Follow us on
www.livemusicadelaide.com
  • HOME
    • CONTACT US
    • WHO ARE WE?
    • CONTRIBUTE
  • NEWS & INTERVIEWS
    • INTERVIEWS
  • REVIEWS
    • MUSIC REVIEWS
  • PHOTOS
    • July 2012 - July 2014
  • SOUNDWAVE
    • 2015 INTERVIEWS
    • SOUNDWAVE 2014 NEWS
    • 2014 INTERVIEWS

Speedmachine and co blow the roof off The Cavern

10/25/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
For the second Saturday night in a row I find myself at the Cavern Club, the owner Teresa has been a strong advocate for the live music scene in Adelaide for a long time. Tonight the venue plays host to Speedmachine, Odyssey and ICYU.

Unfortunately for ICYU having two bands pull out at the twelfth hour has left them as the black sheep of this show. More to the point they are the rose amongst the thorns, ICYU are a clean cut rock band amongst two bands that could have quite easily have staggered in off the Sunset Strip in Hollywood during the glorious days of the late eighties.

ICYU were playing their final show before the members move into various other projects, they played a style of music that won't offend your mother, clean cut, three piece suit, soft rock. Members of the band are all veterans of the music scene and they looked at ease playing their own brand of laid back rock. The addition of The Beatles “Come Together” was a good indication of the scope of musical influence. 

For a relatively new band, Odyssey are quickly gaining a loyal supporter base. The band took to the stage to the accompanying chants of “Odyssey, Odyssey, Odyssey” and it was great to see the front of the stage fill up even before the soundcheck was complete. Odyssey are the antithesis of ICYU, this is down and dirty, lock up your daughters and your liquor cabinet rock and roll. We are talking The Cult style rock, tinges of punk peppered with a large dose of attitude. The music is at times sultry and other times sleazy but beware, when you are not expecting it Odyssey will punch you clean in the face. The music reduces the listener to involuntarily tapping of their feet; this is high energy, well played music with a lot of groove. They set the headlining band a pretty tough challenge, laying down the gauntlet to the headlining band.

Speedmachine’s attitude was eloquently established before the band had even started when drummer Brad Tsoumbris revealed to the crowd his customary pre-show tradition. The band true to their moniker of quarter mile rock ‘n’ roll launched straight into 'Snake Bite Rock And Roll', this song personifies what this four piece band is all about. 

Picture
This band completely understands that a good show needs to be made up of good music, good stage presence and the show has to be entertaining. This is good old fashioned pub rock played with flair by some seriously talented performers. This is how music is supposed to be presented, they are the real deal. Imagine old school Aussie pub rock complete with guitar solos that would make Ace Frehley blush, the only thing missing was the smoke coming out of Schmidt’s Les Paul or rockets being fired into the audience.

If you are a fan of AC/DC, The Screaming Jets, The Angels and Rose Tattoo then this is the band for you . Get onto Speedmachine so you can say you saw them before they were big. The style of music and presentation is something that has been sadly missing in Australian rock for a long, long time; finally Adelaide may have unearthed its next Aussie pub rock legends. I reiterate my previous point and mark my words this band is the real deal.



Review by Mike Trandafil
Photos by Tanya Louise Begg
0 Comments

Ball Park Music woo Adelaide crowds at The Gov

10/23/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
It’s amazing what a setlist change and different crowd can do.

Yes, I went on both nights to see Ball Park Music perform at The Gov on their Trippin’ the Light Fantastic tour. Yes, those were my fourth and fifth times seeing the band. And yes, I am a fan.

After the initial Wednesday show selling out quickly, the Brisbane band added another date, which they have never had to do before in Adelaide, despite playing at the same venue five months previously. Thus, the Wednesday crowd were generally keen fans who had nabbed tickets as soon as they could.

The Tuesday crowd seemed to be a mix of younger fans at their first gig (good choice, kids) and some Ball Park veterans rolling their eyes at kids screaming because they spotted Sam peeking behind the curtain. Waiting in the heat had made a large portion of the crowd sleepy, and by the time Pluto Jonze had made an appearance, yawns, baffled looks and folded arms confronted him, which was unfortunate because his quirky set was hardly yawn-worthy. The audience mainly stood still through 'Millions' too, and barely got into the first few Ball Park songs. That being said, the band seemed tired too. They were still good, but lacked their usual cheeky energy. It was a disappointment to see Cocaine Lion absent from the setlist, but instead they played Struggle Street for the first time on tour.

However, Wednesday was a different story. These were the hardcore fans (well, apart from the girl waiting in line who boasted to everyone within earshot that she didn’t know one song and had only listened to them the night before and was only there because her friend was). Sydney’s Pluto Jonze received a warm welcome, and he had the crowd bopping along right from Plastic Bag in a Hurricane to the annoyingly catchy Eject, all the while playing a theremin like a dark wizard conjuring curses. Smartly- dressed Millions from Brisbane were at ease, with lead singer Dom’s voice likely winning over a lot of new followers.

But the crowd was there for one band. And that band did not fail to impress. Whatever they had lacked in the night before was more than made up for. Ball Park are not a band who ignore their fans; they shuffled their setlist, replacing Shithaus with Cocaine Lion, and opening with Struggle Street. Their fantastic cover of Vampire Weekend’s Diane Young was moved to the middle of the set instead of the encore, which was Fence Sitter. The strong chemistry between the band was evident on this night; they joked with each other and the crowd, some of whom still were wearing their 3D glasses halfway through the set, unaware they did “shit all”, as Sam eloquently confessed. Jen, the bass player, who is usually rather shy, bounced about happily in the middle of the stage alongside Dean. The crowd sung along the full time, and danced and swayed as one body, which meant that not one song appeared to be a favourite.

It cannot be stressed enough: if you have never been along to a BPM gig then you’re missing out. They put on a better show than a lot of international bands, and they’re a down to earth bunch, even if their songs include sheep on clouds.

Review and photograph by Kirsten Mooney


0 Comments

Northern Exposure- metal at the Bridgeway

10/19/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Bridgeway Hotel has seen the rise and fall of countless musical genres throughout its illustrious existence. From the glorious heyday of Aussie pub rock, the spandex and big hair of the 80’s to the heavy metal and grunge bands from the 90’s. This stage was the mecca of the Adelaide music scene, bands such as Cold Chisel, Rose Tattoo, The Angels, The Screaming Jets and right up to internationally renowned metal acts as Uriah Heep, Anthrax and Motorhead have all graced the hallowed stage. The last time original heavy metal bands treaded these boards half of the musicians on tonight’s line up weren’t even born yet. Metalcore would make its loud and triumphant debut at this venue and there was an added air of excitement with the realisation that tonight’s bands would precede Amity Affliction who are set to play here in January.

For The Vultures, Fortune From Tragedy, Storm The Asylum, Iron Feather and Oceans Wake all played tonight as part of the Northern Exposure Thursday night showcases. The shows hosted by Focus Promotions are aimed at giving original bands an opportunity to play on the big stage, with concert sound and lighting production by Novatech. The showcases cover a range of different genres and tonight’s show featured an extreme metal roster.

Oceans Wake were set the task of launching tonight’s proceedings, they are young post hardcore band starting to find their feet in the music scene. At a guess, the average age of members would be 16 or 17 and to their credit they put on a performance that belied their years. With the benefit of it being an all-ages show they brought a sizeable crowd who were eager to get up the front and join in the high energy mayhem. The set consisted mainly of covers from the genre’s luminaries such as A Day To Remember, Of Mice And Men and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus rounded out with an original that sent those lined up at the front of the stage into a frenzy.

Like the openers, Storm The Asylum drew a huge number of punters out for their first official “pub” gig. The band consisted of two pint sized singers Kaethan and Jamesy who left everyone in the crowd reeling with intensity of their voices, the strength and delivery of their vocals defied their age and stature. Storm The Asylum thundered through a 25 min set to a rapturous applause from the huge gathering of supporters there to witness the show. They played a balanced mix of material including Amity Affliction and even mixed it up a bit with a Green Day cover to show their diversity. Once again they handled big stage like seasoned professionals and appeared undaunted by this big occasion. They put on a flawless performance well beyond their years. The band could really benefit with the addition of a bass player, it will be interesting to watch this band's development.


Picture
Iron feather rounded out the trifecta of young bands tonight, less metalcore and more of a cross between black metal and doom. They are exponents of big, chugging riffs interspersed with flashy guitar work. Vocalist/rhythm Guitarist Jacob Gartlan’s vocal work would make Cronos from Venom proud. The ponderous, intense riffing was inciting some pretty serious headbanging at the front of the stage as they played a selection of tracks from their debut album “Set In Stone”. The last song of their set “Betrayed” was a new track to their arsenal and sees them heading in a more technical direction and for my mind was the highlight of their set.

Fortune From Tragedy, are a metalcore unit much in the vein of Parkway Drive or I Killed The Prom Queen. The lads made the long trip from down south to broaden their support base in the North and their reputation certainly preceded them. Lead singer Craig Sutton has an imposing stage presence as he commands the attention of the audience while his cohorts lay down the brutal foundation for his powerful vocals. The music is at times ponderous, deliberate and precise before erupting into high speed mayhem. Where the previous bands are fledgling bands starting to expand their wings, this is a Metalcore band at full flight, confident, powerful, and unrelenting.

For The Vultures continued the charge right where Fortune left off, with a no holds barred barrage of artillery fire. Brutal, pounding, intense, this is not for the faint of heart casual metal observer, this is Hardcore. Envision music to storm the trenches to, a full throttles gallop with batons raised and not a thought of self-preservation. They even managed to rip out the heaviest version of System Of A Down’s “Chop Suey” imaginable, with drummer Jarrad displaying his impressive skills on this track. They were minus one of their comrade in arms for tonight’s event but rather than miss a show they forged ahead minus the absent guitarist. This did very little to diminish the full-fledged assault and they closed out the first Bridgeway metalcore show in unrelenting fashion.





Review by Mike Trandafil
Photos by Tanya Louise Begg
0 Comments

LIVE CARNAGE ft Octanic, Arcadia, Tria Mera and From Birth To Burial

10/16/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Live Carnage at The Cavern Club has become a regular fixture of the Adelaide metal circuit, the lineup tonight included three of the premier bands from Adelaide and special guests from Queensland.

From Birth to Burial kicked off proceedings with a visceral brand of metal. This is metal consummated in the deepest vaults of hell, the bastard child of a plethora of different metal styles. Guttural vocals and a brutal sound which is both primitive and raw. They have obviously garnered a sizeable following as they had some good support gathered at the front of the stage for this early slot.

Tria Mera made the 2000 km journey from Queensland as part of the promotional campaign for their new e.p. “Extinction”. No strangers to Adelaide, they celebrated the bands six year anniversary with an appreciative Adelaide audience. They unleashed the brutal sonic assault which won them the 2011 Triple J Unearthed competition, which ultimately saw them playing their third ever live gig as the opening band on the Soundwave main stage in Brisbane. 


Picture
Arcadia have consistently been at the forefront of the Adelaide scene and have stamped their mark on the Australian extreme metal. Clearly they have refined their sound over that time. Sonically it has evolved into a bombastic assault of the senses, an angry, driven assault meandering on the edge of chaos but still maintaining a sense of cohesion. By the time they took the stage the crowd were well and truly into the swing of things and their 40 minute set was enthusiastically received.

The headliners Octanic are a band that I have seen before, most notably supporting Ripper Owens (ex-Judas Priest/Iced Earth/Yngwie Malmsteen vocalist) but never truly appreciated how good they actually are. After witnessing the astounding performance tonight I will not make that mistake again. Octanic are an enigma, the music is so original and diverse that it transcends the metal genre, thus ultimately, the band supersede their contemporaries.  


Picture
This is thinking man's (or woman’s) metal. A diverse tapestry of musical landscapes driven by melodic hooks, tight musicianship and complex arrangements. At various stages I was fleetingly reminded of Disturbed, Bullet For My Valentine and In Flames but the sense of individuality and originality in the songs make these comparisons superfluous.

The other aspect that made this show special was that Octanic know how to entertain, the band clearly enjoy their time on stage and the atmosphere created spills over into the audience. Vocalist Jay Shepherdson stalks the stage like a caged beast ensuring every member of the crowd is drawn into his world. The talented musicians that support him had to dodge and weave to avoid being drawn into the hurricane that he creates on the stage. The highlight of the night was the encore “Pariah”, were Jay was joined on stage by Damo Seller from the band Sever Hill… The vocal sparring between the two sent shivers down my spine.

In the Adelaide heavy metal scene Octanic are in a league of their own and tonight’s blistering performance was one that I will not forget in a hurry. Suitably armed with both Octanic albums, I walked away from the Cavern Club tonight with a sense that I had witnessed one of the truly special performances from a band slated for much bigger things.


Review by Mike Trandafil
Photos by Tanya Begg - see the full gallery here 

0 Comments

The Rise of Brotality rolls into Adelaide

9/28/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
On a cool Friday night at HQ Complex in Adelaide, The Rise of Brotality tour was about to deliver some serious extreme-ness.

By being the first act of the night, Hellions amped up the fans that were jumping at the barrier. Within thirty seconds of the first song, lead singer Dre Faivre was off the stage and in the sweat-region of the crowd, passing the microphone around for the fans to scream their favourite lyrics. The performance set the intensity for the rest of the night, with Dre jumping into the crowd for their last song and causing the security blokes to be on high alert.

When Bury Tomorrow entered on stage, I knew it was time to leave the mosh for those who were actually built for it, and I’m oh so very relieved I did. With it being their first time in Australia, all the way from the UK, and with bassist Davyd Winter-Bates’ hair flying all over the stage, the dedicated fans were flinging their arms and legs everywhere, completely oblivious to others around them. It’s safe to say Bury Tomorrow definitely showed me the essence of heavy moshing and hardcore yelling.



You may wonder which band did the first (and only) wall of death of the night. In Hearts Wake created a crowd with limbs flying everywhere, with their third song 'Healer' influencing wary side-spectators to jump into the mayhem. All I heard around me were the thirsty fans screaming the lyrics along with lead singer Jake Taylor, with red lipstick and breaking voices ringing in my ears. For their last song 'Divine', Jake’s words “Alright Adelaide, if you know these words, sing them loud!” caused a massive uproar.

The Ghost Inside sure were the culprits for the most circle pits of the night. The love for their fans was expressed by “We remember every one of you guys,” which shows how the fans are just as important as any band members: they support and love the music they make. They played their newest song 'Out of Control', with Jake from In Hearts Wake joining in for 'Between The Lines'. For their last song, absolute pandemonium struck. If you guessed 'Engine 45' being that song, you obviously understand the definition of "metal as fuck".

Being the final band of the night, I Killed The Prom Queen certainly delivered what the crowd was wanting: a mental finish to a mental night. One word to describe the pit? Lethal: there was no way I was going into that. After almost every song, lead singer Jamie Hope exclaimed, “hell fuckin’ yeah” to the crowd, only to receive a “hell fuckin’ yeah” in return. With guitar solos by Jona and absolute passion from Jamie, IKTPQ delivered a strong and powerful end to the night.

I say "strong and powerful" because my ears are still ringing 24 hours later. No regrets.
Picture

Review by Georgia Lake.
Photos by Sofie Marsden. View the full gallery here.
0 Comments

YOU ME AT SIX and TONIGHT ALIVE prove Pop-Punk is not dead!

9/14/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
You Me At Six certainly did not disappoint as they returned to Adelaide for the second time this year to perform to a sold out crowd at HQ. Sydney-siders Tonight Alive took a break from dominating Europe and America to accompany them along with Adelaide’s own Day Break.

Day Break are Adelaide’s teen pop-punks in residence, a quartet of young guys pumping out cheesy pop-punk tunes like nobody’s business. Clearly they were focused on revving up the crowd for the big acts to come, with a short energetic set. The highlight of their set was a cover of Good Charlotte’s ‘The Anthem’ which the crowd responded to with enthusiasm. They have come a long way in the space of a year, and still have a little way to go, but keep an eye on these four as they are going places.

If their intro was anything to go by, Tonight Alive’s set would be an intense and charged set, and it most certainly was. Immediately they charged headfirst into ‘The Edge’ off the latest Spiderman soundtrack followed by a slew of old classics and new hits.

Front-woman Jenna’s stage presence was electric, she implored the audience to “Live your life the way you want to live it, because someone’s always going to have a fucking problem with it” before launching into ‘Wasting Away’. They took a brief break from the hard hitting riffs to slow it down with an acoustic rendition of ‘Amelia’, with an emotionally charged and on point delivery by Jenna. 


Picture
They closed the set with angry anthem ‘Lonely Girl’, a musical middle finger to anyone who’s ever been betrayed by a friend. Between their headbanging riffs, emotional vocals and completely engaging audience interaction, Tonight Alive utterly smashed it out of the park.

Being the last night on the tour, the joyful and celebratory atmosphere was palpable as British pop-punk outfit You Me At Six took the stage. Perhaps a little too celebratory as frontman Josh soon admitted he was “drunk”, yet his intoxication did not impair the performance. The crowd went utterly insane as they delivered ‘Underdog’ and Josh was visibly revelling in the enthusiastic reaction he got from the packed out HQ.

Banter was aplenty between songs, the night took interesting turns, including Josh taking both a photographer’s camera and later a fan’s phone onstage. Josh got to showcase his screaming skills in angsty number ‘Bite My Tongue’ which were surprisingly adept. The only downside to the performance was the setlist, which was severely lacking in old tunes from  ‘Take Off Your Colours’ and no ‘Crash’, an emotional fan favourite.

Nonetheless the songs off of their latest album ‘Cavalier Youth’ were faultlessly delivered. You Me At Six closed with ‘Lived a Lie’ with the audience chanting “We are believers”, bringing to a close what was one of the best pop-punk gigs Adelaide has seen in a long time. 



Review by Isabella Carbone
Photos by David Coad - See full gallery here


0 Comments

The Amity Affliction and Friends

9/8/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Amity Affliction are currently one of Australia’s finest post-hardcore exports, and they certainly proved they live up to their reputation when they brought their sold-out tour to the Thebarton Theatre on Saturday night. Bringing Deez Nuts, Stray From The Path, Issues and Architect along for the ride, the jam packed lineup which catered to those with varying tastes from metal-core to post-hardcore.

Aussie party band Deez Nuts were up to bat first and as per usual, they didn’t disappoint. Their unifying lyrics delivered by the charismatic vocalist JJ and their heavy riffs make for a unique post-hardcore experience. Closing song ‘Band of Brothers’ invoking a riotous crowd screaming the words back at the band and a feel good atmosphere which set the tone for the night.

A wailing siren set the scene for the brutality that was next to come. Hailing from New York, Stray From The Path commanded the audience and initiated circle points frequently throughout their metal-core set. Lead singer Thomas stressed the importance of following your dreams before launching into ‘Bad Girl’ and before one knew it the pit descended into an orgy of flailing limbs. They did not disappoint after the bar was set high by Deez Nutz.

American outfit Issues followed, and delivered their odd mixture of metal-core with intermittent pop punk and DJ mixing. Younger members of the audience enjoyed themselves but the assault on the sense was a bit much for other punters.


Picture
Before Architects even ascended the stage, dedicated fans were opening up the pit with intense enthusiasm. The Brit metal-core rockers delivered a full-on set, unleashing their rage-filled riffs upon the audience who were lapping it up. Front man Tom took a moment to passionately thank the audience for their support as he had never seen such support for metal anywhere.

Then shit got real. Immediately The Amity Affliction ripped into the lead single off their latest album ‘Pittsburgh’, barely pausing for breath in between songs. The set was intense, laden with Amity’s perfect balance of melodic hard-core riffs with powerful lyrics. Rarely do you see a crowd so passionately scream the lyrics, or feel such comradery amongst the crowd. Smoke effects and LED screens with The Amity Affliction splashed across them in red added to the intensity of the set rather than distracting from the music.

The only qualm long term fans of Amity had was the utter lack of old material on the set list, which predominantly featured hits from ‘Chasing Ghosts’ and their latest album ‘Let The Ocean Take Me’.  The night concluded with ‘Give It All’ to which vocalist Joel Birch left the audience to finish, and left punters sweaty, exhausted and satisfied.

Review by Isabella Carbone
Photos by Melissa Donato

0 Comments

SPIDERBAIT AT THE GOV

8/31/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Playing to a sold out show at the Gov, Spiderbait rocked out to their first headline tour in ten years. The crowd (mostly drunk dudes wearing Sabbath tees) absolutely lapped it up. Cries of “you’re fuckin’ awesome” and a declaration of the their hatred of footy through the song “ I hate footy” created an atmosphere representing just how good this band is.

The set list - a mix of classic favourites and new tunes lasted for just under 2 hours. It was massive! Songs like Scenester, Shazam and Run added to the enthusiastic and hard repertoire Spiderbait are famous for. They played everything, from an elongated version of Old Man Sam to crowd favourite Calypso. The night had it all.

The three-piece band from regional New South Wales relished in the opportunity to play a wicked show.  Kram on the drums was on song - heavy and succinct as ever. Whitt shredded the guitar (his solos were incredible), at one point playing with his two front teeth! Janet’s voice didn’t miss a note. The band loved it, paying tribute to the dudes older than my dad that were moshing and crowdsurfing in the front. Kram made note of just how nostalgic this gig was, “it’s like the old days, you guys, you, Adelaide!! YOU ROCK!” he cried.

This appraisal fed the crowd as Whitt started to play the bands best-known song, their version of  Black Betty (made most famous in the 70's by Ram Jam). Predictably, it was their last song and boy did they nail it! Kram hit the drums so hard as he smashed out a relentless solo. The crowd knew every word, like they did for every song in the set. They shouted, they screamed, they were fucking brilliant. These guys were sick, full of wicked solos and fast paced drums. Full credit to Spiderbait, who in my opinion should be embedded in Australian Rock History forever.



Review by Gerry Bain
Photos by David Coad - See the full gallery here


0 Comments

THE USED, TAKING BACK SUNDAY & CORPUS AT HQ

8/22/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
The line of the fans followed around the block and security was on high alert. It was the 21st of August at HQ, and it was absolute madness and mayhem.

After the fans started to gravitate towards the front of the stage, Sydney’s ‘haste’ two-man-band Corpus started off the night with an intense foundation, with lead singer Keiron Steel’s lungs almost blowing down the building and drummer Jack Hammond’s head of hair flinging everywhere. This act set the scene of absolute hardcore-ness for the next two American rock bands.

Taking Back Sunday’s lead singer Adam Lazzara walked on stage with his classic longhaired heartthrob look that made girls scream. As the first song began, the stage lights that were emitted could have given anyone epilepsy, which ultimately only influenced the audience to scream even louder. The girls were reaching their hands out to Adam, yelling ‘I love you’ at the top of their lungs; the guys were banging their heads, mops of hair flying around the mosh pit.

With the smoke machines creating a music-video-like scene, Adam sung to individuals in the crowd along with lead guitarist John Nolan on back up vocals. There was a serious connectivity between the band and the audience, with the crowd taking over the lyrics and becoming their own muse. When they announced one of their last songs “Better Homes and Gardens”, the crowd went wild. Adam put utter emphasis and passion in the lyrics ‘you’ll never be happy’ and ‘it was all for nothing.’ Taking Back Sunday’s performance wound up the crowd, and when The Used entered on stage, nothing could stop the electrifying atmosphere.


Picture
Insanity overtook everything, and lead singer Bert McCracken’s inspiring lyrics completely rushed people through their adrenaline. The band left no survivors: all were hooked and screaming to the absolute max. The mosh pit was jumping in sync, like a tsunami wave about to overflow onto the stage. The song “I Caught Fire” led Bert to stop singing and face the microphone to his fans before him, almost like he was the conductor and us his ‘metal choir’.

Bert’s words ‘Human beings can and will make a difference. Art can and will be used to ensure our own freedom’ caused the fans to yell out in admiration and support. The most touching thing said all night, however, was about Bert surviving two whole years of sobriety and overcoming his addiction to alcoholism, adding ‘You guys have kept me alive for a really long time. Adelaide, put your fucking hands up.’ This shows that not only does music save the fans, but the fans save the creators of that music.

To finish off the night, the crowd called for an encore that set off the introduction of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana, and then went into a mash-up between their own music and Rage Against the Machine. It’s safe to say that The Used, along with Corpus and Taking Back Sunday, seriously educated the lively audience of ‘tonight being an example of organised anarchy.’ 



Review by Georgia Lake
Photos by Melissa Donato. See full gallery here


0 Comments

Bodyjar + Guests at The Gov

8/19/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Slam a reunion or anniversary tour all you want, the men and women that filled the Gov on Saturday night couldn’t care less. Dressed to the nines in Descendents and Dead Kennedy’s gear, they just wanted to see some great punk music from Australia’s own Bodyjar. Here in their 20th year of being a band, there was still no shortage of fans. It wasn’t a sold out show by any means but the Gov was far from empty. But whilst waiting for their 90’s heroes, the crowd was treated to some fine tunes from a variety of punk bands.

First on the bill was Melbourne’s Clowns, who played their classic hardcore punk inspired set like it was 1983 and they were Rockin’ Against Reagan. Their sound had some clear roots and similarities in legendary bands like Black Flag and Fugazi, but their performance was more than worthy of these comparisons. Despite being the greenest band on the bill, Clowns were clearly the workhorses of the evening. They played like the band from down the street where you grew up, trying ever so desperately to make it. Their passion was obvious and infectious.

Bringing the energy down was Blueline Medic, bringing a more sedated and mature sound to contrast an explosive Clowns set. Blueline Medic played with conviction and confidence, as you’d expect from a band with 15 years experience. With a sound that could only be described as “pub punk”, Blueline Medic were a perfect pallet cleanser and a chance to catch your breath, grab a beer and relax just a little, letting their Something For Kate-sque sound speak for itself.


Picture
Going international now, Bodyjar brought San Francisco natives Samiam for some extra flavour. There really isn’t much to write about Samiam, they played a classic 90’s punk set with a youthful spirit that is rare for a band with over 25 years under their belt. They brought their great songs with them and their wealth of live experience to provide a perfect precursor for Bodyjar.

When Bodyjar hit the stage, no matter how bad your night was up until that point, it instantly improved tenfold. They ripped through their classic album Rimshot! with a ferocious energy that hadn’t faltered over the years. Their signature vocal harmonies were on point through out the evening that shone particularly through their fan favourite and delightful cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Hazy Shade of Winter” that perfectly interrupted their start to finish run of Rimshot! They wrapped up their evening with what they liked to call the “request fest”. They mainly stuck to their hits like “One in a Million” and set highlight, closer “Not The Same” that ended with a stage invasion of the preceding bands and a big sing-along of that infectious chorus. It was the perfect summary of what Bodyjar were there to do; they gave the fans what they wanted to hear and loved every minute of it

It was clear to everyone in the room, including the band themselves, that Bodyjar had their moment in the sun a while back, but if soaking up the last remaining sunrays is Bodyjar playing because they love to play, they have fans that want to hear it and it’s that much fun, who can really complain?


Review by Noah Ward
Photos by Chloe Miller. See full gallery here

0 Comments
<<Previous

    Archives

    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012

    Categories

    All
    A Day To Remember
    All Time Low
    Alpine
    Amity Affliction
    Big Day Out 2013
    Big Day Out 2014
    Bodyjar
    Bring Me The Horizon
    British India
    Bury Tomorrow
    California Cousin
    Children Collide
    Clare Bowditch
    Clowns Of Decadence
    Confession
    Courtney Love
    Dead Letter Circus
    Deez Nuts
    Deftones
    Dinosaur Jr
    Fear Factory
    Firewind
    Gomez
    Graves
    Grinspoon
    Hell City Glamours
    I Killed The Prom Queen
    In Hearts Wake
    Kasabian
    Kiss
    Laneway 2014
    Life Pilot
    Live Carnage At The Cavern
    Lorde
    Muse
    New Paradigm
    Paper Arms
    Paper Kites
    Paramore
    Parkway Drive
    Paul Dempsey
    Peter Murphy
    Refused
    Riot Runners
    Safia
    Shihad
    Silverstein
    Something For Kate
    Soundwave
    Spiderbait
    Spin Off Festival
    Steel Panther
    Tame Impala
    Terror
    The Bronx
    The Ghost Inside
    The Lizards
    The Smith Street Band
    The Superjesus
    The Used/Taking Back Sunday
    Tim Rogers Telstra Road To Discovery
    Tool
    Vans Warped Tour 2013
    Violent Soho
    Voyager
    You Me At Six / Tonight Alive

    RSS Feed

Picture