FighterPilot @ UniBar,Adelaide (20/06/09)

Wed 24th Jun, 2009 in Gig Reviews

Described as ‘A sonic powerhouse of energy and groove’, Day13 seemed a perfect opener for the show. Smoke & Mirrors, Nothing for Nothing and Smile were among the tracks that got the crowd warmed up for the night ahead.

I am embarrassed to say I had never heard of Adelaide band San Marcos before, but I can safely say I will be keeping an eye out and catching their gigs wherever possible (*July 25* I think is the next one?). A energetic set with a melodic metal sound that kicked off with Contrive and included (The Human) Racer, Free and the Just and Choice vs Fate, a song played for the first time together, (due to broken guitars and forgotten cymbals) that kept the crowd moving the whole way through. Halo and End of Days were definate standouts for me.

On their first trip to Adelaide, Helm (QLD) hit the stage, took their positions… and waited… and waited. After maybe 5 minutes Lucas left the stage to give the light and sound guys a gentle reminder of running times. Apparently the technical difficulties continued as there were no lyrics for the first two songs. Helm has an awesome sound (Look out for Watch it Burn on the new album), although at times the vocals seemed out of place with the melody.

There was a comment of ‘They sound great but are boring to watch’; maybe that is because, in true Adelaide fashion, there was nothing these guys could do short of begging to get the crowd moving. The set wrapped up strongly with The Soldier and a half hearted thanks.

After enjoying what the support acts had to offer, FighterPilot hit the stage themselves, complete with jugs of beer. These guys love what they do and it showed from the first note, to crowd that suddenly had a new energy and was dancing and singing along. Kicking off with The World Can’t Touch Me, they belted their way through the tracks including Four Rounds, Dirty Black Dress and See You Next Tuesday, although sadly there was no Hannah Montana guitar to be seen. A little comedy between songs kept the mood high through the rest of the set.

After the set being cut short, the guys came back to give us one more song ( Reckless ) and a little sing along to the national anthem (can we possibly get that recorded and replace the current version? )
Unfortunately, this will be FighterPilot’s last show for a while, so I walked out with a handful of CDs including Silver Bullet…Plastic Gun & AutoRock, to tide me over. Fingers crossed the break wont be too long and there will be new stuff to look forward to.

After a great night, I walked out with a sore neck, a smile and a piece of advice; Cougar Zero = the amount of times you should buy this drink. Save your money and your tastebuds :)