With four bands on tonight’s lineup, this was definitely value for money with regards to seeing live music from the heavier end of the spectrum in a live setting.
First up were Melbourne’s Guzoline. With a nice line in funk metal, recalling to mind the legendary American rockers Fishbone, aka the best band you’ve never heard of, the local boys were a solid choice to open.
Next on the bill were three-piece TTTDC. A group that traversed what could be best as sludge metal-equal parts Queen Of The Stone Age & Led Zeppelin at their heaviest. What they lacked in a bass player, they more than made up for with musical muscle and aggression. This was a quality addition for the proceedings.
Red Sky Burial had a highly strident, almost militant vibe and feel to them. Recalling local lads Mark Of Cain, this was straight up, no bullshit heavy rock with a borderline metal aura and vibe to it. A solid set from a band to watch.
All three bands so far had been nothing to be sneezed at. However, the lack of crowd numbers definitely left something to be desired and somewhat of a sour taste in one’s mouth.
Something similar happened at the Mannifest mini-festival at The Corner a few weeks ago. A great night, headlined by local lunatics King Parrot, the venue’s band room was basically at a quarter of its capacity for the entire evening.
With one of the most positive, joyous and electric live music scenes in the world, something we are prepared to fight for, as illustrated by the S.L.A.M. rally a few years ago, this is a disheartening state of affairs.
The crowd had fattened up a little, but still not to a great level, for headline act Dreadnaught. Formed in 1992, they have been perfecting their precise and utterly brutal take on the genre for over twenty years. Where they have really made a name for themselves is on the live front.
Tonight’s blistering one hour set was proof positive that they are a vital part of this country’s metal scene. Years of playing together has their sound really solid, with each element of their musical make up fitting really well with each other. Again, that lack of crowd and abandon compromised what had the potential to be a truly electric night.
While a decent night, the band room, at times, felt ‘dead’. This was by no means due to any fault of the bands. It was simply one of those nights that didn’t fire or click as it should. What is worrying is that if local metalheads don’t get out there and support their local exponents of the genre, one day it might not be there.
