Originally submitted for The West Australian Revue. More notes below.
Photographs courtesy © Michael Wylie © Nat Brunovs.
Subvert; Bucket
The Lone Star
November 4, 1995
Bucket deserve to have their name up on a lighted marquee. Their truely Bostonian sound is sweet, cool indie rock - a shoegazing sight and sound which is largely unheralded in Perth but would break hearts if they had come from somewhere else.
Stylish, very much the definition of songsmithery, Bucket's simple guitar songs at the pace between 'moving' and moshing again played witness to that tyranny of 'localness': seeing thirty or so punters take in fantastic, world-class music for one-sixth the price of an overseas drawcard. Wishing, or any number of songs from their CDs Flounder and the forthcoming Muddle, which were the staple diet of the night, very easily earned the echoing applause of the gathered few.
Subvert were a band in their infancy in many respects. You could not fault their technical wizardry with their speed metal-esque guitar solos but their inexperience on stage was a tad enlightening after the melodic introduction of Bucket.
Embracing many of the metal genre's licks and hair flicks, Subvert really do have talent in the heavier side of the equation. They basically need a bit more live experience before they can live up to their peers in the underage bracket.
But when they thrashed out they really cooked - songs like MN8 could well be a part of the metal scene's vocabulary in a couple of years time when vocals are developed and tuning becomes a priority. To be totally fair, I have seen a few CD launches with a lot less to work with.
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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