Gyroscope, The Lazys (JD SetAwards) @ Prince Bandroom,Melbourne (20/11/08)

Sat 22nd Nov, 2008 in Gig Reviews

The bars of the Prince’s bandroom were packed to levels never seen before. This was due to the branded guitar picks that were given out to punters on arrival, which when exchanged with the bar staff gave said punters a free alcoholic beverage. It caused an odd spread in the room where there was a lot of free space near the front of the stage but a tight squeeze on the elevated area near the bar. The evening was the final event of the JD Set tour and declared to be the JD Set Awards, where one lucky band would take home a trophy and play a set with headline act Gyroscope.

In a room plastered with Jack Daniels and Nova logos, local DJ Jabba was the first man on stage. After he explained how the awards worked (fans voted for the best artist who played on the JD Set’s tour this past year) and reading through a list of nominees, he announced the winner to be Sydney act The Lazys who popped on stage and took in the moment. A few minutes later, they popped on stage and drilled through a set of solid Aussie pub rock with plenty of enthusiasm. The five lads that make up bands may look young but make it up with passionate performance skills, a solid tracklist, and plenty of guitar solos. Lead guitarist Mat Morris took advantage of his wireless guitar, taking a solo into the crowd and onto the counter of a populated bar while vocalist Leon Harrison stomped around the stage during Love Your Gun and attempted to get the crowd All Fired Up. The Lazys may have only had a few hardcore fans in attendance, but it was easy to see why they were voted in as the JD Set Award winner.

Headliners Gyroscope took the stage at ten o’clock and while Daniel Sanders tried to up the ante laid down by The Lazys by taking his entire microphone stand into the crowd during Safe Forever, the band’s set focused on the slower, tamer tracks which while being good didn’t react well with the crowd. Doctor Doctor had guitarist Zoran Trivic enter the crowd with the wireless guitar seen earlier, and Sanders took up an acoustic guitar for Australia, but it was when Gyroscope blended Midnight Oil’s Beds Are Burning seamlessly with Fast Girl that they finally got the crowd jumping around. Sanders vocals on the song may have been more sound-alike then re-interpretation but he nailed Peter Garrett’s voice almost perfectly. Quiet Achiever and Snakeskin sped things up the set near the end, but on a whole the set was good – not great, just good.