In 2002 Sleater-Kinney played the Corner Hotel on the back of the freakishly brilliant All Hands on the Bad One album. At that show they were supported by The Sailors; pairing an icon of the Riot Grrl scene with a band with a penchant for smutty lyrics was either an act of ignorance, contrived artistry or brazen provocation. The only thing even more incongruous would’ve been Sleater-Kinney treading the stage at Thornbury’s suburban oasis of misogynistic pub rock, The Croxton Park Hotel.
But here we are: it’s 2016 and Sleater-Kinney are playing the third night of a sold-out series at the re-born Croc. The last time Sleater-Kinney were in Australia things didn’t seem quite right. The band’s recent album The Woods had sapped the band members’ energy, and seemingly eroded their once-impregnable internal dynamic.
Ten years later, and the rejuvenated Sleater-Kinney are as vital as ever. Corin Tucker has a voice that’d shatter any audio equipment pumping out the conceited playlist of mainstream rock’n’roll. Carrie Brownstein is the indie rock legend whose pretentious imitations provide Portlandia with so much razor-sharp comic material. Janet Weiss is a machine, a flurry of pummelling beats worked into the band’s jagged punk rock melodies with the dexterity of a Parisian baker. Lora McFarlane is tucked up at the back of the stage, adding guitar, percussion and keyboards; her contribution to the music as significant as her presence is to the Sleater-Kinney historical narrative.
If there’s anything wrong with tonight, nobody cares. Every song is an anthem of defiance, a celebration of independence and a rallying call for a better sociological existence. Most of the set comes from the last two albums, The Woods and last year’s startling return to form No Cities to Love. The trip back through the catalogue includes Get Up and The End of You from The Hot Rock; while Words and Guitar and Turn it On from Dig Me Out send almost as many shivers down the spine as the unexpected Ballad of a Ladyman.
The first set ends and the band are back for a three-song bracket that culminates with Dig Me Out. There are hugs, tears and a lot of love in the crowd. This was, like the preceding nights from all accounts, a special night. And the fact that it was at the Croc made it even better.
LOVED: My special one-night only friends in the audience, Caitlyn and Jess. Plus Ballad of a Ladyman, and all the rest of the set.
HATED: Nothing, but maybe only that I had to be up at 6.45am the next morning, but shit happens.
DRANK: Coopers Pale, in pots and bottles.
BY PATRICK EMERY
