Gig Watch: Junior Anti Sex League @ The Tote

By Toby Hillard
Photos By Talei Lewis
Click Here To Listen To Songs from Junior Anti Sex League

CLICK HERE to check out tunes from Junior Anti Sex League.

Anyone who has trundled along to a gig at one of Melbourne's most infamous indie music venues, The Tote, will already know that performances can range from life alteringly brilliant - to downright shoddy.

A Tuesday night show at the Tote? Well, the less said about them the better. However - on this fateful Tuesday evening, there was something in the air. There was something brewing which couldn't be explained. 

I ventured into the "so traditional it should be heritage listed" pub on the Corner of Johnston street just after 8pm, where I was met with the sounds of the new (and as yet unreleased) Kings of Leon album - surely this was a good sign of things to come! 

As the clock ticked past 8:30pm, a small - but healthy - Tuesday night crowd found their positions, as youngsters The Johnny Ferollas took the stage. Their sense of indie-rock was spot on (the track New Years Eve, a standout), with some of the most impressive guitar hooks I've heard since the Strokes - an obvious influence of lead singer Kevin McDowell who's muffled vocals weren't dissimilar to that of Mr. Casablancas. And it's not much of a surprise, as a small amount of research on MySpace revealed that portions of the JF were actually part of a band who have been making massive inroads of late, The Bachelor of Arts. A great start, I must admit - but where to from there?

A brief interlude in the beer garden wet the whistle as I journeyed back into the band room where MTV Kickstart Finalists, Major Major, did a quick - if not noisy - line check. This impressive four piece were fantastic - well deserving of their ever growing reputation on the Melbourne music scene. Lead singer, Adrian Slattery, delivered an eclectic mix of catchy pop and rock, along with the stand out acoustic track Believe It When I See. The MM boys really seemed to be enjoying themselves, which infectiously caught onto the crowd (many of which were still sitting comfortably in the beer garden). But for those inside - it definitely seemed that Major Major won over some new fans.

Another trip to the garden, and a few more selected tracks from Kings over the PA kept the break moving along nicely until headliners, Junior Anti Sex League, hit the stage just after 10pm. To be honest, I had heard whispers around the traps about these guys - through the gig guides, etc, etc - but I hadn't really heard much of them besides the few tracks on their MySpace. Beginning with the sneaky pounding base of You Look Different At Night, this extremely young looking group of indie rockers immediately had the (strangely large) crowd on their feet (I don't know where everyone came from - but the place was all of a sudden packed).

The tunes were undeniably catchy, and despite several sound problems, the crowd were digging it big time. The MySpace tracks seemed to get the biggest response, largely What She Says and Bread & Love - two tracks with a cool pop dance beat, complimented with a KOL / Strokes edge. However, it wasn't until the several tracks towards the end - which lead singer, Richard Machuca, claimed to be new - that  JASL really showed how good they really are.

While their set seemed about two songs to short, no one can deny the effect these guys had on the crowd. The teaming of The Johnny Ferollas, Major Major and the JASL guys made for one of the better nights at the Tote I've had in a long time. In fact, if every Tuesday was this enjoyable - It would become the 'New Saturday'!

Keep an eye on these guys...

Overall: 70%