Bodyjar @ Ruby's Lounge,Melbourne (02/03/2007)

Sat 3rd Mar, 2007 in Gig Reviews

Australian punk rock is alive and well and its name is Bodyjar.



At Ruby’s Lounge in Belgrave, the crowd waited patiently for punk rockers Bodyjar. Prior to the band taking the stage, the crowd was treated (and I do mean ‘treated’) to the performance of an awesome rock band, Bugdust.



Bugdust literally exploded onto the small stage and proceeded to wrap the crowd around its little finger by playing like rock-gods. Bugdust warmed up the mostly male crowd at Ruby’s nicely for punk rockers Bodyjar, who played to a capacity packed crowd. Bugdust gave and gave, and then gave some more to the continuos streaming crowd; everything they could want for a good night out. In return, they received applause, the crowd’s want for more, loads of excited energy and a loudly appreciative ovation as they exited the stage to make way for the headline act Bodyjar.



You could be mistaken by thinking that Bugdust might be a hard act to follow after such a brilliant sounding show. But Bodyjar fans could tell you otherwise – if only in size of their numbers onsite or by the volume of their singing en masse to raise Ruby’s roof!



One way to fill a room is by announcing Bodyjar are playing and you can literally watch the punters roll in. It was a great atmosphere of rock and fun at Ruby’s, with punters being given a show that rocked hard and loud, filled with not just songs but anthems. The crowd lifted as one and sang out the hit songs – ‘Yesterday’, ‘One In a Million’ and ‘Lights Out’ – as Bodyjar impacted the crowd with wave after wave of cool, hard rock. With harmonies reminiscent of Blink 182 days, Bodyjar asked and pretty much incited fans to tell them their requests, mixing their set up with new songs off their It’s Alive album with crowd favourites thrown in.



Bodyjar’s encore song a cover of ‘Hazy Shade of Winter’ went down particularly well with punters declaring they craved more. The audience was hard pressed to leave at the end of this gig, having moshed and bounced its way through a thrashing great set of songs that showcased the absolute appeal of this band. Great music, great songs, big fanbase with a performance designed to entertain. What more could you want?