Step-Panther

Step-Panther looked and sounded like Dinosaur Jr and were instantly brilliant. They belted out their raucous noise-fest so loosely it felt as if their set was on the verge of falling apart at any moment. Whether this was a real danger or simply the way they play, it brought a fantastic energy and urgency to their music. Some blistering guitar work sealed the deal and it was hard not to be amused by these guys; the singer/guitarist had an appealing quirkiness and despite the speed and volume at which they were playing the bassist looked bored out of his mind. One of the most fun sets of the night. - The Upcoming (London)

Step-Panther looked and sounded like Dinosaur Jr and were instantly brilliant. They belted out their raucous noise-fest so loosely it felt as if their set was on the verge of falling apart at any moment. Whether this was a real danger or simply the way they play, it brought a fantastic energy and urgency to their music. Some blistering guitar work sealed the deal and it was hard not to be amused by these guys; the singer/guitarist had an appealing quirkiness and despite the speed and volume at which they were playing the bassist looked bored out of his mind. One of the most fun sets of the night. - The Upcoming (London)

REWIND LIVE REVIEW: OH MERCY, BROUS & STEP PANTHER @ OXFORD ART FACTORY (14.10.2011)

The first act were Sydney slackers, Step-Panther who did a good job winning over a small crowd with their arsenal of varied tunes. In ‘Fight Like A Knight’ the longhaired trio performed a fun, Violent Femmes-inspired anthem that was complimented with the kind of beefy guitar that The Saints’ Ed Kuepper is synonymous for. They followed this with the short, sharp frenzy of ‘Surf,’ a minute of feedback and intense riffs that conjured up images of the beach and The Shadows on speed.

The Stooges may have sung about ‘No Fun’ first but these guys had their own song with the same name, which boasted a Ramones-like breakneck speed and a hyper drumbeat to challenge even the Energizer bunny. They offered a kind of waltz-like shuffle and then tracks ‘Stare Into The Eyes Of The Wolf’ and ‘Superpowerz’ before closing with the utterly relatable, ‘I Feel Weird’. The latter is hardly a new concept with listeners having heard about freaks and creeps from the likes of Silverchair and Radiohead over the years. But this one certainly packed a wallop and like their set, delivered some short, sharp slacker punk with no more than three chords. The fact this was often more exciting than other groups that muddle with four or more, proves that they’re definitely artists to watch. - pagesdigital (Sydney)

REWIND LIVE REVIEW: OH MERCY, BROUS & STEP PANTHER @ OXFORD ART FACTORY (14.10.2011)

The first act were Sydney slackers, Step-Panther who did a good job winning over a small crowd with their arsenal of varied tunes. In ‘Fight Like A Knight’ the longhaired trio performed a fun, Violent Femmes-inspired anthem that was complimented with the kind of beefy guitar that The Saints’ Ed Kuepper is synonymous for. They followed this with the short, sharp frenzy of ‘Surf,’ a minute of feedback and intense riffs that conjured up images of the beach and The Shadows on speed.

The Stooges may have sung about ‘No Fun’ first but these guys had their own song with the same name, which boasted a Ramones-like breakneck speed and a hyper drumbeat to challenge even the Energizer bunny. They offered a kind of waltz-like shuffle and then tracks ‘Stare Into The Eyes Of The Wolf’ and ‘Superpowerz’ before closing with the utterly relatable, ‘I Feel Weird’. The latter is hardly a new concept with listeners having heard about freaks and creeps from the likes of Silverchair and Radiohead over the years. But this one certainly packed a wallop and like their set, delivered some short, sharp slacker punk with no more than three chords. The fact this was often more exciting than other groups that muddle with four or more, proves that they’re definitely artists to watch. - pagesdigital (Sydney)

Step-Panther, Wax Witches
GoodGod Small Club
Friday March 15

These are Step-Panther’s first shows since releasing their Dreamcrusher EP, and it’s clear that this band is only getting better. Where before the shows were Ramones-like in their commitment to one single tempo for the night, now they have enough variation in their songs to demonstrate their cohesion as a unit. ‘Fight Like A Knight’ has that great swing in its step and they smash through the pairing of ‘Never Again’ and ‘No Fun’ at an astonishing speed, but there are a couple of almost-meditative grooves at various points of the set. And their opening track – possibly titled ‘Going Nowhere’ – is a new one that moves through several tempos, shifting from one to the next without any warning.

Dreamcrusher showed that there has been a similar development lyrically, with singer/songwriter/guitarist Steve Bourke beginning to develop an outsider-loner narrator in the vein of Mascis or Malkmus. Unfortunately this doesn’t come across live, as the lyrics get lost in the mix, but there’s still tremendous depth and nuance in the guitar solos – ‘Bad Mood’ in particular – that hints at this burgeoning emotional undercurrent in their new stuff. They plan to release another LP this year; if they keep maturing and developing at the pace they have over the past 12 months, I think we’re going to need to keep a slot free on our ‘Best of 2013’ lists.

Hugh Robertson - The Brag (Sydney)

Step-Panther, Wax Witches
GoodGod Small Club
Friday March 15

These are Step-Panther’s first shows since releasing their Dreamcrusher EP, and it’s clear that this band is only getting better. Where before the shows were Ramones-like in their commitment to one single tempo for the night, now they have enough variation in their songs to demonstrate their cohesion as a unit. ‘Fight Like A Knight’ has that great swing in its step and they smash through the pairing of ‘Never Again’ and ‘No Fun’ at an astonishing speed, but there are a couple of almost-meditative grooves at various points of the set. And their opening track – possibly titled ‘Going Nowhere’ – is a new one that moves through several tempos, shifting from one to the next without any warning.

Dreamcrusher showed that there has been a similar development lyrically, with singer/songwriter/guitarist Steve Bourke beginning to develop an outsider-loner narrator in the vein of Mascis or Malkmus. Unfortunately this doesn’t come across live, as the lyrics get lost in the mix, but there’s still tremendous depth and nuance in the guitar solos – ‘Bad Mood’ in particular – that hints at this burgeoning emotional undercurrent in their new stuff. They plan to release another LP this year; if they keep maturing and developing at the pace they have over the past 12 months, I think we’re going to need to keep a slot free on our ‘Best of 2013’ lists.

Hugh Robertson - The Brag (Sydney)

STEP-PANTHER
Step-Panther

4/5 (Inertia/Speak N Spell)

From the suburbs of Sydney prowl the trio Step-Panther, a right hook of 90s garage fuzz.

Singer Stevesie channels Pavement's Stephen Malkmus and The Lemonheads' Evan Dando and delivers sun-soaked, giddy and temperamental guitar riffs across this impressive and unpredictable debut record.

There's echoes of Detroit punk on the furious 45-second Young and Dumb and the chugging Paranoia.

Then there's elements of slow-burning Gyroscope-like Aussie rock on Galactic Hurricane before the group takes a dizzy rhythmic turn on the eccentric Ween-like Scorpions.

The highlight is the jangled Sentimental Town, a song Elvis Costello would be proud to have written, which conveys Step-Panther's innate ability to pen memorable melodies that will rattle around your skull for weeks after you've absorbed them.

Step-Panther is a mixed bag of genres but is held together by shaggy-haired boisterous charm and plumes of pot-smoke.

Even the spoken-word grunge psychedelia of closer Rock and Roll Alien, which weaves a tale on Newcastle's Susan Gilmore beach, doesn't seem like a creative stretch.

Step-Panther could be the soundtrack for many summer holiday house parties to come. - Maitland Mercury (Newcastle)

STEP-PANTHER
Step-Panther

4/5 (Inertia/Speak N Spell)

From the suburbs of Sydney prowl the trio Step-Panther, a right hook of 90s garage fuzz.

Singer Stevesie channels Pavement's Stephen Malkmus and The Lemonheads' Evan Dando and delivers sun-soaked, giddy and temperamental guitar riffs across this impressive and unpredictable debut record.

There's echoes of Detroit punk on the furious 45-second Young and Dumb and the chugging Paranoia.

Then there's elements of slow-burning Gyroscope-like Aussie rock on Galactic Hurricane before the group takes a dizzy rhythmic turn on the eccentric Ween-like Scorpions.

The highlight is the jangled Sentimental Town, a song Elvis Costello would be proud to have written, which conveys Step-Panther's innate ability to pen memorable melodies that will rattle around your skull for weeks after you've absorbed them.

Step-Panther is a mixed bag of genres but is held together by shaggy-haired boisterous charm and plumes of pot-smoke.

Even the spoken-word grunge psychedelia of closer Rock and Roll Alien, which weaves a tale on Newcastle's Susan Gilmore beach, doesn't seem like a creative stretch.

Step-Panther could be the soundtrack for many summer holiday house parties to come. - Maitland Mercury (Newcastle)

Step-Panther: Step-Panther

Submitted by Chris on Fri, Dec 9, 2011 - 12:36pm

A couple of months ago as the level of garage music being released rose up to the level of my gills, I had a bit of an anti-garage spac-attack. I dunno, either garage musos were listening or they've been subtly trying to make me pay ever since because there have just been a bunch of really great garage records that've come out, or at least great records which include garage as an integral component; and y'know what? There's a substantial number that've sprung from the loins of this fine country too. I could listen to Royal Headache and Total Control all day, but I reckon I'm gonna have to make some space for Step-Panther. My enjoyment is even more of a galling reversal because I've detected a curious lack of love for Step-Panther amongst the trend-setting types. Well, I tried 'not-enjoying' Step Panther but there's something about their blend of garagey fuzz and old-school rock'n'roll that just floats my boat. Those of you who have been listening to Step-Panther for a while (and actually care) will notice that both 'surf' and 'lo-fi' have exited the Step-Panther repertoire. No surf? Well, if anything is more tired than garage it's surf, so perhaps that's just as well. I'm sure the lack of lo-fi has a bit to do with one Mr.Berkfinger of Philadelphia Grand Jury fame; he produced this record. Those Philly folk do as little lo-fi as you can and still be garage and Step-Panther seem to have filched the formula. I think it's a good little steal too, because Step-Panther are already quite messy and out of tune (in a good way) and a little cleanliness in the production department brings a certain balance. I think the thing I really like is the basis this record has in good, simple, garage rock of yester-year. If you listen to a track like My Neck, it's unpretentious rocking and rolling - just great - admittedly the subject matter is a little on the wild-side with lots of bad-ass outlawing and shooting cops. It's in good company with the really old-school rock'n'rolling of Rock N Roll Alone. Then Step-Panther can go in the complete opposite direction and punk it all up on tunes like Paranoia or Young & Dumb. Hell they even go a bit art-rock when it suits, check out Scorpions or Ferrari. Well, you've got a fair old variety to keep you interested in Step-Panther's debut. Still, I can't help but feel like I might be bopping on my own with this one. Put it to the test , just click on that video below. - 4ZZZ (Brisbane)

Step-Panther: Step-Panther

Submitted by Chris on Fri, Dec 9, 2011 - 12:36pm

A couple of months ago as the level of garage music being released rose up to the level of my gills, I had a bit of an anti-garage spac-attack. I dunno, either garage musos were listening or they've been subtly trying to make me pay ever since because there have just been a bunch of really great garage records that've come out, or at least great records which include garage as an integral component; and y'know what? There's a substantial number that've sprung from the loins of this fine country too. I could listen to Royal Headache and Total Control all day, but I reckon I'm gonna have to make some space for Step-Panther. My enjoyment is even more of a galling reversal because I've detected a curious lack of love for Step-Panther amongst the trend-setting types. Well, I tried 'not-enjoying' Step Panther but there's something about their blend of garagey fuzz and old-school rock'n'roll that just floats my boat. Those of you who have been listening to Step-Panther for a while (and actually care) will notice that both 'surf' and 'lo-fi' have exited the Step-Panther repertoire. No surf? Well, if anything is more tired than garage it's surf, so perhaps that's just as well. I'm sure the lack of lo-fi has a bit to do with one Mr.Berkfinger of Philadelphia Grand Jury fame; he produced this record. Those Philly folk do as little lo-fi as you can and still be garage and Step-Panther seem to have filched the formula. I think it's a good little steal too, because Step-Panther are already quite messy and out of tune (in a good way) and a little cleanliness in the production department brings a certain balance. I think the thing I really like is the basis this record has in good, simple, garage rock of yester-year. If you listen to a track like My Neck, it's unpretentious rocking and rolling - just great - admittedly the subject matter is a little on the wild-side with lots of bad-ass outlawing and shooting cops. It's in good company with the really old-school rock'n'rolling of Rock N Roll Alone. Then Step-Panther can go in the complete opposite direction and punk it all up on tunes like Paranoia or Young & Dumb. Hell they even go a bit art-rock when it suits, check out Scorpions or Ferrari. Well, you've got a fair old variety to keep you interested in Step-Panther's debut. Still, I can't help but feel like I might be bopping on my own with this one. Put it to the test , just click on that video below. - 4ZZZ (Brisbane)

ALBUM REVIEW: STEP-PANTHER | STEP-PANTHER
7.5
Posted by Doubtful Sounds on November 10, 2011
Written by Chris Familton

Noisy guitar pop seems to be everywhere at the moment, whether it is stained with garage rock, shoegaze or 90s indie there is a strong melodic vein running through it – more pop and less rock in the traditional posturing sense. Locals Step-Panther have been impressing on the live circuit and now they’ve successfully translated their songs to the recorded form on their self-titled debut.
There is a sense of freedom in the band’s music as they hop nervously between styles. The album opens with Never Again, a classic punk dispatch that sounds like skinny kids playing Jesus Lizard without the psychological disturbance. Rock and Roll Alone is a 60s drenched take on rock n roll of the type that preceded The Ramones and they play it fairly straight down the line. The way Step-Panther sound like they’re not trying hard belies the strongly edited craft they bring to their songs. There is very little diversion into noise for noise sake (other than the bratty petulance of Scorpions and the throwaway closing track) as they keep their eyes on the pop prize at all times.
At a glance some may accuse the band of aping an American sound yet there are some strong homegrown references like the Bluebottle Kiss indie angles of Ferrari and the Galactic Hurricane that could easily have a place on a Further album. The album is over in half an hour, something of a trend alongside other brief recent releases and as they approach the end they give us one of the album’s gems in Sentimental Town, a classic sounding track that conjures up images of Springsteen jamming with Television at the feet of Phil Spector. It’s a shame the trio didn’t include the song Jimmy on the album as it would have sat perfectly on it and strengthened the record even more. Regardless this is a catchy and impressive debut from Step-Panther.

This review first appeared in The Drum Media - Drum Media (Sydney)

ALBUM REVIEW: STEP-PANTHER | STEP-PANTHER
7.5
Posted by Doubtful Sounds on November 10, 2011
Written by Chris Familton

Noisy guitar pop seems to be everywhere at the moment, whether it is stained with garage rock, shoegaze or 90s indie there is a strong melodic vein running through it – more pop and less rock in the traditional posturing sense. Locals Step-Panther have been impressing on the live circuit and now they’ve successfully translated their songs to the recorded form on their self-titled debut.
There is a sense of freedom in the band’s music as they hop nervously between styles. The album opens with Never Again, a classic punk dispatch that sounds like skinny kids playing Jesus Lizard without the psychological disturbance. Rock and Roll Alone is a 60s drenched take on rock n roll of the type that preceded The Ramones and they play it fairly straight down the line. The way Step-Panther sound like they’re not trying hard belies the strongly edited craft they bring to their songs. There is very little diversion into noise for noise sake (other than the bratty petulance of Scorpions and the throwaway closing track) as they keep their eyes on the pop prize at all times.
At a glance some may accuse the band of aping an American sound yet there are some strong homegrown references like the Bluebottle Kiss indie angles of Ferrari and the Galactic Hurricane that could easily have a place on a Further album. The album is over in half an hour, something of a trend alongside other brief recent releases and as they approach the end they give us one of the album’s gems in Sentimental Town, a classic sounding track that conjures up images of Springsteen jamming with Television at the feet of Phil Spector. It’s a shame the trio didn’t include the song Jimmy on the album as it would have sat perfectly on it and strengthened the record even more. Regardless this is a catchy and impressive debut from Step-Panther.

This review first appeared in The Drum Media - Drum Media (Sydney)

Step-Panther
Dreamcrusher EP
Jerko/MGM
****

When your independent, lo-fi debut album lands you a place on NME’s list of 100 Best New Bands of 2012, and leads to support slots for Yuck, Kurt Vile and The Greenhornes, it’s safe to say you’re on a winner.

Nearly 18 months later comes this EP, which expands on all the best aspects of the debut without abandoning what made them so much fun in the first place. It’s only 11 minutes long, but it’s enough to give you a real sense of the band’s development. They are better musicians (as evidenced by their brutal recent shows), better songwriters, and more mature humans, but their playfulness hasn’t budged.

What Dreamcrusher does do is demonstrate how completely Step-Panther have internalised the ‘retreat from the world / hide in my guitar’ mindset of so many great early ’90s bands. ‘Maybe Later’ has overdriven guitars and subject matter reminiscent of early Weezer, with two barely-functioning people in a sort-of relationship torturing themselves due to their inability to communicate. And ‘Bad Mood’ sees our protagonist questioning why everyone around him is so sad and forcing him to do things he doesn’t want to do. But he can’t really explain what the problem is (‘I just wanna get some nachos!’), and so it falls to a beautiful guitar solo to fully articulate the depth of his feeling.

Step-Panther exist on that same continuum as so many of the great garage or punk bands, equally comfortable with classic pop structure as with grungy guitars and a slacker sensibility, and they do it all with a real sense of tongue-in-cheek humour and total lack of pretension.

Dreamcrusher will remind you why you love this band, make you love them if you don’t, and points to an exciting future.

Hugh Robertson - The Brag (Sydney)

Step-Panther
Dreamcrusher EP
Jerko/MGM
****

When your independent, lo-fi debut album lands you a place on NME’s list of 100 Best New Bands of 2012, and leads to support slots for Yuck, Kurt Vile and The Greenhornes, it’s safe to say you’re on a winner.

Nearly 18 months later comes this EP, which expands on all the best aspects of the debut without abandoning what made them so much fun in the first place. It’s only 11 minutes long, but it’s enough to give you a real sense of the band’s development. They are better musicians (as evidenced by their brutal recent shows), better songwriters, and more mature humans, but their playfulness hasn’t budged.

What Dreamcrusher does do is demonstrate how completely Step-Panther have internalised the ‘retreat from the world / hide in my guitar’ mindset of so many great early ’90s bands. ‘Maybe Later’ has overdriven guitars and subject matter reminiscent of early Weezer, with two barely-functioning people in a sort-of relationship torturing themselves due to their inability to communicate. And ‘Bad Mood’ sees our protagonist questioning why everyone around him is so sad and forcing him to do things he doesn’t want to do. But he can’t really explain what the problem is (‘I just wanna get some nachos!’), and so it falls to a beautiful guitar solo to fully articulate the depth of his feeling.

Step-Panther exist on that same continuum as so many of the great garage or punk bands, equally comfortable with classic pop structure as with grungy guitars and a slacker sensibility, and they do it all with a real sense of tongue-in-cheek humour and total lack of pretension.

Dreamcrusher will remind you why you love this band, make you love them if you don’t, and points to an exciting future.

Hugh Robertson - The Brag (Sydney)

Indie Album Of The Week: Step-Panther
Step-Panther
Speak N Spell
****

Step-Panther have been one of the highlights of Sydney’s live scene for the past twelve months or so, bashing out tuneful, grunge-y numbers with tremendous energy and enthusiasm. Their set at FBi Radio’s ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ festival was great fun, with all three telling odd stories between songs, so laid-back that it seemed we’d wandered into their garage mid-rehearsal.
But don’t think for a second that the band can’t play. There’s a deliberate sloppiness to the way they do things, but it’s more about replicating a particular sound rather than being too cool to try. There’s a direct link to all the great punk bands – The Stooges, MC5, The Ramones, even Pavement – in that while the sound is lo-fi and slacker, the songs are tight, catchy and incredibly tuneful, often featuring two- and three-part harmonies drifting sweetly over badass riffs and drum fills. ‘Rock & Roll Alone’ could be a cover of a Phil Spector song, and the simplicity of ‘Sentimental Town’ belies the quiet sadness of the subject matter.
It’s this balance between early-‘60s pop sweetness and early-‘90s garage fury that is Step-Panther’s stock in trade, both on each individual track and throughout the whole record. Even the grungiest numbers like ‘Rock & Roll Alien’ are tempered by an innocence and a joy that prevents them from becoming bogged down in the Serious Rock’n’Roll quagmire that ensnares so many young rockers. What Step-Panther do so well is remind us all that rock’n’roll is fun – and if you’re not enjoying yourself, you’re doing something wrong.

I challenge you to listen to this album or see the band play live and not walk away with a grin on your face.

Hugh Robertson - The Brag (Sydney)

Indie Album Of The Week: Step-Panther
Step-Panther
Speak N Spell
****

Step-Panther have been one of the highlights of Sydney’s live scene for the past twelve months or so, bashing out tuneful, grunge-y numbers with tremendous energy and enthusiasm. Their set at FBi Radio’s ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ festival was great fun, with all three telling odd stories between songs, so laid-back that it seemed we’d wandered into their garage mid-rehearsal.
But don’t think for a second that the band can’t play. There’s a deliberate sloppiness to the way they do things, but it’s more about replicating a particular sound rather than being too cool to try. There’s a direct link to all the great punk bands – The Stooges, MC5, The Ramones, even Pavement – in that while the sound is lo-fi and slacker, the songs are tight, catchy and incredibly tuneful, often featuring two- and three-part harmonies drifting sweetly over badass riffs and drum fills. ‘Rock & Roll Alone’ could be a cover of a Phil Spector song, and the simplicity of ‘Sentimental Town’ belies the quiet sadness of the subject matter.
It’s this balance between early-‘60s pop sweetness and early-‘90s garage fury that is Step-Panther’s stock in trade, both on each individual track and throughout the whole record. Even the grungiest numbers like ‘Rock & Roll Alien’ are tempered by an innocence and a joy that prevents them from becoming bogged down in the Serious Rock’n’Roll quagmire that ensnares so many young rockers. What Step-Panther do so well is remind us all that rock’n’roll is fun – and if you’re not enjoying yourself, you’re doing something wrong.

I challenge you to listen to this album or see the band play live and not walk away with a grin on your face.

Hugh Robertson - The Brag (Sydney)