Super Best Friends, TheFighting League, Assassins 88@ Transit Bar, Canberra(10/2/11)

Sat 12th Feb, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Transit Bar, the place that many local music lovers call home. A venue so diverse you can have a casual beverage, a game of pool, or simply rock out (when the moment is right). Friday night proved to be one of those appropriate moments. Super Best Friends put on an immaculate display on one of their final Canberra shows before they hit the recording studio in Melbourne.

However, no good act comes without its supports! The night kicked off with Assassins 88 demonstrating an interesting combo of pop, punk and noise. While the venue was still fairly empty, the boys played as though it were a full house. Unfortunately, the vocals were slightly drowned out by the volume of the instruments.

No time was wasted with a changeover and The Fighting League took to the stage. The boys got straight to the point and showed that they felt at home on the Transit stage. The audience’s attention remained on the vocalist who wasted no time in getting his shirt off and proceeding to rub his hands all over his body while he belted out the tunes. While controversial, it was extremely entertaining and got members of the crowd moving in hysterics. By the end of their set, The Fighting League pleaded with the sound team at Transit Bar for the chance to play one more song. When the band’s so into what they are doing, it’s hard not to join in! Regrettably, the request was dismissed and clothes were quickly donned at a glacial pace.

Super Best Friends boasted a surprising stage setup with four instruments for only three people. Armed with tracks from their Ready Aim Fire EP, the trio was ready to rule the stage. Adam, Matt and Johnny delivered a killer set including Karma Karma, You Want It, Ready Aim Fire, The Monkey is the Man, and The Bleachers. When asked to describe their sound, Super Best Friends hit the nail on the head, describing it as “Punchy drums, crunchy guitars, distorted bass and keys.”

Overall the indie punk group embodied all that was promised. Good performance energy, musical talent, and jeans that were just a little too tight. The set was cohesive, vocal harmonies were right on pitch and the use of the MIDI keyboard was supreme.

As far as Thursday festivities go, Transit Bar has it down pat. It was great to see some punk-oriented bands on the Canberra scene! Between the performances by Assassins 88, The Fighting League and Super Best Friends there was never an opportunity for the evening to be dull.