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Review: Alyssa Becht
TAMAS Wells are an outfit in the same heartfelt vein as fellow
Melbournites, Sodastream, but are unique in the upbeat quality
they bring to the typically melancholy genre.
The band consists of vocalist and guitarist of the same name,
bassist Owen Gray, Nathan Collins, on drums, and Anthony Francis,
on keyboards (absent from The Hyde Park Hotel performance.)
They opened their set with the new single from their debut album,
A Mark on the Pane, titled Even in the Crowds.
Frontman, Wells, took the mike alone for this acoustic song,
a slow gentle number indicating what was to come.
The set that followed consisted of songs from the album, interspersed
with older tracks from previous EP Stitch in Time (Beauty
Cream, Stitch in Time) and a cover of The Beatles Nowhere
Man, from 1965 classic Rubber Soul.
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Initially, the band was plagued by sound troubles, with ear-piercing
feedback detracting from the serene atmosphere the music deserved.
Midway through the set, respite from the sound troubles revealed
a beautiful version of Chandeliers, in which a yellow glockenspiel
made an appearance, transforming the already dreamlike song into
a downright lullaby.
Wells said that The Hyde Park Hotel was a 'little bit of Melbourne
in Perth', and maybe that little reminder of home contributed
to the band's obvious enjoyment of the gig.
Whatever it was, the laid-back banter and Collins' and Wells'
constant grins, showed how pleasant this show was for the crowd
and Tamas Wells alike.
"We enjoyed that show, the best of any on the tour, I think…
the Hydey is such a cool venue," Wells said afterwards.
The highlight of the afternoon was Reduced To Clear, in
which a friend from the audience stepped forward on guitar, resulting
in the heaviest and longest song of the day.
Following this was an a cappella version of Sandflies and
Sunburn, accompanied by 'the racing broadcast on the Hydey
TV'.
The set ended with Cigarettes, A Tie and A Free Magazine,
from their debut single of the same name: the perfect end to the
perfect Saturday afternoon.
Tamas Wells rounded up their Western Australian tour at the Prince
of Wales, in Bunbury, on March 13, before heading over to the
Eastern States.
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