‘T-H-E C-R-E-A-S-E-S’ was spelt in letters individually cut from cardboard and loosely stuck to the stage.
Think zero consistency, far from it, each cut-out varied in font and style as if the scissors operated without a pair of eyes behind them.
Their 3D counterparts calmly entered at The Foundry (Brisbane) on Friday (19 January), grasping their instruments and responding to the crowd’s cheers with humble waves and a brief ‘hello’.
I was admittedly surprised when the band started with ‘Answer To’, closely followed by ‘Point’. “Why would they blow two of their biggest tracks so early in the performance?” I quietly questioned, ‘Point’ especially being my pick of their bunch.
Click here to read our 2017 August interview with The Creases.
‘Were Young’ floated by, full of light-hearted nostalgia; ‘Do What U Wanna’ rolled around shortly afterwards, fast-paced and inspiring a fluttering of moving feet.
But it was ‘Is It Love’s inevitable arrival that forced me to re-evaluate my initial concerns, ‘two biggest tracks’ suddenly seemed completely inaccurate. I had so far recognised every, single song in the set, an admirable feat for a band only one record plus one EP deep.
‘Everybody Knows’ encompasses a lot of strong, musical elements and listening live only served to prove that further; it’s dictated by bluntly-sung vocals and memorable lyrics though the underdog of the track is the electric guitar weaving intricate, independent melodies underneath.
Ironically enough, ‘Impact’ made exactly that, the instrumental at the end building to a brilliant crescendo that closed with an effective, unexpected abruptness.
The Creases wandered off the stage, mannerisms signalling all but an actual ‘close’; in a matter of minutes they predictably resurfaced to round off the performance with ‘Something’s Gotta Break’.
It was the third time I had the pleasure of watching the band perform live and surprisingly, this was probably their LEAST animated of the three.
Not in a sense that the boys appeared bored, or disinterested, or arrogant in any way. They simply seemed more comfortable on stage, less like they had something to prove, seemingly content with the security of conviction.
Releasing a ‘debut album’ is an undeniable game-changer for emerging artists, and The Creases have successfully set a stunning precedent. ‘Tremolow’ is a well-refined, well-crafted work of arts that’s been carefully composed to demonstrate the right amount of versatility, without being inconsistent.
One of my favourite aspects of the record is the fact that not ONE, singular aspect is a standout, the band isn’t riding off frontman Joe Aguis’ vocals, or relying on a quirky instrument’s input. They haven’t composed each piece solely around standout lyrics, nor have they repeatedly recycled a specific song structure.
Instead, it features a variety of commendable musical elements and interestingly, watching the band perform live proved quite similar. Although the eye was initially drawn to guitarist Jarrod Mahon’s unconventional style and ‘do’, for the most part, it felt extraordinarily natural to watch the musicians as one entity.
Towards the end of the set, the ‘C’ became unstuck from the wall and I wondered whether the average patron would be able to distinguish the band as something other than ‘The Reases’.
Now, I have no doubts that in what I presume will be a short period of time, even having the wrong band name loosely stuck to the stage won’t deter very many onlookers from knowing exactly who The Creases are.
