Last Thursday (6 March), attendees of Melbourne's Croxton Bandroom were battered to bliss by kraut-punk trailblazers Osees.
Spanning numerous monikers and line-up iterations, the group's near 30-year career has culminated in their 28th record, 'Sorcs 80'. The LP sees the guitar-driven group toss the six strings in favour of synthy, percussion-driven tunes, incorporating sampled (and on record, acoustic) saxophones to sculpt the bulk of the riffs.These 28 full-length LPs aren't counting the smorgasbord of offshoot projects, side bands, and one-offs helmed by John Dwyer and his Osees constituents. These include Dwyer's Damaged Bug lo-fi synth project, experimental kraut jazz collaborations Gong Splat, Witch Egg, and many (many) more.
Currently among these, you'll find bassist Tim Hellman's post-punk group Flat Worms, drummer Dan Rincon's analog electronica record 'Sotlight City', drummer Paul Quattrone's solo drum/ synth project Expensive $hit, and keys/ multi-instrumentalist Tomas Dolan's psychedelic outfit, Mr. Elevator.
Clearly, there's plenty to chew through in the ever-expanding Osees universe. Thursday was the first of two consecutive nights at The Croxton Bandroom for Osees, with supports including Melbourne-based alt hardcore outfit Romansy, and Australia's own psych rock champions, ORB.
Teeing off, Romansy delivered a hefty dose of high-frequency punk, fusing death metal tones and harsh vocals with post-punk drums and driving bass.
Following the release of ORB's 2024 LP 'Tailem Bend', the group underwent line-up changes. The new iteration – still helmed by Zak Olsen and Dave 'Daff' Gravolin (of The Frowning Clouds origins) – sees ORB performing as a power trio, with the introduction of previous Neon Goblin drummer, John Zacharias.
Though fan-favourite opener 'Electric Blanket' has always incorporated a jammy midsection, the three-piece dynamic brought immense grit to its heaving drum fills and expansive, proggy transitions.
The triumvirate brings newfound vitality to ORB's sound and stage presence, seeing an organic adaptability to both grooves and fugues. As a trio, the band allow rhythms to breathe with jazz-like feel, adding elasticity to the spaces between sizzling riffs. There was an almost telekinetic element to ORB's ability to let spaces linger between more punctuated sections.
The three-piece dynamic elevates their performances to an entrancing tightrope spectacle, with drummer Zacharias evoking both Mahavishnu Orchestra's Billy Cobham's versatility, and solid, Bonham-esque force.
The shift from ORB to Osees was perfectly balanced, switching gears from mids-heavy groove prog to an all-out barrage of infectiously acerbic rock.
Osees made no bones about giving the people what they came for, racing out the gate through such classics as 'The Dream'. Though engulfed in the group's dense sonic tapestry, Dwyer's lyrics tend to offer spiritually (or at least, philosophically) driven sentiments.
The sun can't burn, the dream, from my eyes
The dream, seeking, peeking, real life
The opening tones of 'Withered Hand' oozed woozily in the wake of skull-crushing riffs, Dolan's synths drifting atop Hellman's heralding bass like a sickly mist over a historic battleground. This ghostly place was soon again awash with warm blood, another generation of young warriors thrashing in the mosh, heralded by the call of velcro-ripping guitar and pummelling drums.
And the planets grope around without a plan
On your knees now, because you'll only suffer more
You must suffer, yes, you mustn't only die
After this glassy smattering, the band slunk into the sleazy street-scene rhythm of 'Nite Expo'. Never one to shy from guitar theatrics, this rendition saw Dwyer hold and play his guitar in no less than five unique positions, be it brandished like a semi-automatic firing riffs into the crowd, up to his neck like Buddy Holly on Benzedrine, or, when his guitar strap gave way, held upright in one hand like a kitty by its scruff.
Hardcore-adjacent tunes such as the title track of 2022's 'A Foul Form' nearly doubled the room's energy, literally attacking the crowd like a glassing at 200bpm. These weaponised waveforms wove perfectly around 'Drug City' from their latest album, 'Sorcs 80'.
Live, the Devo-meets-Morphine-meets-Stooges banger assumed a drastically higher tempo, seeing Dwyer drop the guitar altogether in favour of manning the mic in his mouth, hands free.
Somewhere around the set's downtempo centrepiece 'Sticky Hulks', Dwyer determined that his road-weathered Mel9 (mellotron simulating guitar pedal), had been malfunctioning. Drummers Paul Quattrone and Dan Rincon took the beat for an extra walk around the block, during which Dwyer tossed the pedal backstage and plugged back in with a crispier, more raw guitar tone.
The band's power to roll with the technological punches showed why Osees are one of the most influential bands of the past 15 years. Preparing for the penultimate 'Encrypted Bounce', Dwyer distributed Coronas to each of the band members (honourable mention to Quattrone for the skol in one).
This cut was served with a generous dollop of kraut beats and guitar theatrics, seeing Dwyer using nought but a wah pedal, Quattrone's cymbal, and his own mouth, to modulate his guitar cable like a talk box.
Closing the show, fans were treated to the gorgeously melancholy 'Minotaur'.
Men get sick at their work, each and everyday
There ain't no cure but to stay, stay home today, go to the beach instead
And the dreams in their heads cannot be found in the maze
Or so they say. La la la
An outlier in a discography laden with outliers, the tune treads a line somewhere between working artist's anthem, cautionary tale, and an ode to dodging the snares of soul-crushing corporate doldrums. I suppose it depends on how you choose to perceive things.
Celebrating the 28th album mark, Osees show no signs of slowing. In 2024, the band's longstanding record label Castle Face was reborn under the fresh name, Death God Records. That same year, they played dozens of shows across the USA and abroad. This extended to four consecutive headline shows at The Hotel Vegas in Austin, Texas, over Halloween, as part of the longstanding Levitation Festival.
2025 sees the group set to play a string of six residency shows at the LA Terragram Ballroom, with four of these set to feature previous member and ongoing collaborator, Brigid Dawson.
Osees are to bands as Hunter S. Thompson is to gonzo journalism. Their relentless approach to touring, recording, and perpetually expanding their horizons has defined and redefined the scope of possibilities to musicians for nearly three decades. Here's to many more years of Osees leading the vanguard.
