Flashing Tablet; Panelbeater
Planet
November 24, 1995

In the spirit of dubbing certain days, weeks and even weekends as 'awareness days', I propose that Friday the 14th of November be called "World Drummers Day". On this day, last Friday, the usual, scene-stealing guitar front instead gave way to the unsung and unsinging drummers in all their thumping glory at Planet.

First up, Panelbeater's bass and guitar dirge was enough to draw one's attention directly onto the machine-tight flailings of drummer Jamie Hamilton.

Yes indeed, sitting back behind his 'rack of whack', Hamilton (an ex-drummer of another local band, Finger) thumbed his nose in the unbearably-loud atmosphere as his two guitar buddies cared little for what came out of their amplifiers. That is, other than the volume.

With shades of Mustang!, Wormfarm and similarly "artistically sloppy" references, Panelbeater should nonetheless be sampled because of their artistic ties to the Jacuzzi International band co-op and sound.

Flashing Tablet have a similarly godlike drummer in the form of Chris Hann, better known for his singing and guitar work for Wooden Fische. Not since Thrombus days has a drummer left his seat quite so often, here with Hann using his sticks to conduct the others just as much as hitting the skins.

With his inimitable drumming style - obviously inspired by Wooden Fische's Flick Dear - of using the cymbals sparingly and hitting the big, bassy toms hard, songs like Daleks were like Wooden Fische doing an O! or Devo song.

Everybody Has a Song to Sing may be the title of their cassette launched on the night, but I reakon singers go pretty damn fine behind the drum kit too.

Adam Connors

The West Australian is W.A.'s state newspaper. The versions appearing here are the unedited versions which were subsequently edited for space, clarity and reality for publication by editors Sue Yeap and Ara Jansen. Italicised comments in the body of the reviews/interviews - if present - are the notes I sent to the editors to clarify certain situations such as missed deadlines, personal disasters or simple non sequitur, which always makes for good reading.

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