It seems to be a truly rare experience nowadays to get the chance to experience a good old fashioned entertaining pub rock show. Back in the 80s and early 90s it was easy to find a venue with good live music and a good fun vibe. In fact, it was so commonplace that it was easy to take this music scene for granted and get picky about which of these bands you went to see. In the new millennium, unfortunately, there is the obvious decline of venues due to the profitability (for the venues) of pokie machines, and also the trend that the 90s grunge bands started with the ethos of ‘less is more’ in their performance. With so many bands trying to prove their credibility by downplaying the entertainment factor, we are left with the aforementioned fun rock experience becoming a rarity.

This is the reason I was so looking forward to seeing Dallas Crane perform again. When I last saw them in Adelaide a few months ago, they put on just the sort of show that I had been missing for so long, particularly in a small, intimate venue.

On this occasion, when I arrived at Fowlers live, my hopes were high for a similar experience. Two minutes into the set from support act, Airborne, I knew I was going to have a good time. If the job of the support act is to warm up the crowd for the headliners (which it is), this band excelled at their job. It seems that Airborne have been stuck in a time warp for the last fifteen years because these guys are so old school rock that they are almost a parody of Darkness-esque proportions. With matching black T-shirts (apart from the shirtless singer/guitarist) and big 80s hair, these guys had all the moves and energy of a band from this bygone era. It took only a couple of songs to get the growing crowd completely excited and lapping up every minute of the set. Their high energy performance combined with instantly catchy rock tunes, made for a fantastic prequel to the main attraction, the mighty Dallas Crane.

There was still a buzz in the room when the headliners reached the stage. Powering through their repertoire, the band effortlessly showed the packed house exactly how rock music should be performed, with passion, style, and lots of raw energy. The only downside to this set was that it seemed to be over all too quickly. After their one encore (their hit tune Sit on My Knee), the lights came up and the pumped crowd were left wanting more. Neither Dallas Crane nor Airborne are breaking any new ground musically but I pray that they will stick to their guns and continue to keep doing what they’re doing , keeping the passion and the fun in rock and roll.

Dallas Crane Photo Gallery