Army of Darkness Tour @ TheGaelic Club, 03/06/04

Fri 4th Jun, 2004 in Gig Reviews

It’s a happy thing when a showcase of Australian (and in this case New Zealand too) talent hits the road together in an orgy of power, passion and adrenalin. It’s an even happier thing when it involves a bunch of bands that are not afraid of expressing themselves. And further, it’s the happiest thing when it’s done well. Last night I had the pleasure of attending the Army of Darkness Tour at the Gaelic Club in Sydney and at the end of the night, most importantly, I was happy.

Headlining the night were Queensland’s Sunk Loto, supported by bands that are no strangers to the Australian metal scene: Full Scale, Frankenbok and 8 Foot Sativa. And kudos to the Sunksters for choosing to name a tour after a great classic – Evil Dead 3. Hail to the king, baby!

By the time I arrived to catch the last few songs of 8 Foot Sativa, there was already a healthy collection of people, ranging from young punks (like myself) to older, more established individuals. An eclectic group of fans for an eclectic group of bands. New Zealand’s hardcorers played with a vigorous manner, an extremely heavy set that seemed to set the pace for the rest of the night.

A couple of beers later, Frankenbok hit the stage with their recipe for hardcore metal: two guitars, a bass, drums and a singer with a lot of energy. Frankenbok for me is one of those bands that I have heard of but never seen. I was impressed. Unfortunately, the sound in the club was so intense that I couldn’t quite hear any of the song names. But I’m pretty sure one of them involved both the ‘f’ word and the ‘c’ word. Any fans are welcome to comment. Either way, they played a great set and got the crowd primed for the political ramblings of Full Scale.

Not such a fan of Full Scale I am, but good set played they did (In the words of the great Yoda). At this stage of the game, I took advantage of special entry to the upstairs part of the club, in time to watch Ezekiel jump off the stage and mingle with the crowd up front. Very nice to see the bands appreciate their supporters and many congratulations to Full Scale for putting more energy and force into their set than the storm in The Day After Tomorrow. Party Political ended the show to the cheers of the Sydneysiders.

After a long wait and well, yeah, a couple more beers later, the young Sunk Loto stormed into our presence, playing pretty much every song off their Between Life And Death album. Older songs Sunken Eyes, Vinegar Stroke, Lift  and Porcelain Buddha were crowd pleasers and created a small moshing dance group. Sunk Loto sounded clear and established, even though Jason reported to have a bad cold and apologised for his lack of vocals. No complaints from us – they sounded just as powerful as ever. After a short break, they came back for their encore, finishing with the insane Inside. Sorry to anyone up the front who I may have inadvertently bumped shoulders with as I moved around. But how could you blame me? ‘Loto’ stands for Liberators of the Oppressed and they sure liberated everyone last night with their stuff…although I wouldn’t say we were oppressed…

A quick note – the Gaelic club is an excellent venue – great acoustics, fantastic lighting and not too expensive beer. I hope Sydney’s live scene continues to grow and be supported by these venues…

8 Foot Sativa rocked. Frankenbok rocked. Full Scale rocked. And Sunk Loto really rocked. So good on everyone involved for putting on one of the gigs of the year – let’s see it happen more often. All I could see at the end of the night were very happy faces…