The Bravery, Faker, FlamingoCrash @ The Arena, 13/08/2005

Tue 16th Aug, 2005 in Gig Reviews

What do you get when you put The Bravery, Faker and Flamingo Crash together in the one venue? One hell of a great show, that’s what!

The night kicked off with the exuberant, original Flamingo Crash. The Brisbanites played an interesting, captivating set that retained a messy air, but in reality was a very tight performance. An eccentric, eclectic musical style was offset by accompanying visuals and enthusiastic performances by all band members.

From the word go Faker captivated the audience and delivered a kick-arse set. The rumours you hear are true – Faker are an amazing band to see live and truth be told, were every inch as good, if not better, than headliners The Bravery. Kicking off the set with the bombastic Quarter To Three, it was hit after hit for the quintet, whose stage presence is enthusiastic to say the least. Frontman Nathan Hudson careened around the stage during almost every song, at times lapping the whole perimeter in a mad dash. Vocally, his delivery was spot-on. Set highlights were the popular Teenage Werewolf and the slower Love For Sale, which illustrated that Faker can deliver a downtempo tune with as much effectiveness as the faster tracks. Kids On Overload was also a winner due to its earnestness, and The Familiar got the place absolutely pumping. A fantastic set.

The Bravery took to the stage amidst a roaring welcome. Rites Of Spring saw vocalist Sam Endicott’s voice sounding a bit weak, but this was not to last. When the news was delivered that it was actually Endicott’s birthday, the crowd wildly applauded the front man. The excitement in the crowd grew as the band delivered a searing version of Swollen Summer, which was easily one of the set highlights. Likewise the synth-happy Public Service Announcement got arses shaking with its new-wave inflections. Tyrant was delivered with aplomb, but it was single An Honest Mistake that really tore the place down. The band did a cover of U2’s An Cat Dubh (The Black Cat), which was quite a surprise, but well-received, before kicking into the disco groove of Unconditional, yet another track from The Bravery’s debut self-titled release.

It goes without saying that the band was screamed back on for an encore, which is a good thing because the set seemed to be over in the blink of an eye! It truly was a very enjoyable night, with all three bands putting on great performances. The crowd absolutely loved it and it has been a while since I’ve seen so many people collectively busting a move (they were even dancing during the filler music, for goodness’ sake!!) and leaving a venue with such big grins on their faces.