What was this gig?? A free Friday night show from one of the best up-and-coming punk bands, and they'd come all the way from Australia for it? Boy, was I happy that I caught wind of them a few days before and not afterwards or I'd have been sore.
An American fellow, Koji, opened the show by first going around the group and personally introducing himself to the small assembled crowd. It was an odd but inclusive way of doing things and his zeal shone through for the entire set. Admittedly I'm writing this months later and musically I cannot recall much about it but the vibe was wholesome and real, connections based in people and in music. When he smiled at you it was true pleasure in sharing that moment alive together.
Mutt played next and to be brutally honest it was very mundane. Nothing was particularly bad about it but it felt like they wanted their schtick of having a female singer in a rock band to carry them through. Unfortunately for me there just wasn't anything there to grab my attention.
Oh my goodness, what a set from Press Club. I mean I knew I enjoyed their music (having only discovered them that week) but I wasn't quite ready for the raw energy that erupted. The lead singer roamed the room like a ghoul - a snarling, Aussie ghoul and it was incredible how she commanded that room. Backing her up the band were tight with their aggressive punk-rock riffs rumbling the room. A highlight in a blistering set was Get Better, a tune not yet even released but with a phenomenal hook of a chorus after the chunky timing changes. The music, the energy, the swagger, the good spirits, it all added up to a stellar performance for a band on the up. How the heck was this put on for free!?
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