Shihad, Black Devil Yard Boss,Strangers @ The Corner,(19/11/2010)

Fri 3rd Dec, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Sydney’s recently renamed Strangers (previously Fiftysix) start the night with a straight-bat hard rock-out with your cock-out strut. The five piece chugs through a relatively highlight-free short set, with singer Ben Britton pulling all the right swaggering moves. Drummer Tim Hansen gets massive kudos points for putting up with a malfunctioning kick drum through the last song, continuing to pound out a tom-heavy rumble whilst roadies and sound guys worked feverishly around him.

The last pull out of Trial Kennedy saw Black Devil Yard Boss thrust in the spotlight as the main support for the night. BDYB have an interesting bio – two thirds of the trio used to play in acoustic crooner Pete Murray’s project The Stonemasons. Hardly the sort of pedigree you’d expect to see at a sweaty and raucous pub-rock gig, but the John Frusciante and Flea style instrumental free-jam intro puts paid to any doubts. The trio is swampy blues rock, as bassist Michael Davids and drummer Zane Richardson thump out unrelenting, groove-based rhythms, leaving singer Pete Williamson to work his impressive growl (as well as knowing the ins-and-outs of his fretboard). One Dead Letter and Black Devil’s Rising are both booty-shaking highlights.

To have your own history become a noose has been the curse of many rock bands. Some choose to loosen the load and become essentially a ‘hits n memories’ package, but NZ via Melbourne’s Shihad are clearly not comfortable with this. Their last two recorded offerings (including 8th studio record Ignite , for which this tour was promoting) are a far cry both artistically and commercially from the band’s peak, but they are not the works of a desperate band; they are engaged efforts of a group keen to move its audience on. The problem being here is that its audience has spoken loud and clear, and continues to rabidly hold the band accountable to its back catalogue.

It was obvious this gig was going to be no different to the many played by Shihad over the years – a major focus on their big numbers, interspersed very briefly with politely received, yet wholly unimpressive, new numbers. The metallic throb of new song Final Year of The Universe was abutted immediately with My Mind’s Sedate and The General Electric which, obviously, had the full house completely losing its shit. The band was firing on all cylinders as it has been since the mid 90s; singer-guitarist Jon Toogood pogoes and poses around the stage, bassist Karl Kippenberger struts and thrusts in his small piece of stage turf, straight-backed drummer Tom Larkin loses himself in deep concentration, while guitarist Phil Knight nonchalantly wields his axe. The Shihad live show is a known and cherished element in Australian rock circles; it’s highly energetic, ear-bleedingly loud and played incredibly tight.

The effort almost becomes pastiche, however, when Toogood devolved into a big-top spruiker to introduce newer songs to the set. The air of desperate apology was thick as the singer implored the audience to loose its shit to songs which clearly didn’t have the same energy or affection. New songs Lead or Follow, Ignite and I’m a Void were introduced tentatively, with the knowledge that the adopted home crowd were not really here looking for a new experience from their beloved ‘Had. The caution was with good reason, too – the toilet door and the bar both became noticeably busier during those moments, indicating an audience clearly voting with their feet. Rule The World from 2008s Beautiful Machine was received relatively warmly, proving that possibly some newer songs were sinking into the consciousness, but the band didn’t let it develop, and instead delved right back into the comfort zone with Sport and Religion from their seminal album The General Electric.

Another apologetic introduction signalled the end of the set proper with new tune Sleepeater, before the encore featuring 1996’s Envy (off the album Killjoy) and Pacifier. The gig was not a revelation – Shihad are a phenomenal live band and have been throughout their entire career. It’s clear though, that the band doesn’t seem confident enough in their post-Pacifier offerings to let them stand on their own two feet and that’s a shame: there’s nothing more pitiful than a proud band apologetic about playing its music.