Children Collide, DZDeathrays, Damn Terran @Manning Bar, Sydney (12/08/11)

Mon 15th Aug, 2011 in Gig Reviews

There are certainly worse ways to spend a Friday night than with three Australian rock bands at Sydney University’s Manning Bar. Midway through a tour to support their new single Loveless, Children Collide show Sydney no signs of slowing down as they play a punishing set supported by two rocking up and comers.

Coming on in a burst of feedback, it’s not long before Melbourne’s Damn Terran launch into grinding stoner riffs that dominate their set. They mixed these in with jagged post-punk arrangements and squawking vocals; maybe a little too extreme for casual rock fans, but those who like their rock loud and abrasive were certainly rewarded.

When at their most abrasive voice of vocalist/guitarist, Lachlan Ewbank, was lost a little in the mix, too low to match the power the band were creating with their instruments. The lack of hooks or melodies in the songs meant that this wasn’t too detrimental though and sections of the crowd seemed too caught up in Damn Terran’s mammoth sound to care. As they closed with Rebels, bass player Ali Edmonds takes care of most of the vocals. She added an interesting element that strengthened their sound as well as diversified it. If they utilised her more often they could have turned a good set to a great set.

You would think it would be easy to get your share of the spot light in a two piece band, but drummer Simon Ridley owned the stage during second support DZ Deathrays performance. Thrashing away at his cymbals and drums; the clear enjoyment he is getting from playing is as infectious as his primal drumbeats. Shane Parsons doesn’t fly completely under the radar, his fuzzed out dance punk licks get hips shaking and heads bobbing all around the room.

A “new song about Motley Crue” is played, but its ferocity and length has far more in common with 80s hardcore than the sunset strip, Parsons’ raw screams coming across loud and clear. Likewise, the electrifying Cops/Capacity’s blistering riffs create a sound so big it’s hard to believe there are only two people on the stage.

DZ are let their music do the talking, and it works as they knock out riff after riff, each catchier than the next. Little mosh pits start to open up in sections of the floor, the audience feeding of the onstage action. While they are not the band everyone has packed in to see they give a performance worthy of a headlining slot, culminating in their instruments lying wasted on the ground.

A freshly sheared Johnny Mackay and his Children Collide band mates were greeted by a rowdy Friday night crowd and they respond in kind by opening with a unruly rendition of We Live In Fear; Mackay screaming the lyrics through his guitar pickups while a black face masked with the Children Collide logo is projected on a screen behind them. The front of house sound is mixed evenly and turned up to maximum volume, with every strike on Ryan Caesar’s drum kit being reverberated around the room.

The Sydney audience were matching the band in intensity, contributing “Heys” and “Whoos” where they were appropriate in Skeleton Dance and My Eagle. In return Mackay takes every opportunity join the mosh, leaping into the crowd with his guitar buzzing and crackling as hands rise up to grab him. When having guitar troubles during set closer Fire Engine Johnny leaves his guitar tech to take care of the repairs while he navigates the Manning Bar atop a frothing sea of fans.

The creepy face backdrop was swapped out for warped clips of the infamous Loveless video clip as they played through the single; the mosh pit was stilled as everyone raised their arms and sang the chorus. Children Collide also slipped a new song into the set; it didn’t drift to far from their garage sound and despite being unfamiliar managed to keep the audience energy up.

“We don’t do encores and we don’t do requests, piss off.” Johnny had to lay down the rules with a few enthusiastic fans, but with a set heavy on crowd pleasers like Social Currency, Farewell Rocketship and Jellylegs, as well as rarities like the epic instrumental Terrible Lizard, it’s hard to imagine what people were left requesting.

Children Collide put on a rock show that doesn’t emulate their recordings, instead giving potent and exciting renditions of their songs. They pack extra grunt with their energetic performance and the effort they put into rocking out on stage is matched by their happy fans.