In between songs she managed to entertain the crowd with stories including that of friend and L-7 front woman Donita Sparks, who literally took out her tampon and threw it at a crowd member after she was hit with mud while performing at a UK festival.  

Love returned for an encore after her roadie came out and riled the crowd up, saying she needs to hear us scream her name before returning. She took to the stage, an ethereal figure barefoot and clad in a long, lacy white dress holding a bouquet of red roses, which she proceeded to hand out to lucky members of the crowd. She delivered a haunting rendition of ‘Northern Star’ as part of her stripped down and acoustic encore. She concluded with Doll Parts, written about her insecurities in the early stages of her relationship with Kurt Cobain.

The whole show had an undone kind of feeling to it, with Love even letting the crowd pick the next song to play out of ‘Dying’ and ‘Petals’. After resounding screams, ‘Petal’ was chosen and she informed the crowd that it “might sound like shit” because they hadn’t played it in a while, before delivering it whole heartedly. Instead of this making her appear unprofessional, it gave the show a raw feel, which is remarkably rare amongst the polished performances of current major rock bands.  She is truly an enigma in herself and she is showing no signs of slowing down as rock’s badass in residence. 


Review by Isabella Carbone
Photos by Melissa Donato. See the full gallery here

The lobby at Thebarton Theatre was overflowing with people crammed in like sardines waiting to get inside and secure themselves a great dancing spot for Kasabian. There was a slight hold up as the truck with all the gear was held up by an accident on the Nullarbor, so the crowd got to get quite cozy with each other. I was talking to a few ladies that had lined up outside Thebby since 11am and they informed me that if a front row spot was not theirs, there would be blood… There’s some die hard fans right there!

Finally we are all ushered inside, (the momentum of the three women behind me pushing me all the way to the barrier was appreciated) and had a very small wait before the Melbourne 5 piece psychedelic-rock band The Delta Riggs took the stage.

They had very minimal crowd interaction but didn’t need to as their tunes got us swaying along with their laid-back rock too easily. Lead singer Elliott Hammond was one to watch as he showed off his musical talent throughout their set by jumping on the keyboards, strapping on the guitar even busting out the maracas and leaping from the drum kit. The highlight of their set for me was definitely the catchy 'Supersonic Casualties'.

After a great set of 14 songs combining greats from all their albums including the latest release and tour title 48:13, they disappeared from stage to much applause, only to magically reappear a few minutes later for the always anticipated encore. They played ‘Switchblade Smiles’, ‘Vlad the Impaler’ (which is one of my personal favorites – GET LOOSE, GET LOOSE!) and last, but by no means least, ‘Fire’ which was belted out by the well-polished band (as well as most of the crowd) to finish their hour and a half on stage.

There was a lot of mutual love in the room as Kasabian showed a lot of appreciation to the crowd during the show and even more to end it and the mixed all ages crowd, gave it all right back.

So many times over the years you hear people declare “Rock’n’Roll is dead” but it’s very clear that those people haven’t been to a Kasabian concert!!

Review by Bradley Bradford
Photos by Melissa Donato. See the full gallery here

Voyager have achieved more in their career than any other Australian progressive metal band, five critically acclaimed albums, the first Australian band invited to play Progfest and they still hold the record for the longest signing session in the history of the festival. Numerous international tours, nominated for the 2014 breakthrough band in the prestigious Prog Magazine and the list of accolades goes on. Fortunately for Australian fans they are smack bang in the middle of a tour to support their latest album 'V'.

Adelaide band Voros were first up on tonight's lineup, they played a brutal brand of metal with the double kick drum working overtime, brutal riffing and extreme vocals. Although in terms of style they are the black sheep of tonight's proceedings they managed to illicit a warm response from the early arrivals.

Local progressive metal act Dyssidia are next up on the lineup, style wise they have more in common with the headliners tonight. Vocalist Mitch Brackman seamlessly transitions between clean and harsh metalcore vocals, while his bandmates weave an intricate tapestry upon which it is all overlaid. A multitude of styles fuse together while still retaining a sense of cohesion. If you are a fan of complex arrangements, tight musicianship and a plethora of timing changes you need to look no further than Adelaide’s Dyssidia.

Brisbane's Caligula's Horse who have supported Voyager throughout this tour are next to take the stage. Right from the outset you can feel that the intensity has shifted up another gear, this is a band at the top of their game. The musicianship is first class, at times brash and abrasive and in the next moment pristine and pure. There are moments where the band border on commercial territory but they are quickly vanquished under a layer of double bass drums and screaming guitar. The Enigma bar stage can scarcely contain this band as they stalk the stage like caged beasts looking for an avenue of escape. This is a band seriously poised on the verge of having a huge impact on the music scene, do yourself a favour and check these guys out. 

Voyager are the real deal, it is impossible to make comparisons to others because this is a band that has rewritten all the rules. Combining elements of progressive metal with 80's synth pop sensibility gives it a sense that it is nothing like anything that has come before it. Having appreciated their albums for some time still did not prepare me for the monster that is Voyager live, songs that are great through the stereo transcend into another realm in the live arena. The vibe Voyager gives off as a band as they feed off of each other’s energy is one of intensity, comradeship and most importantly fun. The music is powerful, intense, yet melodic and catchy as hell, played by musicians who understand the most important thing about playing live is entertainment. One of the highlights of the night was an impressive medley of some very non-metal songs by Starship/Backstreet Boys/Young Ones/Meat Loaf/AC-DC/John Farnham that were all combined and given a Voyager make over which had the crowd singing along enthusiastically.

Waking up the following morning with the Voyager song ‘Lost” still playing in my head I knew I was privileged to have witnessed a special performance from one of the big guns of Australian metal.



Review by Mike Trandafil.

Photos by Tanya Begg. You can check out the full gallery here.

Not many bands can sell out The Gov, let alone two nights in a row, but then again The Angels are not just any band. Forming in Adelaide in 1974 they are touring in celebration of 40 years as a band, this in itself is an extraordinary feat given the isolation of Australia in their formative years. Their peers from the early days are all gone except AC/DC, who on the recommendation from Bon Scott and Angus Young helped them secure their first record deal back in 1975. The Angels were credited with inspiring acts such as Guns ‘N’ Roses, Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

It is not always the most enviable position to be opening a show at 8:30 but by time local boys Tracer took the stage The Gov was almost full. No need to coax the audience forward as large sections of the crowd were already staking claim to the front of the stage. Launching straight into the first couple of songs with a minimum of fuss, the Adelaide three piece quickly had the crowd on board. The no thrills rock attitude lent itself perfectly to an audience that was there to hear good old fashioned pub rock and have a good time. Tracer flawlessly rolled through a repertoire consisting of their back catalogue and songs from their latest album 'El Pistolero'. They even managed to elicit a spirited audience participation sing off, something I have seen many support bands try and fail at miserably. The lads have been around for nearly a decade and have toured extensively both locally and overseas and this experience was evident in both the musicianship and with how professionally they handled this big occasion

This is somewhat of a homecoming for The Angels and one only needed to scan the crowd and it is immediately evident judging by the diversity, that this is a band that has touched a lot of people over different periods of their career. By the allocated starting time the stage was packed solid, and as the house lights dimmed it was standing room only. The crowd erupted as the Brewster boys, Dave Gleeson and Nick Norton launched into ‘Talk The Talk’, the title track of their latest album and by midway through I was convinced that there is no one else more suited to front this band than Dave Gleeson (Screaming Jets). He has the voice, the experience and the extroverted personality to fill the shoes of the late Doc Neeson. The Angels ripped through a set combining a perfect balance of new tracks and the tried and true crowd favourites, songs like ‘Shadow Boxer’, ‘Take A Long Line’, ‘Dogs Are talking’, ‘No Secrets’ and ‘Am  I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again’ with its customary crowd participation chant had the audience captivated.

Make no mistake, this is good old fashioned pub rock and epitomises all that is great about Aussie pub rock music, classic hooks, chanting choruses, very little delineation between audience and crowd. The crowd drank, they sang, they danced, they cheered. That, my friends, is rock and roll.


Review by Mike Trandafil.
Photos by Dean Johnson.

 “That rock and roll, eh? That rock and roll just won’t go away”

Friday night was ablaze with an impressive slew of Adelaide’s local rock bands, heating up the chilly night in Worldsend’s new and improved beer garden.

The Brothers Grimm immediately ignited the stage and got the crowd on their feet. Their infectious rock songs allowed for attendees of all levels of sobriety and intoxication to dance up a storm. Upbeat rock hit ‘Summer Lovin’ was a crowd favourite, its catchy hook and stomping beat had the crowd in a riotous rave with the lead guitarist shredding whilst swigging beer from a bottle kindly provided and held up by a crowd member.

Next act, Escapism, slowed the tempo down, entertaining the crowd with their genre of rock with notable soul, funk and metalcore influences. Lead singer Jessie had an enthralling vibe and drawling voice which kept the audience interested, and the heavier riffs brought the headbangers in the crowd to front and centre. However as their set continued, Escapism may have lost the interest of some of the attendees who were not a fan of with their slightly repetitive riffs and laidback stage presence. 

Appomattox Run stepped in at the last minute to stand in for Venus Sly Trap who unfortunately had to cancel, yet still put on a stellar debut set at Worldsend. They brought their interesting fusion of old school rock and roll injected with bluesy riffs supplied by lead guitarist Simon. What is so great about Appomattox Run is the joint vocals of Hana and Ryan; it is not often we see both female and male vocal powerhouses blending together so well.

The shelters protected show-goers from the downpour and the plentiful supply of beer kept everyone warm and cheerful as they listened to some choice Adelaide rock bands. Definitely make sure you keep an eye on the Worldsend’s Facebook page for all the latest info on upcoming gigs and support the local scene. 



Review by Isabella Carbone.
Photos by Yvonne Sears.

After postponing her April/May dates due to illness, Lorde finally made it to humble old Adelaide on a classic winters evening. It was bitterly cold and the wind was colder. Nevertheless, Lorde’s subjects were willing to battle the weather and wait in line all day (when I arrived at 5, two hours before the doors were to be opened, there were close to 200 cueing). Armed with thermoses, quilts and comfort food, they anxiously waited to catch a glimpse of the 17-year-old girl who has had people talking about her non-stop for the last 12 months. Before New Zealand’s golden girl took the stage, Safia, who are becoming better known day after day thanks to some moderate Triple J rotation, warmed up the audience and kicked off the evening. Although the crowd seemed to lap up what they served, Safia are still in the growing stages of being a band. They wear their influences on their sleeves, with songs like ‘Stretched & Faded’ having some pretty obvious roots in some of Flume’s or Flying Lotus’ work, and the sound of their whole set could be described as Radiohead’s Kid A walking into some Eastern European rave. But don’t that put you off if that doesn’t seem like your thing, Safia have some very strong assets to their sound, mainly Ben Woolner’s ethereal and heavenly vocals, presenting some evidence that Safia might be a band to watch. 

But Safia’s show was only a footnote to the crowd; they’d only come to see one girl.Before Lorde had even sung a single note, this diverse audience filled with all kinds of people, mums, dads, young children coming to see their first concert, 30-somethings on date night, the cool kids, the weird kids, they were all already in the palm of her hand when she walked on stage all dressed in black. 
It’s so rare when an artist steps into the limelight and such a wide range of individuals stand up and take notice, even rarer when that artist hasn’t even graduated high school. But Lorde did not perform like she was still in school; she performed like she had been doing it her whole life. Every move she made, her adoring fans responded exactly how she wished them to. Only a two-piece band backed her but no set of eyes wavered from her presence, watching closely while she danced like a possessed puppet. Mid-set, she spontaneously fell to the floor, making everyone in the room’s heart jump worrying about her health, killing the light show for just a moment to make sure she was fine, but she nonchalantly responded with a “It’s nice down here”, letting us all rest easy. The highlight of Lorde’s visual spectacle was easily when she left the stage for only a moment and returned in a shimmering golden dress and matching cloak like the world's most decadent vampire, only making me gaze upon her even more. How can someone who on stage seems so obviously introverted be so utterly captivating?

Lorde has that rare gift that only a few performers in a generation have where she can make every single person in the room feel like her best friend. They scream out her birth name (“Ella! Ella! You are my queen!”) and it seems like she responds. She personalises her show, letting who she is shine through, apologising so sincerely for postponing her shows and introducing set highlight ‘Ribs’ with a personal and heart warming speech about growing older. Maybe it’s just her songs and her age but it seems like it only takes a flick of her wrist to make the room instantly feel what she feels. And maybe that’s why she’s had so much success, her bag of hits (which is scarily deep for a 17-year-old) are so honest and relatable and that element to her music only stuck out more in a live setting. She could only whisper “Don’t you think it’s boring how people talk” and the room would erupt.

The question on everyone’s lips about Lorde though is, can she keep this up for a career or is it just the fluke of the decade? Leaving that show, the answer was pretty clear: Lorde is not going anywhere.



Review by Noah Ward.
Photo by Chloe Miller.

If you haven’t heard of Violent Soho by now, it's safe to say you’ve missed out on one hell of a rock n’ roll ride. The Brisbane rockers, who brought their hectic tour of rad music to The Gov last night, showed just where Australia sits in the alternative rock scene, with a sold out show throwing down some serious good feels.

The band, who are currently on their sold out national tour alongside The Smith Street Band, and Luca Brasi, were also side-lined with South Australian band, Paper Arms. These guys absolutely killed it, showing just how strong SA music continues to be.  The Smith Street Band also proved to be a perfect match for the line-up, getting the all-ages crowd up and pumped with absolute energy. 'Ducks Fly Together' and 'Young Drunk', got everybody ready for the Triple J Hottest 100 vote pullers and main act of the night.

The boys from Violent Soho absolutely pummeled the raving crowd, with opening song 'Dope Calypso'. The grunge inspired track was a perfect start to what was an intense set list of absolute bangers of songs. Tracks like 'Saramona Said' and 'In The Aisle' settled the crowd with classic punk, which just added to the already electric mix of 'Fur Eyes' and 'Low Brow'.

 “Feel free to throw on stage anything illegal you may have in your possession, or leave it at our merch desk,” the band cheekily requested between songs as well as a constant appraisal of Adelaide’s cannabis culture before continuing their assault with 'Neighbour Neighbour'. This was before the biggest song on Violent Soho’s Discography blasted out of the speakers.

'Covered In Chrome', which featured in Triple J's top 20 of last years Hottest 100, was brilliant as it paraded from an acoustic start to an absolute killer of a chorus. The “hell fuck yeah” cry screamed out and the crowd moshed hard, with people flying everywhere, including an appearance in the sky from yours truly.

And with that, the set was over, until a cry from the crowd calling for “one more song”.  The band, who had left the stage, re-appeared and the bass line of 'Muscle Junkie' played out. The distinct guitar riff and everything else caused vibrations of epic proportions.

It was a perfect end to the night, one which had crazy local music, a band of international acclaim and band who played a consistent variety of heavy Australian rock. The crowd was electric, the venue was amazing and the music was so perfectly crazy. Is grunge back?


Review by Gerry Bain.
Photos by Chloe Miller.

The 4th of July may not be a night for celebration here in Oz, but it was going off at Fowlers Live with Graves rocking the place. As the crowd stood outside, avoiding the rain, the bands inside got pumped for the show. 

“I’m here to hear good bands, drink beers and throw punches”. 
Being a virgin to a night at the infamous Enigma Bar, overhearing that in a bathroom stall gave a good indication of what I could expect from the night: heavy music and heavier mosh pits. The heavy music being featured tonight was from Life Pilot, who have made a solid fan base over the course of their short career, and they were in full effect on Saturday night, ready to get down and throw down.

Starting of the night was local band All That I’m Asking, who brought bit of a hip-hop inspiration to their abrasive hardcore punk sound. This was only amplified when the band jumped into a cover Kanye Wests “Black Skinhead”, the band playing with a great sense of rhythm, only being bogged down by vocalist Liam Wytkins’ tendency to switch between clean and distorted vocals a bit too frequently. Never the less, All That I’m Asking ripped through their set with a great energy, particularly on the song 'Rosemary', a dedication to Wytkins’ deceased grandmother.

Following on from ATIM was At Fates Mercy, a band who quickly showed that they were much more experienced than the opening act. Despite the fact that vocalist Ben Cox couldn’t move around the stage too much due to a leg injury, the band played through their 80’s metal influenced set with a ferocity of a band who knew their sound. Their guitar melodies were strong and bright, seemingly inspired by emo bands of the 90s and contrasting well with their metal sound. Despite his injury, Cox’s powerful and versatile voice stood above the rest, announcing himself as one of the best vocalists in the room.

The first and only disappointment of the evening came from One In The Chamber, announcing that it was their final show. But they didn’t let that fact get them down because One In The Chamber brought the most high-energy set of the night, being the first band on the bill to truly send the crowd into frenzy. They blasted through their 80s hard-core punk inspired set with a juvenile energy, truly unhinged and ready to cause chaos. The band not only invited crazy crowd behaviour, they damn well created it, tossing around the microphone like a tennis ball and the lead singer diving into the crowd, being swung around like a hula-hoop by man who looked like he just walked out of a corporate staff meeting, who ended up playing bass. The band's thunderous energy only really faltered when they spontaneously jumped into a cover of Nirvana’s 'Breed', with their heavy sound not really meshing with the song, but they could easily be forgiven for playing it so sincerely.

Not to be outdone by One In The Chamber, Life Pilot took to the stage, trying live up to the last bands claims that they were “the best hardcore this side of your mum’s bed.” Sure enough, they proved that statement tenfold. Life Pilot played through their headlining set with the confidence of a band that had found their sound, bringing a unique sound to a genre that gets bogged down in clichés and a lack of creativity. Their big guitar riffs which were savage but no less memorable blended well with their thrashing rhythmic sound that didn’t lose any steam by the end of the set, even though band were visually exhausted (guitarist Tim Lawrence nearly passing out by the end). The band's track ‘Hightide’ was easily the standout of the set, Angus Long’s bloodcurdling vocals truly being the highlight.


If you stuck around long enough to catch Jack The Giant Killer's closing set, you would have been treated to a band who are still trying to refine their raw and aggressive sound, but by then the highlights of the night had already passed. All That I’m Asking and At Fates Mercy proved that the Adelaide hardcore scene has some good up and comers; Life Pilot presenting their case for being one of the best Australian hardcore bands on the circuit, and One In the Chamber standing by that LCD Soundsystem mantra: “If it’s gonna be a funeral, let’s have it be the best funeral ever”. All I can say about my first night at an Enigma show is that if every night is as energetic as that, I’ll be coming back.

Review by Noah Ward.
Photos by Yvonne Sears. You can view the full gallery here.

Hell City Glamours are having one last drink for the road and fortunately for us Adelaide was included on the farewell tour. After 12 years, of which can only be described as an illustrious career, the four mates from Sydney have decided to call it a day. With 2 albums, 3 EPs, and countless shows around the country and overseas, which saw them gracing stages with musical luminaries such as the New York Dolls, Sebastian Bach, The Angels, Paul Stanley, Alice Cooper, Living Color, Rose Tattoo, LA Guns and Brides of Destruction, they have achieved more than most independent touring bands can boast. So it’s time to charge our glasses one more time and raise a toast to H.C.G. as they take a final bow.

The local hard rock/glam metal scene is a thriving niche that is always well supported by both punters and bands alike. Arriving early at the Crown & Anchor it is evident that tonight is no exception; the front bar is already standing room only despite the atrocious winter conditions outside.

First up on tonight’s line up is Laced In Lust, who look and sound like they just sauntered off the sunset strip circa mid 80’s. They played a great set of energetic hard rock that would have not looked out of place at the Whiskey or Rainbow in L.A. They drew heavily on tracks from their latest EP 'Firing Lines', including the title track which is currently sitting at # 8 in the local top 20 charts. The combination of big riffs and catchy choruses warmed the crowd up nicely on a cold winter’s night.