REVIEW: Cameras Album Launch

It was a night of firsts for me, you could call me somewhat of a virgin of sorts. Having never visited The Standard, nor having heard of any of the bands on the bill, I was excited yet nervous (remember that feeling..?). Ahem. And onto my review... I was thoroughly impressed by the four bands packed into the night, and each seemed to have a vague sense of "wow... he/she sounds just like -----" in a totally good way.

Kicking off the night were local band Beaufields, not to be confused with Stonefield. These 3 girls each have classical training, and they entwine it together to make some truly strong tunes - all without a guitar! Their sound is piano heavy, with some lovely intricate drumming rhythms keeping up the tempo. And the vocals are just stunning... she sounds like a mix of Missy Higgins pre-albums and Florence Welch any day of the week. Though their genre is almost impossible to define, they make their own blend of indie-rock slash jazz inspired pop sound utterly awesome, and they look mighty fine doing it.

Next up was Michael Mooney, who seemed miffed to be cut off mid-set. Unfortunately his ego was far too much for the stage, and it was almost as if the other band members barely squeezed in. Despite this, the music was undeniably good, with clear inspiration from Radiohead (at times, I could have sworn it was Thom Yorke on stage). Though some tunes were stilted and disjointed, they were catchy nonetheless, and I could definitely see Michael Mooney going somewhere.

The last support slot was filled by possibly my favourite from the night, Winter People. This Sydney band packed 6 onto the stage, including 2 violinists/vocalists - a massive feat usually, but as they pointed out, it was a very large stage. They credit their sound to The National and Arcade Fire, and their atmospheric harmonies certainly embrace this sound, but they also have a folksy vibe reminiscent of Bob Dylan. The best thing about Winter People? The lead's voice sounds almost exactly like Alexis Taylor from Hot Chip, in my humble opinion. Their tracks twist and turn, and never end up where you'd expect; and the 6 talented musicians prove their worth, taking no-one for a ride.

Lastly, after a few false starts (there seemed to be a fair few audio glitches going on), Cameras took the stage. Sporting a different hair colour than the press shots I've seen, it took a few moments to recognise the lead singer, but as soon as she belted in, I could picture her once again. Cameras truly take the sound from their recordings and translate them perfectly to the stage. Their perfectly sculpted hair refuses to move an inch throughout the set, yet they manage to rock it out like the best of them.

The piano heavy tunes are mixed with a thriving drum beat, and a wave of guitar fills and pulsing bass. The intermittent change of vocals from male to female provides a point of difference for Cameras, and it was almost as if the band's shape changed completely throughout the set, with the change of vocalist. It definitely kept us guessing, with some tracks taking on a Florence & The Machine vibe, with others sounding a lot darker, like Silverchair's 'Emotion Sickness' almost. Basically, I dig them.