Verge Collection is a band well versed in transition.
Frontman Ben Arnold has used the most-of-the-time four-piece act as a vessel for songs navigating all the usual wins and anxieties of young adulthood (albeit with a quiet intelligence that sets him apart from the droves of surf bands and ocker-rock currently dotted along our continent's coastlines).
Not for the first time, the Perth locals are undergoing a period of upheaval. Arnold has taken the reigns from a departed manager and appointed a new cast of band members to the Vergie crew, with a lead guitarist missing at their show at the Zoo on Thursday night (4 April).
The beloved Brisbane room wasn’t packed to the gills, like The Foundry was about this time last year, when we last saw the gang in town. A little bit of breathing room worked to Arnold’s advantage, though – the relaxed atmosphere saw plenty of punters watching from the pool table, nestled in couches and embracing the vibe.
While The Zoo can definitely put on a strobe-lit spectacle, there’s something inherently likeable about the informality of the whole set-up.
And it’s clear that VC’s presence has been sorely missed. The band kicks the party off with 'Black Dog', a song that brazenly tackles the prevalence of mental health in young people but could still fit in perfectly at a festival stage.
Arnold snaps a guitar string halfway through 'Synthetic Fibres', and swaps it out for one of the supporting bands before launching into the 'Too Much About You' – off debut EP 'Open Plan Living'. By the end of the track, both the audience and the band have fallen into an easy rhythm.
'For The Story' is a tricky one for the band – the irony of the song about a culture of self-destructive recklessness is lost on some ‘Virgins’ who have its lyrics tattooed on their bodies. It hits the right spot though and leads well into a pacy new track, 'Cover It Up', which will find its way onto an EP the band recorded earlier in the year.
By the end of 'Think About It', another string has snapped. “Is this too casual?” Ben asks, before grabbing his third guitar. 'Feelin' Old' sees the pit expand and there are definitely a few couples who lose sight of the rest of the room for 'Postcodes', a romantic anthem for the young and broke.
'Long Comedown' marks the next guitar string to crack under the pressure. Bassist Andy reckons it’s a record. “We’re gonna do a much more professional show in Sydney tomorrow night,” Arnold says. “I don’t know guys, it’s live music!”
'Class Of '09' gets the whole room singing along – high school really does make a mess of your self-respect, at least according to this cross-section of Brisbane.
By the time the band gets to 'Our Place', the floor is slippery from split beer and the mosh is scattered all over the place with people loose-limbed, sweaty, and smiling. A guy loses his footing and slips clean onto his ass, and I watch someone else stop to help him up. He smiles thanks and introduces himself as Lawson – they’ll be fast friends, at least for the rest of the night.
Going back on a long-held promise to “never play a f...ing encore”, the guys trudge back on stage for a less rowdy rendition of 'Last Ciggie'. It’s a bittersweet closer for the night, interrupted by a punter who jumps onstage and scales one of the lighting rigs, almost taking it down with him and cutting off the song.
“I wrote this song about my f...ing Dad who died of lung cancer two years ago,” Arnold says, before finishing up on a hurried last chorus.
While I expect his voice to mature with the new EP, and permanent line-up, there’s more growing pains to come. Most of the crowd seems to have more in mind than “the story”, but some ‘Virgins’ need to catch up.
