Strike Anywhere, Paper Arms,SKYWAY!, Headaches @ Club 299,Brisbane (22/07/2010)

Mon 26th Jul, 2010 in Gig Reviews

First in the quartet of bands tonight were Brisbane’s Headaches. Their short set of punchy punk rock was a pleasant surprise and a great start to what would be an evening of fine tunes delivered in good sound. Ex-Gifthorse member, Shane Collins, fronts the five piece whose vocals were delivered with enough force to keep the attention of the few punters who showed up early.

If you’ve been to any good punk-rock shows in Brisbane in the past six months you’ll notice the name that keeps popping up is SKYWAY! It seems that these guys have taken baton of standard punk supports from the once great Bad Day Down. These five kids who hail from the Gold Coast have that catchy pop-punk that will get stuck in your head for days. They kicked off the set with Take It Or Leave It which few in the crowd were familiar with. Others inclusions Hard To Say and Let’s Live proved Ben’s drumming as the real winner of the evening. Not a bad set, one I’m sure any Brisbane punk will be able to see again in the near future.

Adelaide’s Paper Arms were enlisted for the full tour and despite being the final show; Paper Arms did more than impress. Their take on rock was delivered with force, much more than that of their recorded works. Kicking off with Bricks And Mortar, it was Josh Mann on guitar and vocals who proved that he has quite the set of pipes. Being the last show of the tour, it would have been easy to expect them to be both tired and a little forced but not once did his vocal force relent. Bassist, Michael Smith ’s work was drowned in the mix appearing momentarily here and there but this didn’t stop any of the four gents from playing a blistering set that exceeded the expectations of many in the room. Would recommend, would see again.

The room filled and it wasn’t long before leftist five-piece, Strike Anywhere, arrived to brandish their punk-rock tunes on an adoring crowd. I’m not sure whether it’s the music or Thomas Barnett ’s blonde dreads that makes this outfit instantly identifiable. Either way, his vocals were clean, crisp and nothing short of spectacular. This coupled with the band’s stage presence and energy, which fired up the crowd, culminating in some questionable slam dancing happening down the front.

For once, this reviewer couldn’t fault the sound: there was none of the muddy, fuzzy mix that often plagues bands at 299. The Americans pumped out 13 intense tunes of punk-rock goodness, kicking off with favourite, To The World. Standouts of the evening included I’m Your Opposite Number, The Crossing, Infrared and Hollywood Cemetery which proved the biggest sing-a-longs of the evening.

Despite the lack of encore, Strike Anywhere left punters wanting more, but with their Australian track record, there is no doubt that the band will be returning to our shores, bringing more bitchin’ live sets with them.