The Tivoli is often a venue showcasing adult contemporary rock, but the concert tonight is something rather different: for better or worse, it’s unlikely that the theatre has ever housed such a trendy crowd. Tonight’s headliners are at the forefront of the popular electro-rock movement, and their colourful fanbase has increased in parallel with their international notoriety: after playing Splendour In The Grass, supporting Bloc Party and being name dropped by respected French dance act Justice, the Juggernauts have undertaken a national tour in support of their acclaimed debut album, Dystopia.
New kids on the block Young And Restless have scored the first support slot ahead of their October tour for their self-titled album, produced by Shihad’s Tom Larkin. The frantic punk-rock of their debut translates well to the live environment, as the five-piece deliver a powerful and focused performance that exemplifies why they won the 2006 Triple J Unearthed competition. Karina Utomo is undoubtedly an engaging singer, alternating between whispering and screaming as her sock-clad feet rhythmically move back and forth against the foldback speakers. Guitarists Ash Pegram and Mark Falkland are full of trebly, distorted hooks which seem to impress the early crowd. After finishing with bitchy album closer Testestrogen, Utomo slides her shoes back on and the band exit the stage. Between bands, DJ Comets spins an enjoyable selection of popular remixes, including a Klaxons track to tease the audience ahead of their scheduled Tivoli show in late October.
The aforementioned electro-rock movement has an overlapping fanbase: second support Damn Arms are also touring with Klaxons in a few short months. Their set tonight is well received and provides an excellent opportunity for the uninitiated to get a feel for the Melbourne lads’ sound. They come across as a more direct, less dreamy Cut Copy; the bass of Tim Sullivan and the precise drumming of Simon Parker build a strong rhythmic base for layers of guitar and synth. The dancey drumbeats and electronic sounds resonate well with the Juggernauts’ fans, and the crowd begins to swell. Sullivan rocks a Dystopia tour shirt tonight, such is the level of respect between the acts sharing the stage.
There’s precious little space on the dancefloor as the lights dim; a hooded figure stalks across the stage and begins hitting a floor tom drum amidst the soaring synth of Scorpius. Daniel Stricker pulls back the hood and takes his place behind the kit as his bandmates Vincent and Andy greet the crowd – certainly an effective opener. The threesome take their time to build up the excellent Road To Recovery before dropping the distorted synth, thrilling the crowd from the outset of their hour-long set; the tasty snare/ride combination of album opener Ending Of An Era immediately follows.
Stricker drums as if an electric current is running through him; his playing is an unrelenting assault on both drumskin and eardrum, such is the force that he applies to his work. Comparisons to Animal from The Muppets are obvious, as his shaggy hair flops and his limbs flail. Founding Juggernauts Andy and Vince have done well to recruit him from The (now Lost) Valentinos; one couldn’t imagine a more perfectly complementary player to the band’s explosive electro-rock. Andy plays the straight man, as ever, showing little emotion as he switches constantly between guitar and bass. His voice is vocoded on the still-thrilling Tombstone, one of their earlier tracks which clearly remains a firm crowd favourite.
Throughout the night, a couple of immature punters light fire crackers and throw them into crowd and onto stage: the stupidity of some never ceases to amaze. Despite the security barrier, a couple of punters manage to jump onto stage during Into The Galaxy, to the amusement of the band and anger of security. A huge painted backdrop featuring the Dystopia artwork and an assortment of their own powerful stage lighting shows how far the band have come in terms of stage presence. Early hit Shadows makes an appearance late in the set: it’s probably still the strongest song they’ve written, such is the crowd response to that fantastic bassline. Members from the support acts return to stage during the encore to lend voices (and drumming, in the case of Damn Arms’ Parker) to Raised By Wolves, before the night climaxes in the musical orgy of a euphoric unreleased track that I’m told is called Blitzkrieg. Forget the intergalactic hyperbole: the Midnight Juggernauts have well and truly solidified their stature at the forefront of the Australian live music scene.
