The girls from Whalehouse absolutely nailed their Sexy Whale Beach Party single launch last Saturday night at Black Bear Lodge. Everything was spot-on - the lineup, decorations, addition of an actual DJ between sets as opposed to house music, everything was thought-out to a tee. It certainly was a night filled with some of Brisbane’s finest up-and-coming femme fronted bands, with supports including Pink Matter and Average Art Club. Despite an eclectic lineup choice, this somehow worked with the consistent female leads, and solid performances from each band. Credit also goes to Jeremy Neale on DJ’ing between sets, with this clearly making a difference in setting the mood, keeping the crowd entertained, and the excitement building. It was fitting to have Wipeout by The Surfari’s spinning right before Whalehouse started their set, with the girls entertaining the crowd with an impromptu, synchronised dance.
To start the night, Pink Matter primed the audience with their smooth neo-soul tunes. Combined with lead singer Kerry Raywood’s captivating voice, the band was super tight, with subtle synth parts trickling through each song, and complementing the more driving bass lines and beats. The highlight of their set was the use of a rotary dial telephone as the microphone, giving a røde’esque vocal effect, adding a quirkiness to their sound. For lovers of chilled RnB sounds like The Internet, and synth tones and relaxed hip-hop beats like Ta-Ku, Pink Matter is worth a listen.
The crowd bustled from the bar back into the band room as soon as Average Art Club started to play, with their first few songs clearly drawing influence from the likes of Warpaint. Interesting beats, lush resounding harmonies, and delicately woven guitar and synth parts seemed to encapsulate their alt-rock sound initially, however by the end of the set this had grown to a more pop-rock vibe, with driving beats and more prominent bass vibes likened to Mere Women, and catchy, pop vocals similar to Tired Lion. They finished their set with their most recent single Happy Pills (Make Me Ill), with the crowd picking up the chorus chant and joining in, it’s a slow-burner that definitely grows on you.
While Average Art Club had an energetic stage presence, by the time Whalehouse came out, it was like switching an amp from clean to full throttle, with the girls throwing themselves into an animated set full of fun punk music at it’s best. Seaweed streamers dangled above the stage, a cardboard surfboard cutout with text scrawled saying Welcome to the Sexy Whale Beach Party hung overhead, and the girls’ homemade sea creature dresses really added to the DIY party vibe - it was bound to be a fun show from the beginning. With songs about Ping Pong, Hot Chips and Cellophane, Whalehouse sure knew how to set the party vibe and get the crowd revved up. The shared vocals and banter really added to their stage presence, with all three band members equally present and charming the socks off the crowd. Zoe Wilson would take to the mic for the pop-punk songs featuring catchy melodies and animated dancing, whilst Amy-Rose Lawson sure had one helluva gnarly voice, clearly visible when the band covered Heartbreaker, by none other than rock goddess Pat Benatar. To back up the catchy vocals and guitar parts, Sonya Chamberlain set down some solid drum beats and did a bloody good job at keeping up this energy whilst singing her own song Punk Rock Fish. The stand-out moment from the night was the crowd being encouraged to close their eyes in a mindfulness ritual of sorts, envisioning themselves in a beach scene; with sand beneath their feet, the waves lapping at the shore, and of course, whales on the horizon inviting their captive audience to a party, and none other than a Sexy Whale Beach Party. No Whalehouse show is complete without crowd-favourite, Fresh Bread, with the show leading up to this final banger and taking the party to its peak, and then like all great parties, ending with the girls squirming around on the floor in sheer exhaustion and excitement after such a whirlwind-of-a-night.
Whalehouse are without a doubt one of Brisbane’s most talented young pop-punk outfits, writing some damn catchy pop hooks - they’re not your typical politically driven punk rock band, they’re the kind of band that you want to be best mates with. Comparisons in style could be made to the likes of The Coathangers, whilst the catchy vocal delivery is similar to Cherry Glazerr and local indie rockers The Grates. If you haven’t seen these girls already, go quickly and catch a show, or maybe even ask them to plan your next house party.
Kassie Sofia