Clothing label Ben Sherman has been intrinsically involved with British music since the 60s, their clothing becoming synonymous with the era’s sounds of punk, nu-wave and beyond.
Each year Ben Sherman selects a range of the best emerging artists in Australian independent music to come together for one night in Sydney & Melbourne. Each band throws one or two covers into their set from British artists that they are influenced by or that they simply dig. The night mixes in some fun DJs and a low ticket price, making for an affordable, unrestricted night of good times. Each band throws one or two covers into their set from British artists that they are influenced by or that they simply dig.
The Corner was transformed with the second stage curtained off as a small seated area. Shirts were hung from the pillars and across the room. Twitter updates were projected onto the wall beside the stage. Owl Eyes was on first.
Second band on, Boy in a Box, came out strong. The lead singer was dressed in a trench coat and walking around barefoot on the coldest day this year so far (very brave to walk around barefoot at the Corner, I once sat on the floor and regretted it for days). The drummer managed to completely demolish the kit at one stage which sent roadies scurrying from everywhere to catch cymbals and put it back together. Their sound was verging on Brit-pop, which was appropriate for the night. Their "British" cover was "I fought the law". Is a cover of a cover still a cover? (It's interesting that younger bands are rewriting history these days and thinking that The Clash wrote the song, rather than American Sonny Curtis, an original member of Buddy Holly's Crickets.)
Ballpark Music are a 6 piece group from Sydney. Their second song "Rich people are stupid" was interesting. Once the keys played swapped his instrument for a trombone things really started to work and the band came alive. The Kinks'"All Day And All Of The Night" was their cover and it worked really well. Lead singer Samuel Cromack was dynamic, jumping, dancing and gesturing around the stage.
Final band of the night was Strange Talk, a local band. A four piece with 2 keyboard players who double up on other instruments as well. They were the most slick of the bunch and sounded great. Drummer Travis Constable really stood out.
The crowd was quite good for such an unusually cold and rainy Melbourne May evening and the DJs really kept the night going.
