live review
What we've been out to see...
LYALL MOLONEY, BOOTLEG RASCAL The Standard Friday August 23
Hitting Taylor Square’s The Standard as a part of his ‘Before The End Of Time’ tour, Lyall Moloney played to an enthusiastic crowd of onlookers. Having only known a few songs, I went into the gig relatively blind. That said, it did not take long for the boys to win me over. The band that got the crowd standing was Sydney/Gold Coast four-piece Bootleg Rascal, a solid act definitely fitting the overall ambiance of the night – pretty impressive for a group that only formed earlier this year. A clear highlight was their rendition of Ginuwine’s ‘Pony’. Accompanied by Moloney, it was as if we were watching the boys in their true jamming habitat. It’s always a delight to see when artists really engage in what they do – while being pretty damn good at it. When the time came, Lyall Moloney’s voice completely infiltrated the atmosphere with the incorporation of beatboxing, guitar, loops, percussion and the harmonica. Laid-back psych and surfy melodies fused with smooth hip hop beats and lightly applied percussion, generating considerable good vibes and a summery haze. ‘Go That Low’ proved a crowd-pleaser, with Moloney stacking up layers of guitar with loop pedals whilst spreading his voice over some slick beats.
JIMMY BARNES Enmore Theatre Thursday August 22
In fine form, Jimmy Barnes AKA Barnesy rolled through Sydney in the midst of his first full tour since the last Cold Chisel jaunt in 2012 – and if the Working Class Man has any thoughts about slowing down, he certainly doesn’t show it. Hordes of people danced in the aisles from the beginning and you could tell Barnesy was charged up because of it. The band was tight as they began to charge through a setlist chock-full of classic Chisel tracks, alongside Barnes’ solo work, with great energy. It was a family affair as well, with Jimmy’s daughters Eliza-Jane and Mahalia in the band as backup singers. And when Mahalia wasn’t doing backing vocals she was at the front duetting with her father, after earlier opening the night as his support act. Although the gig itself seethed energy for its entirety, the second half of the show was definitely when it went from excellent to epic. Listening to them, you’re reminded
just how many great songs Barnes has sung over the years: ‘Lay Down Your Guns’, ‘Ride The Night Away’, ‘No Second Prize’, ‘Flame Trees’, ‘Last Frontier’, the sprawling ‘Driving Wheels’ and the Chisel masterpiece ‘When The War Is Over’ – all part of the fabric of Oz rock’n’roll, as is Barnesy himself. From there, the show proceeded to blast through the roof of the Enmore with the riotous closer, a searing cover of Ashton, Gardner and Dyke’s ‘Resurrection Shuffle’ (a version of which Barnes recorded with The Living End for his album Double Happiness). And of course, when those first signature notes of ‘Khe Sanh’ rung out through the theatre there was scarcely anyone not standing to belt out the anthem. With only just a sprinkle of new songs in the setlist, they held up well in comparison. Say what you will about 57-year-old Barnesy, you can’t deny he still hits those screaming high notes. It hurts my throat just thinking about it. Carla Pavez RKE :: PHOTOGRAPHER :: KATRINA CLA
Put simply, these two acts are on the cusp of something great. If this gig was anything to go by, we have certainly haven’t seen the last of them. Kiera Thanos
RKE :: PHOTOGRAPHER :: KATRINA CLA
THE BEASTS OF BOURBON, GRETA MOB
Factory Theatre Saturday August 24
Greta Mob launched into their set with confidence despite the sparse and motionless punters that lay before them early on in the night. The lesser-known predecessors to the Kelly Gang, the original Greta Mob was a crew of larrikin bandits in the late 1800s, and their modern namesakes are as ballsy and subversive as the originals. They blow you away with their dirty mix of blues, folk and badass rock’n’roll. There are zero frilly hipster pretensions with these guys – their sound is sexy and punchy as hell. Lead vocalist/guitarist Rhyece O’Neill immediately hooks you in with his powerfully husky vocals and bold stage antics. There’s a hint of Peter Garrett in his theatrical package. Their album producer and special guest synth player Shane Fahey injected a refreshing extra layer of edgy, experimental sound effects into the Mob’s performance. He proudly grooved away to the whole set with his silvery long hair reminiscent of Doc from Back To The Future. The Beasts of Bourbon’s third and final Sydney stop on their 30 Years Of Borrowed thebrag.com
Time tour was blow-up-your-skirt impressive. The Factory’s floor was packed out, as you would expect for a band of this calibre and notoriety. The Beasts proved once again why they have maintained a fierce foothold in Australia’s rock music landscape since the ’80s – the skills and professionalism of each member are simply astounding. Their sound is not always tight and in tune, but there is a fantastic loose synergy bouncing between each band member like a well-oiled but rusted machine. Tex Perkins boldly leads the Beasts with his bad boy charisma, trademark strutting and microphone slinging. Gritty chainsaw riffs and gutsy rhythms are delivered with intensity by Spencer Jones and Charlie Owen on guitar and Brian Hooper on bass. Jones’ nonchalant cool and cowboy swagger are always fantastic to watch while he strums away with talented dexterity. Tony Pola packed loads of sweaty stamina and power into his drumming performance despite being quite stone-faced for the entire set. The night ended with a charming touch of the rock’n’roll spirit as a bra was flung up on stage. The Beasts were completely unfazed – a testimony to their legendary don’t-give-a-fuck rock attitude.
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Kylie Finlay
BRAG :: 528 :: 02:09:13 :: 33