For those of us that partied at Ding Dong pre fire and re-fab, there’s nothing like a stellar line-up to ease the transition into the “new” decor. Friday night did just that with three of the best bands in Melbourne; ultimately leading to head bangers on the dining booths as punters rocked out for Damn Terran’s album launch. Mangelwurzel stuck it to me as if Lydia Lunch and The Birthday Party gave birth to a handful of vagrants and garnished them with the zest of ala circus; I drank that shit up, thinking this is the kind of band girls like me dream of. Drunk Mums as always made the room lose it; at the forefront of bringing Australiana back to its rightful place. They keep it busy, loose and trashy swapping between Jake, Dean and these days Adam on vocals; all the while being tight and projecting a distinctness that is no doubt why their fan base just grows. Damn Terran brought the night to a still with a build up of epic proportions, before mind-f**king the crowd with a brutality that we just hardly get to experience anymore. My favourite track Rebels made me wish I could get in a time machine and my 14 year-old self could discover it on Rage at 5am; with some warped video-clip that made me flick the distortion switch on my amp and never look back. After Rebels it just got louder, more brutal, more awesome, and more beautiful. Whoever was in charge of the projections deserves a mention too because the entirety of Damn Terran’s show was complimented by the psychedelic imagery.
BY FRANNY B
LOVED: Karate dancing
HATED: Some of the lighting fixtures
DRANK: Melbourne Stubbies
