct impression that at their best they'd be an excellent live prospect.

Grand Salvo, on the other hand, are perfectly suited to such stale environments and grey afternoons, their bittersweet, yearning folk music able to turn your eyes glassy at the drop of a grace note. Paddy and Zoe weave simple, earnest music that can't fail to tug at your heartstrings, and although most of the set was familiar, it was still enjoyable listening.

Definitely two bands to watch out for in 2005.

Copyright © 2005 Tim Clarke