CHECK OUT ALL THE PHOTOS HERE.

It’s never easy to say goodbye, but the event itself can be cause for celebration. After more than six years together, four EPs and an album Horsell Common decided to regroup for four final shows luckily including one of their old time favourite venues, Adelaide’s Enigma Bar to say farewell and play some songs for one last time.

Melbourne’s The Statics opened the night’s proceedings and were quick to make a lasting impression. Sadly, since it was still early in the evening, the venue was far from capacity and the audience generally kept an unappreciative safe distance from the stage and were practically non-responsive. Fortunately this did not dishearten the quartet at all as they played and massacred through a set-list containing mostly songs off their self-titled debut album, as well as a brilliant cover of Somersault’s Something Has to Lose from their Songs We Wish We Wrote covers record. Their Australian brand of indie-meets-everything-rock is simply good fun, and this four-piece plays it with such intimacy and professionalism, it’s a little hard to believe they formed in 2008. Certainly not a band to shy away from anyone in anyway, the final song of the set had vocalist/guitarist Gerard Pidoto off stage sharing guitar duties with selected audience members, as well as other guitarist Arlo Cook climbing around and getting up-close and personal with anyone he could. With a few more tours under their belt and more attacking stage persona, this is a band to keep an eye out for.

What better way to celebrate a farewell with a blast from the past? Adelaide’s The Open Season was asked to come out of retirement for one last time, and before anybody could register, the crowd had at least tripled. Being two years since the band’s departure, the quartet were bound to be a little rusty, but with the memories and enjoyment which came flooding back with each track the band performed, all the problems were quickly forgotten. Never Forget, Page To Page, Blinded By Tradition, Jimmy Hats, This Empty Promise and many more were featured in the extensive set-list as the band seemed to get better and better and rediscover their old playing days. With sorrow it was all over a little too soon and even harder to believe that this four-piece may not ever play again. But the memories will live on and I’m sure lead to smiles on a lot of people’s faces.

With no going back, Horsell Common launched onto the stage initiating their final live assault on the fair city of Adelaide as if they were too keen to make the stage their own. With an enormous array of songs to play, the three-piece became practically a jukebox of songs playing surprisingly to near flawlessness. Including songs from every release, as well as the whole Satellite Wonderland EP track by track in a row, it seemed a little too good to be true. Also incorporating the band’s favourite songs from their only LP The Rescue, it was as if Horsell Common never finished, never fell off the radar, more like they just had a long holiday. That sentiment was unfortunately not the case, but for one last “hurrah” a mass of the crowd joined Mark Stewart, Luke Cripps and Leigh Pengelly on stage for their emotional last song that was played in Adelaide for Horsell Common. If this was their send-off, well the trio did it in style. Thank you Horsell Common, you will be sorely missed.

CHECK OUT ALL THE PHOTOS HERE.