Fighterpilot have been rocking Australian stages quite some time, releasing a couple of Ep’s and singles on the way to dropping debut album silver bullet…plastic gun. It’s fair to say the boys have come along way in this time, a fact demonstrated by the quality of the new album.

First band of the night was 12 Dollar Monkey who kicked off the night with their brand of funky rock tunes. Lead singer Nareeda is undoubtedly the star of the four piece, her stage presence and charisma is infectious and brings the energy to the live show. The guys are talented muso’s too but tend to blend into the shadows of their singer who deservedly steals the limelight.

Fear In Dakota were up next, instantly turning up the rock with a cover of Stone Temple Pilots classic track Vasoline which caused a surge of punters forward towards the front of the stage. Fear In Dakota showed off a big guitar sound and looked like they were loving the large Unibar stage. The boys can definitely play and have a great sound, showing off a sound which draws influence from bands like Oz rockers Karnivool and 90’s grunge bands Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. Tracks such as Red Parade sounded huge and gave the punters a good warm up for the headliner.

The men of the moment, Fighterpilot took the stage at about 11pm, spending the next hour rocking the crowd with tracks from silver bullet…plastic gun. The boys gave us a no-frills rock show starting with See You Next Tuesday and previous single, Fall to your Knees. The crowd clearly lapped up the scintillating fretwork of Matt Williams, and then the appearance of his brand new Hannah Montana axe – which he threatened to smash… but didn’t, fair enough too because it actually sounded Ok. Fighterpilot_dug into the archives for a performance of Towbar Shin but apart from that focussed purely on the new album, leaving the Auto Rock Ep alone for this gig.

The boys were all in fine form. Lead singer Boxy never disappoints, his voice sounding brilliant especially in rockers like The World Can’t Touch Me and Four Rounds where he can really let loose. Bassist Chopper and rhythm guitarist Goat put in faultless performances whilst drumming powerhouse Bish pummelled his kit to oblivion. The boys dropped the pace midway through the set with Save Yourself and Wait a While giving the lads a rest before the climax of the set in Animal, a beast of a song both live and on disc and should do big things for this band if the right people hear it. The set was over before it began, although they skipped some of the old hits Fighterpilot showed they are on top of their game and gave the fans a great night.

The debut Fighterpilot album silver bullet…plastic gun is available now for free download from www.fighterpilot.net.au