The East Brunswick Club is usually relatively hollow mid-week but folks keen on some school night shenanigans were spewing out of the venue on this chilly Wednesday night. Felt nice. Unsurprisingly their performance lived up to the hype. The band were genuinely delighted with the crowd response, and admittedly it was impressive. Last time they were in town in February, they supported The Bronx and the bustling crowd was completely unfamiliar with them. It’s funny what one excellent album will do for you. Anyway, the performance was fantastic, save for one minor nagging pet peeve I have that haunted me throughout the set. I get a bit bummed out when singers thrust the mic into the crowd and encourage crowd participation at the expense of their own vocals. I want to hear the singer, breathless and angry and in all their glory. I’m sure the giddy dude fist pumping madly up the front has a lovely voice and knows all the words, but I don’t wanna hear him sing the chorus to my favourite song, ya know? And when loveable front man Damian shuffled his way through a delighted crowd, it was a blast and everyone copped an upclose encounter with some spectacular man boobs, but we also lost a good deal of our vocals for some very important songs. Everyone I aired said grievance to just rolled their eyes at me, but I think it’s a genuine concern. Someone fucking back me up here…
Rise Records are strengthening their reputation as one of the biggest record labels in punk rock. Constantly acquiring the best established and up and coming bands, they’re now the label to watch. This week alone they announced they’d release The Early November’s comeback album in 2012. Make Do And Mend have also joined the label saying, “We are so excited to be a part of the hardest working record label in music today”.
Soundwave have revealed a sidewave featuring Thursday, Circa Survive and Saves The Day in Melbourne. This might just be your last chance to catch Thursday in a headlining capacity after they announced their imminent hiatus in 2012. Thursday will play Full Collapse in full at Melbourne’s Billboards on Wednesday February 29. Tickets are available now.
The full lineup for the annual Australia Day celebrations at The Tote have been revealed and it’s likely to be another fantastic day out. Arrows, Anchors, The Smith Street Band, Darren Gibson, Quiet Steps, Nuclear Summer, Cavalcade and stacks more will perform for us on Thursday January 26 with all proceeds going to The Refugee Council of Australia. Ticketing information will be announced shortly.
The folks behind 2010’s SLAM rally in which we all got a little bit pissy about the imminent closure of The Tote and the totally fucked liquor licensing laws in Melbourne, are gearing up to run a national SLAM DAY in February 2012. They’re encouraging everyone to get down to their local venue to see a live band on that day to show their support for live music in Australia. Mark February 23 in your calendars.
Bodyjar fans, get excited. The guys have planned an exclusive once only event to celebrate the release of their landmark album No Touch Red as a limited edition on coloured vinyl. One Dollar Short have decided to re-form for the occasion, Antiskeptic are playing their first Melbourne show in years and Game Over will bang out their first performance in over a decade…oh and the ‘Jar will play No Touch Red in it’s entirety. SICK. Saturday March 31. Lock it in.
