Live Review: London Bureau and Soviet X-Ray @ The Beetle Bar Friday 9th August, 2013
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- Written by David Adcock
Within the intimate setting of Brisbane’s Beetle Bar, newcomers Soviet X-Ray took to the stage on Friday in order to get the crowd excited for the night’s headline act. The 5-piece band performed a small collection of rock/punk tracks with sounds not dissimilar to the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s or Interpol.
For such a new band, it was great to witness such a deep level of understanding between the members, which allowed for the music to flow effortlessly from them. Where most new bands such as these guys will play relatively safe tracks, there were a couple of tunes amongst their set which required a depth of technical skill and musicianship to perform. That’s not to say that all their songs were difficult, there were even times when songs had similar feelings to the song played previously, which at times may appear monotonous in nature. Yet, at least to me, this could be the greatest strength to the band’s overall sound.
Then followed the band that everyone had turned up to see. Having been on hiatus recently to redefine their sound, London Bureau’s CD launch last Friday was a great way to return to the live music scene in Brisbane. The band shocked the venue with their set of blues-inspired garage rock tracks.
Kick starting the night with a fast paced rock tune, bassist Fiona Schoemaker was a highlight in this particular track with her overly complicated bass rhythm that provided the driving energy to this track. While on their break, the band decided to add a second guitarist to their outfit, thickening the sound that, in turn, injected a rather contemporary element into their music. For such a small venue, two guitars may threaten to overpower the singer’s voice, but London Bureau’s front man Elliot Schoemaker had no trouble projecting his brash tenor voice over the din of the other instruments.
With no break between songs, LB immediately started with their next song. In almost complete juxtaposition to the previous tune, this second track was slow and reflective, with an emphasis on using only one guitar to carry the melody. This reduction provided a very surreal contrast between the two songs, and also reinforced how the addition of another guitar into the band fortified the band’s sound.
For me, the best part of the night occurred when the band played their new single, ‘Fools and Lashes’. The introductory guitar riff was fast, catchy and fairly complicated. It led nicely into some great guitar interaction between Elliot and Julian Roberts. Fiona helped complement the sound with her edgy bass line along with some high-pithed vocal backing. It’s songs like this one that should help garner London Bureau some attention from radio stations and fans around Australia.
