#GETGIGGED - Get good & #listenlocal by going to gigs!
Thursday, 18th November 2021 | Shark Bay Dazy supported by Trash Springfield and Lariska @ Waywards at The Bank
I’m not for judging books by their covers, or bands by their looks, but sometimes you know you’re going to enjoy an artist’s music just by hearing their name. That’s what happened for me with Shark Bay Dazy.
Neon lights guided our way up to and through the long yet compact space that is Waywards at the Bank Hotel, where we settled down with a mezze plate and a bowl of chips, keen for what the indie rock band had in store for us.
Woman-of-people Trash Springfield took the stage first, stunning us with her textured voice and impressive timbre, at times ranging from a rock n’ roll growl to soulful belting, or from the depths of her contralto range to luscious falsetto.
Trash, accompanied onstage by bassist Travis Masters, launched into a groovy original "Do it Good", which slides effortlessly in a folky earworm of a coda - the record of the song includes absolutely gorgeous violin work by Marcus Holden and is a must-listen.
The band that came onstage next oozed attitude without needing to play a note. Lariska is a four-piece pop-punk band and they kickstarted their set with explosive power. Their standout track ‘Don’t Think’ is composed of cruisy verses and a catchy hook punctuated with vocalist Emily’s distinctive, piercing vocals.
Lariska has a lot of promise, with songs propelled by Julia’s dynamic drumming, embellished by harmonies between the guitarists and melodic bridges that slow things a touch to excellent effect.
As challenging as it might be to follow Lariska, indie trio Shark Bay Dazy took command of the stage with seasoned ease, accompanied by bassist Dylan and drummer Luke. Vocalist Alaska, who showed up with a headband of roses and a long, flowing skirt, took us to a dreamy, shoe-gaze laced Neverland with her crooning and swaying dance moves.
Alaska’s haunting voice, seemingly the love child of Lana del Rey and Hope Sandoval, guided the band through gorgeous music, such as ‘Flipside’ which included Maddy’s gorgeous backing vocals.
And that’s right, we can’t give all the credit to Alaska, as the band is clearly tight; Ben, Maddy and Alaska form a cohesive whole capable of transporting audiences to a different plane.
Surrounded by fellow gig-goers, with the bustling energy of the bar behind us, and the electric glow of the stage before us, it seemed like the last few months had never happened. We’re glad to be back.
Follow Shark Bay Dazy on Instagram to find out when their next gig will be.
Keep uptodate with JAMs socials to see the next in our #getgigged series. We want to practice what we preach and go to as many gigs as we can! We'll be posting reels of gigs we go to and all the fun we have discovering new amazing Sydney artists.