Written for Vibewire

@ Hopetoun: If what Faker was attempting to fake was the 80s, they were spot on. They come off like a band from the earlier part of this decade that you somehow missed. From the stripped back lyrics to the guitar action stuck on repeat to the jerky epileptic movements of their lead singer, Faker manage to make the 80s look all so good. And who would have thought? My media player is choc-a-block full of The Cure, The Clash and Depeche Mode thanks to this spate of 80s inspired musical loveliness. Thank god they’ve decided to stick with the 70s rock hair and fashion though.

Speaking of which, Pete from Gelbison is currently attending a look that appears to directly rip off Almost Famous’ StillWater. Gelbison is a wonderful band that has put out a wonderful debut album in 1704. Their sound is mature and distinct armed with songs that are not only well constructed but also incredibly exciting. It is no wonder that they’ve been receiving glowing reviews left, right and center.

In their one hour set Gelbison manage to try their hand at folk-based pop, power rock and synth-induced 80s new wave, sometimes all within the one song (‘Metal Detector’ case in point). They achieve a fine balance between guitars, drum, voice and the keys that had a few nice effects to boot. The band doesn’t function as just backing for what is being sung; instead each piece is utilized to its full potential in equal importance.

Their best songs are slower than slow (and there are quite a few). They slide from each progression so subtly that you swear you weren’t moving at all, but by the end of the song when you finally break out of your reverie you realize they’d taken you to a beautiful place, and eagerly await the next song to take you somewhere as beautiful. Like Decoder Ring which played at the Annandale not so long ago, Gelbison are interested in exploring where songs can go, and take you the audience