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Upon my arrival I found that I had missed the opening band Day On Fire, which was disappointing, having not seen them before. A lack of parking around the venue and an early start no doubt caught a few punters out, as people were still rocking up around 9pm. A healthy looking crowd tonight, with a few local scene celebrities coming out for the occasion.
Before I had time to lament missing the first band I was greeted (to put it mildly) by Mere Theory with a very cranked PA. Misconception tore through the opening of their set, displaying powerful drums, courtesy of drummer Richie Wise, nicely executed riffage from Nigel Black and well placed bass work from Matt Adey. Vocalist Chris Mellow, sings very loud, I could hear him singing into the mic from where I stood about two meters back. He has a commanding vocal style that has an eighties snarl on the higher end. The mix was about all that let this otherwise rockin’ set down, the backing vocals faded in and out a few times, which left Mellow’s vocals without context. This was not a reflection on the band who clearly had many satisfied fans cheering them on while picking up a few new ones.
Trial Kennedy where clearly in a good mood, and why not. They were playing with some great bands and have a big tour ahead of them – happy days indeed. The band joked around and really hammed it up on stage, while still ensuring that the business end of the set was delivered in all its glory. A few keen punters tried getting a mosh going with little success, until the latest single Neighbours was unleashed. The band seemed to go into serious mode delivering this song, or anthem with all the corny antics set aside so they could drive it home. One thing that really marred this set was the kick drum being too loud. It was at that level where you feel your heart being bounced, and as a result kind of lagged, thus muddying the overall sound at times. Horsell Common drummer Leigh Pengelly was invited onstage, picking up a guitar for a song, the occasion being that it was Pengelly’s last show in Adelaide as the drummer for Horsell Common.
The punters were clearly here for Horsell Common tonight, they received a big welcome cheer and launched into their set. After such a long tour you’d expect them to be slowing down, but I get the feeling that Adelaide were given special treatment for the years of support. This town has embraced Horsell Common for a number of years now, I remember impressive crowds at Enigma a good five years ago. It’ll be an anxious wait for fans until the new drummer comes into the fold, because Pengelly is a very tight and energetic drummer, who played his heart out tonight. Bass player Luke Cripps couldn’t keep still during the set, and really bounced off the energy that the crowd and band were creating. Everlasting, Good from Afar, and Royal Artillery probably garnered the biggest reactions from an already stoked crowd. Mark Stewart’s vocal delivery came with relative ease, he looked relaxed and genuinely moved by Adelaide’s hospitality. When it came time for the band to leave the stage, the crowd were clearly not ready to negotiate, no sooner had the band stepped off stage, the cries for more and encore came. You know damn well that Horsell Common were off stage lapping it up, with high fives all-round, and so they should’ve, they earned it. True to form and learning to play up the showman ship, Stewart stepped back up, this time unaccompanied, playing Annie if Your Listening. This gave the crowd enough time to catch their breath and compose themselves for the second song of the encore and final rock out of the night.
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