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It's always a pleasure to return to The Zoo. There’s a solid bunch of venues scattered about Brisbane's live music scene, but none can top this iconic Fortitude Valley establishment. In recent years it's grown into its reputation as the place to see your favorite live band – a grungy homeliness matched by some ridiculously friendly staff and security.
It means that any band to grace the stage at The Zoo invariably has a head start on their audience’s goodwill, and tonight it’s no different. Seekae may have only just returned from a successful UK tour, but you get the impression the locals don’t ever want John Hassell, Alex Cameron and George Nicholas to go away again. This is one of those bands that seemingly everybody can agree on, and it shows on the venue’s packed floor, the crowd being an eclectic mix of hipsters, hip-hoppers and hippies. Still, it takes a few songs for many people to find their feet, Seekae obviously not afraid to challenge their audience. Indeed, it’s not until a propulsive version of ‘Mingus’, lifted from their latest LP, +Dome, that the crowd really starts to churn, a momentum that’s kept intact as the band segue straight into older favourite, 'Void'.
That build into the set gives you time to get to grips with the onstage workings of Seekae. Cameron’s focus on percussion seems to have him acting as a leader by default, while just to his left, the diminutive Nicholas plays the role of frontman, his infamous beard brushing the mic as he humbly provides introductions and thanks. Over the other side of the stage is John Hassell, who at times seems strangely lonesome, given the rapid-fire communication that constantly goes on between the other two band members.
The sound these guys create tonight is interesting. You’d think a venue like The Zoo would suit the more organic nature of Seekae’s latest album, +Dome, but the trio perhaps can’t help old habits, everything being delivered with a precision that’s fascinating to take in. Even when Cameron makes frequent trips back to the drum kit, it’s generally to provide a percussive complement to the careful noodling of Hassell and Nicholas, Seekae treading with expertise the fine line between onstage spontaneity and dedication to the original recordings.
The focus on percussion is something you’d expect from Seekae, it being such a feature of their albums. What you perhaps wouldn’t expect is the tremendous amount of bass being generated through The Zoo’s sound system. It never becomes overpowering or distracting, but provides a spectacular offset to the endlessly cascading synths and syncopated rhythms that the group employ – particularly on something like '3', which tonight closes the main set on a twisting, turning note that’s one part euphoria, one part paranoia.
As the performance wraps up and the grab-bag of punters jostle their way out of The Zoo, you can’t help but consider where Seekae fit in to the local music milieu. The band’s wide appeal perhaps might work against them in a strange way, preventing a lockdown of any one particular genre. But on evidence of tonight’s performance, these Sydneysiders are nothing if not a truly world-class act, and there aren’t too many Australian bands for whom I’d put my hand on my heart and say that about. Seekae deserve to find success at home, but more tellingly they deserve to find it overseas. At this point, you can’t help but feel they’re on the right track.
WORDS: Matt Shea
GALLERY: Elleni Toumpas