Sometimes you get the feeling you may have just witnessed or attended something important, a moment in time, an event that could change or shape the future. Such was the case tonight. A completely sold-out Corner Hotel (a marvellous feat in itself) bore witness to not one but two bands who could lead the Aussie heavy progressive alternative scene out of relative obscurity to the national and international profile it so richly deserves.
Headliners Twelve Foot Ninja had the foresight to do something a little different with their bill and the night. The evening commenced with a solo acoustic artist by the name of Mike Mills, who is in the band Toehider. With a great voice and great guitar skills, Mike warmed up the crowd very nicely indeed, and his final number was a solo all acoustic version of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. You wouldn’t think this possible, but he actually pulled it off beautifully, each and every note and lyric. Miraculous.
Next, on the side stage, was a bizarre but eye catching burlesque dancer, Legs 11.11, who also did things a little differently to most burlesque performers. ‘Dressed’ as some sort of weird robot, she used laser guns and, obviously inspired by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Total Recall movie, stripped down to reveal three breasts. She held the crowd enthralled for her ten minute spot.
One of the ‘bands most likely’ on the Melbourne/Aussie scene at the moment, Circles exploded onto the Corner main stage with their melodic, powerhouse djent-y progressive metal. These guys are like a precision machine, with electronic samples enhancing an already cutting edge, twin guitar driven sonic assault. They put out a massive wall of sound, but soaring above it all, and making it more palatable to a broad audience, was the mighty voice of frontman Perry Kakridis. He truly has one of the best set of lungs on him in Aussie rock and metal.
Continuing the ‘different’ vibe of the evening, The Wasabi Girls took to the stage next, and smashed out a very cool 15 minute set of pounding Japanese percussion. They provided a very unique and entertaining lead in to the main event.
This has been building for a while for the guys in Twelve Foot Ninja, but tonight we witnessed the true beginning for these guys, where everything will start to fall into place. This night was a triumph in every possible way, starting with the ‘sold out’ sign on the window of The Corner. There was a vibe of expectation in the rooftop beer garden and inside the venue in the lead up, and the support acts set the stage beautifully. The Ninja boys were flawless in the execution of their relatively brief, classy hour long set, a set that left the huge crowd gasping for more. They belted out a large selection of tracks from their brand new album Silent Machine, and a few numbers from their two superb previous EPs. The sound was enormous and crystal clear, and they delivered their truly eclectic and enigmatic rock tunes with both absolute precision and a real engaging humour and spirit.
These guys richly deserve all of this success, with plenty more to come. In fact, as stated, hopefully this is just the start.
BY ROD WHITFIELD
LOVED: That I witnessed something potentially momentous.
HATED: That lack of funds severely limited my beer consumption.
DRANK: Not enough!
