LIVE: THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS with SASCHA ION & THE ELEMENTS, JOE BLUDGE – Perth, 9 Nov 2024

Shane | 13 November 2024 | Reply

LIVE: THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS with SASCHA ION & THE ELEMENTS, JOE BLUDGE – Perth, 9 Nov 2024
The Bird, Northbridge, Perth, Western Australia
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar

The perfect gig doesn’t exis-

Three great acts on a lovely Spring Saturday at a groovy inner-city small bar and all done by 6pm. Now THAT is PERFECT!

First up is Painkillers frontman Joe Bludge – The Bludginator, according to one attendee – his guitar, and a swag bag chockers with plaintively honest songs. I’m guessing at titles here, but Endless Summer and Old Front Room – dedicated to local performer/folk hero Tomas Ford – standing out and helping the pints and espresso martinis go down.

Sascha Ion is another local favourite whose art has long been admired by anyone prepared to scratch beneath the surface and get to where the real talents dwell. She led Spank, One Horse Town, Red Dirt Radio and a handful of other outfits over the past few decades, and her latest endeavour, The Elements, features more of her unique gifts. As songwriter, singer and guitarist Ion is the focal point, and with a talent that burns this bright that’s exactly as it should be.

Once again, titles are guessed, but their songs uniformly dance on the sunlight peeking cheekily through The Bird’s windows, mesmerising the listener. Liliander, Really Not My Style, Better Try To Get This Right, Creature, Jump Back Home and It’ll Only Bring You Sadness are all a joy to behold, and proof that Ion should’ve been huge.

There’s a reason we’re here this afternoon, and it’s not just because there’s a gig on. It’s Hurb Fest – Beautiful Losers keysman Hurb Jephasun’s birthday show, and by this point a couple of punters have already shared cake around the room in celebration.

The Beautiful Losers are led by Greg Dear, formerly of The Holy Rollers, and this second incarnation of the band have been around since they reformed in 2014. Think slightly grungy, slightly country rock, but through a strong Lou Reed looking glass, and you might be somewhere near their preferred territory – though as with all great artists, individuality is a gift and pigeon holing should be reserved for the sort of pop the radio is far more likely to play.

Most present are friends of the bands, so it’s a relaxed, fun show made all the better by its informality. Dear’s vocals are only enhanced by a couple of red wines, and those martinis show no negative signs on the birthday boy’s playing. The rhythm section of Shaun Hoffman and Janine keep it perfectly simple, allowing the songs and Dear to shine through Lose My Way, Don’t Try This, How Funny, Obey, Easy, Believe, Circus Song, Thanks A Lot, Afraid and Upside Down. Being Hurb’s birthday, he takes the spotlight to end the show with a cover of Cold Chisel’s Flame Trees – somewhat incongruous given the underground nature of all three acts, but against odds and in the spirit of the occasion he gets the whole room singing along on the chorus.

Stepping out of the wood-lined Bird into the bright evening sunlight it’s hard not to wonder why there aren’t more afternoon gigs like this. Perfect for those of us who simply don’t want to be out close to midnight every night, perfect for the venue, who served dozens of thirsty music fans on an otherwise quiet Saturday arvo. Personally, I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the day.