It was with much excitement that I made my way to a sold-out Gov for British India's show as part of the tour to launch their just-released 4th album "Controller". One of my favourite Oz acts of recent times, this was to be my first experience of the Melbourne lads' live effort. Being the night before Anzac Day (and its associated public holiday), it made for a good-time vibe before the support acts even started, as evidenced by one bloke drinking straight from his jug of beer (saving washing cups, such a trooper).
The night got under way in a musical sense with local grunge rock 3-piece Horror My Friend having half an hour to give us what they had. Very encouraging it was too, for a band not quite 2 years into its existence. The 2 guys out the front like to share the load, swapping bass for lead guitars a couple of times during their set, as well as the vocals. They've been getting good airplay as a recent Triple J Unearthed feature artist with their current single "Birds" (you can check out the video on youtube). Clearly big fans of Johnny Cash's signature hold-the-guitar-like-a-rifle move, these guys were a great way to get the party started.
The night got under way in a musical sense with local grunge rock 3-piece Horror My Friend having half an hour to give us what they had. Very encouraging it was too, for a band not quite 2 years into its existence. The 2 guys out the front like to share the load, swapping bass for lead guitars a couple of times during their set, as well as the vocals. They've been getting good airplay as a recent Triple J Unearthed feature artist with their current single "Birds" (you can check out the video on youtube). Clearly big fans of Johnny Cash's signature hold-the-guitar-like-a-rifle move, these guys were a great way to get the party started.
Next up was Perth trio The Love Junkies bringing their version of blues-tinged rock to my (and many others I'm sure) attention for the first time. These guys absolutely rocked the place, once again showing that even if you've not heard of the support acts, best to get there early and check them out anyway. More often than not, you'll be so glad you did, and this was certainly one of those times. Mitch McDonald out front has a great rock voice, and some of his riffs were truly memorable. Lewis Walsh's work on the skins was very cool also, some really interesting, different and varied beats to back up Mitch and Robbie Rumble's (great name for a bass player!) efforts front of stage. I bought the CD immediately after their set, and am really looking forward to hearing more in the future.
To the strains of And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda (a nice touch), with the sell-out crowd well primed and in position, the four lads from British India made their way on stage. Launching with their stand-alone single of a couple of years ago March Into The Ocean, they had those closest to stage gyrating, and occasionally surfing right from the get-go. Declan (one of the most distinctive voices in the country) was in fine form, sounding as good as I could've imagined. There was almost as much happening off stage as on for a while, with 2 ladies next to me doing their utmost to remove each other's hair by the roots, closely followed by some chump getting dragged by security from stage to exit after mistakenly thinking the punters had paid to see him up there. All of which was very entertaining! The boys ploughed on regardless. Vanilla went down a treat, and the new stuff from Controller was well received, in particular Summer Forgive Me (notwithstanding the false start) and towards the end, their Hottest 100 entry of last year - I Can Make You Love Me, which I get more out of every time I hear it seemingly. Signing off with This Dance Is Loaded as the encore, they left us wanting more (old stuff, same old story!), but everything considered it was a top night out, with The Love Junkies now my favourite new band - for this week at least!
Review by Paul Chivell
Photos by Luke Cotter. See full gallery here.
Review by Paul Chivell
Photos by Luke Cotter. See full gallery here.
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