Origami

Erase Errata / Clipd Beaks / Origami

Café Du Nord

San Francisco, CA

November 12, 2006

Latecomers to the Nov. 12 Erase Errata show at Café Du Nord would have fallen prey to the most rapacious self-kicking, as the show proved to be the most definitive foil to a lax attendance ethic since Franz Ferdinand opened for The Fiery Furnaces.


The night began with Origami, who recently made the trans-Pacific switch from Melbourne, Australia to San Francisco, and brought with them a mighty brand of garage punk heavily echoing seminal ‘60s groups like The Kinks and The Sonics. Singer Rhonda Simmonds owned the stage with a microphone-twirling, guitar-dueling charisma unmatched by anyone who played afterwards. The angular, energetic, guitar-bass interplay between Ilana Goldbarg and Natalie White was spectacular. Simply put, Origami played its set as if it was the headliner.


An experiment in psychedelic chaos, Oakland’s Clipd Beaks followed, integrating elaborate shoegazer textures with undulant rhythms reminiscent of freak-funk outfit !!! (Chk Chik Chick). Uber-vocalist Nic Barbeln evoked the mania of a shaman in trance, screeching into two microphones at once, blasting a trumpet into an effects loop, gyrating through the crowd and occasionally waving a rubber snake.


Although Clipd Beaks teemed with an abundance of worthy ideas, their set lacked a constructive delivery and suffered as a result. Though their energy was remarkable, their presentation felt muddled, disorganized and too loud for its own good. Loud, aggressive rock ‘n’ roll certainly has its appeal, but when drums get drowned out by feedback, it might be wise to consider a change in approach.


Erase Errata’s set crackled with disaffected drama thanks to singer/guitarist Jenny Hoyston who, at one point, with a trumpet in one hand and a bottle of Amstel Lite in the other, tossed her ax to the floor and played it with her foot. Although the band derived a lot of its stage presence from Hoyston’s antics and snarling vocals, Erase Errata’s rhythm section formed the backbone of its live show. Bassist Ellie Erickson’s crisp and playful licks and drummer Bianca Sparta’s syncopated, cowbell-spiked beats kept the crowd moving throughout the entire 10-song set.


The women of Erase Errata have boasted that they could improvise an entire performance. Judging by how easily they transitioned from tuning up into the first song, “Cruising,” and then played straight through “Rider” before pausing for applause, this claim seems well justified. The noise-rock trio muscled through a strong set comprised mostly of new material from the album Nightlife. Erase Errata ended with a boisterous rendition of “Tax Dollar” before being called back for an encore and punctuating the evening with a blazing version of “Owls.”


-Review by Andres Jauregui; photo by Molly DeCoudreaux

- Performer Magazine Jan 2007

It's not often that any attention is paid to music hailing from Down Under, but the ex-pat Aussie lassies that make up Origami are well worth a listen. The influences on their latest EP, Crusing For Aa Bruising, are absolutely All- American. If Sleater-Kinney and Le Tigre were to join forces, they'd probably end up somewhere near Origami's dance-inducing punk rock.
The familiarity continues in the vocals of Rhonda Simmonds which slide from sounding like Kathleen Hanna on "Strobe Light" to a dead ringer impression of the Gossip's Beth Ditto on "Tiger" (what she's like)." The steady bass of Natalie White and the dynamic drumming of Lara Bartolo provide a perfect back-beat for Simmonds' addictive melodies and wandering guitar. The open song, "Frisco Disco" is Origami's most unique track and is definitely the shining star of the record. - Rebekah Ann Meek
- VENUSmagazine

I don't care that this sounds like Bikini Kill and Bratmobile's lost tour mates. Drivin' way too fast in my '65 Fairlane, I was blaring Origami for the first time, and fuck they caught me off guard. This is one gem of a record. From the opening fuzzed out bass I was taken back to the great Bikini Kill single produced by Joan Jett. It is that powerful and sounds so in your face. With the guitar used sparingly, or not at all. Again this short format help Origami, as it's over before you would like. By the time I got home from my drive, I already knew half the lyrics and was singing along as if it was a worn out LP off my shelf. Look out for Origami to make a BIG splash. Rhonda Simmonds is supposed to be a beast live, with a ferocity that is not to be outdone. (EA) - PUNK PLANET magazine

Le Tigre/Electrelane/Origami LIVE at Cain's Ballroom, Tulsa

Australian band Origami, who sounded like a dressed-down version of Le Tigre them selves, open the show.

Their performance was intensely energetic, with front-woman Rhonda Simmonds (formerly of Ninetynine with Sleater-Kinney drummer Laura MacFarlane) leading the way.

New drummer Erica Lewis, all spiky blond hair long arms, provided beats that shook the masses into a dancing mood. Origami became surpise crowd darlings, even emerging to sign autographs afterwards. - Tracy Pfeiffer Satellite Correspondent

So I was trying to think of a reason (purely as an excercise) why someone might not like the newest Origami release, and I could only think of the usual ones: deaf, stupid, doesn't like rock. The Poet Moritz has called Rhonda Simmonds "the female Mick Jagger" but I reckon, what does the poet know, she is THE Mick Jagger, and that's all there is to say. Except that she has a lot more to say that cannot be said here and...Natalie White is a bass player without compare and with unforgettable precision. Lara Bartolo is preheaps the best drummer presently playing in Melbourne, if not the world. That the three of them could co-exist in one room is in itself incredible but that they have made a record of seven of the most extraordinary pieces of angular, funky, exotic, tropical punch pop is, well, similarly incredible. It might be that a record this good could not be made, and yet, I have it in front of me. If Origami ever do better, people will get hurt. I suppose beyond this, all is possibility.
DAVID NICHOLS
(writer of The Go-Betweens) - Beat Magazine Number 54