Something With Numbers Review
By Tessa Muskett
The Inheritors were giving away demos with their name scrawled on them in faded sharpie ink. The garage style of this band is part of their appeal, reflecting the type of music they play, not the level. This aspect is played up. Tonight they wore denim and headbands like 80s rockers and rolled like the best of them.
Amy Meredith is a band name that belies the true nature of the outfit behind their infectious dance sound. These five young men, are preened in the Sydney indie kid fashion, safely referencing the new romantics of the eighties with modern twists. Working this, they proved they know how to rock a venue. The stage was dominated with their dance moves. As the ringleader, Christian’s dancing is almost enough to satisfy those suffering from the absence of Alex Rider’s air punches over this last year. Amy Meredith’s songs are ridiculously catchy, like a bout of Chlamydia amongst high-schoolers. Tonight, the crowd was treated to a rendition of a song, we ‘might know’. It was an appropriately tongue in cheek version of, ‘Love Shack’ - the type of song that usually makes a successful, somewhat-ironic cover – a one-hit wonder where nobody remembers the band’s name and the people dancing to the song barely realise it has circulated before, like most trends these days.
Something With Numbers came out tonight in support of their latest album “Engineering the Soul” which was released over a month ago. Something With Numbers’ last two albums have arguably been more poppy than their very early material. With their roots tenuously stemming from the screamo scene, this support has given them cred as they transcend one genre and head for those more associated with widespread success. Their live show remains entertaining, deriving from the modern pop-punk scenes where the band members rarely stand still. Jake Grigg’s relaxed composure on stage allows him to pull off spazzy finger clicks and his other trademark moves, including the semi-sideways-leg-kick-to-half-height (repeat x 10), which has been mockingly replicated to similar appeal on dance floors Australia-wide. Grigg’s sincere but somewhat cheeky, ‘Thanks for not going to The Butterfly Effect tonight’ set the tone for a band that merges the serious with the comical in beguiling and subtle ways. Who knows what they’re album art is about but they obviously consider the image significant, whacking up a huge version of the image behind the band for the show.
Mixing the old with the new, the rocky with the acoustic, the set had enough variety to keep the crowd excited and sweaty. From the beginning, there was no pretence that had to be undone, as per Grigg’s sleeves as the set progressed; the band was fierce but in control from the get-go.
