Cables and cords slithered in the pit frontstage at Brisbane's It's Still A Secret (13 October).
The cables reached out from the mess on the floor, connecting to Brisbane musician Seja Vogel's many synthesisers dominating the venue's tiny stage. Upon pressing a button, Seja's synths wailed a note, warping, buzzing, and squiggling from the speakers."Sometimes I think the more that a synthesiser sounds like a fart or diarrhoea, the better," she laughed. It might sound like a joke, but Brisbane's reigning synth monarch would know what makes a great synth.
Seja has spent more than 20 years mastering the instrument, showcasing her skills as a former member of Sekiden and Regurgitator, backing the likes of Dave McCormack and Ben Salter, and with her own solo releases.
After ten, long years since her second album, 'All Our Wires', Seja has released her long-awaited third album, 'Here Is One I Know You Know'. In Brisbane, fans huddled inside the small venue to witness Seja launch her new album, bringing her dreamy songs to life.
"It's illegal to transmit sound from any electronic device, such as a synthesiser," an American man's voice announced. The announcement repeated, but was soon drowned out by the bleeps created by opener Hotmagnets, aka Seja's former Sekiden bandmate Simon Graydon.
Graydon's head bounced to his drum machine's beat as he dug into the mass of cables and knobs on his synthesiser. Messing with the controls, blips cascaded over buzzing bass, morphing into new melodies before anyone realised. It's a set that showcased the original, playful intention of the synthesiser.
"I've heard the synthesiser is rapidly overtaking the guitar as the most popular instrument. Is that true?" asked Ben Green, guitarist and vocalist from Brisbane trio Gold Stars.
The band were the night's outlier, eschewing synths for alternative rock. Ben and fellow guitarist Phil Laidlow weaved guitar lines around each other, while drummer Branko Cosic bashed his kit from the corner of the stage he was crammed in.
It was a quieter set for the band, but their energy was high. On their closing song, the band unleashed a heavier, darker groove over the hum of their amps, and Ben repeating the phrase: "It's a definite vibe."
Synths bloomed at the start of Seja's set, and a powerful drum beat kickstarted the instrumental opening song. Backing Seja is a trio of heavy hitters from Brisbane's music scene: bassist Jen Boyce of Ball Park Music, and The Stress Of Leisure's drummer Jessica Moore and keyboardist Pascale Burton ("I just want to clarify that I am not Seja," Pascale joked as an explanation for her centre stage position).
Seja is particular about her sounds; she halted the band as they started 'Es Passt' because she hadn't set the right 'wobble' on her synth. But when it came to her band, Seja was their biggest cheerleader.
She prefaced 'Change For The Horizon' by mentioning the song features American actor/comedian Fred Armisen on Octobans, a percussion instrument. "No pressure," she smirked at Jess about recreating the sound.
With that challenge, Jess laid a solid beat down, nailing the echoing snare hits featured on the tune. On the final hit, Seja led a round of applause all for Jess and her talents.
As her bandmates left the stage, Seja swapped her rack of synths for a guitar to play some older songs. On her sweet German lullaby 'Die Wolken', Seja invited a fan onstage to watch for her signal to press a button on a tablet. "Audience participation's hell, hey?" she deadpanned.
After each line she cooed of the chorus, Seja turned to her accompanist and stomped her foot, signalling the moment to press the button. Without missing a beat, a synth whistled a melody, earning the fan cheers from the crowd each time.
Reunited with her band, Seja kept her guitar for rocking closing performance of album closer 'Time To The Brim'. As Pascale took control of Seja's synth and played a buzzing riff, Seja unleashed on her guitar. Whipping her blonde bob around, Seja played a fuzzed-out solo, fiercer than her usual gorgeous pop – a new sound that she of course has mastered.
