To venture out on a cold Sunday night I was expecting to be blown away by this triple bill and on reflection I seriously would have been better off staying at home. After freezing my nuts off walking to the venue I had to force my way through the huge contingent of scarf wielding try hards to find a good spot. What is it with this indie scene and the bullshit fashion and hairstyles that accompany it… don’t get me started.
Adelaide band Fire! Santa Rosa! Fire! Are full of promise and while many are prepared to talk them up as being the next big thing I don’t think they should give up their day jobs just yet. They’re young and impressionable but to be frank I don’t rate them.
With this tour being a co-headline tour each night there would be a coin toss to determine who would headline the night. Unfortunately there can only be one winner and Dappled Cities Fly won the toss forcing the Red Riders to set up their gear and do their thing.
For me, the Red Riders were disappointing and played well within themselves. Recent shows with The Vines in May and their own headline show at Jive a few weeks before that were far superior. Whether it’s the start or the end of the tour is no excuse for this sloppy effort and it seemed like it was the alcohol or the substances were taking their toll. Slide Next To Me lacked a lot of spark and is not the way I would prefer to remember their set. The lack of crowd reaction was a real indicator as to how bad they played and given that the life span of Replica Replica is nearing the end it would have been great to see them go out in a blaze of glory.
Dappled Cities Fly hit the stage next and the crowd didn’t seem all that excited that it was their turn. The band literally had to prompt the masses for some sort of applause that they were there. To me that was clear evidence that the wrong band was headlining this show and if there was ever a time to leave early this was it. I can’t say I’m a fan and the songs from Granddance didn’t leave a lasting impression put it that way.
To make matters worse the Red Riders and Dappled Cities Fly returned for a joint encore performing the Guns ‘n Roses classic November Rain. Some may consider this as a fun way to finish the show but they well and truly butchered a classic. That was the final straw and I stormed off back to my car reconsidering my decision to venture out.
