Being the inaugural gig review for the blog, I was hoping to deliver a hard hitting, super-critical and 100% fluff-free treatise. Praise would be rare, lest we look like we're pandering to the scene. Nobody respects a yes-person* and certainly nobody would put their faith in commentry from a yes-blog. Unfortunately for me then, I had probably the best live music experience I've had all year (perhaps a close second to the collective joyful weeping induced by the Fleet Foxes playing the Metro). Each of the three acts were brilliant and genuinely engaging, but for completely different reasons.

Before we get to the bands though, I thought I might say a few words about the venue itself. Serial Space is quite literally someone's living room. It'll fit 120-140 people at a squeeze, and is found down a suitably nondescript dark alley in Chippendale. The grit of the side-passage that leads up to the venue hints that you'll be in for something cultural, but the actual room itself is pristine. This owes to the venue doubling as an art gallery, amphitheatre, cinema and installation space. Anyone can apply (via their website) to host an exhibition, though don't expect to book your Pirates Of The Caribbean-themed 25th birthday here - in their own words they're 'here for a long time, not necessarily a good time'. It's eye-opening emerging culture that reigns at Serial, which brings me to the appropriately eye-opening and emerging first act:

Kyü's music is absolutely something that needs to be experienced live. It's the second time i've seen them, and both times i've been completely transfixed by their entire set. Larry's post below might give you a taste of their sound, but I very much doubt that a recorded track will ever do the Sydney duo proper justice. Absolute silence drops when Alyx's pitch perfect "I've got a bad case of déjà vu..." commences their set-closer, Sunny In Splodges. It's this silence, contrasted with the cacophony of drums that finishes that song, that sums up the band for me: They have such wide ranging aural dynamics (not to metnion visual energy) which would be so difficult to replicate on record. See them. Absolutely see them.

I'd previously heard only a couple of tracks from The Pancakes before, and presumed i'd be in for a novelty three piece Casio-fest. Who would have thought it would be one diminuitive Hong Kong girl?? She professed to being nervous on stage, though methinks she's more confident than she lets on, especially considering her intersong banter scored more laughs than I usually get in the bedroom. Her music is probably best described as original karaoke, but it's her stage presence (and flash animated videos!) that pulls it together. I'm pretty sure I was singing loudest when she let us all join in for "Pie, pie, pie, pie, pie, pie, pie, pie, pie, I was eating chicken pie".

The Tenniscoats were pretty bloody phenomenal. Unlike Kyü, where i found myself unable to look away, here I felt that eyes-closed was the best way to consume the delicate guitar pluck/melodica combo. Serial Space is pretty much the perfect venue for the band. The double fronted "stage" allowed Saya to wander about freely wherever the music took her, while the mood-on-white lighting gave the humble Takashi a still-life quality. As wanky as that all sounds, the result was an experience i'm certainly not going to forget too quickly. The inclusion of Nikaidoh Kazumi halfway through the set gave the show some more energy too, which was welcomed.

My Japanese ashamedly begins and ends with counting numbers from 'ichi' to 'roko', but I've always been aware of the power of the language when used in music. The staccato punchiness marries itself perfectly to hiphop, but it also can be sublimely delicate when used more sparingly - this was certainly a prime example of the latter. I have no idea what Baibaba Bimba means, but I think i achieved zen when humming it to myself after the show. --- JZ

Band webpages:

Tenniscoats | The Pancakes | Kyü

*the Bridge Blog thoroughly defends its right to be politically correct.