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In the true spirit of Halloween patrons at The Ed dressed up in their finest blood stained outfits to worship the charismatic Young & Restless and their two supporting acts. First up were Mad Shapes who have only just announced that they are splitting up and going their separate ways. As of the 6th of December they will cease to be a band and the upcoming separation made their performance on Friday night feel somewhat strange. The three band members appeared to gel well on some songs but in others the connection was non existent. Despite all their troubles they did manage to put most of their problems behind them and warm up the crowd in anticipation for the next two acts.

Fire! Santa Rosa Fire! are a local band that are starting to spread their name through supporting various credible and gifted acts. Their live shows are spontaneous and nonsensical with one of the two lead singers David rambling and raving between songs creating audience confusion which he obviously relishes. The quirkiness of the band and their disorganised, chaotic music worked perfectly with the shambolic dress up theme of the night. It also gave Fire! Santa Rosa Fire! the opportunity to perform as witches and ghosts and make their show more theatrical then usual.

After a short interval Karina Utomo from the Young & Restless and her three male band members come onto the stage donning their best Halloween inspired outfits. Josh Weller (guitar), Ross Paxman (bass) and Nugie Utomo (drums) all come dressed as bogans wearing denim jackets with the arms cut out, and mullet wigs to perfect the look. Meanwhile Karina rocked out in a skin tight white all in one outfit with whiskers drawn on her face making her resemble a mouse.

Y & R are renowned for their live shows as they make every effort to entertain and enthral the crowd. There were no barriers separating the audience from the band so Karina was able to hold hands with audience members and crowd surf as much as she desired. At times when the crowd was getting really hyped up everybody would be pushed forward making the people in the front row fall onto the stage. The rowdiness of the audience enhanced the bands performance as Y & R gave back just as mush energy and excitement as they received.

Although each band member stands out in their own way, Karina is definitely the one who is the most captivating. She may be petite but her screaming and roaring fills up the entire venue. During the show she doesn’t stand still for one moment, constantly moving her feet and legs around doing some crazy footwork. Highlights of the night were I Point At You And You Burst Into Flames and Kapow! , although the band managed to make every song memorable.

Afterwards band members from each act mingled freely with the audience, prolonging the partying as much as they could.

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