Money For Rope

Friday night saw the rowdy boys from Money For Rope release their third 7” single “I’ve Had Days/December” to a packed Tote bandroom.

Getting there only in time to see The Velocettes finish their set was still enough time to love the dirty surf western attack they set upon the sweaty room. Though the section of the song I arrived for was purely instrumental, the vocals poured out for the next one: instrumentally though, still with one foot in the Natural Born Killers camp and another in 50s rockabilly; a place I like to be. Banging blues rock finished them off – a rollicking, tight set tying base blues, surf guitars and a dangerously dark overtone. Pretty sweet, vaguely threatening, desert rock and roll with a splash of surf.

The Once Overs, while quite obviously revelling in the same sounds and influences that make The Velocettes, really turned it up to another level by pouring oily punk over the whole thing. Sam Allen is a vivacious frontman to say the least – he is practically electric with energy and it’s surprising, really, that he hasn’t broken his femur with his tamborine yet. Maybe he has. Exceptional punk maniacs.

The headliners started slow. Not quiet, but not in the full steam. This isn’t to illuminate anything lacking. Money For Rope is like the perfect hot date: intense looks, warm conversation and cheeky chin-down-eyes-up in the first moments; sizzling, sweaty and rhythmically-focussed dishevelment by the last. By the time the six-piece had really locked in and were half way through their second song “Disabled Ksana” it was on for young and old – the Money For Rope we know and love – wet hair, good-humoured abuse of the crowd, (“Why haven’t you fucking phoned me?!”) and rampant onstage behaviour.

The lovely, Beatles-esque commencement of new A-side “I’ve Had Days” wasn’t enough to prevent frontman Jules McKenzie from sounding mildly pained (this soon escalated to frustrating screaming, go boy); the solid melody, drum major rolls, sweet harmonies and wall of sound guitars are trademarks for this group, but this is a lot more mature than I’ve heard from them. Great song; full, mature and satisfying.

The addictive bass line of the next, coupled with snare and cymbal accents and a refrain of keys created a Riders Of The Storm atmosphere, though I’m well aware I’ve made a similar comparison before and even more aware that there’s no bassist in the Doors. What is incredible is the feeling of piano as rhythm and saxophone as Manczarek, dangling as it is from the vocalist’s hand while he plays guitar at the same time.

But it is best not to focus on smaller aspects: awesome, tightly controlled chaos comes from players who do their bit remarkably well, but connect in something fervent, creating something familiarly unhinged. At some point in proceedings, being jostled by a hot and euphoric crowd that extended outside along the lip of the courtyard, creating a amphitheatre feel, I had to concede defeat: there was no way to scribble and enjoy at the same time. Not even being able to see the band, nor keep track of the song titles, I instead accepted a pint and got down to the business of getting down. Rock’n’roll: it’s the devil’s music. A classic Tote night with some seriously exciting Melbourne music.

– Mel Lewis

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