“We’d come here all the time if it were five minutes away,” remarked The Snuts frontman Jack Cochrane at Northcote Theatre last week. Looking back at their touring history, the beloved Scottish indie rockers are not far off from doing just that.
Less than a year ago, The Snuts rocked The Corner Hotel; the year before that, they supported Louis Tomlinson and briefly dipped into Splendour in the Grass. Braving the lengthy connecting flights and jetlag from their home country, the Scottish four-piece were back in Melbourne again last Thursday, May 23rd.
After incredible support from Eliza & The Delusionals (who announced their new album just a couple of days beforehand), The Snuts came onstage and got right down to the business.
They opened their set with high energy hits “Novostar”, “Millionaires”, and “Yoyo” from their newest album, Millennials, which the band proudly touted last time they were Down Under.
I was lucky enough to find myself in the exact centre, second from the barricade, right in front of the charismatic Cochrane. Wearing his signature sunnies even though it was 9pm, the frontman grooved across the stage, after putting on a show of slumping around until the music hit. Behind him, drummer Jordan ‘Joko’ Mackay was filling the venue with explosive beats, toning it down just right for the slower bits of “Hallelujah Moment”.
“This next song’s easy,” Cochrane coaxed the crowd, “all you need to do is say, ‘Olé!’” Prompting no other song but “The Rodeo”, everyone cheered, letting the song build up until its iconic chorus.
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The Snuts seemed at home onstage, joking and checking that everyone understood what they were saying whenever they took a break between songs. They also checked for fellow Scots in the crowd, and admitted they didn’t know much about Australian politics before the intro to “Burn the Empire” creeped in. A particular section of the crowd had been chanting “Fuck the Tories” sporadically throughout the night, making this song a clear anthem for their political stance.
When the air was buzzing with energy, The Snuts started being pelted with song requests, with old favourite “Glasgow” being the biggest contender.
“You know, whenever people yell for me to play a song, it makes me… just not want to play it at all,” Cochrane joked, getting groans and moans in response.
The rest of the night played on with a mix of tracks from their various albums. It slowed down and sweetened with “Circles”, the closer to their last album. When it seemed like things were coming to an end, the band exchanged looks and conceded.
“Glasgow” was a wise choice for their final song. Everyone had evidently been waiting all night to hear it, and the band, despite griping that it was overplayed at this point, performed it incredibly.
If and when The Snuts make another trip to Australia, there are no doubts they’ll have lots of Aussie fans flocking to catch them in Melbourne and beyond. Considering Cochrane confessed during the show that we had the best coffee in the country, I’d place my bets on seeing them again very soon.
Find The Snuts’ tour dates here.
