CHECK OUT ALL THE PHOTOS FROM THE SHOW HERE.

I personally believe that it’s bad karma to ever complain about getting rain in this city. As every Sydneysider is aware, we are always in need of some of that life-giving wet stuff from the sky. However when Mother Nature decides to give us a drenching, the likes of which she did last Friday night, it can make it very difficult to leave your home to see the seemingly never-ending stream of great live acts we are so lucky to receive in this city.

The Black Diamond Heavies and The Datsuns had travelled from America and New Zealand respectively to be here, so I thought the least I could do was brave the downpour and swim the six or so blocks from my place to the Manning Bar.

Getting the night underway were The Dead Farmers, followed by The Black Diamond Heavies, out of the southern United States. I will be the first to admit I am generally not a massive fan of the two piece band set-up, as it always sounds to me as if something is missing. This is not the case with The Heavies. The band consists of drummer Van Campbell with James Leg on vocals and keys. To give you the best mental picture I can: think Taylor Hawkins on the skins and The Muppets’ Dr Teeth out front. In regards to sound, if Clutch and The Ramones had a baby, TBDH would probably be the result.

James sings with the tuneful croak of a 40-a-day smoker, which perfectly matches the music. I usually feel a bit sorry for key players at gigs, as it’s a very restrictive instrument for onstage antics, but I will feel sorry no more. If you are as good of a musician as James, then rocking out is not a problem. He was extremely animated while singing, playing his instruments and head banging all at the same time.

My favourite songs of the set were Poor Brown Sugar and the closing number, a cover of Ike and Tina Turner’s classic Nutbush City Limits. I feel as though I can safely say this will probably be the only time I see a mosh-pit turn into a line of people doing the Nutbush. Some knew what they were doing, others had maybe downed a few too many too early, but all were extremely entertaining to watch. It was a cracking set and TBDH gained a few new fans that night, myself included.

Hailing from the land of the long white cloud, I had expected the arrival of The Datsuns in Sydney to bring the Kiwi contingent out in force. Judging by pretty much every accent I overheard on the night I was correct – or should that be “correct aye bro.” Before anyone gets offended I am one of those Kiwis myself, so I feel within my rights to be poking fun at my own tongue.

As a heavy band, The Datsuns tick almost all of the right boxes. Singer and bassist Dolf De Borst has a killer scream and just the right amount of bravado for being out in front of a band. New to The Datsuns line-up, drummer Ben Cole holds up his end of the bargain, hitting the skins with force. Guitarist Phil Somervell is Jerry Cantrell-esque in look and sound, which can’t be a bad thing. But I have to say as good as each of the band members were, the set was stolen by an outstanding performance from lead guitarist Christian Livingston.

The Datsuns are a great band to watch live. However, I thought they really took it up a gear when Dolf passed his bass over to the lead guitarist, leaving him free to run wild on the stage. The standout track of the set for me was Human Error, off the new record Headstunts. The first song of the encore was a Misfits cover, which got a great reception. In fact, the last four or five songs all got a massive reception, as the smallish crowd that had formed the mosh-pit seemed to ramp into top gear. All in all, it was a balls-to-the-wall assault on the ears for the duration of the set. Thank you Datsuns – it was well worth risking drowning to get there.