“That’s the third time in a row I’ve puked on myself on stage” proclaims Wavves bass player Stephen Pope midway through their Corner Hotel set.
“Don’t worry, puking is a sign of manhood,” quips Nathan Williams with a laugh, the crowd not sure whether to laugh along or act disgusted. We decide upon a mixture of both.
Coming off their excellent performance at Bendigo’s Groovin’ The Moo, it was a surprise to notice that Wavves tickets were still available on the night of their Corner Hotel sideshow. The fact that the show hadn’t sold out certainly standing as a discredit to the quality of the band’s performance, Wavves were exciting and engaging, compelling the seemingly sparse crowd to join the ruckus.
Local supports Murlocs opened the evening, playing simple but engaging rock and roll, defined by front man Ambrose Kenny Smith’s screeching, wailing vocals and notable capabilities on the harmonica. The band played through songs featured on their recent EP and made the best of a typically meagre Melbourne support band crowd, earning steady applause from the spattering of punters.
Next were Sydney locals Sures, who are no strangers to playing at The Corner, a fact that clearly shone through in a polished and cohesive set. Well-rehearsed vocal harmonies augmented an agreeable blend of incisive lead guitar licks and capable, infectious bass lines.
As the curtains closed the remaining fans filed in from the rooftop and front bars – by no means filling the room – but making every effort to pack as closely to the stage as possible, leaving anyone within this area with the impression of a venue at full capacity. Marilyn Manson’s “The Beautiful People” blared across the room and into a fade out just in time for the curtains to open to a rapturous crowd response.
“That’s Alex’s favourite song, so we decided to play it,” Williams explains in reference to the Marilyn Manson number, amidst the sounds of guitars tuning up and the odd snare crack.
“Alright, well I guess we’ll play a song for you,” says Williams as the band dive headlong into ‘King of the Beach’ and hands shoot into the air in instant veneration from the assembled fans.
Despite a few technical difficulties on his guitar, the song instantly grabs the attention of the audience, with the odd crowd-surfer already seen to sail across the mosh pit.
Wavves proceed to offer up a relentless set, churning out song after song as fans, in truly un-Melbournian fashion, go wild in response to the raucous up-tempo vocal melodies and hammering overdriven noise pop.
A few minor moments of banter are brief instances separating an onslaught of tunes, as Williams responds to a profession of love from an adoring fan amidst the crowd, “I love you too” he chirps back, “I wanna put my penis inside of you.”
Completely engaged with the crowd, hits like ‘In The Sand’, ‘Super Soaker’ and ‘Take On The World’ whip the audience into a frenzy, with multiple pairs of crowd surfing feet coasting through the air at any one time.
A brief moment of reflection during the opening sentiments of ‘Green Eyes,’ with a few over-eager punters attempting the insufferable ‘lighters in the air’ moment, are quickly snuffed out as the song kicks back into balls-to-the-wall rocking out, with the crowd more than eager to oblige.
Wavves seem completely at home in the relatively intimate surrounds of the Corner Hotel, with the inordinate response serving as a testament to the bands vitality.
Melbourne crowds often gain a reputation for being overly smug, a not necessarily undeserved assessment much of the time. Wavves took this presumption and kicked it in the face with infectious tunes and beguiling stage presence that caught and held audience attention for the entire length of their hour-long set.
Leaving without an encore, despite efforts calling for just one more song, Wavves shunned what has become the socially accepted ‘mandatory encore whether we want it or not’, the atmosphere in the room remained resoundingly positive. A well deserved reception for a stalwart performance from the San Diego surf punk outfit.
– Morgan Benson
