Mar 09 2010
The Pinholes at Home
WHAT happens when you’re invited to a festival, but have to pay for everything yourselves and because your costs may run into the tens of thousands and you’re a few bob short? Well, you organise a fund raiser that’s what.
Like Inch Chua did a few weeks ago, local band The Pinholes (above) were the highlight of Blazzin Saddles (sic), which is what their fund raiser at Home Club last Friday was called.
Although there were less people than the digits on my hands, the show, as they say, had to go on. And it started with The Rejeks, a power pop trio with psychedelic overtones.
They were competent enough, playing out a short set filled with catchy numbers. Because of the sound I could not hear what they were actually called – I could barely make out what they were singing. But it sounded nice. Definitely one band to watch out for.
If The Rejeks were diamonds in the rough, The Lost Hat were still diamonds in the making – coal just after high compression and heat, but not yet fully crystallised. The six-piece band performed a set of improg-jazz (improv meets prog jazz), something that I thought I’d never hear at Home.
By this time, the audience size had doubled to double digits but they were a little taken aback by this band. With shifting time signatures over bass-driven grooves punctuated by a xylophone, an accordion and a trumpet, the performance was pretty loose, but you still had to give them kudos for trying. “They were brave to attempt that,” said one of the punters. True true. Full marks for bravery.
Then it was time for ETC to take the stage. Now, an ETC set isn’t meant for the faint-hearted. Mostly because they’re loud and thumpy and if you’re not careful, your pacemaker can go off.
Considering the technical gremlins that plagued their set, it was a great effort and a sizeable portion of the crowd – which now threatened to go up to as high as 30 people – thought they were the dog’s bollocks (that’s a good thing, by the way).
And then it was time for the headliners, The Pinholes, who thanked everybody for coming along and encouraged them to by their merch.
And they were good. Now you know why the festival committee wanted them to turn up at SXSW. Their set, which incude their song entry for the Youth Olympic Games, called Youth Of Gold, was biting but warm at the same time.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay for their entire set as I had to go the Media Fiesta event at Cathay, but what I did see, I did like. Hopefully, these guys do get to SXSW. And have a fun time there. And most importantly, learn whatever they can about being in a band and use whatever they learn over there for when they come back here.
Good luck, Pinholes! Send us a postcard while you’re there.
