I was lucky enough to get to the Moshpit on Friday 01 September to see some amazing local Sydney Bands. Three quite different genres in one night and yet they fit together well and left a feeling of completeness.

First up was the debut for The Predisposed. A four piece with Hardi on guitar and vocals, Connor on bass, Charmaine on drums and Yusuf on second guitar. And what a guitar! A BC Rich 8 stringer. The Predisposed kicked off the night with mostly original post grunge rock with a Metallica and Alice in Chains cover just for good measure. For a band that has only been together for barely a month or two, they were certainly a tight unit. Connor on bass locking in brilliantly with the powerhouse drummer, Charmaine. The two guitarists complimented each other perfectly. Interestingly, Yusuf played some complex runs on his eight string. I hope to hear more of this in future works which we can do as The Predisposed and Flint Violet are sharing another bill at the Petersham Bowlo on Sunday 05 November.

The Chamberlains followed, back after a year long hiatus. Mike, the vocalist/guitarist, was nursing a throat infection, but they still put on a great performance. Self-describe as ‘fusion of loud abrasive rock tones with dark comic lyrics exploring the absurdity and grotesqueness of modern society’, all of which is true, but some of that lyrical complexity was lost among a laid-back vocal mix and audience noise and too many beers. However, the overall feel was certainly magical, raw, and dark. Jangly guitar, a bass player that had lots of stage presence, and strong musicality along with a solid drummer held it all together. Hints of Tom Waits and Nick Cave’s mid 90’s era added to the ambiance.  A must see again sort of band where you will hear something different in their soundscape each time.

Flint Violet finished the night off. Another four-piece band with Kat on Bass, Rohan on guitar and lots of noise pedals, Dinesh on drums, and Susana on vocals. Their performance enveloped you in psychedelic guitar, solid bass and drums, and vocals that floated across the top of the beautiful garage rock melee. Think Souxie and the Banshees meets Bauhaus. Flint Violet have been together for just over a year and recently launched their EP Ancient Light. A standout track was the third song into the set, Circle. One of their slower tracks but it encapsulates the spirit of the band with all the musical and vocal elements interacting wonderfully. Bassist Kat is the primary songwriter who interestingly includes German language into the mix. We understand Rohan will be adding some more of his songs to the set list soon.  If his second last song, Icarus, is anything to go by it will add to the overall sound immensely.

Having seen Flint Violet a few times before, a more dynamic approach to their sound has certainly been added. Susanna is certainly exploring new aspects to her vocal performance with even a hint of experimental noises, a ’la Yoko Ono. Just enough to provide an interesting contrast to the sound. A strong performance after Susanna losing her voice the week before. The audience was certainly involved in each band’s set, lots of cheering, shouts for encores (an often forgotten aspect) and moshing on the dance floor.