Polar Bear Club, Break Even &The Gifthorse @ The Fort,Brisbane (20/1/2010)

Fri 22nd Jan, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Local Brisbane punk rock band Gifthorse kicked off the night with an energetic and powerful set under cramped stage conditions. They displayed strong vocals and showcased some clever bass lines every now and then. Playing only a 20 minute set didn’t give them much time to prove themselves but they got to play songs off both their new and old EPs. That being said, the audience participation did not surpass toe-tapping and head nodding for the duration of the set.

Perth hardcore/punk band Break Even took over the tiny stage next. It was obvious that a large portion of the crowd were there to support them as they crept closer to the stage as the band began before launching into mini circle pits and some fight dancing. The band fed off the audience’s enthusiasm and tore The Fort apart for the entirety of the set. Trontman Mark Bawden commanded the audience’s participation by constantly screaming ‘no one stand still!’ before smashing into another song. Break Even knew what they had to do to impress their loyal followers, and impress them they did.

Polar Bear Club have toured across America up to five times and been across Europe at least three times, so when they took to their first Australian stage on Wednesday night, they were amped up and ready to impress. Having only landed in Sydney early Wednesday morning the PBC boys were jet lagged and exhausted but this did not show during their set. They played to the 60 people in the room as if they were playing for a crowd of several thousand expressing incredible amounts of passion and enthusiasm for not only their music but the small crowd of people who showed up to see them play. With no barrier or security it created a relaxed but raw atmosphere. They alternated between songs off their three different CD’s/EP’s and kept the audience wanting more with screams for an encore at the end of their set. The highlights of the set were Sometimes Things Just Disappear, Living Saints and Drifting Thing which changed it up a bit as it was a slower track which showed the bands’ diversity and ability to pull off different types of songs. They sound very similar to Set Your Goals and Four Year Strong, with their vocalist’s voice also resembling a rougher version of Tim McIlrath’s voice from Rise Against. Polar Bear Club are not going to be forgotten any time soon, chances are you might get to see them on a Soundwave lineup in the near future.