Australians have a habit of claiming New Zealand’s finest stuff as their own.
And for a good chunk of their career, Wellington’s longstanding hard rock kings Shihad have called Melbourne home, with two of them still based here. So it is fitting that as the band call time on their 35+ year, 10-album career on their ‘Loud Forever’ tour, their final Australian show is Melbourne, and their biggest in this city as well at a long sold-out Forum theatre. It’s predictably somewhat of an unofficial Kiwi expats gathering, but plenty of well-seasoned local rock fans who have enjoyed their blistering live shows over the years are also here to enjoy them one last time.
Farewell tours are often a greatest hits show, but Shihad made sure of this with a deliberately structured retrospective setlist taking the audience from the present (2021’s Old Gods) through to the start (1993’s Churn). Tracks from all ten of their albums were played, with the crowd notably getting more amped up once “Alive” and “All The Young Facists” from their “angry” record, 2004’s Love Is The New Hate, got a welcome revisit. The momentum really continued from there, with “Comfort Me” delivering a huge singalong and headbanging the order of the day on mega hit “The General Electric”.
Frontman Johnny Toogood is seen by many as the Kiwi version of Dave Grohl – a top bloke who commands the crowd and rocks his butt off as well. With his long hair and black attire, he more than ever looks the part tonight, bouncing around during instrumental bits, moving from one side of the stage to the other, and dropping plently of f-bombs and countless calls for punters to jump or clap along.
Away from the album tour during the main set, the encore had some choice inclusions with the turbocharged Pacifier album track “Run”, and their superb cover of Crowded House’s “I Got You”. Fittingly, they finish with their daylight savings anthem and biggest hit, “Home Again”, with bass player Karl even jumping into the crowd for part of song.
This wasn’t as wild as a typical Shihad show many have experienced hroughout their career, but given their youthful antics are long in the past, its understandable. The band were focused on making this a celebration, and for fans from any era, it served as fitting victory lap to bid farewell. Congrats on a superb career Shihad, you’ve flown the hard rock flag proud from across the ditch and beyond.
Shihad have three shows left in their homeland – they play the Powerstation in Wellington on Wednesday and a sold-out Spark Arena in Auckland on Friday. Their last show is fittingly as headliners of the Homegrown Festival in their hometown of Wellington next Saturday March 15th. More details and tickets are available at shihad.com.
