House Vs Hurricane, NazariteVow, Mary Jane Kelly @Tuggeranong Youth Centre,Canberra, (11/06/09)

Wed 17th Jun, 2009 in Gig Reviews

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Melbourne band House Vs Hurricane brought an onslaught of acts from all over Australia and presented Canberrans with a rare night of music. At freezing temperatures on a Thursday night, the crowd gathered outside. They were warmly dressed and eager to enter the heated Tuggeranong Youth Centre. Although at first the set times were predicted to finish horribly late, the night ran very efficiently, allowing half an hour sets maximum. As the temperature decreased the crowd increasingly grew agitated until the doors finally opened and the first band started blasting their music.

New Canberran Thrash outfit I-Exist played to a frostbitten crowd. The small venue quickly warmed up the onlookers and slowly they eased in with the band. They offered a remarkable set and impressed the crowd with their blast drum beats and harsh vocals. The warming crowd was forced into a furious pit. By the end of the set they made their stance as a band worth keeping an eye on.

The stage crew and band made a quick transition and soon Dead Kings entered the tight room. Prior to this, Dead Kings have been touring around the country. It could be said that they are Canberra’s hardest working band. The instant they stood on the elevated platform (that might have been called a stage if it were higher) they exploded with noise. The crowd made the most of every minute as though it was the last time they were playing. During the set (which was pleasing and they could be heard rocking out from the bowling alley down the street), Dead Kings played some new numbers from their upcoming album. As the band cleaned their gear off the stage, the brave few took a breather outside which was a wasted effort as Mary Jane Kelly was fast approaching.

After another speedy set up the stage was ready and the crowd was presented with Hardcore rockers Mary Jane Kelly all the way from Wollongong. Their not so recent EP gained a lot of respect for the band and they did not disappoint the crowd with their performance. Justin would bring the crowd in for an intimate moment, screaming and crouched on the floor, before he blasted them back with a swirling pit. The hardcore dancers made inappropriate use of the small space sending the bulk of the masses off to the sides creating a floor in front of the cornered band. Their set was well rehearsed and engaging, utilising use of the floor and even gained attention of some cold faces, peering in through the window.

Through some prior mingling, Nazarite Vow were the most anticipated band of the night. They rarely come past Canberra, but when they do, Canberrans are treated to an amazing time. This night was not an exception. The crowd was mesmerized at the pure intensity of the band. The instant they started they were all writhing and screaming across the Youth Centre floor. The crowds by this stage were hot and sweaty; condensation glossed the windows as the band provided forty five minutes of jaw dropping awe. Presenting songs off their newly released EP such as Soldiers made their merchandise stack considerably smaller by the end of their set.

Now the time had come for the headlining act: House Vs Hurricane. The Melbourne six piece took the stage and the crowd was instantly impressed with the guitarists moustache. The band broke into their first song with such intensity the crowd had no choice but to follow suit. The floor space was instead cleared with several hardcore dancers thrashing their arms and as the band commanded the circle pit, one of the PA’s was close to toppling over. As the crowd ran rampant in the enclosed space, the band continued playing its keyboard hardcore tunes. The confined room multiplied the sound tenfold and many walked out to protect their ears. During their set comprising of mainly their EP songs the floor was littered with condom packets and lost ear plugs, furthering permanent hearing loss. House Vs Hurricane completed the night and heard nothing but thunderous applause.

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