written by Chris Familton

Brisbane’s Drawn From Bees have taken somewhat of an indirect career path by playing a number of industry showcase events and conferences over the last year. It has seen them reach a wide audience but probably not a large one – a point confirmed by a disappointingly low turnout for their Sydney show.

Made In Japan played a precise and tight set of indie pop that charmed in an unassuming manner. Their pop combines the choruses of Phoenix and the dynamics of Bloc Party with a clean, crispness of sound that was muddied little by distortion or dissonance. Their chiming, post rock, woven guitar melodies suggest a lot of compositional thought has gone into their songs – something initially cloaked by the catchy pop hooks.

Drawn From Bees chose to play the middle slot of the evening for some reason, maybe they thought The Shiny Brights would bring the party home more effectively. Regardless of their position on the bill the band stood out with the depth of both their writing and playing. Centering around the glorious soaring voice of Dan James they played a set that included some new songs getting their first airings on stage. Trying to pinpoint why Drawn From Bees are such an appealing act is hard to do… their influences seem to range from baroque art pop to lush folk and gentle prog rock leanings. Caves showed off their harmonies and way with dynamics that allowed the songs to swell and recede with either bluster or grace depending on what was called for. The standout track was the single The East Wood Fox which they bathed in an aching melancholy that felt strangely uplifting in the same manner as Suede or the aforementioned Midlake. These guys deserved a much bigger audience both on the night and demand the attention of the wider music community.

The Shiny Brights partly filled the dancefloor with some enthusiastic punters who were well into their Friday night celebrations. They were rewarded with eminently danceable guitar pop heavily leaning towards the likes of The Strokes, Kings of Leon and Arctic Monkeys. Everything was a strumming blur of twitching nervous energy with frontman Wolfgang stalking the stage like a marionette on amphetamines. Their sound was definitely nothing new but they executed with enthusiasm and added a rough and sweaty vibe to an evening made up of mostly artful guitar pop.

this review first appeared in Drum Media