This is one of the last shows Snowman will play in Perth for a while, since they are about to relocate to the UK later in the year. So perhaps it was more than just the wet weather that had dampened the spirits of the crowd, who couldn’t quite warm up to the opening acts, Bamodi and Melbourne’s Guy Blackman & Band.
The almost-punk stylings of Bamodi were a warning of things to come. Having toured with Snowman a few times before, it’s clear that someone has twigged to the fact that Bamodi make an excellent companion band, their similar, yet dissimilar creation of atmospheric chaos distinguishing them from the flock. The trio sped their way through a set of punchy riffs and super short songs. Utterly strange, bewilderingly frantic, loud almost beyond belief, and completely engaging, Bamodi are an excellent find… once you can get your head around Kenta McGrath’s cat-like screech. It may take more than one support slot worth of listening to entice new fans, but then, after listening to commercial radio for ten minutes, some punters may find themselves dying for a refresher course in punk.
Guy Blackman was an interesting choice for the evening, his beautiful, melodic pop songs-with-soul at odds with the dissonance of the other two bands. Their decidedly lo-fi vocals and plaintive ballads were a pleasure to listen to, and Blackman’s band was a well-equipped troupe of strings and horns that filled the room with rich, catchy tunes from Adult Baby, which was released earlier this year. Drawing comparisons to Jens Lekman, Elliot Smith and various other male indie solo artists, Guy Blackman may not present a particularly unique or memorable take on acoustic pop, but his music still manages to captivate.
As they release their second full-length album; The Horse, The Rat and The Swan, Snowman still defy all descriptors. Multiple WAMi awardees, Snowman are industry darlings for their ability to make music that stands light years apart from the ordinary and the expected. A shrieking, slightly odd-mannered front-man, encouraged and assisted by a veritable cacophony of sound; four band members each with the ability to play more than one instrument, performing their parts with feverish energy, devotion and passion; If you hadn’t realised it already, this is not your average indie rock band.
Dark, moody, eerie, frenetic, psychotic… All words that have been used to describe Snowman’s musical dynamic, and all true, but having experienced The Horse, the Rat and the Swan played live, we should now add apocalyptic, brooding, imposing, tribal, and -a total head trip. A suddenly full and attentive Bakery crowd was thriving on the psychedelic rock pumping from the stage. All songs from the new release were played, including the first single We Are The Plague, and the eerily amazing The Blood of the Swan. There is no way to adequately communicate the atmosphere, the ambiance, the sheer pleasure gained from witnessing Snowman’s stunning set. Another word tossed around when describing the band is experimental, but their live shows prove that they are no longer experimenting; they have mastered their craft, and built their reputation upon years of hard work.
It is a tragedy for Perth that Snowman have chosen to move their base of operations to London, because we will lose a much-needed, albeit under-appreciated, radical local talent. If you have never managed to see Snowman live, then you, my friends, have one last chance to catch one of the most unique bands in Perth’s musical history. They return from their Australian album launch tour to play a farewell show at Capitol on July 26th. After that, who knows when we will see them again?
