#being beta

Walking Distance - Being Beta Gotten pretty good at moving around, I keep my eyes on the verge for a second hand couch, but I don't have a towbar and it won't fit in my car, this afternoon, I said goodbye to a place that I called my home for the very first time in my life, don't let me turn my back to you!

I used to rent a small room on Canning Highway, within walking distance of the river. I used to stare at stars, neck-deep in heaven, headlong, to clear my heart and clear my mind... this is the last time that I’ll move.

Its $8 entry and the bands are:

Being Beta

Filthy Apes

Them Sharks

Ben Elliot (Silver Foxes had to pull out)

At The Space Jam

or you can check the event out on facebook here.

The Song for Today is

"Reading in a Ribhouse" by Being Beta (perth)

gotta love the sound of those casio keys

the quasi title track from self described 'post-party-punk-synth' band being beta's debut EP, reading in a ribhouse is an eclectic mix of melody, nostalgia, frustration, and distortion. 

the track blares out from the get go, with a super high-pitched synth key melody that feels lifted from one of those midi-chip greeting cards. pumped up over a whole heap of standard garage punk riffage, reading sets up this wistful and happy vibe that is instantly shattered by the verse.

the verse spits out activism and social commentary in that standard 'not quite actually being able to sing' style that punk is famous for. rudimentary harmonies help to push things up a little, but for the most part reading in a rib house feels like its struggling to find its footing.

that is, until the breakdown. or maybe its the chorus? im not too sure, the structure of the song is kinda awkward. i'm going to say breakdown due solely to the change in direction, the distortion drops out and suddenly there's an actual riff going through. the lyrics come down from red lining and become more coherent, and the synth too takes on a stylized tune.

things all ramp back up to finish in a far more impressive fashion than the song started with. but as everything cranks back up to 11 i cant help but feel like being beta have swung and missed on the emotional connection. they're new to the scene, and putting out quality productions is freaking hard, but unless you hard into punk im not sure what the draw is here.

all that goes out the window when the band plays live. the songs become a riot and being beta engages the audience at every turn. but when you remove the physical connection, the hurried-ness, or the harried-ness, of the recording becomes apparent.