Going against my hermit crab lifestyle I spent New Years Eve at the Gaelic Club, Surry Hills. I was hugely excited that Paper Scissors were headlining, especially since by the time I finished work and got to the City it would be going on for 11pm. I foolishly assumed that Paper Scissors would ring in 2011 on stage however it turned out that Guineafowl were afforded the honour. I must admit I was more inclined to give Guineafowl a try after I saw Imi Harper the keyboard player and she provided the perfect balance between hearing great music and having something better than a sausage fest to look at.
To my surprise (and delight) they rang in the new year with the disgusting Aussie hip hop sounds of Hilltop Hoods "Nosebleed Section", it was so ironic and perfect it gave Guineafowl the ultimate tick of legitimacy in my mind.
My only previous experience with Guineafowl was "Botanist" and after seeing them live it only reinforced the notion of not judging a band based on one song. Strangely "Botanist" was the song they've been preaching to all the press outlets for a while now and I think it's the least representative of their infectiously fun, light hearted bop. After hearing their Hello Anxiety EP I'd put them more in the John Steel Singers book of fun than the oh so serious Ernest Ellis diaries.
Hello Anxiety is an incredibly solid, well selected ensemble for a band looking to crack new audiences. Too often you hear a band where if you've heard one song, you've heard em all. I think Guineafowl have really played their cards well with Hello Anxiety. When you hearing the roaring rap verses and insane keyboard hooks on "Little Fingers" and the 50's diner rock of "My Lonely Arms" you see a totally different side. And even when they get slightly more serious on the cult brainwashing bliss of "In Our Circles" or the jaunty slow burner of "Mothr" it really has "Botanist" coming up looking nice but quite dull.
I really tried to avoid saying don't judge a book by it's cover, because the over use of the phrase warrants a glassing but perhaps if you initially overlooked Guineafowl like myself, give them another go, you'll be delighted!
Myspace: Guineafowl
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