Kisschasy @ Peninsula Lounge,Melbourne (24/11/2007)

Thu 29th Nov, 2007 in Gig Reviews

This is the gig that Kisschasy look forward to; one where they recognise many faces in the crowd. The Peninsula boys are home and ready for a rocking party. But not without some fine starter bands.

Horsell Common joined Kisschasy on their national tour, but for this home show it was their mates Famous By Association (who too reside in the Mornington Peninsula) that kicked things off. With extensive touring experience, they front with a natural presence on stage and seem to enjoy sharing the night again with a band they admire. To those not so familiar with FBA, their sound was somewhat repetitious, but they were a more than adequate opening act with heavy riffs, the rock long hair and an encouraging set. The catchy ‘Impatient’ from their newly released EP Pilot was a highlight.

The Hot Lies, who have been in association with Kisschasy on the Good Charlotte tour, hit the stage next and opened with their newly released single ‘Tokyo’ from the album Ringing In The Sain. They have two EPs and an album which they drew songs from, with the older material slightly heavier. This time around they dug deeper into the Heart Attacks and Callous Acts EP, performing three of the five tracks including ‘Tell Me Goodnight’.

A performance of the Noiseworks classic ‘Take Me Back’ convinced the crowd to join in and it worked in the bands favour with the fans attentive and the atmosphere building. It gave them a platform to pull out some more of their own work and to conclude with their most recognisable single ‘Emergency! Emergency!’. Vocalist Pete Wood climbed up onto the front barrier, his hands on the roof of the venue and ventured the length of the stage, bringing the rocking performance home. The response – a more spirited and eager crowd than at the outset. They impressed and left the stage on fire for the Kisschasy boys to continue on from.

And after making the crowd wait for a considerable amount of time, the local boys were welcomed home. Darren Corduex appeared from the darkness, guitar in hand and played the acoustic ‘Black Dress’ from their 2005 LP United Paper People. Surprisingly, the punters continued to drink and chat over the singer but were soon engaged when the band joined him on stage and launched into ‘The Perfect Way to Meet’, the leading track from Hymns For The Nonbeliever.

What you get from Kisschasy on their records is elevated in a live show with the rock outweighing the pop vibe. Darren stares down the microphone stand, takes it on, belts out his lyrics, and retreats to rock out on guitar with his fellow band mates. Sean Thomas, presenting with a mohawk style haircut, rides his guitar into the crowd. As a full unite they give an honest and solid performance.

“We don’t care about record sales,” explains Darren. He even encourages those who don’t own their records to go and download or burn them. It’s all about the live shows. “We want you to sing along.” And it was at this point that the crowd agreed to come back and see the band again, as there is no doubt they will be back. “We live here.” Even though the band has enjoyed mainstream success, they remain grounded.

The emotion stood-out in the performance of ‘Factory’ consolidating Darren’s passion for animal welfare. It’s almost impossible to listen to that song without thinking about the ramifications of the lyrics.

‘The Shake’, from their first record, was the ultimate sing along and impressed the ladies. But when the tempo revved up, beginning with their most moshpit forthcoming track to date ‘My Bible is a Scrapbook’, it was the guys that grouped to the front of the stage and worked up a sweat. The band started the traditional set-trashing and the end of the show saw punch swings from a few testosterone engulfed individuals in the pit. But Darren quickly took control and showed them the door.

They may be receiving significant mainstream radio play, but Kisschasy remain true to delivering a rock show that stacks up to many.