Horrorwood mannequins were very energetic to start the night.. they rip through about 7-8 songs.. they have got the crowd very pumped to start the show… a very unique outfit, some great originals and then throw in a cover of negative creep that is just a ball tearer, a special
Guest joins them
On stage for their last track. The ox jumps up for a guest stint on vocals…

Secession are up second and start out heavy as we expect from one of Australia’s best metal outfits of the past 20 years, the Wollongong lads are tearing the factory theatre apart so quickly, this is a seasoned band, so tight together on stage. There 50 minute set seems to end too soon.. the crowd clearly want more, Chris gives a big shout out to his band and the crowd as it wrapped up, Segression are true crowd pleaders and ear bleeders!!! It clearly Shows that rocking out for 20 plus years can still gain you new fans, (Me I’ve been a fan for years ), and we all would have liked to see one or two more…

Earth caller are up before the HEIST….
Wow, Earth caller hit the stage with so much energy, with there singer spitting quick rhymes and heavy vocals at the same time it seems, a very tight 4 piece back him up with some bullshit heavy bass and drums combined with two guitars that Almost sound like there is 4 guitarists on stage at times,
Some big f’ u to the law songs by the lads as the lead singer bounces around stage as do the lads on guitar, such an energetic set from the Melbourne lads, Earth caller are a band to be recognized and not messed with, the power they produce in stage is endless.. A band to definatley check out…

It’s time for the HEIST NOW!!!!! Yewww
Setting up the lads look serious, Drew is limping around on stage(due to an ankle injury), but sound checking as loud as the 747s that were flying over too earlier, Bennys drum’s are getting set up with 354 go pros By Fearing Nothing Video producer Brian Cox on his super shiny pearl kit, Rtchie is fighting the fog machine to see his if his wireless shit is plugged in . DW is MIA

The crowd is swelling and getting louder! A lad yells out “cmon c!$ts, get this shit going”
I’m excited, I can’t lie…
soon the light go dark and a weird blue light shines as the lads appear on stage.
Andy (on Keys) Kicks in the intro to fightback and it’s in!! Ba ba BOOM!! As DW, Drew and Ritchie rip into the fightback and Zeke spits you gotta fight back take control.. the song gets the crowd going and the lads don’t stop as they flow straight into bullet, the crowd is going nuts at this stage.. bullet makes the crowd sway and get loose and sing as it stops Zeke thanks the crowd for the love.. as they bust into hands up high the crowd sing along to the chorus with Drew and DW.
The ridiculously big Back to base follows and the crowd goes nuts, BTB is clearly a crowd fave from the GOTSD, it’s infectious rhymes and big chorus are big with the fans.

Running away sees Zeke jump into the crowd and sing from atop a bar table, the crowd swell around him and sing along, as the lads busy out the big crowd favourite Crank the system, which is received To a thunderous roar, the Crowd feed off the energy that heist lads throw out, Drew is beaming with smiles but may be a painful smile as he has a busted ankle!!

Zeke speaks to the crowd after this and says I’ve been listening to this band for ever, I’ve been singing this track since ’98’, I knew one day I could sing with this band, as an oldie but a bloody goody Have your way busts out. Zeke and the boys absolutely smash this track, it’s flawless and the sound is amazing as the song nears the end zeke
Changes the lyrics to ‘if everything could ever feel This good for ever’ a well
Known track from some alien liking American band… (A Lil Foo for the thought)

Time for a breather and chat before they break into the Deepend and the massive Sweat/Swing, two amazing tracks to see back to back live as Zeke once again jumps into the crowd and stands aloft the bar table, it’s good to see as the band looks out and are beaming with smiles as the show is going off and the fans are digging the new sound/songs and lineup.

Zeke turns back to the band and says oh shit I forgot the set list… DW says Liberate, just cranks it, RIIIIIISSSEEEEEEEEEEE
Holy shit this gets the crowd pumped as, this will turn out to be the only song from IRCR, and the crowd respond with a banging little mosh around Zeke on the table as the lads on stage thrash this one out…

This leads straight into the massive crowd faves of Step back and Check your head which back to back are just huge, the Factory theater is pulsating with heavy guitar, big bass drums and vocal.. after these two classic heist songs finish Zeke says ok, we need to talk, they need to finish filming the wolves in your headspace clip and it will b done right now, Audri From Horrorwood mannequins dons the wolf mask and is thrust into the pit and crowd Surfs for a
Minute or two as the lads rip this track apartt and Brian Who has flown out from LA to finish this shoot.. ( I don’t think security liked this bit, ha ha)

As the crowd settles after thing track Benny and Drew sit on the drum riser for a well earned rest, as Zeke grabs an acoustic guitar and starts strumming and busts into the amazing ballad This truth, it’s a crowd sing along, suck a good track and as it builds the lads join in and boom, the ballad goes a bit heavy and then drops
Again.
That’s a bit of love there with that Fucking ballad says Zeke,”.
As DW and Zeke say thanx for helping film the wolves clip to the crowd,
They get back to LA chat about the filming off the next song we are about to here “. Fearing nothing, sees Zeke Jump back into the crowd, Drew is Almst done on 1 leg onstage! The red coopers are helping him bang that bass.

This next one is for the haters!! Once you flick the switch, you can’t turn it OFF ,,,,
Bang!! Crowd goes nuts as do the lads on stage!!! Benny bangs his kit so hard i
Feel Sorry for it… DW, Drew and Ritchie get loud and loose, security is even banging there heads now also!! The heist sound is so huge…

Zeke says sorry but this is our last one for he might but we be Back for a big tour next year.. Taking it Back to 8 miles high days with the massive PULSE, that DW and Drew just beam
As they smash it out, zeke makes this track his own. The crowd don’t no what is going on as they have been going nuts for 60 minutes plus already, Pulse just sends them even crazier in the pit.
Pulse is pulsating in the crowd and on stage… sad as but it has to come to and end, the band give big thanx to the crowd, DW does the hand sharks, Zeke is straight in the Merch stand. Benny goes awol for a smoke, Drew is found at the little creatures lounge!! Ha ha

All in all this was a massive show and a big welcome back from a good sydney crowd, such a good variety of songs from all albums, the lads can only fit so many tracks in 70 minutes. with 3 amzing support acts aslo in Horrorwood Mannequins, Segression and Earth Caller.

Looking at DW and Drew during the set they were absolutely beaming with smiles as they are re introducing there baby Almst, throw in the kid at the back who beats the bloody shit outta his pearl kit and the most energetic and best front man in Aus since Michael
Hutchence in Ezekiel ox, You have Superheist, a force to be reckoned with, an arsenal of bullshit heavy tracks and a few slower ballads to soothe the ears.

There still a few shows to go on this tour and have been promised more shows to come… don’t miss it hey, the lads pull out all stops and give u a big show that you won’t forget

Superheist set list 4-11-16 Factory theater, Sydney
Fight back
Bullet
Hands up High
Back to base
Running away
Crank Up the system
Have your way/everlong
Deepend
Sweat/swing
Liberate
Step back
Check yr head
Wolves in your Headspace
This truth
Fearing nothing
Flick the Switch
Pulse

Pics to come

Their lead single Hands up high Premiered Yesterday on Triple j and they revealed their new singer and film clip over at http://www.tonedeaf.com.au https://youtu.be/wXAMhDsxnQg

Hands up high is a big teaser for what we can expect from the highly anticipated ” Ghosts of the social dead” album, it is a massive tune with heavy guitars (D.W Doesn’t disappoint)  bass that will blow ear drums and drums that are heavy, quick and super loud, throw in the amazing vocals of the OX and keys by DW also and  you have the cracking tune we have “Hands up High.

oh and the keys are played by DW also, they add so much to this track……………….. Check it out, October 28 the album is set for release……… Stay tuned for more, #heistriders

Tickets for the upcoming tour can be found at http://www.wildthingpresents.com

Fiona Kitschin (Base), Steve Hesketh (Keys) and Dan Luscombe (guitar) are The Drones – A

Melbourne Institution who have been round for a decade.

The band recently released their sixth record “I see Seaweed” and current gigs include

Splendour in the Grass and Dark Mofo festivals and a support place on tour with Neil Young.

A sellout performance earlier this year at the Forum was described by Faster Louder as

“draining, harrowing, cathartic and ecstatic” although other reviews thought the discerning

crowd were a bit boring. This time around, the band has chosen to tour smaller, more intimate

venues, which allow diehard sweaty, drunken fans to get up close and personal with their

distinctive brand of music.

Support act Harmony were the openers, a six piece eclectic mix of bluesy heavy rock and (of

all things!) doo-wop. Led by Tom Lyngcoln (from The Nation Blue), the band mash together

heavy riffs and dark sounds with a sweet all girl 3 piece harmony, which at times made for

incredible listening but at other times seemed a little unnecessary. Not sure I fully got the

direction, but there were moments of genius nevertheless.

The Drones took to the stage and immediately engaged the chatty, boozy crowd.

Interspersing releases from their new record (such as “I See Seaweed” and “How to see

through Fog”) with older gems (“The Minotaur”, “Locust” and “Shark Fin Blues”), the band

created a dynamic landscape of changing melodies with light and shade. Their brand of

music is complex in terms of execution, lyrical themes and musical layering, especially with

the addition of Steve Hesketh on the keys. The technical feats of musicians are not to be

discounted, but it is Gareth Liddiard’s delivery of calm, haunting lyrics that quickly progresses

to spitting, growling vocals that is particularly unique and dramatic.

The set was introspective and personal; the band played as a tight unit, with bassist Fiona

Kitschin generally opting to face the band rather than the crowd. However, there were light

hearted moments along the way such as Dan Luscombe asking for an update on the footy

scores, and Gareth opting to take requests before launching into a jaunty rendition of Bon

Jovi’s “Dead or Alive” after drunken catcalling from fans (which was epically brilliant of course!

). With a Chuck Berry cover (“Downbound Train”) thrown in for good measure, the set was

done.

In typical Drones fashion, the encore was face meltingly epic. The rendition of “Why Write

a Letter That You’ll Never Send” sent punters into a kind of raptured, swaying ecstasy and

the set closer of Leonard Cohen’s “Diamonds in the Mine” saw a combination of musicians

(including Harmony complete with the doo-wop girls) belt out a classic that was musically and

visually impressive.

Overall, the gig was intense, sweaty, boozy and everything you could ever hope for on a

shitty Friday night in Melbourne. The intimate and loose setting suited the Drones down to the

ground, and proved just why they have become such a musical institution that has stood the

test of time.

Following on from the cracker of a night that was Presentation Night 1, last week saw the talkfest return to the Corner, this time with You Am I frontman Tim Rogers and Richmond legend Matthew Richardson joining Francis Leach on stage.

The first show featured iconic songwriter Paul Kelly, and music lover and Age columnist Bob Murphy of the Bulldogs. Big (footy) boots to fill for Rogers and Richo, but one they handled with the vigour of a Crowley tag and the ease of a Stevie J sidestep.

As with the first show, much of the curiosity lay in seeing how the two stars of their respective disciplines would handle a very different sort of spotlight. And, just like Kelly and Murphy, it didn’t take long for everyone to get into stride.

Richo has become a polished media performer, and Rogers was far removed from the animal that storms around on stage belting out Who Put The Devil In You. But, and much credit must go to Frank Leach, it took about 5 minutes for the two to relax into the roles.

Rogers told us about the origins of his love for North Melbourne and his ongoing love for Glenn Archer, while Richo beamed as he talked about representing his home state of Tasmania after only 3 AFL games. Actually, one of many things learnt from both shows is that there is a shitload of love for State Of Origin footy still. Well, Origin as it used to be before footballers became precious commodities that cannot have an opinion or leave the house without being bubble wrapped.

As with Kelly in PN1, Leach asked Rogers about the moments that led to the transition from prospective footballer to rock star (what a horrible choice of career pathways). They talked of the parallels between the two. We heard about a cramped dressing room in Sydney as Rogers watched his beloved Kangaroos played in a Grand Final.

The ‘Kitbag’ segment was killer again, Richo producing his 93 Tasmanian jumper and a Pearl Jam setlist signed by one Eddie Vedder (a Richmond fan, apparently). During ‘Grand Vinyl’, Rogers played The Replacements, and Richo danced with awkwardness by choosing You Am I’s Berlin Chair, at which point Rogers assured him there was ‘plenty more to being a groupie’. Richo revealed that, before Pearl Jam and You Am I, his first album was that of a wedding band performing covers of the hits of the time.

We spoke of The Stones, we spoke of duffel coats, we spoke of kicking a goal on the biggest stage of all (The Community Cup). It was brilliant stuff. We drank beer and talked footy. We finished off with Rogers and a guitar, the way God intended him, treating Richo to an acoustic Berlin Chair.  

Both Presentation Nights have been a stomping success. I don’t know about you, but I was getting pretty sick of footy. With the drawn out Essendon bullshit, racial abuse, confusing rule changes and the inability of players to reveal too much of their character without being shot down or fined, it’s been a long season or two. But these nights spent at the Corner reminded everyone of how great footy can be when you cut out the crap. It’s a great game, one that’s easy to love in its pure form, and one that is easy to tire of when saturated by scandal. Bravo Presentation Night, for reminding me that I still love footy. And music. And beer.

Now excuse me while I grab my duffel coat and an esky and head on down to watch some VFL.

]]> http://www.loudnlocal.com.au/reviews/match-report-presentation-night-ii-at-the-corner/feed/ 0 http://www.loudnlocal.com.au/reviews/the-rubens-at-the-corner-hotel/ http://www.loudnlocal.com.au/reviews/the-rubens-at-the-corner-hotel/#comments Fri, 13 Jul 2012 05:49:11 +0000 http://www.loudnlocal.com.au/?p=1782 12/07/2012

Murder for a jar of red rum.

Wait, isn’t this the review of the Rubens gig at the Corner last Thursday? Yes, it is. And from now on, The Rubens will forever be associated with one of the great fun things about the English language – palindromes.

I’m not too sure if it will take off. Actually, I’m fairly sure it won’t but I know that I will always think of palindromes when it comes to The Rubens. Here’s why…

Just before they hit the stage, it was time to buy a beer for myself and a mate, and then head towards the stage. I bought the beers, and so did another guy I was with, he also had two beers… So off we went, to find the crew. After about 5 minutes of searching we worked out that it was going to be harder to find our friends than first thought. It wasn’t all bad though, we soon realised that between the two of us, we had four beers… We then gave a ‘cheers’ to the obvious win-win situation we found ourselves in.

Anyway, we did end up finding our friends (and giving them their beer), just three minutes before the show began… But those three minutes are what changed everything, for me at least. I was standing there, bantering with some friends, when I saw my mate Pat starting to talk to some girls. Being the true gentleman I am, I decided to go try and ruin it for him, until the girl he was talking to told me her name… Hannah.

The conversation went something like this:

Me: Hello
Girl I didn’t yet know the name of: Hi, I’m Hannah
Me: Pwoah! Do you know what racecar and Hannah have in common?
Hannah: Um, what?
Me: Palindromes! They are both palindromes!
Hannah: Oh, (Awkward laugh) yeah!
Me: Taco Cat
Me: Top spot
Me: Was it a car or a cat I saw?
Hannah: Oh, look, the Rubens are starting…

I guess it’s up for debate whether the Rubens saved me from embarrassment, or they ruined my chances with Hannah. My guess is the latter, because I was fucking nailing it.

The Rubens are one of those bands I like, but am not yet totally sold on, which actually made me really excited for the gig. They began with a couple of their songs I didn’t know, but the vibe was good and everybody seemed to be enjoying it. Lead vocalist, Zaac Margin was very impressive. As most females in the place admired his presence, I was admiring the way he seemed really passionate, though it didn’t look like he was trying to hard. The mix came out as a picture perfect sound, just like you hear from a studio produced recording. He, along with the rest of the band were doing everything right. The one criticism from me though, is that there was nothing absolutely spectacular or spine tingling, I do think that one day they will provide that as well.

The four piece don’t really lift the energy of the crowd, which is something I am a bit more into, but they still held my attention and had me enjoying the whole set. The highlight for me was definitely ‘My Gun’, which has now become a favourite. It was an all in sing-a-long with most girls singing a little bit louder than boys. When this song finished, I heard something which made me chuckle. A reasonably high pitched female voice in the distance screamed “You are one sexy mother fucker!”… Followed by, which was just as loud “OMG I totally just said that”. I thought it was a pisser, and couldn’t leave it out of this review.

Following the next couple of songs (which were kind of starting to sound the same, luckily that ‘same’ sound was good though) was the well-known ‘Don’t ever want to be found’ which was the most up and about song for the night. It was another sing-a-long and was a real crowd favourite. When it finished, they went off stage, but they didn’t leave us waiting too long for the encore. Infact, when they came back out Zaac made reference to how obvious it was that they were going to come back out, and how there was clearly another song that the crowd were waiting for… ‘Lay it down’.

It finished fairly strongly, and as they threw guitar picks into the crowd, my mate Maddison became as excited as the “You are one sexy mother fucker!” girl, when he caught one of them, however he did lose it the next day. Maybe somebody else will find that pick, and get just as excited as him.

All in all, I would give them a 6.5/10 but very positive one at that. They were good, I liked them, but you have probably noticed that I am not using adjectiveS like ‘great’, ‘energetic’ and ‘out of this world’. There is only one way of describing my thoughts on The Rubens as a whole, the performance, recordings and each band members input…

Level.

When: Friday 18^thMay, 2012

Where: The Forum Theatre, Melbourne

Boy and Bear have divided opinions within our music crew; their particular brand of indie/folk is seen as hauntingly beautiful by some whilst deemed yawn-worthy and bland by others. I tend to belong to the former camp, and for this very reason I managed to score myself the official +1 spot for LnL crew. Therefore, the following rant (laughingly referred to as a review) may be somewhat biased and slightly Bieber or perhaps One Direction fan gushy. Consider yourself warned.

Ok so for those of you who have been living under a rock, here is a quick lowdown on Boy and Bear: The band originally began as Dave Hosking’s solo project but expanded to a 5 piece and in October 2009 were featured on Triple J’s unearthed. After scoring an opening spot at Homebake, the band have gone from strength to strength, signing with Universal and touring both nationally and internationally, selling out shows as they go. They have released an EP (Emperor Antarctica) followed by their debut LP “Moonfire” and are well known for their cover of Crowded House’s “Fall at your feet” as part of the He Will Have His Way tribute. 5 aria awards later, Boy and Bear are currently embarking on a national 26 date tour “Remembering the Mexican”…which brings me to the gig…

On a typically chilly Autumn night in Melbourne, I joined a lazy 1500 or so fans who packed into the Forum theatre for the sold out show. Just as an aside, the Forum is arguably one of the best live music venues in Melbourne.  For anyone who has not had the pleasure, the Forum was originally a 1929 cinema, and is now set up in the style of an outdoor amphitheater.It’s unique architecture boasts Romanesque statues and gargoyles capped off by a sky-painted ceiling, and it had played host to many impressive bands over the years. On this particular night it was packed out with a large proportion of screechy 18-year-old girls and their buffed-footballer-turned-metro bfs, however to be fair boththe venue and the band draw a diverse crowd of people from conservative oldies to free flowing hippies and super cool indie kids.

Admittedly, I may have missed the openers who included fellow Sydney-siders Tin Sparrow, and Queensland-based The Jungle Giants, making the ultimate sacrifice of an indie entrée in favor of a main course of hearty Italian food and red wine. However from my vantage point at the European Beer café the line looked impressive and so I can only assume there was a decent crowd.

The band opened their set with the popular oldie “Rabbit song” which was greeted enthusiastically and energetically. This quickly transitioned into the wistfully reflective “Lordy may” and the female population swooned on their feet. “Milk and Sticks” created a more up-beat atmosphere more consistent with their newer, more rollicking and country-esque sound. The remainder of their set was a mixture of slower, more intense ballads and rollicking hoedowns, indie style folk. Highlights included ‘Feeding Line, “ “the Beach,” “My only One” and “Mexican Mavis.” The audience particularly rallied during their cover of “fall at your feet,” despite the fact that a large proportion of their younger following potentially had never heard of the Finn Brothers. However the band is careful to distance themselves from this as their claim to fame, playing the song mid-set and keeping the lead up low key. The transition into Neil Young’s Heart of Gold mid-way through offered a nice variation on the familiar theme.

Regardless of your opinion about music genres or styles, it can’t be denied that the boys can play music- they are all talented instrumentalists who produce stirring vocals with rich harmonies. They are well-practiced and rehearsed and play a tight set, with casual and almost bashful banter between songs. In particular the girls love Dave’s dreamy dimples and shy smiles and the audience related to the playful humour between band mates.

Having said that, this show did not blow me away. As a self-admitted die hard fan from way back, I am loathe to say it but have to rip out the “I like your old stuff better than your new stuff” cliché. I’m a sucker for a stirring ballad and the haunting melodies and rich, dark harmonies encapsulated in songs like “The Storm,” and the more upbeat “Mexican Mavis.”  I am less partial to the hint of country twang that has crept into some of the newer pieces, and have to say was disappointed with their newy , (entitled Three Headed Woman) which was comparably bland an offered a nice chance to replenish the drinks and check out the photos Brooksy had snapped earlier.

Overall, this was a somewhat different experience from my first awed experience seeing the band in a dingy half-empty bandroom in Northcote. That being said, every time I have seen Boy and Bear since that time they are consistent in the quality of their performance and musicianship. For newer fans or those whose tastes have grown in the same direction as the band’s sound development, this show would have been everything they could ask for. For me, it offered the perfect accompaniment for a chilly Friday night after a long working week. Although it did not blow my socks off, it left me with a warm and fuzzy feeling of contentment inside  (perhaps assisted by the red wine?)

We arrived at the corner, looking forward to the 1 hour, ‘Last gig ever (Well, for 2012 anyway)’ from Vasco. Sid did his usual thing, mixing his loud, screaming, howling grunge rock voice with bluesy guitar solos and old favourites from ‘Oh We Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside’. The place was buzzing.

I can never work out quite where I want to be when I go to Vasco Era shows though, is it in the mosh, rocking out to the energy that Ted (bass) and Fitzy (drums) dish out? Or is it standing back a few rows, uninterrupted, watching Sid belt out lyrics with all his passion?

Anyway, I did both (My mosh experience was cut short though, due to a loose right shoe that just didn’t want to stay on my foot).

So as the hour passed by, we heard all the favourites, with a few highlights being the upbeat, loud renditions of ‘Rock n Roll Is the Only Thing That Makes Me Feel Good’ and ‘Honey Bee’. Along with the slower songs like ‘Not Everyone is from New York and ‘When We Tried to Get You to Settle Down’. However the trio did not look like they were even close to winding up this set at all. They had plenty left in the tank.

Another half an hour went by, and Sid decided to announce that this would be his second last song of the night, and true to previous form, the guys were keen for the whole crowd to be on stage with them, rather than the designated area that security guards would much rather them be. At this point, it was time for Bob Dylans ‘Like a Rolling Stone’. A minor technical difficulty soon saw the rest of the crowd kicked off the stage, and the band finish the song by themselves. It was at this point where Sid asked the crowd what song they would like them to finish on. The whole crowd answered as one, however this seemed a little bit confronting for Sid, and he asked for everyone to speak once at a time. An Elvis cover was finally voted.

As this is probably the most popular of covers the band does, the whole crowd joined as one chorus. Just beautiful.

As an added bonus, Sid, Ted and Fitzy decided they still weren’t done with yet, they were finishing their last show of 2012 with a bang, and worked the Elvis song into ‘Where Is My Mind’, which then went into ‘Sitting on the Dock of The Bay’, into ‘Voodoo Child’ and then finishing with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins song ‘I Put a Spell On You’. 50 minutes over their elected time on stage and the crowd were still frothing for more.

As I left the Corner Hotel I realised how lucky I was to see the Vasco era once again, in full flight, for one last time in 2012. I also realized what a mistake those 522 Facebook friends had made by not snatching that spare ticket.

Every gig at the East Brunswick Club presents the same early dilemma. Upon disembarking from tram, does one choose the left door and head straight for the band room, or head for the right door, and into the front bar to fight for a booth.

As per usual, the chance to sit down for a cool adult beverage won out, and the right door it was. As the sounds of Johnnie and the Johnnie Johnnies rang through the walls of the beer garden, what became obvious was the amount of familiar faces at the East. The last few King Cannons shows have been like this, and it gives the gig more of a party in your backyard feel. This is a growing hallmark of the Melbourne alternative scene, check out some shows and chances are you’ll see someone you know. If not, make some friends.

Heading into the bandroom, it was a little disappointing to see that there were fewer punters than hoped. However, it was still early, so after a quick trip to the bar we settled in to watch the Level Spirits. They were interesting, engaging to watch, but they somewhat failed to capture the attention of the majority of the crowd. That didn’t seem to worry the band too much, frontwoman Miss Molly Jen Morrison energetically throwing herself around the stage as the band rocked through some garage rock numbers, heavily influenced by 50s and 60s rock n roll.

By the time the King Cannons hit the stage the room had filled up sufficiently. The Cannons hit the ground running, ripping through Smoked Out City and Gasoline within the first few numbers. The punters were easing into it, and halfway through the set most couldn’t help but bop along the reggae and punk influenced rock tunes.

As usual, the King Cannons had a monster presence on the stage, singer and guitarist Luke Yeoward cutting an imposing figure. His slicked back hair may require constant maintainence throughout the set, but his stage banter is entertaining and he, along with the rest of the band, are flawless players.

They rock through the first half of the set, pausing only to have a drink or run a comb through their hair. In the second act, the Cannons bring out a few of their more reggae influenced tracks, like Time To Yourself, and finally the entire room is dancing.

The performance of new single Take The Rock was a particular highlight. It’s an exciting song and it’s good to hear it getting played on the radio. A quick encore later, and it’s lights up. While the show didn’t perhaps attract the numbers the band would have hoped for, they put on a great show, and their music is too good to be ignored for long. Live, they are more than solid, and even the most pessimistic punter will be shuffling their feet by the end.

Another great King Cannons show. They are steadily building a good reputation in the Melbourne scene, and have carved out a nice little niche for themselves since relocating from New Zealand. It is well worth checking the out, and becoming part of the party family that they are amassing with each show.

However, in the lead to the first ‘Gurge show for me for some time, I was somewhat serene. In fact, I’m told that a yoga instructor secretly videotaped me in my tranquil state to play as inspiration for her Monday night class.

Anyway.

Walking to the wonderful East Brunswick Club on this crisp Sunday evening, I was realised that this gig was akin to catching up with an old friend, and I was hoping like hell that friend hadn’t moved on and forgotten about me.

We arrived in time to catch the intriguing Ouch My Face. Sometimes punk, sometimes metal, always a lot of fun to watch, Ouch My Face did their best to tear apart the East Brunny’s stage before the ‘Gurge had a chance. Vocalist Celeste Potter is an engaging performer, and while I’m not sure they were a great fit for the night, their roaring sounds are worth checking out live.

Of course, the free space created in the front rows by Potter’s screams was quickly filled with eager punters. By the time Regurgitator hit the stage, the band room looked like it had earned its sold out status. Quan, Ben and Pete walked out to a warm, welcoming ovation and ripped straight into crowd fave Blood And Spunk. The trio were on top on their game from the start, and while the crowd took a while to get into their groove, the ‘Gurge set about ripping through a greatest hits setlist that included I Will Lick Your Arsehole, Blubber Boy, and Pretty Girls Swear.

The punters were being given a treat and by the time the boys launched into My Friend Robot there was hardly a soul that wasn’t shaking. The set up of guitar, bass and drums was perfect for this show, and a rockier version of Polyester Girl was a highlight.

It was hit after hit as the band worked their way through the entire back catalogue, from 94’s Hamburger through to 07’s Love and Paranoia. There were also a couple of new tunes in Disaster and Miranda July, both fast paced rock n roll numbers which may signal a return to the bands roots.

After rocking through the second half of the set, which included more ‘favourites’ like The Drop, Black Bugs (complete with a few bars of Sweet Child Of Mine) and Everyday Formula, the band didn’t even get a chance to leave the stage before doing the desperately needed encore. The highlight of the show was the well received couple of minutes of instrumental metal followed by Song Formally As, which, as it tends to do, had the entire room jumping and sweating all over the place. As it all came to an end, with the somewhat ageless Kung Foo Sing still ringing in our ears, each person filed out happy with the knowledge that the ‘Gurge haven’t lost a bit of what makes them great. Their first show in Melbourne since moving to Melbourne was clearly a success for the band and crowd, and hopefully, now that we down south have custody of them, there is many more to come. This is one friendship that is standing the test of time.

But there was no doubt who the star of the show was. From the moment he took the stage, Jimmy Cliff was the main event, and proceeded to rip into hit after hit after hit, with all the gusto of someone who was completely in love with what they did, not someone playing in a foreign country for free.

It was plain to see that a lot of the crowd weren’t familiar with Jimmy’s music. Well, that’s what they thought at the start. Each song turned into a sing-along, punters quickly recognising tunes such as ‘Many Rivers To Cross’, ‘I Can See Clearly Now The Rain Has Gone’ and ‘You Can Get It If You Really Want’.

Jimmy himself was in magnificent form right from the start. Dancing around the stage with the energy of an 18 year old in a striking red outfit, his enthusiasm was infectious. By the time Jimmy broke into a version of ‘Hakuna Matata’ the 10,000+ people there were going bananas themselves.

Forget Libby Lenton, forget Jana Pittman, one of the highlights of the Commonwealth Games for those who saw it was undoubtedly the fantastic performance from Jimmy Cliff and his band. A night not to be forgotten.