The Goon Sax @ Headrow House, Leeds, 28 Sep
The Goon Sax don’t like to talk about their ties with The Go-Betweens all that much. Despite the obvious semblances – particularly Louis Forster’s accented turn of phrase, reminiscent of his father Robert – the band have expressed in interviews that the veteran outfit have never actually been a primary influence.
It’s not difficult to understand why: for one, it would be unfair to suggest that The Goon Sax’s increasing popularity is the result of mere association. What’s more annoying than continuously being compared to your dad, regardless of whether he wrote some of the best songs of the 80s? Thing is, The Goon Sax are so good they deserve to be revered because of their own merits.
Their debut LP Up To Anything is an example of everything that’s triumphant about indie-pop: songs defined by a propensity for melody, and subjects as mundane as cutting your own hair, depicting both wide-eyed excitement and adolescent dejection.
Sure, there are moments on the album that reek of The Go-Betweens’ wistful melancholy, but it’s a quality that’s nothing more than innate or subconscious. Avoiding comparisons between the two Brisbane bands, however, proves even more difficult in the live arena. Louis’ familiar countenance is eerily Robert-esque; he's so tall he towers over Riley Jones and James Harrison, both of whom are imperative to the band’s beautifully understated sound.
The Goon Sax, photo: Luke Hannaford
The crowd for tonight’s show is confoundingly sparse, despite shows in other cities being sold out. It’s frustrating: this band deserve to be playing to bigger crowds. The arrival of a group of enthusiastic middle-aged men, who have seemingly been 'waiting for the new Smiths', adds hilarity to an otherwise flat atmosphere, as they proceed to dance in a style that can only be described as a hybrid of Ian Curtis and a scene from Vic and Bob. Even the band themselves struggle to hide their amusement: “Does this always happen in Leeds?” asks Louis.
The primitive brilliance of Boyfriend sounds like an indie-pop classic tonight, with everything else sounding just as it does on record. Up To Anything and Sweaty Hands are particularly highlights, the former dealing in a happy nihilism that The Goon Sax are no strangers to.
It’s hard not to notice their wisdom – beyond their years – but what’s most prominent is the band’s chemistry on stage, which shares a likeness with the obvious bond between Robert Forster, Grant McLennan and Lindy Morrison in The Go-Betweens’ early days as a trio. The new songs don’t sound out of place either, and it’s good to know that they’ve not negated their melodic pop tendencies with something more complicated.
Though decidedly of its time, Up To Anything is the kind of album that will still sound pertinent in 20 years, and live The Goon Sax reiterate just how special they are. Next time they play near you, don’t dismiss it just because they have a ridiculous name.