Hermitude @ Swan Basement, North Fremantle (8/9/05)

Note to gig attendees: 
Any gigs.  Any where.  Any when.  But most particularly the kind of gigs where you know you’re gonna have to dance.  Funky on down.  Shake your little groovemaker.  Bop.  Bop.  Should you perchance – the Gig-Goer – feel a mite peckish beforehand.  Should you wish to quell the rumblings in your tummy.  Should you find yourself down your local fresh-produce/convenience store.  Do not – and I cannot stress this enough – DO NOT purchase yourself a reduced-price-almost-out-of-date-pre-packaged Lamb Korma curry.  <>  Don’t do it peoples.  Don’t you even contemplate it.  I should have known something was wrong when the gravy’s consistency was far closer to water than sauce.  But I was just too gosh darn hungry to care.  Too.  Gosh.  Darn.  Famous last words my friends.  Famous last words.

Having scoffed my ticking-time-bomb-curry I embarked upon my journey to the Swan Basement.  Eagerly anticipating what sort of live-show Hermitude could produce to support their excellent second album – Tales of the Drift.  For those of you who’ve yet to hear it – DO SO.  It’s a wee freaking ripper.  Out now through Elefant Traks.  Following hot on the heels of another fantastical 2005 Pachyderm release – Unkle Ho’s Roads to Roma.  Plus Combat Wombat’s Unsound System.  Paso Bionic’s Empty Beats for Lonely Rappers.  All Aussie albums – easily the equal of anything from the much-lauded and sonically-comparative UK Ninja Tunes stable.  <>.  Keep an eye on these Elefant boys peoples (included in that number are the brillig Herd and JJJ fave Urthboy).  Unless creative talent be an all-too-finite resource – they’ll be churning out some awesome quality shite for years to come.

So.  I’ve arrived at the Swan Basement.  And lo and behold I’m actually in time to witness some support acts.  Quite a diverse and disparate bunch we have on this fine evening too.  First up – Junkadelic.  An 8 member (at least by my count) ensemble of percussionists, guitarists, vocalists and rubbish-bin-whackers.  Very Fremantle-esque in appearance – Op-Shop fashion with dreadlocks and excessive hirsuteness.  Apparently:  “Junkadelic are intent on spreading funk music and culture through the use of recycled and found materials – they will achieve their aim by all means necessary..”  Sounds almost like a threat.  Yet no actual violence was directed towards the audience on this particular evening – Junkadelic contenting themselves with producing a high-energy-whack-everything-in-sight-with-a-drumstick-dub-tinged-bowl-of-funk.  And whilst it wasn’t my cup of tea musically – it was impossible not to appreciate the energy and passion they injected into their performance.  Despite the high vigour however, I spent most of their set slumped forlornly in one of the handily placed Basement couches.  Dodgy-curry-ititis already at play in my stomach and bowels.  <> 

Next up:  The Anonymous.  A local vocal hip hop outfit.  3 MC’s with no DJ.  Yet another of the featured acts on the Deuce presents Jigsaw compilation CD.  Struck with sound problems and a skipping CD at the start of their set it seemed like curtains for the boys before they’d even begun.   Not so ye children of little faith.  Bring on the human beatboxing.  Who needs these new fangled CD contraptions anyway when there’s breath in these B-boy’s lungs?  It was almost disappointing when the problems were fixed and the show went on as planned.  Still.  A promising little combo who can only improve with a little more experience and variety.  They even got me to my feet despite the now audible growling from my guttocks region.  <>

And then it was Hermitude time.  <>  After several incongruent styles of support artist – this was the music we’d been waiting for.  Heavy-ass beats.  Big fat dripping bass lines.  Fat.  Fat.  Boom.  Boom.  Soothing jazzy keyboards.  Perfectly pitched samples.  Out they strode:  Luke Dubs on keys.  Elgusto on the tables.  “We’re not starting til the crowd moves forward..” they cried.  And the decently sized mob responded in turn.  Pulsating and throbbing their way stagewards.  <>  It was a good drunken turnout for a Thursday night show.  Dancing their way non-stop throughout the whole set.  If only I could have joined in the revelry.  Damn you Discount Lamb Korma.  Damn you all to Hell…

Predictably Hermitude pulled out several tracks from their new album:  Night Falls Messenger.  Tapedeck Sound.  Can’t Stop.  <<"I can't stop loving you..  I made up my mind..">>  Beautiful songs.  Beautiful sounds.  But they weren’t afraid to mix things up a little.  Giving the gorgeously soft Can’t Stop a Drum and Bass style ending.  Dropping in some free-form jazz piano.  Trying out a couple of new tunes.  Airing an experimental electro track – complete with live Daft Punk/Mylo - “Drop the Pressure” robotic vocals.  No current JJJ fave Fallen Giants however.  Not that that was a bad thing.  It wasn’t that type of gig.  A very varied platter.  Far more organic and shifting than a structured easy crowd-pleaser.  Though undoubtedly the crowd was pleased.  The respectable throng booty-shaking til the very end.  And once it was over.  Done.  Pleading.  Imploring.  “More…  More…”  Until Hermitude bucked the man. <>  Played two extra tracks.  And undeniably won over a new bunch of fans.  <>

It was indubitably a thoroughly worthy gig.  A commendable way to spend a Thursday evening.  Almost good enough to dull the night-time of pain and toilets and toilets and pain that followed it.  Hermitude – Tales of the Drift.  Pick it up today.  Now.  Yesterday. 

By Heronimous Wang

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