Couchdog have concluded that Friday Nights are the absolute best time of the week to attend a gig. Acting as a little reward to the end of the working week and as perfect place to launch yourself into a good weekend. On this particular Friday evening Couchdog attended the show of a personal favourite of ours, a band from Melbourne/Naarm that’s live show conducts a crowd that can both be impressed by their immense musicianship and dance without a care in the world. The Instrumental Soul Kings Surprise Chef.
Acting as a farewell show before their European tour, this gig was a celebration of the diverse and eclectic music that this city has to offer. Sadly, we did not get the pleasure of seeing Mindy Meng Wang, however we have mentioned her before on our site which you can read a bit about her mesmerising performance here. However, we were lucky enough to catch the experimental electronic quartet Big Yawn. Their performance was transfixing. The added psychedelic visuals with their incredibly layered sound that includes snippets from an array of genres. The added live drums with Synth patches and chords that kept us on our toes made them a supporting act to remember. They weren’t just there to warm us up. Big Yawn were there to take us on a journey. The journey breaking the typical early gig awkwardness and almost forcing the crowd to move to the front and move.
To get a taste of what Big Yawn offers click here and follow them to find their next show.
With the dance-floor seal well and truly broken from Big Yawn the headliners were ready to take the stage at a sold-out Howler. Their groove was felt immediately as they treated fans to sneak previews of tracks that will be released on a future album. Despite the unfamiliarity the crowd had with these songs, the movement was immediate, and joy filled. The tightly synced percussion from both drummer and percussionist gave the set an extra low end that made the thought of moving along irresistible to all punters. The aforementioned visual aid provided by k0mbie were hypnotic as the colourful backing made the already lively room feel even more vibrant. The cinematic soul that Surprise Chef offers was only made more tangible by such an effective visual accompaniment.
The biggest take away from the set (beside Surprise Chef busting out my personal favourite track Washing Day) was viewing the joy that the band members seemed to have playing alongside each other. The funk fuelled changes that got audible cheers from the crowd ignited smiles exchanged from one another. As a crowd we felt like we were watching a group of friends display a jam (albeit extremely well-rehearsed) that we were lucky enough to get a sneak peek into. Such interplay between members only serves to make the audience feel more involved in the live process and share in the love of the music to a greater extent.
We wish Surprise Chef well on their European tour and can’t wait to see them again back on our shores.
Follow Surprise Chef here
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