So, when my editor asked me to do this write-up it was a hazy mid-morning. In regards to how I was feeling at the time, well that’s all irrelevant ‘cos White Dog don’t care.
Sydney’s White Dog are pretty fresh to the Sydney scene, but their gritty, Stooges-esque rock is bang on and impossible to ignore.
Gauging from their music, their punk ethos is closely related to thrash metal and specifically ‘uneasy listening’ will give your ears a bangin’, thrashin’, real good headbangin’time. My boyfriend last week asked me why none of my music is ‘easy listening’ and why I “Need to concentrate while listening to it.” Sure pop music and easy-listening tunes are easy to digest, but that’s not what I’m about and neither are White Dog.
There isn’t much information on this band from the internet, aside from their Facebook description of ‘punk’ (lowercase) and a band consisting of simply, Sam, Dave, Johnny and James. Aside from this, their music is nothing but simple. With infectious bass-lines in their track Pound For Pound, and indistinct lyrics in TURNIP this band that demands your attention. Their vocals sound like a grainy car radio broadcast, or maybe something you would hear from a 20 dollar speaker at a punk-stadium. Disco Demolition Night 1979, anyone?
Their live show is pretty hard to ignore. They have recently played gigs at the revered Blackwire Records and have shared the stage with local legends Zeahorse, to much acclaim. In fact, one passionate fan quoted “Hey Guys, you were Great on Friday” Thanks, Facebook User, Mr Yale.
While White Dog possess an elequence of punk unique to the Sydney music scene, their use of heavy guitar riffing and strong baselines in Pound For Pound release a sense of catharsis much needed in Sydney. Listening to them, I’m reminded of another legendary Sydney band These New South Wales who, when coupled with a White Dog track, make me feel like breaking into Empire Records. What is happening Sydney?
Their track TURNIP (capitals important) has an infectious drum track while the screaming guitar creates a sort of melodic feedback. It is more about the melody, less about the lyrics, which are garbled and indistinct. Their latest single No Good has been getting a fair bit of love on FBi too. Reflecting a bit of a Stooges vibe, it follows a similar rule: rough, gritty guitars and lo-fi vocals are key, and these guys have these elements down-pat. Disco is dead. Long live White Dog.
