First up on the roster of acts for the night was the energetic and juvenile Foley. The raw trio assembled a moving collection of punk tunes through commanding vocals, impressive drum fills and rough guitar tones. The rawness of the trio’s sound matched perfectly with their existentialist and uninhibited lyrics. The band’s clear power over their audience was shown in the inspiringly anthemic singalong in the band’s gigantic closing number. Foley was a powerful and demanding act that perfectly opened up a night of gritty and bare music.
Jess Locke and her band followed with divine and exquisite jangle-pop. Locke’s serene voice complemented her lush guitar strokes. This gave the music a welcoming melancholia, as the music’s tempo followed the speed of the slowly rotating disco ball above. In a similar fashion, the audience swayed on their toes, giving affirming head nods to the elastic beat. Locke’s loveable character shone through not only her meaningful lyrics, but in the way she interacted with her band and the audience. Jess Locke truly was a special act that added a more tender and exposed side to the night.
From the first downbeat, New York punks Worriers were a ferocious and unrelenting act. Crowd members could’ve sworn the band were performing on an expansive stadium stage as they kicked and flailed around. Microphones were almost swallowed through the rough and coarse Possibility. More of the band’s American moxie and gusto came out on the sincere They/Them/Theirs, and through the band’s unyielding transitions between songs.This unstoppable power continued throughout the whole set with plenty of deafening feedback, dirty bass tones and absolutely blazing guitar solos. The band couldn’t have been a more perfect American greeting.
Jeff Rosenstock’s two most recent LPs We Good? and Worry. have been praised for their quality, and after he took the stage, there was absolutely no question as to why this is. Rosenstock himself was an absolute delight, imploring the rough and rowdy audience to look after each other. Blasting through a slew of enormous tunes, the audience was completely encapsulated by the pure energy of Rosenstock and his band. We Beg 2 Explode started a moving audience singalong, and the lyrics of Festival Song and Wave Goodnight To Me were yelled back to Rosenstock with just as much power.
There was an infectious enthusiasm in the way the rest of the band played. The lyrics of his songs too are incredibly anxious and philosophical, which became incredibly moving as audience members sang them back to the band with raised fists and raised glasses. These intimate moments between artist and fan were without fail complemented by moments of ferocious headbanging – songs exploding into a fiery ball of power in their choruses. Jeff Rosenstock is truly an American sweetheart, and he made this ultimately clear in a song dedication to the people and the city of Melbourne. Mentioning that the city “feels like home,” the audience’s collective heart was captured by this charming and splendid performer.
Highlight: Jeff discussing a conspiracy theory about Barack Obama, and being generally hilarious.
Lowlight: The set was too short.
Crowd Favourite: We Beg 2 Explode.
