Bag Raiders, Muscles, JinjaSafari @ ANU Bar, Canberra(18/3/11)

Sun 20th Mar, 2011 in Gig Reviews

A casual beverage, some chilled out tunes, and a game of pool. Who knew that such a humble beginning to the evening could escalate into such an extravaganza! On Friday night the ANU Bar saw a diverse range of hippie dancing, head banging, and down right raving, and that was only the beginning.

Jinja Safari were first to take the stage and commenced the show with extremely good vibes. Onlookers were admittedly surprised yet enthused by their self-described ‘forest rock’ genre. Band members Marcus Azon, Pepa Knight, Joe Citizen, Jacob Borg and Alister Pattern epitomised the ultimate stage presence with their enthusiastic use of body percussion and on stage dancing. The use of a drum kit and bongo drums simultaneously highlighted a dancing rhythm. All in all it was an action packed performance – and kudos to the gentlemen for singing in their falsetto voices.

The night progressed with a DJ set from Muscles. The artist has come a long way since the release of his first album Guns Babes Lemonade which was released in 2007 shortly after his Parklife appearance. Having released an EP each year since, Muscles demonstrated why he’s so popular at live shows, dropping some of the tracks from his latest Younger and Immature album. The Melbourne DJ redefined volume with the speakers turned up to an eardrum breaking level. He provided perfect support to the Bag Raiders, who’ve completed a remix of his song One Inch Badge Pin.

Finally the wait was over, and Chris Stacey and Jack Glass, who together make up the Bag Raiders, took to the stage. Without adjusting the volume levels from Muscles, the Sydney duo played a number of their own remixes as well as original tracks. An impressive mini moshpit developed in one section of the bar, which was jam-packed with fans and partygoers. A perfect mix between true partying and live music was achieved, as you could rock out in the front row without dying. A total bonus and rarity for such an act. A limited number of haters decided to ignore the music and continue to enjoy their beverage in the far end of the bar. High energy levels were maintained throughout their entire set. The Bag Raiders peaked with their final songs – both self-composed works titled Shooting Stars and Way Back Home. As the songs played, arms swayed, hips shook and a high number of dedicated fans dutifully sang along with imperfect pitch. The duo have been unstoppable this year, after wowing the crowd at Good Vibrations and providing a stellar performance at ANU Bar, they’re now set to dominate Warehouse this coming April.

All in all, a good night, and a big shout out to the ANU Bar for backing it up after Saint Patrick’s Day.