The Sunpilots, The Trivs @Transit Bar, Canberra,(04/04/09)

Thu 9th Apr, 2009 in Gig Reviews

The chilly Canberra weather was soon to heat up Saturday night as Transit Bar hosted the last stop of the March of the Drones tour showcasing the talents of The Sunpilots and The Trivs.

While the show got off to a slow start it wouldn’t remain this way for long. With the steady hum of the audience, The Sunpilots took the stage first as the crowd started to slowly trickle in the door. If pop/rock ballads are your songs of choice this is the band for you. With a sound that could be a love child of Hoobastank and Live, lead singer Raj Siva-Rajah fronted the four member ensemble with powerful vocal performances. Supporting Raj was three finely tuned musicians who demonstrated their talent with impressive guitar solos and rousing drum sequences.

A highlight of The Sunpilots set was their impressive and energetic Beatles cover of Eleanor Rigby. The band showed that they are willing to take on the classics and do a damn good job at it.

Between songs the banter between the band mates was amusing to watch and gave an impression to the audience that, not only were they great mates, but that they were doing something they loved. Seeing the band perform it’s easy to see why radio stations around Australia are picking up their songs. They are, without a doubt, becoming one of the prominent Australian bands to watch. With a final stirring ballad to conclude their set the band made way for The Trivs performance.

The mark of a truly great concert can be seen when the audience loses all sense of control and reason. If the schizophrenic dance moves of the audience was anything to go by, I’d say that The Trivs have a bright future ahead of them.

Following The Sunpilots set was never going to be an easy task but the boys from The Trivs showed that they’re a powerhouse all of their own. The dance floor quickly filled and the energy levels picked up heralding the entrance of the local favourites. With the cool of seasoned professionals they wasted no time kicking off their set with an explosive first song which set the party mood for the rest of the night.

The Trivs showed why they are a crowd favourite with a growing fan base by keeping the listener on the edge of their seat (or in most cases, on the edge of a particularly unusual dance move) as each song was met with thunderous applause from the animated and lively crowd.

With a distinctive voice and awesome guitar riffs The Trivs could do no wrong and proves the phenomenal talent of Aussie bands.

Rough and raw in contrast to The Sunpilots clean set, both bands were superb live performers but when it came down to it, the night belonged to the local favourites. No one can doubt the tremendous talent of the young band whose likeability will enhance with the younger audience thanks to many of their songs easily tipped to become party anthems.

Thanks to Saturday night’s rocking performance you can count this reviewer amongst the ranks of schizophrenic dancers. This is one person who will definitely be at their next show.