Eurotrash

Every time I wander into Eurotrash, I'm quickly taken into a world of decadence and style. Tucked away off Little Bourke street Eurotrash is deceiving in it s expansiveness as it stretches across three very different levels. Firstly the ground floor, with its Star Of Russia bedecked bar, German beer hall trestle, royal Turkish hookah-harem, Italian art-deco corner, French cafe setee, the Orient express hallway leading out the back, all complete with some of the finest cocktails and insane alcoholic concoctions and flavours this city has to offer.

Upstairs there's the gallery area which is perfect for work or private functions, film displays, band showcases, art shows, or any other type of gathering that needs a certain touch of class and originality. The third floor is the perfect crazy arena for a birthday, with room for DJ decks, some fine sink-into couches, a person-sized birdcage for dancing fun, and a certain junos ce que in it s incredible artistic aesthetic. There's a lot of love at Eurotrash, the vibe is always friendly and one of exuberance.

Melbourne's laneways...always full of surprises!

The audience sits cross legged, like children waiting to be taught. It's a quiet venue and the bar is almost ignored. People are obviously here entirely for the music. The house lights are kept to a minimum and the stage is set, the drapery of the venue leaves me expecting a theatrical performance.

The band trickles onto the stage with no great furore. The first isolated chord resonates into the quiet and someone hits play on the projector. The childhood images on the screen lend humanity to the ethereal sounds. This is a new sound and yet the group play without pretension. This is not an intellectual exploration of the mechanics of sound, though the music moves well. This is emotive, aesthetic and honest.

Without the defining aspect of lyrics Sundown and/or Last Stand seem to demand something of their audience. There is no shiny front man defining the musics message. Something of the listener must go into their interpretation, their appreciation for this music. The anonymity of the child on the screen makes the visuals relatable, almost familiar and adds to the urge to define the music by your own means.

I once again found my trip down one of Melbournes laneways edifying. I learnt something about sound and I learnt something about myself. The speakers presented me with vibration in revelatory bursts and the guitar based band once again had an answer to my questions. Unfortunately for me the answer results in more questions. Hopefully the next performance of Sundown and/or Last Stand can answer them.