Canal Road… January 12, 2018

Platform One was previously known for having long queues out the front shivering in the early hours and dressed in revealing clothing. I haven’t seen it like that in several years though.

AM//PM’s Pre-Unify Emo Night,
Platform One, Melbourne, January 11, 2018…

Billed as an old-fashioned punk club night featuring multiple rooms, Platform One seemed like an interesting venue for a rock show. I imagined impassioned scenes within the bunker-like brick walls as a band incited good-natured chaos on the floor below a stage raised only a couple of feet.

Entering shortly before midnight, the first passage was notably almost deserted, with a DJ playing club staples like My Chemical Romance and The Used in earnest to a handful of girls dancing and raising their glasses in appreciation. It is immediately apparent that, whilst it is a picturesque and central venue, Platform One is less than suited to a rock night: the music of Earth Caller is bleeding through the stone wall and overwhelming the DJ set to the point that one needs to strain their ears in order to catch the words of Misery Business. But it does mean that ordering a drink from the bar – decorated tonight with black and white balloons reading ‘Glad to be sad’ – is a simple process.

Joining Earth Caller mid-way through their set, pools of slam dancing have opened sporadically but politely across the full floor of the band room. As a community mosh-pit should be, it is easy to move to the stage to see the frontman howling passionate verses before breaking into shout-along choruses, and swaying in time with the audience for stylishly played jams. The band are at their best when singing in harmony, particularly with the addition of a female vocalist (apparently a special guest, though I didn’t recognise her – perhaps someone from the Unify festival bill.)

After only a short break, Between You And Me play melodic, sing-along rock. With all five members getting behind microphones, the band make a sound that has the audience moving, even though it seems few are familiar with the songs. The front man in particular bounds around the stage energetically, suitable for the lead in to a band like Hellions.

My previous Hellions live experience was elaborate, exhibiting the impressive Opera Oblivia backed by samples to add layers to the sound, taking their audience through all the dramatic peaks and troughs the band has to offer. Tonight was a much freer show, a straight rock show from the moment the band took the stage. Lead singer Dre Faivre gestured madly to the audience, who were pounding rhythmically in response. The energy doesn’t die down as the band power through a set mainly from Opera Oblivia and introducing new a brand new song or two. The view from beneath the stage mid-set is one of a tunnel packed with appreciative movement, and by the time the band close, the night could be considered a success.

For a rock show, Platform One was a hit – sort of creepy but comfortable, easy to move but not too big as to feel empty.  My initial prediction had come true in terms of the live space.  However, as a club night, it seemed less successful. As well as the aforementioned sound in other rooms, the crowd seemed to disperse once the bands had finished. Of course, many may have had a long drive ahead in the morning to Unify Festival, so maybe the launch party achieved its goal.

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‘This next song is my favourite…’ January 6, 2018

I hadn’t seen the Mavis’s since their excellent show at the John Curtain Hotel in 2014, so I was excited to see them again, but as showtime drew closer and the stage remained bare, I started to get nervous.

The Mavis’s, with Ben Ely and The Bambi Kills,
Northcote Social Club, Melbourne, January 5, 2018…

Although even after his set, some in attendance were still unsure of who Ben Ely was, there was enough vocal reminiscing about shows of the past being shared amongst the dense audience at the front of the stage that they surely cottoned on soon enough. Meanwhile, lights were being tested, and there was still nothing on stage. No instruments beyond a couple of microphones and a keyboard. A couple of years ago I had tickets to a budget show, billed as ‘The Mavis’s Matt and Beki,’ which had unfortunately been cancelled on the evening of the show. Would this be the make-up show for that? I’d come out looking forward to a full band show!

Lights flashed onto the previously blank screen before, and my concerns were addressed: Beki and Matt entered the stage alone to a surprising youthful applause from the middle aged audience, Matt carrying an acoustic guitar and Beki heading straight for the keyboard. Someone at the side of stage passed up a couple of electric guitars up to Matt who arranged them on a stand whilst Beki greeted the audience enthusiastically, though somehow, despite years of performance, seeming a little like a self conscious schoolgirl.

Despite the lack of the full band, the duo managed to create a vibrant show, before projections of geniune video content, not unlike those they danced before in some of their video clips. Beki was charming, introducing almost every song as ‘her favourite,’ leaving Matt struggling for comment after reminding her she’d already named her favourite. Playing over a combination of backing tracks, loops created live, and an electronic drums that Matt somehow managed to play with sticks he made materialise between guitar chords, the sound was a full one that had more than a few of the old attendees dancing like they were at a full band’s rock show.

I’d been quick to judge the duo. Whilst it was less exciting to watch than previous full-band Mavis’s show, the songs were played well and with enough enthusiasm to pass into the audience and leave me heading to the open after-party a sweaty mess (though perhaps not as much as Matt himself:)