Jebediah, River of Snakes,Cola Wars @ Corner Hotel,Melbourne (06/05/2011)

Fri 13th May, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Life has been quite the roller coaster over the past decade for Western Australia’s favourite sons (and daughter) Jebediah. Reaching dizzying heights with their debut album Slightly Odway and sophomore release Of Someday Shambles, the band slowly fell into free fall, hitting a snag with their record label and eventually taking a brief hiatus. Various side projects fell between their 2004 independent album Braxton Hicks and their latest edition Kosciuszko. With their fanbase remaining strong after building up years of goodwill through constant touring, however, it was no surprise that the first two scheduled stops of their album launch tour sold out in quick time.

Melbourne boys Cola Wars lift the lid on the night by performing an enjoyable set of uplifting pop-punk numbers from their debut release Invader. While the crowd is sparse at the beginning of their set, the room fills as their show progresses. With their musical pedigree undoubted, this latest creation featuring ex-members of Bodyjar and For Amusement Only provide a welcoming introduction to the evening’s entertainment.

Unfortunately, Cola Wars efforts in breaking in tonight’s crowd were not reciprocated by ring-ins River of Snakes, who were called in as a late replacement for Violent Soho, who themselves were forced to withdraw due to illness. While the scale of the volume and fuzz belied the band’s size, the trio largely fell flat with a combination of songs that seemed to merge into a continuous drone. There is a time and place for all bands, it’s just that tonight’s venue and crowd wasn’t it for River of Snakes.

The big question confronting Jebediah is that after years out of the game, would they still have the capacity to provide memorable shows brimming with fun and energy? Their set opened with Kosciuszko opener Lost My Nerve, and while it hasn’t got that quintessential Jebediah sound, it’s received like any other Jebs classic. Older fans are rewarded with Puck Defender from 1997’s Slightly Odway early in the set, and it’s mixed in a collection of new songs, including Control, Under Your Bed, and High (Horse). The crowd is in full voice in lending its assistance during Please Leave, and when the opening chords of Harpoon ring out, it’s nearly comical to see perhaps the biggest mosh of the night.

Questions over whether the new songs would stack up to the old favourites are answered with the performance of She’s like a Comet, which would not be out of place in a line up with the singles from Of Someday Shambles. Their ability to create power pop sing-a-longs is unquestionable. Yet it’s whether they still have the ability to create albums bursting with entertaining, catchy tunes remains a sticking point. Kosciuszko is a good album with moments of brilliance, but far from classic Jebs. Their set is brought home by early album tracks Benedict, Animal and the underrated Run of the Company, before Kosciuszko track Oxygen rounds out the set.

A rousing rendition of More Alone from 2004’s Braxton Hicks album opens their encore set, before the show ends with the trio of early classics Feet Touch The Ground , Leaving Home and debut single Jerks of Attention finishing an enjoyable show.

The question surrounding Jebediah’s ability to re-create the same shows of their heyday was answered to an extent, in that the band have lost none of their energetic stage presence, and that their back catalogue sounds exactly as they did live 10 years ago. The question as to whether the new stuff stacks up is of course a subjective one, a question which will inevitably draw differing responses from fans. The success of the evening, however, is a reflection of the mix between the old and the new, leaving fans satisfied they have experienced an entertaining show spanning equal parts of Jebediah’s 15 year career.