Urban cowgirls

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The bright simplicity of the songs is belied by sophisticated harmonies - a welcome relief to the current drought of harmony on the Melbourne scene. Their obvious rapport and willingness to get into it on stage added to the pleasure of their performance.

There are three very fine voices here with very different timbres:
Sarah Carroll, the spring-driven energy centre of the band, wielding a black Gibson Dove acoustic, bounces from side to side, with a grin half a mile wide;
Trish Anderson's elegant, stripped-back Telecaster stylings add flashes of greater interest to an instrumental sound that sometimes threatens to drown itself in the thrumming of guitars. She's got the been-around-the-block more knowing voice, rich and cynical;
Suzannah Espie's occasional mandolin also provides a refreshing new colour from time to time, a counterpoint to her sweeter, more angelic voice.
Phil McLeod, a relatively new addition to the band on bass (apparently the previous bass player departed under a cloud of mystery) plunks along solidly and cheerfully, a suitable foil to Sarah's oscillatory mobility.

Despite my precipitate departure, one musically astute companion gave me the low-down on the rest of the hoe-down. Git were joined by Li'l Fi (sic?) just down from Brisbane, on high hat, snare and, notably, vocals. Obviously I missed the best bit, as my spy said, "My God, can she sing!" (apparently with improvised backing vox from the other gals). A nice slow version of "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" added to the mild gospel tinge of this band, but the show got faster and rockier as the evening progressed. Wish I coulda stayed, y'all.

As another The Dues reviewer once said, we don't give stars here, but if you like your country with a twist of lemon zest, and are looking to enjoy the sweet sounds of three sassy ladies, git on down to see'um.

Find out more about Git gigs at www.gitgals.com.

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Chicken goes off

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Some tight musicianship added to the spectacle. All members of Sounds Like Chicken are excellent on their instruments and play with power and precision. Perhaps the bass playing was not as confident as the other instruments, but we are talking here of the difference between very good and outstanding.

As this was part of their new release tour, sLc also played their new single Global Domination to a very reactive audience. With a chant-a-long chorus fit for the likes of Dropkick Murphys, they got some more active members of the crowd up the front for a mini-mosh that carried on for the remainder of the performance. With a rousing and satisfying end to the set, Sounds Like Chicken showed they were the act of the Alley stage that day.

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