Entering the Liquid Room to the chaotic beats of Container is an appropriately head-spinning introduction to an evening that is nothing less than a full-on auditory assault.
Ren Schofield bobs and weaves behind his rig, swapping out cassettes on his tape deck, manipulating beats and generally twiddling, twisting and shifting what would be otherwise run-of-the-mill arrangements until they’re louder, heavier and noisier than they’ve any right to be. Like Nils Frahm off his meds it’s a showcase in pedantic wizardry, but one fit for a dank basement instead of a concert hall.
Ever the DIY showmen, the Osees roadie for themselves, with John Dwyer abruptly introducing the start of proceedings while half the crowd are still trying to get a pint. But an opening salvo of ‘Withered Hand’ and ‘Ticklish Warrior’ bursts forth with such irrepressible gusto that attentions are unquestionably diverted.
The double drumming leads the charge, but Dwyer riffs like a maniac while bass and synths follow suit. ‘Animated Violence’ and ‘The Static God’ show off the metal chops that the band clearly enjoy indulging, the harder elements of their psych-garage-punk soup constantly emphasised tonight. The crowd respond in turn and turn the Liquid Room into an airless swamp – usually a problem but even moreso on one of the hottest days of the year – moshing with little regard for the escalating heat, though with significantly less crowd-surfing than last night at SWG3.
At one point Dwyer makes a beeline through the crowd for the bar. Not in itself unusual, but he returns with a friend of the band who is presented with a birthday cake. All very cute, until keys man Tomas Dolas launches it straight into his face and a good-natured, cake-based melee ensues. Dwyer seems slightly perturbed his side of the stage is now cake-strewn, but it doesn’t slow down the antics like holding his guitar with his teeth, generating samples with his head or generally cavorting about the place.
He disappears again later on and returns with beers for the band; everyone’s feeling loose and the music relaxes a touch, getting into more of a groove-based pattern with older songs like ‘Web’ and ‘Warm Slime’. ‘C’ appears late as usual; a last-gasp crescendo of intensity before the genuinely surprising closer ‘Minotaur’. The melodic lament of 9-5 banality is a thoughtful, effective finale; a rare moment for breath in what has otherwise been a breakneck tour of John Dwyer’s deranged psyche backed by a crack band of aural warriors.
Photos: Dale Harvey
- Osees / Container - 22 June 2025
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