Eddy Current Suppression Ring,Kitchens Floor, Screamin'Stevie's @ The Zoo, Brisbane(08/04/2010)

Tue 13th Apr, 2010 in Gig Reviews

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With no line waiting for the doors to open at 8pm and only a few punters arriving in the first hour, tonight’s openers Screamin’ Stevie’s began playing to an almost empty venue but didn’t let this affect their performance. The four-piece got straight to business and immediately captured the attention of the few in attendance through both their interesting sound and immediate stage presence. As The Zoo filled throughout their set, the Screamin’ Stevie’s never took their foot off the pedal and whether it was the harmonica cameos or his superhero cape, their eccentric front man had the crowd moving to their unique blend of pop rock. After being told by an over-enthused crowd member to “give us one more ya fat bastard” the little known locals kicked off their set closer, ending with a thank you to the crowd and tonight’s headliner who were front and centre for the majority of the performance.

With the bar line four deep and the venue nearing capacity, Brisbane band Kitchen’s Floor take to the stage without much fanfare. Crowd interaction and stage movement was minimal, yet the presence the young band had was unquestionable. Early highlight Orbit off their latest release brought the crowd forward and that was where they stayed for the remainder, stomping feed and nodding heads to the raw, grungy sound of Kitchen’s Floor. The forty-five minute set came to a close bringing with it a mass exodus to the bar at the back of The Zoo. With beers flowing and anticipation building, tonight’s crowd was ready to get hot and sweaty to arguably Australia’s finest live band.

Prior to 2010 Eddy Current Suppression Ring had moderate following throughout the country but since the turn of the decade they have snowballed considerably. With latest offering Rush To Relax being featured on both FasterLouder and Triple J upon its release and following their triumphant slot on the Laneway Festival tour, the boys from Melbourne set out to give fans the headlining tour they craved. Dresses in jeans and plain shirts, Eddy Current kicked things off with early single Cool Ice-Cream. The first of many invaders made his way on to the stage for a quick dance early on, sending the crowd into a frenzy that continued all night, peaking with recent hit Anxiety.

With bright yellow shirt and trademark gloves (this evening’s choice were white golf gloves), lead singer Brendan Suppression is the best front-man on Australia’s live music scene. Channelling both Iggy Pop and Peter Garrett, his antics had everyone in awe from the get-go and after diving into the crowd and heading down the unique Zoo steps and back up the other side, Suppression climbed onto a steel drum at the back of the venue and continued with the set, separating himself physically from the rest of the band but providing punters with a great moment that won’t soon be forgotten.

After being reunited and a couple of stage invaders later, Eddy Current tore into crowd favourite Which Way To Go. With the floor noticeably shaking and the crowd singing along to every word the venue was going off. As the band wrapped things up and walked off stage the crowd was initially quiet and exhausted before the collective strength was mustered to cheer for an encore. Coming back out to finish off the night with the title track off their latest album, Eddy Current Suppression Ring again proved why they are loved by critics and fans alike. A great crowd, perfect venue and band at the top of their game have combined tonight to give Brisbane one of the best shows of the year.