photo by boudist.com

The Ghosts – ‘Redversion’

I’d like to introduce Sydney four piece The Ghosts. A mixture of boyish stage benevolence and ear friendly melodies, this group has been together not even a year and yet their potential is yet to be contested by anyone who has been to one of their live support shows, which have only been sighted in few Australian cities. They have attracted the attention of industry moguls and regular live music observers alike, working recently with producer Nick Littlemoore (PNAU & Teenager) and playing live at the Modular/Ksubi Christmas party as well as standout support sets for Australia’s salient Mercy Arms and 80’s revival act Van She.

If the demos on their MySpace are mere premonitions of what’s to come from the beaty beaus song wise, then dare I say it, they just might be Australia’s next big thing. I’ve indulgently been at many of the band’s shows (and intend to keep appearing), at times standing pensively within a sea of frenzied dancers. What I revel at most is how their sound has always seemed fitting as a support, despite having shared bills with very different acts, from the likes of The Infadels to the Klaxons and Mercy Arms, and how they seem to always strike a chord with each nights’ audience. This said it’s the songs, whose genesis can be credited to Gabby the band’s eye wandering vocalist, and the performance of equally able band apparitions that make this fraid of musicians worth a watch. Have you seen a Ghost lately?

http://www.myspace.com/theghostsms

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The Death Set – ‘Intermission’

You really only need to know two things about Sydney’s The Death Set, that is they are two guys, one part insanity the other part profanity. Beau Velasco and Johnny Siera are the two members, with the third arguably an electronic accompanist that plays some disco beat while the two main men sing abrasive half coherent ludicrousies into two vintage microphone stands. I saw them for the first time at the AM Eyewear party at Sydney’s Gaelic Theatre in Surry Hills, armed with guitars and without inhibition they had the crowd in a psychotic state, and were systematically stripped, abused and close to molested by a number of the audience members throughout the high energy set. Not only did they enjoy it, but they provoked it!

It’s an abrasive strand of dance pop they play, and definitely one of the most entertaining local live acts I’ve seen this year. Though with much of their time being favoured to shows in the US, they prove a rare act to catch locally, and don’t really have a huge name for themselves at least amongst scenesters in Sydney, however their EP To is out in Australia with a full length release rumored to be due out sometime in early 2008. It will be interesting to see how they attempt to capture blood, near death and two tattooed tortured bodies on record, but one thing’s for sure, The Death Set are armed with a musical recipe for mayhem.

www.myspace.com/thedeathset

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