The Waiting Room Never Saw It Coming From Iowa

Next week Brisbane is going to be invaded by Iowa. Not by the state of the USA; not by Mitt Romney; not by obscure Russian divas; not by fanatical Slipknot acolytes. No, Brisbane is going to be destroyed by the Melbourne trio whose debut LP Never Saw It Coming is a head mixture of all the best alternative/noise rock conventions of the 1990s, including adherence to hook and melody behind all the feedback. They are playing X&Y on the Friday August 17 (with able supports from Tape/Off and Sleepwalks), an afternoon sesh at Tyms Guitars on the Saturday, and then - drumroll - at The Waiting Room as headliners for this month's Sonic Masala Presents. They are bringing their new album in tow (including some on sexy yellow vinyl!) and a new single in the form of 'Love Song'. This is one not to be missed, including as it does support from the resurgent Seaplane, the destructive El Motel (who are promising something special for this show) and the debaucherous Crass Creatures. It's all for a tenner, with BYO, and I PROMISE YOU that this will be one of the strongest shows you will see this year. If not, Ill drink some beer - that'll teach me!

Here's the streamed Iowa album:


...and here is a little mixtape of tracks from the bands...

El Motel - Black RiderCrass Creatures - Cement
El Motel - Carnival Kid
Iowa - Panic Attack
Crass Creatures - Snake Hole
El Motel - Crazy Love
Iowa - Complete Control

...and because I don't have any Seaplane mp3's at work, here is a live version of 'Soiree'.



Get keen!

Sonic Masala Presents Godliness

So we have reached that holiest of numbers that the preacher Black Francis preached to us about - Sonic Masala Presents #7. There is a crispness in the air that means winter is on its way, so let's bow down to the altar of Sonic Masala and stave off the cold with booze and tunes, shall we? It's one of the best line-ups yet, with Seaplane playing one of their rare shows (with new material in the caboose for an impending album release!!), a new look Tape/Off featuring Cam Smith (Tiny Spiders/Ghost Notes/Mt Augustus) on bass duties, 8-bit video game soundtracks done for realsies by the excellent Boss Fight, and loud as all get out scuzzy blues from hellraisers El Motel.


Sonic Masala Presents... is on this Friday down at The Waiting Room. Once again its a tenner and BYO. Bring your buds, your flames, your mistresses, your grandmas (hell, maybe they're all one and the same, no prejudices here!) and have a blast. This monkey ain't going to heaven just yet.

Iowa Never Saw It Coming

We have been championing fuzz-drenched wailing rockers Iowa for some time now, so it goes without saying that we would be championing their debut album, Never Saw It Coming. It's exactly what their previous 7"'s and singles 'Complete Control' and Panic Attack' promised - 12 tracks of unabashed 90s glory-hugging, some awe-inspiring guitar solos, and lotsa tension-filled hooks. There are a few missteps - for once it's an instrumental, 'Seretonin', that doesn't connect with me - but overall this record is killer - and loud. Very loud. There is even an opportunity on 'Lights Out' where the Melbourne trio seek out their inner grungemaster (could the title be a direct reference???), and buzzsaw with aplomb.


Never Saw It Coming continues Iowa's sexy attraction to multi-coloured vinyl releases, with the yellow wax making fizzy pants the country over. See it below - I wasn't kidding, was I? Grab it here. They also have a quality T-shirt which you can buy here (what am I, Iowa's merch buddy? Geez!) Apparently live these guys are killing it also. They had their debut launch the other weekend, supported by Brisbane's own Tape/Off who apparently held their own too. Tour dates for Brisbane will be forthcoming shortly.



Iowa - Complete Control

Sonic Masala Presents Number 5 Is Alive!

In two days' time, the fifth instalment of Sonic Masala Presents at the Waiting Room will take place. Its exciting on a whole bunch of levels. Let's break those levels down...


1) It features my first interstate band! Yes, Franco Cozzo (the musical spazznuts, not the furniture magnate and crazy commercial guy) hail from Melbourne - you may remember me talking about them here - and whilst I haven't heard anything new from them since this pretty dirty EP of 2010, I'm envisioning an incredibly loud and raucous affair. Specialties abound.

2) We have two celebrities coming! Actually that isn't true. But we do have two bands that have appropriated celebs' names into their monikers. Firstly we have Fred Savage Beasts, whose Method Is A Just Cause demos release (freely downloadable too!) offers some cool lo-fi meanderings. The band is essentially Nathan from local slacker behemoths Tape/Off, and if this is what's possible from some half-baked afternoons in the bedroom, imagine what some invested time will produce. This will be their first show - highly anticipated...



Then of course there is the man with the gravitas and one of the most iconic calming voices in movie history, Morgan Freeman. He is also the epitome of cool, thus - Motherfucking Morgan Freeman. This two-piece is a love affair with all that is rambunctious and shambolic in the world. Expect an ever-shifting morass of noise. Some covers will be unearthed, including one or two of their own from their past band, Librarians/We Are Librarians/Ex-Librarians (I never know what their name is/was/will be...) You may remember we spoke about em some time ago also - check that out here.

3) We certainly can't leave out new skids on the jocks Crass Creatures either! I saw them support Fucked Up last year in what has to be one of the coolest debut support slots ever picked up, and they certainly stepped up to the plate. There are exciting elements here - even a trace of Murder City Devils, which is soooooooooo good - and whilst the rust on the edges still shows from a fledgling act, they are only going to get better. Check these guys out before they are blowing up like DZ.



4) There isn't really a part four, I'm just really excited about this one! It's, as always, all for a tenner, and with takeaway bottle shops all around West End there is an endless supply of cheap drinks, enough to have moolah in the pocket to burn on merch (or probably booze on Boundary St later).

See you there chumps!