The Jezabels – Live at The Workers Club : Gig Reviews

It was a mild December night, and what better place to be than at the heart of Melbourne’s music scene in Fitzroy about to see one of the more ‘talked about’ band of recent months in Sydney’s The Jezabels.

Much had been said of this Indie-kid quartet in the lead up to their string of dates for the release of their She’s So Hard EP, and I was keen to get a first-hand look at what all the fuss was about.

Trekking on over the newly renovated Worker’s Club (formerly the Rob Roy) I struggled to convey my desire to be directed to the band room by the sprightly bouncer out front. After managing to connect with him via a combination of hand gestures and mono-syllabic utterances, I found success.

Luckily, I had made it just in time to catch a glimpse of post-rock dance-glam solo performer Darren Sylvester.

Bearing a striking resemblance to Triple J announcer and Frenzal Rhomb guitarist Lindsay McDougall, Sylvester was admirable in his ability to maintain the enthusiasm of the modest, yet decent crowd.

Performing as a one man band cannot be easy, and he definitely looked as though he had some mild performance anxieties, yet his brand of futuristic dance and glam-rock melodies were very worthy of some well timed head-nodding and foot-tapping.

The Jezabels - Rocking out in Melbourne

After the brief interlude and a large influx of punters, it was now time for The Jezabels to hit the stage. These guys were no strangers to Melbourne’s northern suburbs. However, their enthusiasm as a result attracting such an impressive crowd for their first headlining show in Melbourne was quite observable.

Launching into their set with gusto and ferocity of 12 hungry Labradors, The Jezabels energy was simply infectious. Singer Hayley Mary lead the way with her impressive operatic range and genuinely alluring stage maneuvering.

As each of them battled through the set, however, the general effect of their music was noticeably decreased. It had nothing to do with their energy, an unfaltering feat of which they can be vigorously applauded. However, there was something lacking, which overwhelmingly appeared to stem from the lack of depth in their material.

However, all was won back on the strength of set closer Hurt Me, which appropriated the most rapturous applause for the night. Pianist Heather Shannon provided a much needed ambiance, and guitarist Sam Lockwood served as a highly counterpoint to the piano. Hayley Mary provided the perfect focal point for the band as she postured and gestured her way throughout the set in a dramatic fashion that’s reserved for the performing elite.

The hype surrounding The Jezabels is clearly warranted, with their music managing to inflict an unbelievable amount of exuberance on the audience. Numbers speak loudly, and if there success in the charts overseas is anything to go by, then they’re going the right way about. It’s just they’re not completely there yet.