History Stereoface

Remember that one scene in "Blow Up", Michelangelo Antonioni's cult movie from the 60ies? The photographer Thomas (alias David Hemmings) staggers into a Yardbirds concert, where an utterly unaffected audience stares at the ecstatic band. The guitarist fights with his malfunctioning amplifier and shatters, in rage, his guitar on it. He throws the broken neck into the crowd which - suddenly animated - engages into a brawl over it. Thomas catches the piece of wood in a menacing fight and flees out of the venue. There he takes a closer look, realizes that it's practically worthless and throws it away.

An allegory to the status of rock music in the year 2008? A distorted imagery between meaning and meaningless? A mirror held into your rear view mirror, redirecting our viewline onward rather than back? And if yes, what has it to do with "Stereoface" in the first place?

Quite a lot, actually. Stereoface are Benny Musenbichler (dr), Lukas Schneeberger (bs), Nino Kadletz (git) and Paul Pfleger (voc, git). Every one way too young to know "Blow Up" in a temporary context. But all are old enough to devoutly admire the movie. The Yardbirds, The Beatles, The Stones, Who, Small Faces, name it. Plus obviously the inevitably following britpop armada, from Paul Weller and Jam to Oasis and on to the Arctic Monkeys.

How's that possible? Pop and rock with a clearly british note out of Graz, the cozy capital of Styria, in Austria? Well, it is, and it is a wholly lot. The self esteem, the freshness, the unconcerned stains of the quartet convinced ever since their entrance in 2004, reporting to duty to conquer all the land, why not the entire continent, not to speak from sacking the globe!

Driving beats and slightly distorted guitars may be standard. A rough voice alone doesn't make a stand in a rock club. But the dexterity of the band in writing recognizable songs, here and there a possible classic, swiftly lifts Stereoface out of the clay of mediocrity.

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