RAGDOLL

LIVE UNPLUGGED and acoustic

the indi bar, perth

27 january 2011

Setlist:

Heat of the Night
In My Mind
The Feeling
Ashamed
Never Before
Pizza Box

Ragdoll is one of a great crop of rock bands locally that take their cue from the great bands of the late eighties and early nineties. Live and electric they put on a great show for such a relatively new band, and so tonight ‘unplugged’ it was always going to be interesting to see how they translate and how their songs sound stripped right back.

It’s always interesting to see a band rehearse before a show and sitting in with the guys gave me a nice window on the bands dynamics and how they prepare for a show. Those of you who know Perth will know that Scarborough’s Indi Bar is a bit of a live music institution and we’ve seen many a great local and international band play there in the past. Tonight it’s ‘open mic’ and before Ragdoll takes the stage there is possibly the worst rap duo I have ever seen followed by a tepid female acoustic duo.

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When Ragdoll takes the stage the whole dynamic of the room changes and the guys are bolstered by some local support who have made it out late on a Thursday just to see them. Even though this is very much a low-key ‘let’s see what happens’ kind of show they are all very conscious of putting on the best show they can and tonight they are bolstered by the inclusion of a special guest sitting in on double bass.

The show itself starts well and just gets better as the confidence grows. Even though the mix in the room is not quite what it could be; with the lead a little low in the mix; it’s more than acceptable. 

Ragdoll starts with what is electrically one of their best songs ‘Heat of the Night’ that takes on a tinge of Blue Oyster Cult played acoustically and is a great way to start: proving that the band has more to offer aurally than some bands who take the rock of the eighties as their jumping off point.  

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‘In my Mind’ that follows definitely has a Tesla-like quality to it and any way it’s played it’s a strong song. Tonight ‘Ashamed’ (which I must admit as being one of my favourites) has an almost Empire-era Queensryche vibe about it.

It’s the final song ‘Pizza Box’ however (on which Luke sounded different every time it was played in rehearsal) that really surprises me. There are elements of everything in the song itself which has an almost Yngwie plays classic jazz/rock fusion flavour. Certainly one of the most interesting songs in the band’s armoury and I must be perfectly honest and say that until tonight it wasn’t one of my favourite songs in their repertoire. All credit to Luke though tonight as he absolutely brings his vocals to the fore and nails it.

It’s a great show by a band with a lot of talent, Cam is great at the back and Le’on and Rydash drive it home either side of Luke. This is a band with some great songs behind them and tonight has shown that they have a lot of surprises up their collective sleeves too. With their first album on the horizon I can see great things happening for these guys.   

Images and review by Mark Diggins