So it’s Thursday night and my cousin asks me if I want a ticket to Hot Hot Heat tomorrow night at the Arena. Sure, I’ve heard their albums and don’t mind their sound and thought it would be good to see them live. Oh how they managed to stun the crowd and make people fall for them harder than expected.

First up was Wolf & Cub, but by the time we arrived, we walked in halfway through their last song wrapping up their set. Of the crowd that did turn up for the first support act, they seemed to enjoy what they had heard.

Next up, Faker. As someone who had heard of the band but hadn’t necessarily heard any of their material, I was looking forward to hearing them in action – a band that seems to be supporting every international act that comes to our shores. And did they live up to my expectations? Sadly, no.

I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting, but something a little different from what I got. First of all, singer Nathan Hudson was incoherent and you could only decipher the odd word here and there. That, accompanied with the fact that he was constantly moving and walking around the stage in the way that you just wanted to tie him down to one spot for longer than five seconds, didn’t make it an enjoyable experience for me. Needless to say, when Faker played latest release Hurricane, Kids on Overload and The Familiar, fans were singing along with a mini-mosh pit forming at the front of the stage.

Then finally, headliners Hot Hot Heat took the stage. They opened with Jingle Jangle which was appropriate in order to build up audience anticipation for all of their favourite songs. As soon as they finished their first song, it was hard to pick a person in the crowd who wasn’t cheering. Lead singer and keyboardist Steve Bays explained that they’ve had a great time in Australia so far, so much so that they only had two hours of sleep the night before and have been living on energy drinks all day in order to play their last gig for this tour in Australia.

Despite this confession, the band did not disappoint as they never missed a beat or note throughout the whole performance. Steve Bays’ vocals have their own unique sound and are one to experience live. When I first heard their albums, I can remember thinking what an odd but fascinating voice Bays possessed and was quite interested to see how it would hold up live. Fortunately, it was even better live where he wasn’t restricted to the confines of a recording booth. The rest of the band also played well but it was hard to take your eyes of Bays who was captivating and took all the attention away from his band mates.

Throughout the entire gig, the audience was tapping, clapping and dancing to favourite tunes You Owe Me An IOU, Dirty Mouth, Island of the Honest Man and definite crowd favourite, Bandages. 

This was definitely one happy and entertained crowd that got their money’s worth.The only minor negative thing about the set was the lighting. Due to the Arena having two levels, everyone standing on the top level was assaulted with random flashes of bright lights which was enough to make you turn away for fear of breaking into an epileptic fit. Perhaps this part of the lighting show is okay for other venues that have only one level, but some of the crowd at the Arena spent some of the show with their eyes closed or turned away.

In the end, the performance was enough to forgive this lighting mishap. Hot Hot Heat put on an outstanding show which lives up to their name and is one that you would not want to miss next time they make their way to Australia.