Sauce

I’ve been waiting a while to get my greedy little hands all over the Embers self-titled first EP, and judging by the massive show of whoop-ing locals who turned up to support this amazing Launceston band – who have been steadily clawing their way hand-over-fist up the Tasmanian band ladder since their unforgettable appearance at Falls – they’ve been waiting a while too.

Watching the Embers, you know that there is history with them. They’re a close-knit, tight group that enjoy each other’s company on stage. I set them apart from other Tassie acts that are doing well for themselves at the moment and put them right up there with the Scientists and the like; they’ve found their groove, and not just that, they’ve found an audience to lap it up. They’ve got character and hell of a lot of class. The band was absolutely blown away to be received in Hobart with such jubilation.

The crowd stomped and begged them for more, with even a few cries of tribute to Leo when they played Mexico for our favourite Mexican, who was away in, well, Mexico. I love that they still play the first song they wrote together; it’s so haunting while you dance to it in your own lost space, and though I missed its flute, Katy covered splendidly on electric violin. And speaking of Katy, she was cutting thoroughly sick on that violin, and added some lush sax to a nice horn section that I hope wasn’t a one-night stand. I really dug having a jive to Rubby Dubby – it’s going to get a lot of play on my stereo.

You can see so much in front-man Michael Attard – layers of stuff beneath his unshaven face that I can’t wait to see. A show of hands from the audience would prove that they want them back, so it probably won’t be too long before we get to swap stories with them again. Tally-ho!

IAN MURTAGH