Cold Saturday evening? What better to do than hang out with great bands at the Evelyn?
Arriving I just caught the tail-end of the first act, but was pleasantly
surprised to learn that not only had we not missed Paper Arms (my new favourite
adelaide band), but caught the last show from Geelong-based Lost Boy Found.
Who knows why it was their last show, but they sure made the most of it... fast, funny
show followed by one of the members being at the bar at all times for the remainder
of the evening.
A quick changeover brought Paper Arms onto stage. I bought their album a few weeks
back from the good guys at Poison City Records, and must admit that it somewhat
got overlooked. All that has changed now, as their live performance really highlighted
that they are a band to watch. Raw vocals from frontman Josh Mann brought an energy without
the cliche jumping around for no particular reason that comes along with this genre.
Simple melodies intersperced with driving guitar made for interesting listening. Think Gyroscope
with a more substance and grit. Highlight was title track 'Above Ground'... even better live.
Strike Anywhere, the political power from Richmond, Virgina, took to the stage with the dangerous ethos: "the stage belongs to everyone", and it set the tone for the ferocious and immensly likeable set. Fighting through the ever-failing equipment and breakages after every song, SA offer refreshingly smart hardcore sounds, showing that the scene is not dead and buried in the teen-warped-commercialism of anarchy that floods the airwaves. Songs from new album "Iron Front" featured heavily, but not without the crowd pleasers from the back catalogue, which produced a well-rounded set. The crowd left satisfied without an encore, sweaty and energised by the messages of gender equality, political fairness and animal rights.
My tip: buy Iron Front... and make damn sure you get to Poison City Records "Weekender" to see Paper Arms in cohorts with Break Even, Grenadiers, Gun Runners & Hawaian Islands.
It will be a night to remember.
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