Gozzy Rock 2011 is here.
It’s a kind of small X-factor type thing, and it’s held in Gosnells in Western Australia. I’ve been going to this for years and sometimes there’s a load of shit, and sometimes there’s hope…and very rarely…there’s a small spark that could maybe start a wonderful fire that everyone will be able to feel the heat from on a cold winters night.
There is a band called Pound, who play tonight in Thornlie. They made it through the first round with their demo and…to be quite honest…they’re not ugly…but they’re not too good looking either.
But that doesn’t actually matter. Because in today’s aesthetically pleasing world, Pound seem to stick out…in a good way.
I caught up with the band last week and I’ve actually met some of them before. Rich (vocals, guitar) used to play in a band called Liquor and…I’ve seen Liquor hanging out with Blur, of all people. Don’t know what they were doing hanging out with them, and quite frankly I don’t want to know. It was a few years ago I must admit.
I’ve also met Mark (guitar) and John (drums) who have been in cover bands since they first learnt to walk. And fuck me…they can play. They really are the dynamic duo, and apparently they also look good wearing their underpants outside their trousers.
Dan (bass), I’d never met before. And, to be honest…I don’t think I’m ever going to meet anyone like Dan again. I wanted to find out about what they’ve been up to and Dan gave me a ‘blow-by-blow’ description of his latest conquest…the deviant that he is. And I don’t think I need to tell you that it’s a better read than a Mills & Boon novel.
Pound write honest songs which is like…well, it’s very hard to explain. It’s very difficult to be original nowadays, and when you hear them, yes you may hear Queens Of The Stone Age, The Pixies, maybe a bit of The Beatles and even the ramshackle of The Libertines can be heard.
They will be playing 4 songs tonight, and I heard them in rehearsals, although, they only played me two songs…Animal and Bleed.
Animal is a fucking raw song…it feels like you’ve been stabbed and now the knife is cutting you from the inside. Bleed is a very heartfelt sounding song…I don’t think it matters what the words are because it comes across as real.
But they all have their influences, as does everyone, and it comes out as…Pound.
They’re on first tonight at 6:00pm and are up against some probably talented, and also probably rather forgettable bands.
Hopefully they will get through to the final, because I think that Australia needs to see them perform…although if they don’t get through, I doubt if they will even care.
by Wallace McTavish
