The assignment seemed straightforward. Go to the Hopetoun Hotel, rendezvous with Belvedere and review the band. Aquanox themselves had suggested we see them in some kind of live environment to best sample their musical renderings.
The opening act (whose name escapes me) seemed to draw a neo-yuppie crowd; dressed a little too well for such a venue. Their music wasn't terribly sharp either. But this review isn't about them. It's about Aquanox.
Little is known about Aquanox; who they really are, where they hail from, what makes them tick et cetera. What is known is that there was some kind of apprehensive breath-holding while we tried to ascertain from their grooming if they were going to be as "bad" as the previous band.
Thankfully, they were not.
They were a tight-knit band, both in terms of the musical performance, and the understanding between the members. There were 5 members to this band - including one accoustic & slide guitarist who sat to an extreme stage left on a milk crate and was heard more than was seen. The bulk of the soloing seemed to come from the opposite side of the stage. Vocals were delivered from different people at different times.
The music itself was fairly " rockin' ". Possibly in the "alternative" genre, but a risky thing to categorise. It held a fast beat, and despite one or two safer songs, seemed to hold my attention for the entire duration. They obtained a good, crisp sound, and managed not to make each song sound like the previous. There's obviously some thought gone into the songwriting process, as unexpected chord progressions popped up hither and yon to make things interesting. The 2nd & I think possibly the 3rd song seemed to stand out, but in the absence of a playlist, their titles shall remain a mystery.
Reviewed on Tuesday, 6 July 2004