Crop Top were the first to hit the stage. Between songs about the simplicities of drinking coffee and closing track Linda Hamilton – a tribute to the actor from their favourite movie Terminator 2 – this band proved to be impressive from start to finish through simple, catchy melodies.
RVG put an emphatic trance on the crowd. They really placed emphasis on huge choruses, with guitars that sounded like beautiful and flowing synth melodies fresh out of the ‘80s, but still able to pay homage to the modern era of psychedelia. In true punk fashion, the vocalist asked the crowd for a job towards the end of the set receiving a mountain of laughs.
Summer Flake followed with a three-piece lineup boasting an airy snare drum and off-key guitar notes that seemed to gather attention quickly. The guitarist seemed to have perfected the balance between improvisation and feedback, which at times made for interesting and fun hooks. At times this band was genius, and at other times they didn’t seem to get a crowd response at all.
Scott & Charlene’s Wedding’s frontman Craig Dermody evoked passion within the crowd, where he acknowledged the traditional owners of the land, and announced that they were playing on stolen property before launching into crowd favourite Maureen, giving the crowd something to jump and playfully push eachother to.
The guitarist had her foot ingrained on the wah pedal for most of the set, giving blistering solos and melodies that complemented the out of tune guitar that Dermody was playing for the entire set. Even acknowledging the guitar was out of tune, Dermody politely insisted that he’d just put new strings on, so it was inevitable. The band rolled on, and incorporated a Rhodes piano into their live set proving to be a perfect addition.
SACW is renowned for live energy, and Dermody immediately ushered the band back into familiar territory with crowd banger It Don’t Bother Me delivered with unbridled passion and aggressiveness that proved to be the most well received track of the night, until the band closed out their set with a cover of Australian pub rock classic Live It Up by Mental as Anything. The crowd literally went mental as anything, despite the vast majority of fans having been born years after the song was released. Moshes ensued, it was a great night.
BY BENJAMIN POTTER
Loved – Being pushed in a mosh like I was 16 again.
Hated – The expensive food.
Drank – Stone N Wood.
