Fasterlouder Review @ Club Blink

. . . . Having recently shared his magic with the Big Sound showcase attendees, raved-about Brissie moodytronica maestro Hunz leads his powerhouse rhythm section (featuring drums prodigy Richie Young) into another riveting performance. A passionate frontman as well as a ridiculously talented singer, songwriter and sonic architect, the erstwhile Hans Van Vliet is a familiar welcome sight as he attacks both his mic and modified synth, every syllable, note and move soaked with emotion and sheer intensity. Several choice tracks from acclaimed albums When Victims Fight and this year’s marvellous Thoughts That Move get an airing, Long Road, Soon, Soon and You Said Hello all packing wistful keyboard arrangements and humungous hooks. During the second half of the show, a laptop glitch prompts the digi-soul man to skip a song from the setlist, apologise to the crowd and bow out with another spirited vocal/musical display. My post-gig recommendation to the uninitiated? If you haven’t seen Hunz yet, by all means do it – you’ll be blown away. . . .

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Denis Semchenko

The Troubadour – Sat Jan 24

Disclaimer: this writer is proud to attest he hasn’t seen one crap show at The Troub. That said, the Australia Day weekend is reassuringly full of live music and bringing his art to the tassle-decorated stage is Brisbane’s own math-rock extraordinaire Hunz. Backed by a powerhouse rhythm section, the bearded soul man/laptop wizard gives a glimpse of what Pivot could have sounded like if Richard Pike sang conventional lyrics; his expansive range, in-song vocal loops and sheer passion make for one memorable opening slot.

No matter how tight they are, hometown boys Gladstone & Lochaber are unable to match Hunz’s impressive performance. Their reverb-drenched palette coming across as by-numbers Aussie rock with Perth slant (Gyroscope, Eskimo Joe etc), the quartet only really get flying on one Francophone number, albeit due to that song’s nod to The Stills’ glorious Retour A Vega.

Muse jamming with Sparks anyone? In lieu of pre-gig research, [ME] turn out to be my unexpected discovery of 2009. Ridiculously talented, the precocious Melbourne fourpiece do a much better job at pulling off the Queen sound than The Darkness ever did and generally make the latter collective sound like a bunch of amateurs; Freddy Mercury’s spirit would undoubtedly be smiling at the band’s vocal acrobatics while Brian May would approve of the guitarist’s supersonic tapping and sustain-laden riffs. Two words: epic win.

DENIS SEMCHENKO

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