The Kalaharis

It had been quite a while since I'd caught any live music at The Green Room.  Prior to popping along to check out up-and-coming band The Kalaharis on Saturday, I was a little concerned that the gig might be cancelled due to the recent snowfall.  I shouldn't have worried though as The Green Room staff and the bands were made of sterner stuff than I thought and the show went on unhindered and on schedule.  The snow didn't seem to have put the audience off earlier as by the time I arrived, just in time to see support act Stop The Rain strike up, there was already a decent crowd forming.  

Stop The Rain have been well worth the waitPerth based Stop The Rain are a band that I have been meaning to check out for some time now but I somehow always seem to keep missing them.  Over the last year or so this young band has seen their musical career really take off, with numerous gigs including headling at Glasgow's 02 ABC.  They have also released a number of EPs and singles including 'Ghosts', which was their set opener.  It quickly became apparent that Stop The Rain had been well worth the wait, as they are a really tight and well rehearsed live band.  Throughout the set the drummer and bassist really impressed with inventive rhythms (augmented by a groovy midi drum pad) and basslines that gave the sound a Vampire Weekend vibe.  We even got a preview of a couple of brand new tunes including the catchy 'Sugar Rush', replete with a singalong chorus, and the epic upcoming single 'Everend'. 

Next on stage was the Neil Morrison Band who made a real impact with their unique sound.  Neil is a great frontman and despite his Syd Barret haircut, vocally he sounds more like early Bob Dylan or Coral frontman James Skelly.  This would mean nothing if they didn't have the songs to back it up but they certainly don't fall short in that department either.  Opening song 'The Kids Aren't Alright' is reminiscent of Gorillaz 'Clint Eastwood' if it was reinterpreted by the 13th Floor Elevators.  The ballad, 'Follow You Down' is a really mature piece of songwriting and the performance was pitch perfect.  Next up it was time for Neil to channel his inner Lou Reed with a cover version of The Velvet Undergrounds 'I'm Waiting For My Man'.  Fabio Whyte's keys playing and Ben Carswell's solid drumming added another dimension to an already great song.

While waiting for Dundee based band The Kalaharis take to the stage I was desperately trying to come up with a desert-based pun, but I had to admit I was totally dry.  After an instrumental intro the band launched into their debut single 'You' which is a catchy slice of indie rock with huge 90's sounding guitars, courtesy of frontman Liam Grieve and lead guitarist Stewart Landsburgh.  Live, the band sounded a lot heavier than they did on their singles, which to me was a real plus.  When it comes to rock n' roll, as a rule, louder is generally better!  The song 'Yes/No', was The Kalaharis strongest number of the night, with a great vocal and lyric from Grieve and an insistent beat from drummer Jonny Paterson.  By the time the Kalaharis played their last number and latest single, it was way past this old farts bedtime but 'Promises" was a tune well worth staying up for.  It was a great piece of power pop that had the place totally jumping.  On the way out I stopped to have a wee chat with the bands and some old friends, before traipsing back out into the snow to make my way home.