EMERALD CITY

 

WITH MY SO CALLED LIFE, RAGDOLL, STONE CIRCLE

TAKA, SLEEPING GIANT, THE ARSONIST, PIGEON

 

THE NEWPORT, FREMANTLE

 

6 FEBRUARY 2011

 

 

 

A long weekend always seems like a great excuse to put away a few beers and what could go down better than seeing some of Western Australia's finest Rock talent in the beautiful city of Fremantle on a long hot Sunday?

 

 

First of all we have to say great work from Sal and the Emerald City crew for putting this together and as always it's a pleasure to see the guys do what they do best. The venue itself isn't at all bad either with two opposing stages it allows for barely a lull in the music while one stage breaksdown the other is already up and playing.

 

 

Like all the best plans though things go wrong and we unfortunately miss Pigeon's set who's spiky, punky rock sounded pretty cool during the sound-check especially the song that we think was either called 'Better Than Me' or similar. We'll have to catch them next time.

 

 

 

Real highlights of the day for us were the sets from Stone Circle, Ragdoll and Emerald City but My So Called life certainly put on a show and a half too, that got a lot of attention, there's certainly someting about those guys worth keeping an eye on.

 

 

This is the first time I've seen Stone Circle and it's certainly an eye-opener! I didn't expect to see a band as together as this after hearing their first CD, it's almost as if the guys have a new lease of life and on the verge of the release of their new CD I can see only good things happening. The set is short and sweet sure but it's so focussed.

 

 

There are certainly large elements of Van Halen at play interlaced with some catchy tunes and so their upcoming second CD launch will be one not to miss if you like punchy songs with big choruses and a front man that knows how to work a crowd.

 

 

 

 

Ragdoll is amazing, they've come a long way from those first tentative steps I saw them take at Black Betty's last year. On the other stage at the Newport they seem to have taken on new life. Like Stone Circle before them there's a focus there that has obviously been learned playing those out of town shows.

 

 

What you get with Ragdoll is a great show- four very talented musicians with a modern-flavoured take on very eighties melodic rock. At times tonight it was hard to believe that these guys are so relatively new to the game as a band. It's a shame that they don't push their EP a little more as there are some great songs on there and I can't imagine many would be disappointed if they bought a copy. Stepping the line between melody and hard rock I can see Ragdoll getting a lot more exposure over the next year if only they play more shows like this.

 

 

Songs like "Foot to the Floor" satisfy the hard rock crowd, while the very mature arrangements of songs like "In My Mind" and "Never Before" have so much potential to win a much larger audience. Definitely a Perth band to put on your must-see list!

 

 

 

 

 

 

My So Called Life have a guitarist who seems to have the dexterity of Rick Neilson of Cheap trick and the band has a sound that channels Green Day and a host of other pop-punkers but rather than ending in what could be a huge mess, or something that sounds incredibly generic, they mange to pull off a new take on those obvious influences by injecting some real passion into their performance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not quite sure how many times I've seen Emerald City now but one thing is for sure you are always in for a great show. Great lighting, amazing sound and an energetic performance are always guaranteed and tonight again they don''t disappoint. Though we've all heard the majority of the songs before, the band never lets you down. Everything from the EP is here and the new songs fit in beautifully, we just wish that the guys would get back in the studio and get something new out as Sal and Co have paved the way for so many local bands out there we'd hate to se them left behind when the local scene really ignites.

 

 

With screaming guitars, huge choruses and bags full of confidence on stage Emerald City have already supported some big international acts, in fact The Rockpit itself came together at the Lynch Mob and Faster Pussycat show they opened. What we want is more and after a [erformance like tonights it would be hard to take if these guys remained just a gem on the local scene.

 

 

 

 

Perth needs to mobilize the people who love this kind of music much better, let's face it we get little enough press from local media. Tonight there is enough talent present at the Newport to rival most local rock scenes either domestically or internationally. we just need to harness that and see a lot more shows like this where you get real value for money and a great night out.

 

 

Roll on more nights like this!

 

 

 

Jo Rockpit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of these people isn't a talented musician...