It’s always a proud moment when a local band releases something new. But when they manage to tame the competition between our constant over-arching older sister like city Sydney, it’s even better. Throwing down the weapons and extending the hand of musical friendship to one another, Karoshi and Ah! Pandita have doubled the sentiment, by releasing a self-titled split 7”, featuring both artists on one, superbly designed vinyl EP.
Although gigs at Transit are often a hit-and-miss affair, this night was definitely one of the hits. Perhaps even in my Top 20, dare I say it.
The night started with locals, From The South, who provided a bluesy set of folk music to open the night. Their vocal harmonies were swooney, and enticed a few moderately inebriated folks to dance their way around the empty floor. The band played a tight set, and mastered the twangy guitar sound well. Although at times one song seemed to run right into the next, the mellow set was the perfect opening to the evening.
By the time Ah! Pandita were ready to grace the stage, the bar had filled out a fair bit. Not so much that I couldn’t hustle my way to the front, though, with dancing shoes at the ready. Ah! Pandita is comprised of three of the loveliest ladies this town has to offer, who each bring their own unique talents to the stage. Using a combination of drums (Yvonne Lam), guitar (Gemma Nourse) and keyboard/synth (Laura Volfolski), they produce the kind of indie pop that makes the crowd unable to keep still, while simultaneously falling in love with the entire band at once.
The girls played all of their crowd favourites, and entertained us with some banter between songs. By the time they played their final song for the evening, Kenny, to calls of “fuck Kenny!” and “kill Kenny!” from the crowd, there was no doubting that this Canberra band is on the rise.
My only criticism is that the set felt a bit short, and there was no exciting new material debuted – I knew every song they played, having seen them only twice before this year.
After a brief break, during which people stormed to the merch stand to purchase their copy of the single, it was time for Karoshi to take to the stage. Comprised of two lads, David Jackson on drums and Beres Jackson on keys/synth, this band knows how to lay down the sweet music.
The set was a sweaty, steamy mess of dancing bodies, swaying to the sound of what can only be described as carnal tunes. For a band of only two members, Karoshi manage to produce music that is as polished as it is energetic, with a big sound and an awesome stage presence.
I managed to nab myself a copy of the split single, and have to say that both bands are equally as impressive on vinyl as they are live. Although the sound quality isn’t perfect, the packaging more than makes up for it, with delightful, artistic covers and, to top things off, a link to digital downloads in the sleeve as well.
A lot of the time it’s either the album or the live show that blows you away, and often one can shadow the other significantly. But rarely are there bands that blow you away with both and make you want a constant stream of more.
I left Transit knowing that now I can replay what was an awesome night of music whenever I want – in the comfort of my own home, which is always quite exciting.
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