Dallas Frasca, Rick Steward, King of The North @ The Northcote Social Club, Melbourne (09/03/2012)
When I rocked up at the Northcote Social Club last night to see Dallas Frasca, I had little idea of what to expect. Aside from new single 'All My Love', I was not familiar with the Melbourne locals. Suffice to say I was blown away by the explosive live set of rootsy-rock that is somewhere at the crossroads of soul music and screamo.
First support act King of The North lifted the roof with their hard-rock, which drew a bunch of loyal fans who head-banged their way through the set. Wiry, bearded lead singer and guitarist Andrew Higgs bounces about the stage with an elasticity that is admirable and an energy that is contagious. Their brand of garage rock is not my cup of tea, but live the duo were seriously entertaining. Drummer Danny Leo packs a punch with his ferocious pounding of the kit, driving their dynamic sound. Higgs guitar solos were impressive, and their sound was at times akin to old Black Keys, at others Lenny Kravitz.
Hailing from Wangaratta in country Victorian, Rick Steward gave a stand-out performance of his blues-rock, with electrifying guitar playing and grimey vocals. Comparisons to John Butler Trio and Xavier Rudd are deserved, with his foot-stomping roots tunes sure to get you grooving. The crowd, which had started to fill out by this stage, got right into it, with some dancing in front of the stage. Steward used two microphones to great effect, one of them with heavy distortion which added another dimension to his bluesy sliding vocals. For most of his set, he performed alone with an amplified acoustic that never slipped into the often dull territory that it can, helped in part by a harmonica. Switching to an electric guitar for the latter part of his set, he was joined on stage by a drummer, rocking out harder and breaking a serious sweat. There was something in his sound that reminded me of Kings of Leon circa Youth & Young Manhood, perhaps his husky, slurred vocals. With his long blonde locks, Steward looks more like a surfer than a blues musician, which may make him a hit with teenage girls. The guitar was almost bigger than him, but he nonetheless owned the stage, and showed off his well-honed blues skills.
Dallas Frasca's set opened with band members Jeff Curran and Pete McDonald taking the stage and position behind drum kit and guitar. The now near-capacity venue cheered, and when Frasca herself stormed the stage, the energy went through the roof. With her mop of flaming red dreadlocks, she cuts quite a figure on stage. Her piercing voice is the real star of the show The husky break in her voice has truckloads of character, helped by her impassioned performance.
Frasca gives a rock-star performance, complete with stage dive (apparently it had been "a really long time"). The entire 3-piece band were clearly pumped to be there, and the lead guitarist threw his whole body into every riff. McDonald had a chaotic drum solo at one stage that had him basically jumping out of his chair. The energy of the band rubbed off on the audience, who participated throughout the set – sometimes spontaneously, other times as directed by Frasca. The mosh at the front were obviously familiar with Dallas Frasca's live shows, as they sung back the reply "take a fucking look" without prompting during one of the raucous closers entitled 'Take A Look'.
At one point Frasca's bandmates left her alone on stage, with a stool and an acoustic guitar, prompting her to make a quip about it not being a singer-songwriter night. While Frasca's vocal prowess is beyond question, the song was lacking the hook-laden punch of the full-band, and the chattering was perhaps evidence of the audience's lack of enthusiasm during this interlude.
The band has recently returned to their hometown after spending time in New York City recording their upcoming album Sound Painter, which they took two years off to write. The album was recorded live, reflecting their strength as a live act. Frasca spoke of her happiness at being back in Brunswick, saying "you know when you just know where you're supposed to be". Judging from last night's rocking show in Northcote, Melbourne is happy to have her back.
Rebecca McCann
First support act King of The North lifted the roof with their hard-rock, which drew a bunch of loyal fans who head-banged their way through the set. Wiry, bearded lead singer and guitarist Andrew Higgs bounces about the stage with an elasticity that is admirable and an energy that is contagious. Their brand of garage rock is not my cup of tea, but live the duo were seriously entertaining. Drummer Danny Leo packs a punch with his ferocious pounding of the kit, driving their dynamic sound. Higgs guitar solos were impressive, and their sound was at times akin to old Black Keys, at others Lenny Kravitz.
Hailing from Wangaratta in country Victorian, Rick Steward gave a stand-out performance of his blues-rock, with electrifying guitar playing and grimey vocals. Comparisons to John Butler Trio and Xavier Rudd are deserved, with his foot-stomping roots tunes sure to get you grooving. The crowd, which had started to fill out by this stage, got right into it, with some dancing in front of the stage. Steward used two microphones to great effect, one of them with heavy distortion which added another dimension to his bluesy sliding vocals. For most of his set, he performed alone with an amplified acoustic that never slipped into the often dull territory that it can, helped in part by a harmonica. Switching to an electric guitar for the latter part of his set, he was joined on stage by a drummer, rocking out harder and breaking a serious sweat. There was something in his sound that reminded me of Kings of Leon circa Youth & Young Manhood, perhaps his husky, slurred vocals. With his long blonde locks, Steward looks more like a surfer than a blues musician, which may make him a hit with teenage girls. The guitar was almost bigger than him, but he nonetheless owned the stage, and showed off his well-honed blues skills.
Dallas Frasca's set opened with band members Jeff Curran and Pete McDonald taking the stage and position behind drum kit and guitar. The now near-capacity venue cheered, and when Frasca herself stormed the stage, the energy went through the roof. With her mop of flaming red dreadlocks, she cuts quite a figure on stage. Her piercing voice is the real star of the show The husky break in her voice has truckloads of character, helped by her impassioned performance.
Frasca gives a rock-star performance, complete with stage dive (apparently it had been "a really long time"). The entire 3-piece band were clearly pumped to be there, and the lead guitarist threw his whole body into every riff. McDonald had a chaotic drum solo at one stage that had him basically jumping out of his chair. The energy of the band rubbed off on the audience, who participated throughout the set – sometimes spontaneously, other times as directed by Frasca. The mosh at the front were obviously familiar with Dallas Frasca's live shows, as they sung back the reply "take a fucking look" without prompting during one of the raucous closers entitled 'Take A Look'.
At one point Frasca's bandmates left her alone on stage, with a stool and an acoustic guitar, prompting her to make a quip about it not being a singer-songwriter night. While Frasca's vocal prowess is beyond question, the song was lacking the hook-laden punch of the full-band, and the chattering was perhaps evidence of the audience's lack of enthusiasm during this interlude.
The band has recently returned to their hometown after spending time in New York City recording their upcoming album Sound Painter, which they took two years off to write. The album was recorded live, reflecting their strength as a live act. Frasca spoke of her happiness at being back in Brunswick, saying "you know when you just know where you're supposed to be". Judging from last night's rocking show in Northcote, Melbourne is happy to have her back.
Rebecca McCann