The marvelous thing about Dark Mofo is the opportunity to witness bands you normally wouldn’t know about or have experienced before. While I had to miss Drab Majesty due to a timetable clash, I witnessed the powerful performance of the support, Melbourne-based band Bitumen (who have a few Tasmanians as constituent ingredients).
Powered along with a drum machine, the band put on such a blistering perfomance that it is really hard to compare them with any of their contemporaries. Singer Kate Binning’s performance was mesmerising: she prowled the stage with a burning intensity, a voice with a range more expansive and a good deal hotter than the Simpson Desert. The bass and two guitar attack (Bryce Maher, Simon Maisch and Sam Varney) were relentless and thunderous. The bass was sinuous and deep, the guitars provided a steady rhythmic bed with scything riffs arching over the top. Stylistically you could file Bitumen anywhere between Nine Inch Nails and Garbage – Binning having the edge and presence of Garbage’s Shirley Manson.
An industrial spine reminded me of Einsturzende Neubauten , softened by vocals and melodies that leaned in a more shoegaze/dreampop direction. The band had a collective presence that exuded cool and sang froid – a magnificent stage presence creating a cathartic wall of sonic joy.
It’s worth checking out their 2021 album “Cleareye Shining’ – see link below.
Feature Photographs: Arun Kendall
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