Melbourne’s mighty Twelve Foot Ninja did a fine job of filling the huge Croxton band room on a cool Cup Eve Monday night. Whilst it wasn’t jam packed, it was still well stocked with Ninja-hungry punters enjoying their ultra-long weekend. There was even a solid throng present for openers Tequila Mockingbyrd.
The all-girl trio smashed out sassy, gritty rock, like a fired up version of L7 or Four Non Blondes, with equal parts AC/DC and The Runaways, and some punk anger thrown in for good measure. They extended a defiant middle finger to misogynistic blokes, and what they lacked in refined musical skill they more than made up for with brazen attitude. Their 40 minute set was full of energy, and the mid-set cover of The Beatles’ Helter Skelter was a great choice.
Orsome Welles are always good value, and their sound and performance stepped up a notch in the bigger room, which gained them a rousing reception from the steadily building crowd. These guys have a very quirky delivery, but they managed to pull it off with aplomb and a sense of fun.
Twelve Foot Ninja have been off the live scene for a while now, working feverishly on the follow-up to their magnificent debut album, Silent Machine. But it was like they’d never been away. They slipped right back into the groove, giving us a great cross section of tunes from Silent Machine and their first two EPs. Plus they treated us to two tracks from the forthcoming sophomore album. If these two new tunes are anything to go by, the second album will more than live up to the band’s debut.
This band’s groove is truly unique, their eclecticism is unmatched and they now have the aura and swagger of an internationally successful rock act. For a surprise one-off show this night was killer, and it only whetted Ninja fans’ appetites for next year’s release.
BY ROD WHITFIELD
Loved: Ninja’s two new tunes.
Hated: There was nothing to hate here.
Drank: Coopers Pale.
