Arriving early at the Corner, I was kind of amazed to see so many people already there. I’d come at 8pm in order to secure myself a good position at the front, but it seemed that quite a few other punters had the same idea. Luckily, I managed to ingratiate myself into a prime position and proceeded to wait there, safeguarding my spot until the Twerps graced the stage. I’ve been listening to their debut album all summer long and I’m not even near to getting sick of it; which is testament to the record’s longevity. Earlier that day I’d read a friend update “going to watch Twerps support Girls tonight, but really it should be the other way around” which kind of showed how far the band have come in recent times and just how many fans they’ve made in the process.
I really loved watching Twerps play. I don’t want to hint at the obvious Go-Betweens or Flying Nun references that seem to be part and parcel of every Twerps review, as I think there’s something else that stands apart from this and for me, it has something to do with the honesty of the music and lack of pretention. Sure, there’s a melodic appeal which references certain genres we all hold dear, but in addition to this Twerps have been able to come into their own and become a unique Melbourne band making really great music, rivalling that of many international acts of the moment.
The curtains closed after the Twerps set and I suddenly realised I was surrounded by groups of very young girls who were all waiting for the headliner – Girls. I was quite into the first album when it came out, the blend of lo-fi pop with ’60s surf-style harmonies kept me company for many a month, although I somehow missed the second album and have just started listening to their latest Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Before Girls (and their notable touring band) hit the stage, a random hand slipped out from under the curtain brandishing a bunch of flowers and handed them to me. It was quite weird and although a sure fire way to this reviewer’s heart, the multitude of diehard Girls fans who shot me death stares was slightly unsettling. The curtain rose and the band got straight into it, playing a near perfect rendition of Laura from their debut. Christopher Owens (main writer and lead singer) stole the show with his endearing presence; there was a certain earnestness to his delivery, which you can hear recorded but somehow levitated when the songs were performed in the flesh. I was amazed by a girl behind me singing along word-for-word to every song they played. She informed me that she was obsessed with Christopher Owens and would do anything to meet him. It suddenly dawned on me that after three well received albums, this is a highly successful band with, well… groupies! The Corner seemed to be sold out or very close to it, and for good reason. The band played a really tight set, which had the crowd sincerely happy to be there and hanging on every note. Highlights for me were the Sabbath-esque Die, the sentimental My Ma and the epically beautiful yet strangely titled Vomit. At so many gigs, even if I am enjoying it sometimes I just want it to be over, I get restless and crowds tend to annoy me. Yet tonight, I was having a great time and even after an hour-long set and quite a few encores, I found myself wanting more. I’ll even go so far as to say this was the best gig I’ve been to in a while. Perhaps it was the flowers? I’ve been told I’m a touch soft at times.
BY CASSANDRA KIELY
LOVED: Christopher Owens’s green locks
HATED: Trying to take a picture of the Twerps drummer smiling, alas I could not.
DRANK: One lonely beer.
