Light the Fuse
Live (The Volcanics / The M-16s / Fourstroke)
Light the Fuse presents three Perth bands, The Volcanics, The M-16s, and Fourstroke, with recordings of their own exclusive tracks and covers hailing from a range of influential Perth bands, such as The Bamboos, The Victims, and The Bakery.
The Volcanics get the record going with a cover of The Bamboo’s ‘Snuff’. Having not heard the original to this I can hardly comment on its accuracy or freshness but I will say it was worth their time as it’s a solid slab of first-class rock and roll with a stylish hint of punk. ‘Gettin’ Round’ immediately follows and really bumps the energy up a notch with its rampant guitar and speedy vocals.
The M-16s rendition of The Victim’s anthem ‘Television Addict’ is a great choice of cover leaking energy everywhere, with frontman Ken’s intense vocals and some epic guitar. It is all very Pistols – in an Aussie way. ‘Tumble down’ follows swiftly, proving that simplicity really is the key to good old-fashioned rock and roll, and this is again shown with the pounding drums and piercing guitar of ‘Too Much, Too Much’, confirming The M-16’s rock status and ending their tracks flawlessly.
An almost hypnotizing version of The Bakery’s ‘No Dying in the Dark’ opens Fourstroke’s collection nicely, with a raw introductory riff leading into some mesmerising vocals. The silencing of the guitars, followed by a return with increased force, is one of those simple, yet effective methods of giving Fourstroke that something special. The energy of the music, and the lack of it in the vocals, are a faultless combination. Boasting the best guitar work of the album ‘Long Time Comin’ sees the vocals take a back seat to some great rock. In fact, the piercing riffs make it difficult to even notice the absence of vocals.
In short, this release is an all-round asset to Australian music, as Light The Fuse holds some great quality tracks. However, more important is the fact that this is a compilation of those songs that you don’t realise how much you like until you’re still humming them a day later.
Written by Brayer on
