POT PLANT HOUSE PARTY ‘FRANCE’ SINGLE LAUNCH | INDIAN OCEAN HOTEL | 15/08/2020

Photography - @mikedann

The Indian Ocean Hotel was absolutely brimming on Saturday night as the boys from Pot Plant House Party got ready to launch their new single ‘France’. With support from talented locals No Nomad, Tether and Late 90’s, there was a high energy night full of rock and dancing ahead for everyone to enjoy.

Opening up for the night were alt-rockers Late 90’s whose slightly grungy and surfy aesthetic fit right in to the Indi Bar vibe. The boys have quite a lot of influences that you can hear throughout their set, taking some grooves and reggae rhythms in one song, then straight into some heavier headbangers on the next. They always kept your ear interested and hanging on waiting for the next song to see what other elements they could bring into their music. Unlike some other bands who have an eclectic mixture of inspirations, the lads of Late 90’s manage to sound cohesive and whole throughout, and could never be mistaken for another band. Keep an eye on these boys and their future releases for some excellent tunes.

Following up on the energy of the first set were dark indie electro-rockers Tether. The girls have developed a tight set, playing off each other really well and both feeding into and off the crowd’s energy. Powerful and soaring vocals sit over the top of a heavy and driving rhythm section, with atmospheric synths creating a lush soundscape for the guitars to play with. There were some devoted fans up front, and rightly so, Tether have managed to carve out a niche for themselves in our local rock scene with their unique and captivating performances. You can catch them launching their latest single ‘Separate’ in a couple of weeks at The Bird.

Next up was the calm before the storm, with soulful jazzmasters No Nomad giving us a groovy set that was a little bit lower on the energy scale so we could all catch our breaths. Fresh off the double release of their latest singles ‘Subterrain’ and ‘Arctic Beauty Kiwi’, No Nomad showed us why they are taking Perth’s developing neo-soul scene by storm with a smooth and commanding performance. Featuring alternatively alto or tenor saxophones, the liquid like flow of No Nomad’s music keeps you entranced, with a very tight groove it almost feels at points like the whole band is the rhythm section as they play around in each other in the pocket created by the undeniably excellent drumming. Make sure to find the time to fit No Nomad into your schedule, with a headline gig down at The Aardvark this Thursday (August 20th), the jazzy stylings are sure to brighten your day.

And finally we had the main event, local legends in the making Pot Plant House Party. Never one to disappoint, the boys came straight out with their high energy punky/grungy blend of rock that’s filling out venues (for good reason). As soon as the first note of their set rang out, the room was packed wall to wall with bodies ready to mosh out and excited for more. Always the crowd pleasers, the boys managed to sneak in a cheeky cover of ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor’ from the manic era Arctic Monkeys, making sure there was never a hint of a dull moment in their set. The highlights of the set are split between two moments for me, first was when the lads launched into ‘Orbit’ which coincidentally sent the venue into orbit as everybody went off for the crowd favourite. The other highlight was a testament to just how packed the crowd was, as lead singer Seb Davies went for a bit of a crowd surf and was never even remotely in danger of hitting the floor.  

Coming off the back of their latest release ‘Month of May’, their new single ‘France’ keeps the momentum up and was well received on the night, giving promising signs of the sophomore EP on the horizon. The boys have clearly been putting in the work over the enforced isolation period at the start of the year, putting the time into their rehearsals and into some of Perth’s finest recording studios, coming out with a very tight set that shows just how high the bar is that they are setting for themselves. Make sure you keep an eye out for Pot Plant House Party over the rest of the year as they’ve got some more shows lined up that should definitely not be missed if you want to catch one of Perth’s best live bands.
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Gerard Kinsella