One Horse Town

One Horse Town have secured themselves the permanent support slot on this tour, and if it wasn’t for the fact that their ideas tend to be overstretched by the long set, Little Birdy could be nervous about being upstaged by their Perth comrades. Eschewing bass guitar, Sascha Ion’s uses the depths of her baritone guitar to add meat to the bones of One Horse Town’s edgy pop, while Ronan Charles seduces ears with the gorgeous tones that emanate from his vintage Rhodes piano. New single ‘Six Feet Of Snow’ is marked by a hint of the Beatles, Ion’s staccato inflection and interjected with hunks of rumbling breaks. It’s lovely inventive pop music that, given a bit more time, should give Australian music something to shout about in 2007. - Faster Louder

One Horse Town arrived on stage, a band touring their fourth album who were more or less unknown to the audience. However, they didn’t fail to impress. The Perth trio was fronted by a very capable guitarist frontwoman, whose register-jumping vocals covered the verses like icing before the incredible cake of the heavy riffage of the choruses. One Horse Town are all about the riffs, their huge power undoubtedly a product of the maniac synth player. The synth sound went from natural organs and pop-sounding harpsichord to dark and brutally distorted riffs, with many the dirty lead. In the more frenzied moment the synth player would bash at the keys generating a fearsome noise or even when jamming on two different synths, would bash at a keyboard with his leg. You could tell he was completely lost in the sound, his body rocking side to side and his face snarling along to the sounds he was making on the keys. The man holding the band together was the flawless drummer, who had a very no-frills, hard rock approach,


every beat he struck was gold. One Horse Town were such an impressive support act, I was worried about the headliner living up to the show. - Faster Louder

Receiving word that One Horse Town were preparing to grace the stage the crowd swelled to see the band appear between flickering lamps and a projected backdrop. The whole place took on an intimate, more underground feel; like we were just a few substances away from Warhol's Factory. It was a happening, not just a gig. The 'Doors backing PJ Harvey' vibe that the band has become known for was evident from the very start as they deftly jammed their way around a technical fault in the first song.

As the lamps flickered it was clear the crowd were indeed there to see One Horse Town, listening closely as the band ran through rockers Havana and Information and inspired some pretty damn imaginative dancing along the way. Sascha Ion was in fine vocal form, her voice working the spaces above her baritone guitar perfectly, while Ronan Charles filled that space with the layers of keys. Guests were invited on during the last two numbers, bringing violin and guitar respectively, just a little more to this band who are obviously so comfortable on stage with each other.

Demands for an encore were met when Ion stepped back onstage to perform the fragile Misery unaccompanied, then Charles and drummer Stuart Leach joined her to close out the show in rocking fashion. A quick glance around at all the punters leaving with badges and CDs would suggest that the Six Foot Of Snow album will be getting some serious time on stereos around the city. Hopefully the band will have similar success with next month's national tour. - Xpress Magazine