Sometimes great tours and great nights come together and it’s magic. Tonight was one of those nights. Three Aussie acts that deserve to be high on everybody’s must see list crossed off in one night and not a hitch in the show.
Opening proceedings for the night Canberra alumni Young and Restless tore up the stage with the brand of energy they have rapidly gained recognition for. The fact that more people were queued up for drinks than were in front of the stage never seemed to hold them back. The loss was all on the side of the thirsty masses. Young and Restless put on a short but sharp show. Anyone who has heard Police Police blaring on JJJ knows the formula – keep everything simple and bring the rock. No doubt Y&R will be climbing higher on future bills.
Damn Arms turned the night to the new new wave (or should that be nu new wave?) that would rule the rest of the night. Welcomed by a healthier crowd that Young and Restless, Damn Arms injected elements of The Cure and 80s electronica into an energetic flow of modern indie rock. Fuzzy bass, churning guitars and disco beats washed the crowd in a sea of energy. It seemed a bit early to get the crowd bouncing, instead they soaked it in before going nuts to Midnight Juggernauts. No headline act could ask for more from their support. Anyone off to see Klaxons in October would be doing themselves a favour by being early to watch these guys in support and look forward to their upcoming debut The Live Artex.
Midnight Jugernauts arrived to a packed ANU Bar and had the crowd going wild within seconds. Thumping drums, well placed guitar and a sea of electronic goodness. The depth of sound that Midnight Juggernauts pump out as awesome for a three-piece act. These boys certainly owe a debt to French electro acts Air and Daft Punk but they incorporate these influences and make them their own, certainly matching the stage presence even if the light show doesn’t compare.
Though there isn’t much to their stage act beyond a glorious sound and some star-like fairy lights, that was enough to keep everyone bouncing for the duration of the set. Radio favourites Tombstone and Into the Galaxy had the punters in such a frenzy that body armour was advisable for anyone front and centre. The night only got wilder when the pedestrian stage show collapsed to controlled chaos for the encore, with half of Damn Arms and Young and Restless joining them on stage for a wild finale. With Y&R’s hyperactive front-girl Karina leaning into the crowd beating the drum (literally!), like a wench at the front of the ship, the stage was crazy. The crowd was crazier. This is what rock is meant to be.
