Sometimes I head to shows and I know the artist like the back of my hand, I know the name of all their songs and maybe even the name of their cat. This time was different, these four bands have only really been apart of my musical repertoire in the past few weeks so I went to Max Watts with only the smallest clue of what to expect.
Osaka Punch were first up and I have no idea how to even begin to explain this band. They are the weirdos in the school playground but you want to be liked by them, hang out with them and be them, all at the same time.
These Brisbane sci-fi hardcrumpers (my sub genre) were one of the most insane live acts I have ever seen. Syncopated rock with techno effects, breakdowns and all round craziness, I couldn’t believe how much action was happening on stage in front of my eyes, it was almost surreal. Osaka Punch produced some of the best raunchy dance moves I’d ever seen and mixed with their high spirits and talent these boys blew the house down.
Lead singer Jack not only has the funny quirkiness of a stand up comedian but he also has incredible voice. During their track Eat Red Carpet he goes from yelling lyrics to tuning right up into his head voice which is super impressive from a muso’s point of view. Every member in Osaka Punch is a bloody talented musician and each brought their own flavour to the stage to join forces to create one big party!
Osaka Punch made it clear that their favourite jam was in fact their brand new smash single STONK. In cooperating everything that makes Osaka who they are, crazy, original, catchy, aggressive and funky the boys smashed this tempo changing master piece with dance moves and head rocking to the very last beat.
No amount of adjectives, intelligent recordings or videos could ever do this band justice, their on stage energy and talent is something you must feel and experience for yourself and you will not be dissapointed. Osaka Punch played like seasoned pros and I loved every minute of it. These guys are one of the best live act I have ever seen.
Changing the vibe with a considerably more mellow on stage presence was Meniscus who slayed their approach to instrumental post rock.
I’ve always admired instrumental bands for their attention to detail. Each song has a more thought out meaning and story telling element that is sometimes covered up if lyrics are involved. Meniscus did just this with each song that rolled off their instruments telling a different story that would mean something different to each person who hears it.
Room 3327 was the track that stood out the most to me due to its roller-coaster musical journey. With a slow and steady build up to a busy and raunchy sound explosion, Meniscus dropped a sound bomb that’s waves blew over the crowd starting a head thrashing frenzy. Adding to the atmosphere of their performance was a back drop which featured projections of motion pictures that they had chosen to best represent each song. Videos of sharks leaping when their music hit a more intense set of chords made a special kind of tension to build up to each tempo and mood change throughout their performance.
Meniscus are a band full of passionate and talented musicians that left everything they had on the stage.
Closure In Moscow hit the stage and their animated on stage vibe was a contagious feeling felt throughout. Littered with humour and vulgar dance moves the boys were more than ready to rock out with an array of old and new tracks to cleanse the pallete of every die hard fan.
Seeds Of Gold was announced as the groups dance track and with its groovy repetitive beats it made the crowd do just that. The 5 boys from Melbourne played progressive rock littered with fun and trouble warming up the crowd for the main act with ease
It was 10pm and the floor of Max Watts started to drastically fill out. All the way from Mukilteo, WA, post-hardcore rocking headliners The Fall Of Troy graced the stage and prepared their set up to melt some faces. Making short work of conversation, die hard fans re gifted an echo of ‘”Shit Yeah” and the band kicked off the first note
Your Loss taken from their latest album ‘OK’ was definitely the highlight track of the night. With a slow psychedelic trance build up at the start the tempo changes dramatically when lead singer Thomas rips into the track with his vocals. The whole band had their hands moving at the speed of light as the catchy riffs and beats flew out like waves into the audience from all corners of the stage. Raunchy and yet sometimes relaxed, The Fall Of Troy played with power and stamina that was controlled from start to finish.
Thomas Erak’s was shredding so fast I’m surprise his hand didn’t catch fire, Andrew Forsman played the drums with an angry and grungy tone and Tim Ward on the bass thrashed like there was no tomorrow. The whole band meshed together with perfection, feeding off each others live vibe and keeping the crowd energetic which was exactly what I expected from these exceptional musicians.
The Fall Of Troy played like they were going to die tomorrow, like this was their last moment on earth and this show was their last chance to leave a mark. Having the opportunity to be apart of that was something truly special and I’m sure the fans really appreciated every bands dedication to their shared passion that is music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgSserAIE0Y
2 Responses to Fall Of Troy, Closure In Moscow, Meniscus & Osaka Punch Live @ Max Watts