title: COG, Bubble Vicious, Flatline @ The Varna Room, Sydney

URL: http://www.ozmusicproject.net/magazine/gigreviews.asp?ID=192

date: 14/6/02

writer: Liz

Over the past month, Sydney’s telegraph poles, street presses and gig doors have been branded by Cog - the bastards are everywhere. Add to this the biggest live audience for a local act to date on Channel V, and even the vaguest of music fans has to be impressed. How are they doing it?

Fridays at the Varna room are always a good opportunity to learn such things. For those uninitiated, the Varna is a strange sort of semi-decent, semi-scungy underground gig venue, where the bands are loud and the beer is more expensive than at the pub upstairs. It’s not a bad place, but I wonder what this seeming band of the moment is doing here.

It all becomes a bit clearer as supports Bubble Vicious and Flatline take the stage. Both locals and relative newcomers, these bands display an energy and uniqueness that you really only get at such a venue. All girl band Bubble Vicious play a great set of riot grrrl-music, while the agile Flatline cranked out a very exciting metal hybrid.

By Cog time, the crowd’s not huge, but they’re into it. The Chinese lanterns that have become an atmospheric trademark set the stage, and Cog play a seemingly established set. Like so many three pieces, Cog sound like they are made of more than drums, guitar and bass. Driven by a mix of vocal metal growl, wailing angst and distortion, Cog are impressive to watch. Their most intense moment came mid-set, consisting of a blistering session which blurred the lines between improvisation and tight professionalism. Of particular note was Lucius on drums, who suitably impressed fellow musicians in the crowd. Always a good sign.

Cog were slicker than the other bands that played tonight, but not necessarily better in terms of material. It’s metal for those in the know, with Tool undeniably a big influence. From where I was standing this parted the audience a bit, however any arguments over origin were solved by the band’s technical abilities.