IN THE PINES

IN THE PINES

Somerville Auditorium, UWA

Sunday, April 22, 2012

So joyfully varied is the line-up at RTR FM’s much-loved annual local music love-in In The Pines that themes emerge by chance. So it proved this year: where one visitor might have seen it as an event strong on peppy pop, another would left convinced it had been focused on ambitious indie rock and bands who’d paid a lot of attention to Nirvana’s back catalogue.

The Nirvana tendency came early with The Love Junkies (following openers Tusk) who were implacable, uncompromising and, dare one say, a little dull. Following the countrified hoedowns and sea-chantey harmonies of The Big Old Bears (who were joined on stage by local troubadour James Teague to great effect), we entered what might be called the power-chord zone as Frozen Ocean (forget Beiber fever, we had Bibby fever! It was an outrage this supremely talented band were scheduled to perform so early in the day) and Suffer proffered visceral blasts of drums, bass and guitar, as well as guttural growls and thrash doubletime tempos.

Next up indie-rock up-and-comers Runner impressed with a set that served as a reminder to the rest of the pretty-rock community that loveliness is worthless if there’s no heart behind it. The members of fellow indie rockers Hang On St. Christopher’s hearts also beat stronger than most as they piled on emotional complexities and angst. In comparison, while local scene mainstay Benedict Moleta seemed as capable as ever at expressing himself, after a forgettable set one couldn’t help but wonder if he is running out of things to say – or, at least, things worth hearing.

Picking up the pace soon after was psych-rockers Sonpsilo Circus who pedaled out a set that was dark, literate and heavy on pomp and circumstance. Drawing the largest crowd during the day was Drowning Horse whose drone rock took a long, straight drive to euphoric emptiness. The members played through the pieces in unison so slowly and loudly that small discrepancies of timing produced dissonances that worked like sonar drills on your guts. Another highlight of the jam-packed line-up proved to be instrumental outfit SMRTS who had the combination of dynamism and atmosphere that could propel them to much bigger things. In frontman Pex Delibasic – who teased bewitching effects from his instrument – they also had one thing almost every other band at In The Pines lacked: an authentic guitar hero.

The presence of The Leap Year so highly on the bill highlighted the questionable decisions regarding playing times. Although the bicycle loving group had plenty of well polished arsenal at their disposal, their easy-to-digest rock was far less impressive than many of the other bands who preceded them.

Next up, Apricot Rail proved to be the perfect band to play among the cover of pine trees when the days light is beginning to fail. The meandering instruments were crisp, clear and soothing in the fresh evening air. There are few bands making a similar sound to Apricot Rail, and in this town (and many others) they are well ahead of the pack.

By the time local funsters Boys Boys Boys! glistened on stage picnic blankets had been discarded for dancing shoes. There is no doubt that the babes of Euro pop straddle the line between daggy and impeccably cool, but that is not to say that they don’t have songs of worth at their disposal. They danced, sung and punched fists in the air more than seemed humanly possible with the ever smiling Bridget Turner having more infectious fun than anyone at the event. Finishing off with a ‘running man’ competition Boys Boys Boys! sure know how to party.

It is not the fact that RTR FM offer a family friendly event that allowed San Cisco to be added to the bill, it is a credit to the fledgling band that they have seen such a meteoric rise of the past year. The bright jangle of Golden Revolver captures an understanding of pop music beyond their years. The well fashioned four-piece had new tunes on show like Fred Astaire that saw Scarlett Stevens effortless behind the drum kit. The call and response of smash hit Awkward led to the appropriate amount of enthusiastic dancers. The scary thing about San Cisco is that their journey has just begun and they will get infinitely better. 

The Ghost Hotel are no strangers to outdoor shows by now and they brought a confident strut to proceedings. Not content to be awkward indie kids on this evening, they kicked off in frenetic fashion with the rumbling Hand That Bleeds before Dead Letter Heart saw a tide of people sweep towards the stage. In a short set it was pleasing to see the criminally underrated Jake Snell get a chance to show his wares with the sweet classic rock of Cut Your Losses.

The worst kept secret in Perth has been getting a fair airing this weekend, and In The Pines signaled one of the last times that we will get to call Split Seconds our own before they make the big move to Melbourne town. The big man with little guitar Sean Pollard has a knack for sophisticated melody and Maiden Name is one of his finest. Former band mate and newlywed Nat Carlson joined the quintet on stage for the stylish She Makes Her Own Clothes. By the time the dance floor had cleared after All You Gotta Do people were already starting to miss them.

As In The Pines drew to a close RTR FM thought it only fitting to pour some Sugar Army on us. A marked increase in volume signaled the band’s arrival as they made inroads into a set of angular guitar rock. Sugar Army overcame some technical difficulties to bring a close to another great day of local music to celebrate the nation’s greatest community radio station.

With no never-before-seen acts, secret sets or crazy collaborations, this year’s incarnation of In The Pines saw no need to tinker with a successful formula, and because of that it was less a step forward than a refined restatement of well-known strength.

_JENNIFER PETERSON-WARD

& CHRIS HAVERCROFT