An awkward interlude for guitar re-tuning led to a severely underrated elevator tune played by the bass player and the drummer. It kept the masses happy until Sarah, where large pockets of the crowd sang the lyrics back at them.
By the time rockers The Creases took the stage the crowd was swelling to max capacity. They were nothing but enjoyment. When they played Everybody Knows it was all grins through drunk lips. Their latest single Is It Love had the most boogies for it.
Bad//Dreems opened with Johnny Irony in a set that was rather rambunctious. Within the first two songs a fan threw a Raiden-style hat at the band. It was headbutted away with a style that Messi would be proud of. The set was high energy but throwing things at bands is always a little extreme. Still, it was pretty bad arse to see.
It wasn’t until they played Dumb Ideas that things started to get crazy. At this point vocalist Ben Marwe was dancing around with his shirt pulled over his head. As his energy grew, the crowd surfers started dive bombing the crowd. Props to those packed to the front and middle, their ability to catch people was top notch.
Things were a little more laidback when drummer Miles Wilson had his dad join them onstage with his saxophone. It was a musical delight, all the more appreciated amongst the chaos and jammed toilet lines. Bad//Dreems rolled into My Only Friend, a reprieve from the kinetic pace previously.
Bogan Pride and Cuffed & Collard definitely killed the slow pace off. They finished with Mob Rule, but it was a false finish. After the encore ritual was enacted they came back out for a final song. The opening guitar strums revealed it would be Gutful. The amateur crowd vocalists got ready, the lyrics clearly relevant and resonating enough to shout back at the band as they played.
Highlight: My Only Friend.
Lowlight: Probably the toilet lines.
Crowd Favourite: Cuffed and Collared.
