Press Club, though relative newcomers to the scene, delivered an opening set that rivalled the headliners. The indie-punk outfit is fronted by absolute powerhouse Natalie Foster, who stole the crowd’s attention and adoration with ease.
It was hard to get past Slowly Slowly as the best set of the evening. Opening with Dinosaurs, the crowd was wrenched from their post-Press Club reverie straight into singalong. Frontman Ben Stewart had the sweetest onstage demeanour, grinning like a child when he realised most of the people in the packed venue were joining in. Not only vibing with the crowd, the band were blissfully happy to rock out and be completely involved with each other. The divisive refrain of Pussy Makes The World Go Round was reclaimed when Press Club’s Nat joined in – foreshadowing the stage-sharing action to come.
Following Wil Wagner’s appearance on Ceres’ 7” Stretch Ur Skin, it was no surprise to see him on the bill. He took to the stage with a guitar, starting off with a solo rendition of Young Drunk. Then, surprisingly (and to many screams), the whole of The Smith Street Band took the stage, which catapulted the kind of reaction you’d expect. Two tracks in and there were crowdsurfers, a friendly little mosh pit going, and many happy faces in the crowd. The set drew heavily from new material, with Wagner throwing a lot of praise toward Ceres.
The sold-out venue definitely felt that way by the time Ceres took the stage, people sandwiched from the stage to the bar. In front of their iconic pink-flowered oleander artwork, the band were silhouetted by spot lights. Suddenly this little Melbourne band felt immense. Tracks were pulled from all releases, Drag It Down On You featuring heavily, as well as Stretch Ur Skin, for which Wagner joined the act.
Of course, the expected humbling speech made an appearance – with a sold-out tour and an immense crowd response, you can see the justification. “I don’t want to leave the stage, so if I could just live up here forever that would be fantastic,” frontman Tom Lanyon beamed, before being screamed back for a double encore. I think he’s got plenty of onstage time to come.
Highlight: Singalongs the entire night.
Lowlight: Random dude singing the line “I don’t know what I would do if I got you in my bedroom,” from Ceres’ Choke to me.
Crowd Favourite: Wil Wagner’s solo set turning into a surprise Smith Street Band show.
