LIVE: THE PREATURES – Perth, 23 Sep 2017

LIVE: THE PREATURES – Perth, 23 Sep 2017
With support from Boat Show and Polish Club
Capitol Theatre, Perth, Western Australia – Saturday, 23 September, 2017
Review & Photography by Pete Gardner

Murray Street’s Capitol Theatre is not your typical touring band venue, besides having probably has the stickiest floor of any club I have ever been to, there is distinct lack of a barrier between the crowd and the stage, giving an intimacy to the gig and a greater connection between the band and audience seldom seen these days, and the Preatures fronted by singer Izzi Manfredi hit it off with the packed house from the first note.

First up were local punk girls (plus George on drums) Boat Show, who having the early shift played to a fairly small crowd. This failed to diminish their enthusiasm playing an energetic and enjoyable set. There is a rich vein of young talented local Perth bands presently, and Boat Show proved themselves to be one of the ones to watch.

R&B/Soul/Blues duo Polish Club hit the stage with drummer John Henry in danger of being charged with grievous assault of a drum kit and singer guitarist Novak igniting the rapidly growing crowd into a frenzy. Cries from the crowd for a shoey resulted in a sneaker chucked on stage, and an obliging Novak doing the duty, wearing much of the beer in the process.

By the time the Preatures mounted the stage to the subtle tones of Motorhead’s Bomber over the PA, the house was at capacity. Following the departure of guitarist Gideon Benson the band have only benefitted, with a much tighter stripped down sound.

Launching the set with 2016’s single I Know A Girl, and the new album’s title track Girlhood, the band drove straight in to the hit Somebody’s Talking, the band obviously enjoying themselves immensely, with some entertaining interaction between Izzi and Guitarist Jack Moffit.

At this point cries for a shoey start again and various items of footwear were hurled onto the stage including a knee length suede boot. By consensus of the rest of the band Bassist Thomas Champion dutifully skulled the contents of a rather suspicious looking sneaker like a champ.

Whilst powering through Cruel, Lip Balm and Magik, Izzi gets down and personal with a girl in the front row, sharing the microphone and a kiss. Technical difficulties with Izzi’s in-ear monitor led to a few short interludes whilst a fix was attempted, eventually throwing it to the roadie demanding he just take the fucking thing away.
Settling at the piano, Izzi confessed she had been in her sick bed with no voice for the last two days, and had almost cancelled the show, as a result the set list had been mixed up to accommodate her reduced range. Her voice wavered as she sang a soulful Cherry Ripe, dedicating it to the women in the audience.

Introducing Yanada, she explains the song was written with the collaboration of the Dharug people in the Sydney area, who translated the Dharug lyrics. The crowd gladly takes over the singing duties as Izzi’s wounded voice struggles with the song’s range, before she rallies for the chorus.

Finishing the main set with Ordinary and It Gets Better, the strain on Izzi’s voice is obvious but she powers bravely through to the end.

A short break brings Izzy back to the piano as she calls for quiet in the audience. Not having much luck someone in the crowd shouts to give her a bit of shush! This does the trick and her voice holds well for a mournful Your Fan. Being the last night of the tour however, Izzi pulls out all the stops to belt out the last number, Is This How You Feel. To hell with the voice – she won’t need it tomorrow.

 

Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries