Cigars For The Man, SuperbestFriends, Baby Freeze, JonnyTelafone @ Bar 32, Canberra(11/09/08)

Sun 14th Sep, 2008 in Gig Reviews

Each week Gangbusters presents a wide variety of acts that blow Bar 32 away from its location on Northbourne Ave. to Timbuktu and grabs everyone’s attention along the way. Last Thursday night was no exception.

To start the gust of wind was local two-piece act Babyfreeze who are a quieter and subtler version of Partybus They began suddenly without this reviewer realising they had started because I thought their first song was a practice/warm-up song. Babyfreeze front man upholds an energetic and multi-talented performance as he can sing and play guitar at the same time and even belts out a tune on the saxophone on some songs. Another achievement under their belt is a gay rights song which is deep and meaningful which is easy on the ear and makes one want to protest at Parliament House.

Following the short interlude were another local act named Superbest Friends They are a mix between The Vines and Muse but vocalist John Barrington had a Living End entailed voice which blended together created a unique sound rarely heard. Each member of the band played out their part above average as the bassist and drummer were as energetic as the guitarist and vocalist upfront of the stage. All of their songs sat well with the audience including Spy Where, Sound Off and Eccentric Cleansing from their 2007 demo. Barrington told FasterLouder that they are currently working on a 2nd album which is due for release later in the year. He says “It’s a bit different from our last one, more of a wider audience will be receptive to it not just a certain crowd that we have been attracting.”

They were so popular amongst the crowd that the punters in the front row created an interlude song which they sang in-between each song. All it required were the crowd to yell – œAh’ in-between songs. By this stage of the evening the gust of wind blowing Bar 32 abroad was in full swing.

Shortly after Superbest Friends made their way through the adoring fans, Newcastle hardcore act Cigars for the Man took to the stage and released their inner angst. They became an instant crowd favourite as they pumped out their songs including Holocaustic, The Secret To Everlasting Life and Hardvest off their debut album The Adventures of Repus Polnud.

With every hardcore metal band that plays at Bar 32 a group of metal heads instantly appear in the front row and start head banging and dancing violently to the music.

Last but certainly not least local hip-hop act Jonny Telafone wiped the hardcore and indie rock scene clean and created a dance, boppy atmosphere instead with his hits including Dead In The Sega, Final Battle, Sailin on Adventure and Still Sleeping. Listening to Jonny is like listening to US and Aussie rap blended together with a hint of soft rock and this is probably the single reason he has become one of the best rappers in Canberra. Furthermore he knows how to give the audience what they want and gave them an encore, and notably was the only act of the night to do so. I won’t be surprised if I see him on the cover of J Mag or the like in the near future. Keep with it Jonny!