Cherry Rock’s 10th birthday was nothing short of huge with an epic line-up of ass kickin’, guitar wielding bands from over the world invited to be a part of the number one rock n roll boutique festival in Australia. Not too crowded, not overpriced, just a solid day of riffs and hang times with those who go first and foremost for the music.
Unlike many other festivals which may start out as a great idea and then evolve into nothing more than a social gathering where the music is second place to being seen, Cherry Rock is an unique event where new bands are elevated and the stalwarts are able to re-connect with their fanbase.
Devil Electric are no strangers to the crowds who frequent Cherry Bar, with their blend of heavy Sabbath tones with wailing female vocals ala Blues Pills and Lucifer what they produce is evil stuff and it rules. Packed in with little room to move, it’s great to see that the people came out in droves early to show their full support.
The well toured Mammoth Mammoth took to the stage in AC/DC Lane armed with truck drivin’ songs of rowdy barroom brawls and beer. They finish their set with a cover of the MC5’s ‘Kick Out The Jams’ and the punters were fired up for their day ahead.
Most surprising band of the day was The Sigit from Indonesia. These guys are the bastard child of Rush, The Sword and Wolfmother and their unique brand of stoner jams won the enthusiastic crowd over as their set was filled with nothing short of sheer awesomeness. These guys really came and delivered and will no doubt be a name thrown around for years to come.
The incredible Dallas Frasca hit the AC/DC Lane Stage next and wow! Simply put, she put on one amazing performance. Her voice is so powerful and backed by an incredibly talented band, her songs resonated with all in attendance showering the band with all the cheers you could possibly fit into the internationally renowned Melbourne laneway.
How does one sum up the massive High Tension with a few sentences? It seems impossible as this band, led by the screaming vocal talents of ex-Young And Restless vocalist Karina Utomo, were ferocious mixing chaotic guitar work and brutal vocals mashed together to create one high energy experience.
These cats are off the wall and the packed Cherry Bar confirmed that more than a few agreed. With talent this damn good in our fine city, how is it that these guys and gal aren’t dominating the airwaves and festival circuit overseas? What is wrong with these important music industry figures ignoring bands like these? Somebody fix this. High Tension ware intense and everything you would want in a punk band in 2016.
Sydney duo Polish Club mix blues and garage rock powered through fuzz pedals jamming as much distortion as you possibly can when you have a less is more approach into a 35 minute set. Winning the happy campers over with a blinding set that included a lovely welcomed rendition of The Saints’ ‘(I’m) Stranded’, Polish Club turned a few heads and no doubt their popularity will continue to grow.
Hard n heavy rock n roll is what local lads Power do best. With a past based in punk rock, this trio had the Cherry Bar chock full of enthusiastic attendees working up a sweat as they smashed through one hell of a set as they blew ear drums and turned heads.
The self-proclaimed ‘greatest rock n roll band in the world’, the Supersuckers, decided to do away with the rock n roll tags today and felt their new country sound was the best direction for their careers as they treated the appreciative audience to a less rock, more cha-cha-cha set of country twang.
Sure, it’s the Supersuckers and everybody loves them but at the end of the day, don’t you just wanna hear ‘Born With A Tail’ played as balls-out rock as fuck as humanly possible? Exactly. While they still do what they do and do it well, a more straight up rock show would have been much more of a win with the audience.
With a highly enthusiastic introduction by the obviously pleased as punch festival head honcho, James Young, Richie Ramone came on stage to a thunderous applause. The entire laneway was packed solid to see the living legend do his thing and he wasted no time in diving head first into Ramones classics ‘Durango 95’ and ‘I Don’t Wanna Go Down To The Basement’. The crowd went ballistic and it was the first band of the day to send those down the front of AC/DC Lane into one insane moshpit.
Bodies were slam dancing as Richie smashed away on the drums as those gathered before him to sing the anthemic ‘Somebody Put Something In My Drink’; a Richie penned classic that became a staple of Ramones sets right up until their final show in August of 1996.
There’s really nothing like hearing 800 punters in the CBD of Melbourne screaming out the war cry of ‘Hey Ho Let’s Go’ as the band made their way through ‘Blitzkreig Bop’ before the likes of the celebratory ‘Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World’ had every Ramones fan there fist pumping and screaming in unison. Epic!
Finishing his set with ‘Sheena Is A Punk Rocker’ and ‘Cretin Hop’, for someone who only played on three Ramones albums, he sure as hell knows how to solidify his place in punk rock history and show the world that there’s life after the Ramones. Whether he is playing covers of the band that made him or his own originals, Richie Ramone puts on a punk show like no other and if you missed it, well, you simply just missed out.
Local legends Dead City Ruins brought everything they had, mixed in a whole lot of energy, some big hair, a barrage of riffs and all the rockstar bravado you could possibly fit on that small stage.
These guys are a touring machine and it’s all paid off as they sounded huge, tight and like a band ready for arenas. They’re ours and we should be damn proud of them. If you like your rock filled with chunky riffs and hard hitting drums, this is your band. Aussie rock to the hilt and the kids may not like it but you surely will.
Germany’s Kadavar closed out the stage on AC/DC Lane and the air smelt like a pot convention as the stoner rockers delivered the jams. Mixing countless solos and backed by one seriously bitchin’ rhythm section, Kadavar really know how to bring the rock. These guys never fail and they know it. They sounded flawless and by the shows end, there was no one left unsatisfied. This was rock n roll and it ruled.
Cherry Rock 2016 was another successful event brought to you by the folks at the Cherry Bar. It’s events like this that make you proud to be a rock loving Melburnian.
This city has it all and no doubt many take it for granted but seriously, be thankful that we can have a festival in the heart of the CBD, in a laneway that is surrounded by apartments, and there’s not a goddamn thing these residents can do about it. This is the rock capital of Australia and Cherry Rock is a testament to our fine city. I know I am proud to be a part of this incredible event each year and I hope you are too.
