[…>A nice kip and a cup of tea were unfortunately not on the cards for I yet. However, everyone should be willing to sacrifice a small pleasure such as that for the significantly greater pleasure of seeing Sydney’s The Fumes live. Never have I known a band to improve on such a consistent level – a mean feat considering they’ve been fantastic since they began carving up the live scene in 2004.
Let me stress one thing: The Fumes are a two piece band. This may seem like a curious statement. But when a two piece act can make a noise that rivals a freight train smashing into a stationary Boeing 707 that immediately catches alight and explodes – it deserves a mention. It warrants even more of a mention when they still make you wanna shake it like you don’t have work tomorrow, and may never again. Raw, uncompromising and exceptionally in sync with one another; guitarist/singer Steve Merry and drummer Joel Battersby send the crowd absolutely bananas; all the while hinting they’ve actually got plenty more to give than they have to the world of filthy blues and rock thus far. It’s beyond titillating as they break out a range of old favourites from their brilliant debut album Guns Of Gold, and some stunning new tracks. Warming the crowd up with two new tunes, the duo then launch head on into one of their never-fail crowd pleasers – Automobile. The beat is a strong, steady, sexy beast of a thing, complemented and then driven by Merry’s measured, chunky, and finally frenetic strumming. He quite simply plays the guitar as though it’s as easy to him as breathing, possibly easier. He displays his unquestionable talent on two solo acoustic tracks he performs, much to the delight of many a person in a darkened corner who has taken to swaying. Atlanta Rising and Mystery Belle are both standouts of the set, particularly the latter which speaks of “true story” of the perils of working out at sea and reaching his love again. By the end of the set, the crowd was well and truly sloppy from the hours and hours of grouse entertainment, and I saw my first semi-violent Fumes moshpit, for the fast-paced, big riff number Tell Ya Story Walkin’. Battersby amazes during this song. He hits the drums like he’s playing for his eternal salvation – a human metronome with arms of steel.
I left the ‘dale tired yet so musically satisfied I did not entertain the idea of the fast food restaurant across the road. Many a convert was made this ‘eve, to the power of the dirty blues rock times infinity. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be.
The terrific twosome The Fumes hit the stage to entertain a sizable crowd at The Metro. The crowd shuffled and swayed to songs of their debut album Guns of Gold as singer Steve Merry belted out numbers Automobile, Mystery Belle, Shake Them Bones and Grocery Store. Those whom I spoke to that evening commented on how impressed they were with the band’s sound, particularly as there are only two of them on stage. Joel Battersby’s rock rhythm worked well with slide guitars to deliver an energetic blues-rock buzz.
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Queens Of The Stone Age, The Fumes @ The Arena, Brisbane (27/03/2008) Time Out Magazine
A largely unknown proposition for a majority of the audience, fabulously bearded Sydney duo The Fumes amble onto stage with no attitude that could possibly suggest the blistering set they are about to deliver. While their studio output is tastefully aggressive blues-rock, live, they are an entirely different proposition. Stomping work-outs like ‘Automobile’ are hammered into the audience with a power that is humbling in its intensity, whereas driving anthems like ‘The Dogs’ are transformed from ZZ Top to Minor Threat - charging through the audience with all the mercy and remorse of a semi-trailer travelling at 120km/h. Concluding on a jam-tastic rendition of the hyperkinetic ‘Shake Them Bones’, The Fumes leave the stage to the uproarious cries of the converted and, in the process, throw down the gauntlet to the headliners.
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Queens Of The Stone Age, The Fumes @ The Arena, Brisbane (27/03/2008) http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/reviews/events/12783/Queens-Of-The-Stone-Age-The-Fumes-The-Arena-Brisbane-28032008.htm
Queens of the Stone Age have always had a huge fan base in Australia, and tonight they proved why as they ripped the roof off the Arena to kickstart the V Fest festivities.
Garage two-pieces are a dime-a-dozen these days, but they don’t get much better than opening act The Fumes. Stripped of all the pomp and strut which can often accompany such duos, Steve Merry (vocals/guitar) and Joel Battersby (drums) do their thing with a minimum of fuss, and a maximum of punch. Merry is dazzling with his guitar work, and Battersby punches out rhythms with consummate ease, although you can tell from the look on his face, he’s concentrating pretty hard. Unfortunately, the crowd - while vocal in their support, don’t seem to want to dance, except for during hit single Automobile, where the power riffs manage to get a few people tapping along. The set ends prematurely due to some drum issues, but the roar which sees them off the stage shows that this crowd has well and truly warmed to The Fumes.
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Queens Of The Stone Age, The Fumes @ The Big Top - Luna Park, Sydney (28/03/2008) Review by Fiona Cameron, Drum Media #900, 8 April 2008
Some nights it’s like this, where it all goes well from the moment you close your front door until you stagger out of the venue a couple of hours later, exhilarated and exhausted, quivering like a 10-year-old hopped up on sugar, shrieking “I wanna go AGAIN!” And yes, that was me.
You gotta love The Fumes. The duo appeared on stage, cranked out an outstanding set and managed to make me forget just for a little while who we had all come to see. Theirs was a skuzzy, swampy, distorted sound that’s maybe second cousin once removed from the primordial ooze that rock’n’roll springs from. Think filthy, bluesy, somewhat damaged and a strangely perfect warm up for the Queens show. Who wants cool when raw, blistering guitar and drums feels this good? […>
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THE VASCO ERA, THE FUMES, SKYBOMBERS @ THE CORNER HOTEL - 26/10/07
…Next up are Sydney's The Fumes. The Fumes totally add to it and then some. … tub-thumping of Joel Battersby and the well honed, muddy sludge of Steve Merry's guitar hit their mesh and it's awn. It's like they started in blues rock mode, but here they begin to hit the blues part harder, and the undeniable groove of a music from a bygone age intertwines itself through a more contemporary form as The Fumes rattle and hum, thump and charge through their set, and by the end there's not a dry pair of pants in the house. Nice.
INPRESS – October 2007
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On tour with THE VASCO ERA
Sydney duo The Fumes succeed at pinpointing cues for the audience to go apeshit: double-time drumming during the climax is a sure-fire winner. To first time listeners, Automobile must be absolutely mind-blowing. They've certainly mastered their explosive brand of blues-rock: as my friend puts it, "a two-piece shouldn't sound this good".
Rave Review - 9th Nov 2007
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The Fumes 'Guns of Gold'
'This album kicked arse in 2006 and was backed up by The Fumes' killer live show. As I got to explore the album more, I realised that these guys were more than balls-to-the-wall roots rockers. Steve Merry's acoustic playing on the 'National Steel Resonator' was quite traditional and very cool.'
Ash Grunwald - Jmag
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The Fumes 'Guns of Gold' Silent Partner/Inertia
Yee-haw!! The steam train's a rollin', the horses are restless in the stables, the barnyard has been cleared and the dancers are in place..and the band playing that infectious southern-style soundtrack, full of toe tapping, thigh slapping tunes is none other than The Fumes.
For a two piece, these guys create a voluminous sound that belies their lineup. The gritty, throaty growl of vocalist/guitarist Steve Merry sits so comfortably with his fast paced slide guitar licks. Drummer Joel Battersby is always right on the beat, his snare pounding and driving the songs forward mimicking the rhythm of car cruising along a dusty sunburnt open road. The band have entered the scene at the right time, with folk music rife, and they're riding on the coattails of artists like John Butler, Xavier Rudd, Ash Grunwald and The Beautiful Girls to name but a few. However while songs like 'Postman Inn' brings to mind said artists, tracks like 'Automobile' are far more delta blues influenced, and this influence is infused in many of The Fumes tracks.
Though they may not be as accessible to the mainstream as Butler or Rudd, they have much to contribute to the Australian folk movement. An engaging and enjoyable album, that leaves both your toes and your thighs sore by the end. The Fumes have all guns blazing with this rockin' release!
Indie Album of The Week-Brag 10.07.06
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"The fluctuations in tempo and style are one of the albums strengths,x. Steve Merry's deft and intricate guitar work and powerful, bourbon-drenched and cigarette-singed voice maintains the listeners attention whether through subtle or brutal means, where as Joel Battersby is simply one of the most dynamic drummers to beat his way onto the scene in quite a while"
Inpress Issue 927-July 06
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The Fumes 'Guns of Gold' (Silent Partner/Inertia)
LISTENING to the attack of this Australian drums-and-guitar duo, you start to think that maybe some trios might have one member too many. They cannily open the set with an understated, shuffling guitar and vocal-only blues, Atlanta Rising, that would do John Lee Hooker proud.
From there though, The Fumes seek to asphyxiate all around them with a relentless, muscular contribution to the rocking blues genre that continues to gain aficionados. Automobile and Run to the Mother are delivered at blistering speed, raising concerns that all that follows might be a deathless onslaught of distorted slide guitar and heavy blues. However, there are enough shades of blue throughout the remainder to prevent this twosome being cast as a one-trick wonder. They also play mighty tightly.
The challenge for The Fumes from here of course is to continue making driving, engaging music as a duo. If they can manage that, they'll deserve significant praise. Being a two-piece hasn't stopped an act such as The White Stripes from consistently making an impression and headlines, and The Fumes are well on track to do likewise.
Brian Bolton The Daily Telegraph-July 27th, 2006
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The Fumes 'Automobile' single
'Sometimes you get a release that's got it right from the first. The Fumes have that vibe, nice cover art, pushed play, then it's a really sweet kick drum. Thick and heavy,(I sampled if of course) and then a rocking slide guitar that creams over the whole intro. This had me so primed, that even though I don't actually like blues rock, I got into it! And man so do they! Check the drummers' style. None of this let the space do the talking. If there's a space this dude is all over it, thumping drums like they were punters heads and he was the bouncer, though it was all done with love I'm sure, if you get my meaning. The B side's worth a moments attention as well, filled with enthusiastic guitar bashing and lyric yelling. Motza stacks of energy and biffo. I rate this meaty chops for all the boys.'
Brag 1.05.06-Sydney
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The Fumes 'Guns of Gold' (Silent Partner/Inertia)
'On their debut, Sydney duo The Fumes deliver a bigger sound than most acts wielding twice as many players.
What's most convincing about 'Guns of Gold' is its energy and rawness. These are two guys playing music from their gut, and they've captured that intensity here.
J Mag June 2006
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The Fumes Guns of Gold - CD of the Week, Drum Media
For some reason, the drum-and-guitar duo thing has found some fertile soil in this country. While the energy expended to make just two fill out the sounds means such duos have to work particularly hard anyway, we seem principally adept at having amphetamine blues flavour and lunge to the form. The best of such bands-like the huge racket of The Mess Hall, or the slightly more nuanced Matt Walker & Ashley Davies-also have the songs go with the skill at hitting things. Add The Fumes to the list of good ones.
If anything, The Fumes go even further into the roots blues side of the equation, though that's not saying they can't rock it out and make a hell of a noise when necessary. Go listen to the bash and crash of Kingboy or the down and dirty rush of The Dogs, which leaps at your throat about midway through the album.
The delta flavours are due in big part to Steve Merry's guitar explorations. Going so far as spending a year in the US, including some time under the tutelage of mentor-type Bob Brozman. The resonator guitar is a big part of the sound, but now Merry's got the finger-pickin' chops to go with the sliding flash, as in Postman's Inn, where the intro is carefully worked before he starts chatting his way into the song proper.
Even though there's the occasional breath of guest saxophone, the nature of the beast means drummer Joel Battersby, as the other half of the equation, has to really hold his end up. And it's not just about keeping up to speed. On the nicely titled kiss-off of Tell Ya Story Walking, Battersby (kinda good name for a drummer really) winds rhythms around Merry's intricacies. While Oh My Babylon has them settling into a groove and working it real well.
Throw in the country sea shanty of Mystery Belle with its ringing tones, or the buzzy Down River, and you've got something that is both pretty timeless and awfully well wrought. And live, you reckon they'd do a good job of pinning you to the wall with some style.
[…>A nice kip and a cup of tea were unfortunately not on the cards for I yet. However, everyone should be willing to sacrifice a small pleasure such as that for the significantly greater pleasure of seeing Sydney’s The Fumes live. Never have I known a band to improve on such a consistent level – a mean feat considering they’ve been fantastic since they began carving up the live scene in 2004.
For some reason, the drum-and-guitar duo thing has found some fertile soil in this country. While the energy expended to make just two fill out the sounds means such duos have to work particularly hard anyway, we seem principally adept at having amphetamine blues flavour and lunge to the form. The best of such bands-like the huge racket of The Mess Hall, or the slightly more nuanced Matt Walker & Ashley Davies-also have the songs go with the skill at hitting things. Add The Fumes to the list of good ones.