Dark clouds glowered over Brisbane, pumping the city's humidity to unbearable highs.
Local inner-city venue The Bearded Lady (27 January) closed their doors and windows, an attempt to keep the cool air inside, but a storm of punishing noise brewed. Standing on the stage was Brisbane band JERM, with frontwoman Stephanie Ganfield wielding a keytar and conducting the tempest building inside.The noise rock band headlined a night showcasing some of the best of Brisbane's music underground. Local music fans battled the harsh humidity that consumed the city, hoping relief could be found in the shadows of some dark music.
The crowd trickled in at the sound of a low rumble of synth and atmospheric guitar to catch opening duo Trim Reaper.
As an eight-bit crunch became a percussive loop, Michael Hardy manoeuvred himself around his synthesisers, seating himself behind the drum kit at centre stage, adding a furious beat. Matt Somers (I Heart Hiroshima, Total Pace) stomped on his pedals, building a howl of noise.
After an instrumental, post-rock opening, Trim Reaper changed tune to a sleazy disco beat, buzzsaw groove, and Matt's gravelly yelp. It's a vastly different vibe between these two songs, but the duo make it work and put their all into the different directions they take, huffing and puffing from their energetic set.
On one side of the stage, cables cascaded from a desk of electronics. On the other, a vibraphone glimmered beneath the stage lights. Together, the two sides were used in a display of mesmerising improvised musicianship by experimental duo Shugorei.
Nozomi Omote wielded two bows and slid them against her vibraphone, creating dreamy sighs. Meanwhile, Thomas Green fiddled with a jingling plush toy, sampling and warping its sounds.
It's a fascinating juxtaposition of acoustic and electronic, soft and harsh. The pair exchanged glances, wordlessly communicating ideas until the two seemingly different sides came together, forming an ambient whole.
"This is a sad one," announced Jed Walters, aka Chiffon Magnifique. Donned in a black perm, thick black eyeliner, and a Gossamer shirt, it would be fair to expect something slow and dour from Walters.
Instead, a drum machine beat raced in, and he pranced and strutted across the stage, moaning into his headset microphone. Chiffon Magnifique perfectly recreates the classic sounds of goth, especially on an opening cover of The Cure's 'Burn'.
Alongside the genre's eternal darkness, Walters brought levity to his set. It takes a certain kind of humour to decide Amy Shark's 'Adore' should sound more like The Sisters Of Mercy as he did on his inspired cover. The crowd were onboard with the idea, dancing along with Walters' goth groove, but only Walters' make-up remained immaculate in the humidity.
Dimmed lights set the mood for JERM's set. The full-band line-up expanded upon the mostly electronic sounds of their 2021 self-titled album, taking those songs – and an excellent new one – into heavier territory.
The low rumble of Shane Rudken's synth shook the walls of The Bearded Lady, sounding like a jet taking off. Soon enough, the entire room quaked when drummer Sam Mitchell and guitarist Owen Kruse joined in, and Stephanie's coo floated above the maelstrom.
Beneath flashing lights, JERM built a monolith of noise that the crowd stood their ground against. The powerful sound could be felt by the crowd. Guitars rumbled in chests. Drums thumped in throats. Synths churned in guts.
These sensations only drew the crowd in closer to the stage, hoping the physical sensation of the noise would become a full-body experience – humidity be damned.
