Live Review: The Goon Sax, VIPP, Sorry Golden State

Spotting the venue only by a small poster on the door, The Haunt is out of the limelight and up some dimly-lit, creaky, vinyl-covered stairs off Caxton Street. Given the endearing pop sensibilities mixed with the introspective, often cathartic lyrics of the headliner, this is perfect for The Goon Sax album launch.

Sorry Golden State open proceedings but it's to quite the small crowd, given they go on before 9pm has even come around. Nevertheless, the band puts on a stellar set that steers clear of any expectations for ‘measly opening acts’.

VIPP trek up from Sydney for the show and are a real treat to follow. Mixing a melodica into their pop/punk/indie sound, the set is propelled forward by the eclectic beats of a DIY drum kit featuring a tin pot as one of the driving time-keepers. Each track ebbs and flows through slightly overdriven chords that ring out with dissonant bass melodies, challenging you to sway and brood all at once. All Of My Televisions (Are Tuned To Your Favourite Channels) is a set highlight, completely redefining the lo-fi production of the track into an almost post-rock drone of melodica chords and low-strung guitar.

The Goon Sax are the stars of the night though. Having recently conquered the United States, the young trio are flying the Brisbane flag proudly tonight. Opening with I Don’t Need Anything I Want, there is an immediate shift in the room. Uniting audiences old and young with their obvious Go-Betweens influence, the comradery in the room is palpable. The strings and woodwind instruments that are sprinkled across their most recent release We’re Not Talking are obviously absent from the staple Goon Sax live show, but we are treated to the Kramer of trumpet features. Dodging through the crowd to stumble onto the stage with a ripper trumpet melody, the interloper eventually steals drummer Riley Jones’ microphone to scream through a solo at the back of the stage.

Steering clear of the majority of their breakout singles, the band keeps it personable. She Knows gets the crowd moving in cathartic release. New tracks such as Losing Myself translate phenomenally; featuring 8-bit synths and a drum machine on the album, the rawness of just a guitar, bass and drums live pulls you in even further. Switching instruments often throughout the set, the trio never miss a beat – well, apart from when lead singer Louis Forster jumps on the drums. Ending with bare guitars and the vocals of Jones strolling across the stage as she croons Strange Light, it’s a beautiful wind-down from a set full of emotional energy.

While The Goon Sax's sound may have the heavier tones of greats such as Jonathan Richman or The Velvet Underground, they are a band constantly refining their sound, and seeing their live show change from a nervous group of teens to a well-oiled machine is incredibly exciting. Especially when they are among similarly evolving punk-tinged acts such as VIPP and Sorry Golden State.