Ty Segall @ Woodland

Murphy?

It is a cold winter’s night in the valley tonight with the dark sky acting only as further torment to this sub-zero climate. However within the walls of Woodland tonight is a blanket of musical warmth with US garage maestro Ty Segall, who has abandoned the oh so tempting US summer circuit in favour of the arctic tundra that is Australia.

With the smoking area abandoned upon arrival it seems that locals Martyr Privates going down a treat with fans and newcomers alike. The three piece garage dronish sound laced with reverb really sets an atmosphere for the night but it is over all too quickly. 

A quick turn around sees local supergroup Tiny Migrants take to the stage with ease. From the first note the sound is bang on perfect and the band are tight. The band’s female vocalist Jacinta Walker (Butcher Birds) for the first couple of tracks has a drunken almost crooning quality to her voice, which then evolves into a Kim Gordon/early PJ Harvey-esque sound for the rest of the set as she plays the counter to other vocalist/lead guitarist Julien James’ (Velociraptor) frantic high energy approach to his instrument. 

Praise must be given to the group’s drummer Jesse Hawkins (Velociraptor) who is literally a machine tonight. He was bashing and crashing at breakneck speeds all with a sense of precision and style. His counterpart however, the group’s 'tambourine' player Tegan (Keep On Dancin's) is by no means a 'Bez' or 'Joel Gion' with her role in the group seeming pointless throughout the set as she stands at the back of the stage more often than not facing a wall. Her job could be easily eliminated by duct taping her tambourine to James' guitar.

Some bad penis puns in relation to the band’s name and over persistent merch pedalling aside, the group finish with some call and response vocals and guitar strings shooting off in every direction. Tiny Migrants were a great slice of garage rock fun and at times surpassed what they have achieved within their other branding. An awesome support for tonight’s show.

Some pesky leads cause a slight delay to Ty Segall. But the band take it in stride and as soon as the issue was resolved they launch into the title track off Ty's latest album, 'Goodbye Bread'. Segall and his three piece band are in high spirits tonight and it shows through their musicianship.

With four full lengths under his belt in less than four years (That’s not including his work with the many other bands he works with). There is no shortage of tracks on offer tonight. 'You Make the Sun Fry' takes a queue from its title and is inches away from frying the Woodland PA. 'Girlfriend' from last year’s 'Melted' shows Ty's strained vocals and in many ways surpasses what is available on record. This is the same with most of the tracks on show tonight with some doubling in tempo or having feedback solos added to them which just makes them sound so damn good.

'My Head Explodes' had the Woodland crowd moving more than any gig before. The powerful chorus cut through any barriers or inhibitions that (if) anyone may have had about the band. The group even bust out a surprisingly classy version of Black Sabbath’s 'Paranoid' which, if done incorrectly can ruin a gig. But these guys pull it off.

Even though Ty's name is on the bill his band including a monstrous bass player and girl drummer match his energy and in some cases take it one step further. A number of times throughout the night the band are thankful for being in the country and it is quite legitimate. The band’s positive attitude really comes off well and it transcends into the audience as well.

The band leaves the stage to wild applause and happily come out for an encore which included a few 'Goodbye Bread' and 'Horn The Unicorn’ tracks. Even when they are done the crowd still wants more.

With the stage covered in glass and all energy spent, no one has gone home tonight without a smile on their face and a sense of satisfaction. With 'Goodbye Bread' being hailed as some of the man’s best work to date, it appears Ty is going from strength to strength at the young age of 23.

One can only hope that he returns soon, for tonight’s show has been some of the best garage rock Brisbane has seen all year.