These collaborative tours are great, especially when they involve two up-and-coming bands that I hadn’t seen perform in their respective groups.
These collaborative tours are great, especially when they involve two up-and-coming bands that I hadn’t seen perform in their respective groups.
After backing up a wedding with my own birthday drinks, it was fair to say I was pretty much fucked by the time I arrived. But after a couple of beers and mixed shots, I caught my 52nd wind and was ready to dance.
It seemed that many others were in the same boat as a miniature festival formed in the backroom of The Corner, with everyone using copious amounts of alcohol to try and relive their Saturday nights and obliterate the thought of waking up Monday morning – full-on break dancing battles, booze-crazed moshpits and an impressive, roof-high stack of pot glasses in the centre of the room.
The John Steel Singers’ brand of roots-infused pop was perfect for the setting and, while slow to start, they embraced the energetic crowd. Strawberry Wine and You’ve Got Nothing To Be Proud Of had people moving but it wasn’t until the catchy bass intro of Overpass that the party was in full swing.
Through screaming and shouting, lead singer Tim Morrissey seemed genuinely grateful, exclaiming “Holy shit! Look at you all!” before coming to a close with the fantastic Evolution and Rainbow Kraut.
While some party-poopers left for bed after the first main act, those of us who stuck around were treated to the ever-impressive Mr. Boulet in his six-piece ensemble.
Having only seen Boulet in Parades, I have to say I was a little disappointed that he didn’t take over on percussion for at least some of the set. However, band-mate Tim Watkins proved more than capable of taking the reins.
While Boulet has tried his hand at modern-alternative with Parades and heavier rock with outfit Snake Face, his self-named band arebest classed under the traditional-folk genre.
Musically, these guys are superb and have the stage presence to match the hype. A couple of slower new songs gave drinkers some time to top-up before getting back to dance-mode for 321 Ready Or Not and A Community Service Announcement. And while the set ended much quicker than expected, the new single, You’re An Animal, certainly had us wanting more.
Two-for-one is great value with anything these days and at $20 admission, this was an absolute bargain.
Loved: The energy of the crowd for a Sunday night
Hated: Waking up on Monday morning for work
Drank:As many free birthday shouts as I could sponge
Check out more pictures from the night at http://beat.com.au/snaps
