Who would have thought that a promising band named Joy Division, having lost their seemingly irreplaceably brilliant frontman, Ian Curtis, in 1980, would regenerate almost immediately into New Order – to become the forebears of the electronic pop movement, achieve mainstream global success and still be doing it 45 years later?
As a sea of fans slowly put aside their pints and made their way into Perth’s RAC Arena on Wednesday night, local indie success story Great Gable opened proceedings. Their at times psychedelic shoegazey alt-rock may have seemed an unusual choice on this occasion, but they passed the acid test – from their oldest song, Drift, to their newest single, Hazy – by attracting dancers before a performance by one of the world’s most danceable groups, receiving a sincerely warm reception by set’s end. Vocalist/guitarist Alex Whiteman proclaimed amazement at having landed the slot but, with several European tours already up their sleeve, this evening was simply another step on the way up for this Perth band.
