In the overcrowded beer garden, I had to wonder whether Clowns’ fan base might’ve just outgrown the 250-capacity Bendigo Hotel bandroom. Tour mates American Sharks had the venue hooked on their brand of crunchy guitar rhythm, driven by drummer Nick Cornetti’s technical patterns. You could feel the sweat hanging in the air by the time Clowns hit the stage.
Beginning their set around midnight, the sold-out crowd flared up as the headliners went straight into Bad Blood’s eponymous instrumental. They were a minute in as frontman Stevie Williams ran through the crowd to jump on stage with an enthusiastic, “What’s going on?” as the instrumental led into the surfy, bass-driven These Veins.
Allowing a quick onstage beer bong, they ripped into the first single from Bad Blood, set and album highlight Euthanise Me, sparking a series of stage dives that continued throughout the performance. With the energy already high, Clowns took it to 11 and kept it there; the 50 second It Stops With You saw fans clinging onto lighting fixtures, with another punter attempting to knock them down using a pair of discarded crutches, while the in-your-face ‘80s hardcore throwback Boxcutter had a now-shirtless Stevie swimming over the sea of denim vests and Clowns merch.
There were few low points in the night. Karina Utomo’s (from High Tension) vocals in during Infected were too quiet to give justice to the intensity of the studio recording, and Eat A Gun was restarted due to technical issues (“If you’re stage diving please steer clear of the monitors,”), but after guitarist Joe Hansen went back into the opening riff, it was as if they never stopped.
We were lucky the Bad Blood tour encapsulated what impressed us most about the album of the same name, with Clowns exhibiting influences ranging from half minute hardcore jams to Frenzal Romb evoking punk, giving versatility to a genre that so often lacks it. The ending of thrash ride Rat left the audience wanting more, and chants of “One more song, one more song,” were met with I’m Not Right’s riff-centric ender Powders prefaced by, “You guys gotta sing along,” with the rowdy Bendigo crowd happy to oblige.
Clowns thanked the audience and packed up, reappearing at the merch stand minutes later offering album signings and hi-fives all round. The night was eloquently summed up by a sweaty teen recounting to his friends outside: “I was elbowed in the face and it was the best thing ever.”
BY MICHAEL CLARK
Loved: Shit going off during Euthanise Me.
Hated: Squeezing into the beer garden between sets.
Drank: Skull beer.
